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The Hagley Fund

The Hagley Fund supports our daily work to deliver innovation, outstanding service, and thoughtful preservation practices in all our operations. This Fund’s unrestricted nature also enables staff to respond swiftly to changes or opportunities as they arise. Gifts of any size can be made any time of year and can honor others. Our giving clubs offer options to enjoy additional benefits and deepen engagement. 

Click here to Donate Now

Giving Clubs

• Friends of Hagley - $1-$299
• Black Powder Society - $300-$549
• Millrace Society - $550-$1,499
• Roll Mill Society - $1,500-$2,999

President’s Circle

President’s Circle donors making a gift of $3,000 and above to the Hagley Fund can enjoy member privileges and deeper engagement with Hagley’s many treasures, while making a significant impact on our service to community. 

• Eagle Mill Society - $3,000-$5,499                 
• Birkenhead Mill Society - $5,500-$9,999
• Brandywine Society - $10,000-$24,999
• Powder Yard Society - $25,000+
• Hagley Eleutherian Society - $60K+ 

These donors, like our founders, are visionaries who understand the importance of having secure resources to fuel innovation. By committing to four years of funding annually at a minimum $15,000 per year to support one of Hagley’s core mission areas, these Hagley champions give us the trajectory to create and pilot programs and partnerships that can deliver impact every day.

Click here to join Hagley's President Circle.

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Enrich our Collections

Hagley’s collections are truly on par with some of the world’s best! We have the generosity of donors past and present to thank. They have enabled us to acquire, accession, and share these treasures with the world. Our work continues to grow and expand; your contribution will amplify the many stories these collections tell.

General Donations: (Click here to donate) Restricted cash gifts to support the ongoing conservation and preservation of our Library materials may be mailed to Hagley or submitted online at the link. Please refer to Ways to Give to donate via wire transfer, appreciated securities or by other means.

Adopt-a-Book/Conserve-a-Book: (Click here to donate) Since our opening in 1961, the Hagley Library has relied on the support of researchers, visitors, and donors like you to build and develop our collections on the history of American business, technology, and innovation. With the Hagley Museum and Library Adopt-a-Book program, you can now directly contribute to our collections by giving to the acquisition of rare historic materials.

Each Adopt-a-Book donation will be acknowledged with:
•    A named Adopt-a-Book bookplate in your adopted book/manuscript/film/collection.
•    A virtual bookplate in our online catalog.
•    A downloadable e-certificate recognizing your contribution and including information about your adopted item(s).

Library staff will work with you on the specific item upon completion of donation.

Learn more about available Adopt-a-Book titles here

Conserve-a-Book: (Click here to donate) The Hagley Museum and Library Conserve-a-Book program is an opportunity for you to directly contribute to conserving our published collections by helping our conservators create custom enclosures we may not otherwise be able to acquire. Special enclosures ensure the longevity of whichever book you choose to conserve, keeping the book protected and accessible.   

Each Conserve-a-Book donation will be acknowledged with:
•    A named Conserve-a-Book bookplate in your preferred book.
•    A virtual bookplate in our online catalog.
•    A downloadable e-certificate recognizing your contribution and including information about your corresponding item(s).

Learn more about current Conserve-a-Book options here

The Lynn A. Catanese Fund for Collections in Women’s History and Design History: An employee of Hagley for more than 28 years, Lynn Catanese was hired as an archival specialist in 1990 and rose through the ranks to become supervisor of the manuscripts and archives department in 2002 and chief curator of library collections in 2011. Upon her passing in 2018, Hagley established this restricted fund to support the development and accessibility of collections in Catanese’s areas of interest, including women’s history and design history. Donations will be matched dollar-for-dollar by Hagley to make these collections accessible to researchers.

Learn more
Donate

Friends of Innovation: In conjunction with our Nation of Inventors exhibition, donors were invited to sponsor one of our patent models as a “Friend of Innovation.” The depth and breadth of this collection is impressive, drawing from an amazing variety of subject areas and weaving together stories of American innovation.

Help Hagley share these stories by selecting a specific patent model or inventor that intrigues and delights you. Or if you’re a company, support our patent models that helped shape your specific industry.

Friends of Innovation are honored online and with a unique recognition panel in model exhibition spaces.

See our current Friends of Innovation and their patent models here

Gifts of Library Items: If you have publications and/or archival material you would like to donate to the library, please review our collecting policy here. If you have any questions, please contact us at research@hagley.org

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Honor Others: Tribute Program

Many people donate to Hagley in honor or in memory of loved ones who have had a close connection with us over the years. We publish all tributes in the summer issue of Hagley Magazine in addition to other recognitions as noted below.

Here are several  ideas:

1.    Donate a gift in any amount to the Hagley Fund and designate how you want them to be honored. 
2.    Donate $300 to the Hagley Fund’s Bud to Bloom program and designate a virtual Rose in a choice of 5 colors in honor of our newly restored Rose Garden at Hagley. Learn more here.
3.    Honor them as a Friend of Innovation for $1,000 by sponsoring an item in our Patent Model Collection. Learn more here. 
4.    Designate a commemorative bench or tree:

Bench – $3,000 – Your donation accompanied with a completed form provides for a resting bench with a 3-line, 20-character per line naming plaque with a 10-year upkeep. Bench location is determined mutually and an unveiling ceremony for honoree and/or their family may be scheduled if desired.
Click here for the current bench availability, locations, and donation form.

