MFA Boston Tops $500 Million

BOSTON, MA - A Board of Trustees meeting at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), it was announced that the Museum has reached its $500 million campaign goal. In addition, Malcolm Rogers, Ann and Graham Gund Director of the MFA, stated that in recognition of Joyce and Edward Linde’s gift to the campaign and deep commitment to community arts education, the Museum’s West Wing will be named the Linde Family Wing. Rogers also announced that the new 150-seat auditorium in the American Wing will be named in honor of Barbara and Ted Alfond, in acknowledgement of their generous gift to the campaign and passion for museum learning.

The final total for the Building the New MFA campaign will be announced on September 15 at the Museum’s annual meeting. The fundraising effort, which began in July 2001, represents the largest campaign for a cultural organization in Boston.

“This is an important moment in the Museum’s history; the success of this campaign is a testament to our many generous donors, their passion for art, and their support of the vision for the future of this Museum. We are very appreciative of the generosity of everyone who has given to the campaign, including longtime friends Joyce and Edward Linde and Barbara and Ted Alfond,” said Rogers. “By achieving our campaign goal, we can move forward in transforming the Museum with a new American Wing, an innovative wing for Contemporary Art, and inviting spaces for visitors to gather, learn and enjoy the beauty of the Museum’s treasures.”

More than 50 percent of the $500 million for the campaign was raised from MFA Trustees. Gifts of $10 million or more have been received from Barbara and Ted Alfond, and Joyce and Edward Linde, as well as George D. and Margo Behrakis, the Estate of Roberta G. Logie, the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family Foundation, three anonymous gifts, and State Street Corporation. (The Museum recently marked the first construction milestone of the Building Project when it opened the State Street Corporation Fenway Entrance and the Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf Visitor Center on June 20.) Other corporate leaders who have donated $1 million or more to the campaign include Bank of America, Citizens Bank, Liberty Mutual, Merrill Lynch and United Technologies Corporation. In total, more than 25,000 gifts were given to the campaign—6,680 of these were from first-time donors to the Museum, many of whom were responding to the MFA’s $1.5 million Kresge Challenge Grant for education.

The MFA’s campaign was designated to support substantial building and renovation enhancements to the Museum, as well as the endowment for programs and positions in perpetuity, and support critical annual operations. The Building Project, designed by architects Foster + Partners (London), features the addition of a 50,000-square-foot American Wing, the creation of the glass-enclosed Ruth and Carl J. Shapiro Family Courtyard, and the expansion of space for Contemporary Art. The Building Project is expected to be completed in late 2010