The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is one step closer to its $40 million fundraising goal following a $3 million donation from the Inasmuch Foundation.
The Inasmuch Foundation Board and staff recently unveiled the Inasmuch Foundation East Foyer at the Museum, named in honor of the gift.
The donation is part of Inasmuch’s record-breaking $22 million grant announced earlier this year that will benefit 55 different nonprofits throughout the community. The grant is the largest in the foundation’s history, and named recipients include the YMCA, First Americans Museum and Catholic Charities, in addition to the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.
The gift is also part of the museum’s three-year “Live the Code” capital campaign, which begins in August 2023 and aims to modernize the guest experience and infrastructure.
Funds raised through the campaign have already enabled the completion of several projects, including the interactive “Code of the West” experience, which features cutting-edge technology and a 30-foot LED screen to help guests explore the “Cowboy Code of Honor” and become part of the larger history of the West. The museum has also added the immersive “Find Your West” exhibit, a 3,000-square-foot, floor-to-ceiling exhibit that uses 23 million LED lights to surround guests with Western panoramas and immerse them in the sights and sounds of the American frontier.
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“The Inasmuch Foundation is proud to support the work of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum,” said Robert J. Ross, Chairman and CEO of the Inasmuch Foundation. “The Live the Code capital campaign projects will modernize the exhibits and infrastructure of one of our state’s national treasures. Thanks to these efforts, the museum will continue to be a top destination for guests from across the country and around the world.”
Planned improvements for the future include additional state-of-the-art exhibits, parking improvements, renovations to the massive Art and Artifacts Storage Facility, which houses more than 25,000 objects, and a relocation and expansion of the Research Center to provide scientists and the public with greater access to the 3 million objects housed there.
“This generous donation will enable The Cowboy to continue to evolve as we create the world’s finest experiences to better teach and interpret the diverse history of the American West,” said Jeff Ewing, executive vice president and chief development officer of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.
