CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
The Exelon Foundation today announced that it is donating $1 million to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. The Smithsonian’s newest museum is scheduled to open Sept. 24, 2016.
The donation will support the museum’s exhibitions and programs, which are designed to use African American stories and contributions as a lens into a deeper understanding of U.S. history and its links to the world.
“We’re proud to support this museum and its essential role in telling the story of America in all its richness and complexity,” said Chris Crane, Exelon president and CEO, and chairman of the Exelon Foundation. “Diverse perspectives and backgrounds are fundamental to understanding and celebrating who we are as a nation. They also are fundamental to our business and our core values. At Exelon, we embrace those same ideals in everything we do as a company.”
“The millions of people who visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture will benefit mightily from the generosity of the Exelon Foundation,” said Lonnie G. Bunch III, founding director of the museum. “We are grateful for the foundation’s belief in this museum and its love for the country whose history we are committed to exploring in a new and compelling way. With Exelon as a member of the museum family, we are strengthened in our resolve to examine a people’s journey and a nation’s story.”
The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the 19th Smithsonian campus. The museum’s 12 inaugural exhibitions focus on the themes of history, culture and community. In total, the museum features a collection of nearly 40,000 artifacts dating from the 17th century to modern times. Among the highlights -- remnants of a Portuguese slave ship that sank in 1794 with nearly 500 enslaved Africans on board, an open-cockpit biplane used to train the Tuskegee Airmen for World War II compact duty; Louis Armstrong’s Selmer trumpet, c. 1939, and a lace shawl given to underground railroad conductor Harriet Tubman by England’s Queen Victoria.
The Exelon Foundation is an independent, nonprofit philanthropic organization funded solely by Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC). Exelon, the parent of Pepco, is a Fortune 100 energy company with the largest number of utility customers and one of the largest, cleanest generation fleets in the United States.
About the Museum
The National Museum of African American History and Culture was established as the 19th Smithsonian museum by an Act of Congress through legislation signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2003. Groundbreaking occurred in 2012. The museum occupies a prime location in Washington, D.C., on the National Mall at the corner of Constitution Avenue at 14th Street, across from the Washington Monument. Opening Sept. 24, the nearly 400,000-square-foot museum will be the nation’s largest and most comprehensive cultural destination devoted exclusively to exploring, documenting and showcasing the African American experience.
About the Exelon Foundation
The Exelon Foundation is an independent, non-profit philanthropic organization funded solely by Exelon Corporation, an energy company, through shareholder dollars. The organization supports non-profit, tax exempt organizations primarily within the service territory of Exelon and its operating companies.
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