Tree – $3,000 – These honor/memorials will be discussed on a case-by-case basis as we continue to evaluate the increasing rate of climate and environmental impacts on our tree canopy and living collections so that we can provide for the best option for your thoughtful donation. All single-tree tribute requests will therefore be handled case-by-case beginning April 15, 2024.

5.    Hagley offers several major programs and projects offering lead gift or named recognition for advancing key strategic priorities in Collections Care, Gardens and Horticulture, or Increasing Public Access. Please contact Joan Thomas at jthomas@hagley.org about current options.
 

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Make Strides in Scholarship

Open a world of opportunity for students to explore their inner innovator. 

Thanks to donations and registrations for the Hagley 5K, Hagley offers financial assistance in the form of scholar awards to offset the costs of school field trips for 3,500 in-need schoolchildren each year.

Whether in our powder yards learning about water power or creating a 3D replica of their idea in the DuPont Discovery Loft, the children you support through your participation are building lifelong connections with math, science, engineering and technology that will help them become tomorrow’s innovators.

Click here to donate and register for the Hagley 5K

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Restore a Garden

Crowninshield Garden Restoration

Unique among American landscapes, Hagley’s Crowninshield Garden located behind the Eleutherian Mills Residence is on the verge of an exciting, multi-phase restoration process. Our first phases will focus on stabilizing the site, repairing the most vulnerable key architectural features, and creating a partial entry experience for guests to sample the magic and mystique of this special garden. It will take time and generous support of many to awaken this sleeping beauty.

Click here to donate

Click here to learn more about the Crowninshield Garden

For more information, please contact Joan Thomas, CFRE, Director of Development, at jthomas@hagley.org or (302) 658-2400, ext. 329.

Recent press about the Crowninshield Garden:
CBS News “Eye on America”  (June 22, 2023)
Smithsonian Magazine Article (March 2023)
Washington Post article about the Crowninshield Garden (August 18, 2021)

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Corporate Partners

Investing in Impact

Our benefits can be tailored to each company and can, among a full suite of options, include program or event sponsorship, supporting new launches, employee volunteering, or client  entertainment opportunities.

For information on becoming a Corporate Partner, please contact Jenna Laczkowski, Development Manager (302) 658-2400, ext. 203, or jlaczkowski@hagley.org.

Click here to see Hagley's current Corporate Partners

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Leave a Legacy

Giving during, or beyond your lifetime can have transformational impact.

Gift Planning – Now and in the Future
Leaving something behind greater than you thought possible is an aspirational goal for most of us. Thanks to recent legislation and advisers who are realizing more and more the advantages of charitable giving on estate planning, we encourage you to name Hagley as a charitable beneficiary and consider the potential your gift – now or later – can make on advancing our mission.

The Crowninshield Society, named in honor of Louise du Pont Crowninshield (1877-1958), honors individuals who have made provisions, both irrevocable or revocable, for Hagley Museum and Library through their wills, trusts, IRAs, life insurance policies, and other deferred instruments. Membership is conferred when a donor shares their intent in writing with us, so we can recognize them during their lifetime.

Please contact Joan Thomas, CFRE, Director of Development, at (302) 658-2400, x329 or jthomas@hagley.org with any questions, to discuss your intentions, and to share the news of your future gift.

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Ways to Give

Online and Credit Card: Donations may be charged on VISA, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express. 

Check: Please make your check payable to Hagley Museum and Library and mail to the attention of the Development Office, P.O. Box 3630, Wilmington, DE 19807.

Donor Advised Funds: Hagley is pleased to accept contributions from your Donor Advised Fund. Please contact us for more information on this giving opportunity.

Appreciated Securities: To give a gift of stock, please ask your broker to contact the Hagley Finance Office to alert them of the transfer and to receive appropriate account numbers: (302) 658-2400, ext. 213.

Matching Gifts: Many corporations will match gifts to nonprofit institutions. Please contact your employer to see if they will match your contribution.

Pledges: Please contact Joan Thomas, CFRE, Director of Development at (302) 658-2400 ext. 329 or jthomas@hagley.org to request a pledge form.

IRA Direct Distributions - Individuals who are 70 1/2 years old or older can donate up to $108,000 directly from a taxable IRA through a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) to a charity like Hagley. For more information, contact Joan Thomas, CFRE, Director of Development at (302) 658-2400 ext. 329 or jthomas@hagley.org

For more information on any of the above ways to give, please contact the Development Office at (302) 658-2400 ext. 329.

The Hagley Audited Financial Statements are available upon request and the institution’s most recent I.R.S. Form 990 can be retrieved from GuideStar at www.guidestar.org. Hagley acknowledges all donations and does not share or sell a member/donor’s personal information with any outside organization, nor does Hagley send donor mailings on behalf of any other organizations.

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Contact Us

General inquiries: development@hagley.org

Joan Thomas, CFRE
Director of Development
jthomas@hagley.org
(302) 658-2400 x329

Michele Cole
Development Associate
mcole@hagley.org
(302) 658-2400 x203

Charlotte De Rosa
Campaign Assistant
cderosa@hagley.org

Jenna Laczkowski
Development Manager
jlaczkowski@hagley.org
(302) 658-2400 x332