Supporting the Institution

We are grateful for the continuing support of our board, private individuals and families, foundations, corporate sponsors and governmental institutions.The Shaker Museum is a 501(c)(3) corporation and donations are tax-deductible.

We are especially grateful to museum members. By becoming a member, you help us create predictable budgeting for our operations.

How We Use Operations Funding

We have an annual operating budget that keeps our doors open and provides for salaries and benefits for professional staff, care and pays for the maintenance of our collection and upkeep of our facilities. With this funding, we also create and put on exhibitions, develop programs, and collaborate with other non-profit institutions both locally and around the world.

With arguably the world’s most important collection of Shaker artifacts, the museum is actively engaged in supporting research and broadening the understanding of the Shaker culture and its remarkable legacy.

Our 2024 Capital Campaign

We received significant support to upgrade our library and administrative offices from the Ellsworth Kelly Foundation and Jack Shear. This newly renovated facility, on Jones Avenue in Chatham, NY, will open in the fall of 2024.

Our larger capital campaign is for the construction of the new Shaker Museum on Austerlitz Street in Chatham, NY, with a design by Seldorf Architects. The new museum will showcase the collection in three floors of a renovated historic building joined by a new four-story structure off a plaza that welcomes visitors and provides for learning, research and administrative functions.