Presidential Libraries Foundation

Presidential Libraries Foundation
Name	Presidential Libraries Foundation
Formation	2015
Type	Nonprofit organization
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Leader title	President
Leader name	Susan Glasser

Presidential Libraries Foundation The Presidential Libraries Foundation supports the network of presidential libraries associated with former Presidents, promoting public access to presidential papers, artifacts, exhibits, and educational programs. It works alongside institutions such as the National Archives and Records Administration, collaborates with foundations tied to presidents like the Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, and engages stakeholders from museums such as the Smithsonian Institution and archives like the Library of Congress.

History

The Foundation emerged amid debates about archival stewardship following the establishment of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum and later models exemplified by the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum and the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home. Early antecedents include private philanthropic efforts supporting the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, as well as collaborations seen during the creation of the George W. Bush Presidential Center and the Clinton Presidential Center. Its formation drew on lessons from institutions such as the Nixon Library and Birthplace and the development processes used by the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum. The Foundation’s timeline reflects interactions with federal legislation like the Presidential Records Act and precedents set by the Federal Records Act, with advisory input from leaders associated with the Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and trustees from the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library Association.

Mission and Activities

The Foundation’s mission centers on expanding public engagement with presidential collections held at the National Archives Building, at presidential libraries like the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site, and in collaborations with institutions such as the New-York Historical Society and the American Historical Association. It supports interpretive exhibitions comparing materials from the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum and the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library, funds conservation projects similar to work at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, and promotes educational outreach modeled on programs at the National Museum of American History and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Initiatives often reference archival standards from the Society of American Archivists and research protocols practiced by the Hispanic Society of America and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

Organization and Governance

Governance includes a board reflecting leaders from organizations such as the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the American Association of Museums (now the American Alliance of Museums). Executive leadership often engages former officials from administrations represented at libraries like the Reagan Foundation, the Clinton Foundation, the Bush Institute, and the Carter Center. Committees involve curators from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, historians from the American Historical Association and scholars affiliated with universities such as Harvard University, Yale University, Stanford University, Georgetown University, and Princeton University. Advisory councils have included members associated with the Library of Congress Veterans History Project, the Smithsonian Institution Archives, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Funding and Partnerships

Major funding partners and donors include philanthropic entities such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and corporate supporters modeled on relationships cultivated by institutions like the Ford Foundation and the Annenberg Foundation. The Foundation works with state governments such as the State of Texas and municipal entities like the City of Boston for site-specific initiatives, and engages with private partners including the Graham Holdings Company, Weyerhaeuser, and financial institutions resembling Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase. Collaborations extend to cultural organizations like the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Museum of Modern Art, the Brookings Institution, and the Aspen Institute, as well as international archives including the British Library and the Bibliothèque nationale de France.

Programs and Initiatives

Programs span fellowships patterned after awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Council of Learned Societies, public lecture series reminiscent of events at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and traveling exhibits that have partnered with venues such as the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Field Museum of Natural History. Educational curricula draw on models like the Gilder Lehrman Institute and teacher development formats used by the National Council for the Social Studies. Digitization initiatives follow standards used by the Digital Public Library of America and projects at the Library of Congress, while conferences align with meetings of the Society for History Education and the Organization of American Historians. Special projects have included oral history campaigns similar to the Veterans History Project and bipartisan civic forums modeled after summits at the Brookings Institution and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Relationship with National Archives and Presidential Libraries

The Foundation maintains a partnership-oriented relationship with the National Archives and Records Administration and with individual presidential libraries such as the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, the Reagan Presidential Library, and the Obama Presidential Center builders. It supports accessioning practices consistent with the Presidential Records Act and archival principles shared with the National Archives Building and regional archives like the Seattle National Archives Regional Facility. Collaboration extends to conservation efforts paralleling work at the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts and to professional exchanges with staff from the Harry S. Truman Library Institute and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

Category:Foundations based in the United States