EAST HARLEM — The Museum of the City of New York received its biggest donation ever in support of its educational activities, the museum announced Tuesday.
The Thompson Family Foundation gave $10 million to the institution, located at 1220 Fifth Ave. — the largest gift in the museum’s 94-year history.
The donation was inspired by a sweeping exhibit rolled out by the museum called “New York at its Core,” which opened Nov. 2016, according to a spokesman for the foundation.
The 8,000-square-foot permanent feature traces the 400-year history of the city from a Dutch village to a global city, highlighting larger-than-life New York personalities from Alexander Hamilton to Jay Z and including 450 historic objects and images.
“I want our youth to know New York’s remarkable history, particularly the diversity of its people, so that they understand that in New York anything is possible. “New York at Its Core” is a fabulous tool to help achieve that goal,” said Alan Siegel, a director of The Thompson Family Foundation.
The gift will support educational activities for museum-goers with programming for parents, children and students including tours, music, dance and art workshops, among other activities.
Whitney Donhauser, the museum’s director, said in a statement that the donation was a “vote of support for the vision and hard work of our board and our talented staff” and “reinforces the museum’s role as an educational resource for the students.”
