The Smithsonian Campaign for Our Shared Future comes at a critical time at the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage as we usher in a new era of visionary leadership and excellence. At a time when our world needs more unity than division, the center’s mission is timely and rooted in fostering a sense of our shared humanity.
During the next five years our goal is to expand our work to celebrate, document and preserve cultural heritage traditions for generations to come. We are doing this by securing endowments for the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and Smithsonian Folkways Recordings directors, and establishing funds for the Folklife Festival Program Fund, Folkways Acquisition Fund and the Archive Digitization and Accessibility Fund.
Funding will build our capacity for new research, curation, live programs and digital storytelling for the annual Folklife Festival while incorporating innovative new technologies; position us as a foremost leader in understanding and mitigating threats to cultural sustainability through partnerships, convenings and thought leadership; expand our reach to new audiences globally; and support individuals, communities, scholars, policymakers and other stakeholders around the globe in their efforts to shape cultural futures on their own terms.
Through the power of culture, we build understanding, strengthen communities and reinforce our shared humanity.