Anacostia Community Museum Receives $5 Million Gift From Roger Ferguson and Annette Nazareth

The Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum has announced a $5 million gift from Roger Ferguson and Annette Nazareth to establish an endowment supporting the museum’s director position. Going forward, the gift designates the position as the Roger Ferguson and Annette Nazareth Director of the Anacostia Community Museum.

“Since its inception, the Anacostia Community Museum has been a model for how museums can be more than simply community centers but also powerful change agents at the center of their communities,” said Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch. “This endowed directorship underscores the importance of the museum to the Anacostia neighborhood, the city and the Institution, and will help Melanie Adams and her team continue to build upon its rich history of education, exhibitions and storytelling.”

Ferguson and Nazareth’s donation enables the museum to recruit and retain world-class directors who are critical to the continued success of the museum. By endowing the directorship, the museum can do even more in presenting innovative exhibits and programs to the public.

“This incredible gift, in the 55th year of the Anacostia Community Museum, will strengthen the museum for the next 55 years and beyond,” said Melanie Adams, the Roger Ferguson and Annette Nazareth Director of the Anacostia Community Museum. “Their generosity ensures that the museum will continue to illuminate and share the untold and often overlooked stories of people in Washington neighborhoods.”

Ferguson is a member of the Smithsonian Board of Regents, serving on the Finance Committee as chair, on the Investment Committee as vice chair and on the Audit and Review Committee. Ferguson is also the immediate past president and CEO of TIAA. Nazareth is currently senior counsel at the international law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP. She previously served as a commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from 2005 to 2008. Ferguson and Nazareth are spouses.

“We are honored to be a part of the Anacostia Community Museum as it grows into an even more vital and dynamic institution in Washington, D.C., a city important to our family,” Ferguson and Nazareth said. “Under the exceptional leadership of Melanie Adams, the museum brings people together, gives voice to its residents and offers a unique perspective on how our nation’s capital has changed and adapted over time. A mission we are proud to support.”

Ferguson and Nazareth’s gift to the Anacostia Community Museum is part of the Smithsonian Campaign for Our Shared Future, which will secure funds for all Smithsonian museums, education and research centers and the National Zoo in support of a single, bold vision: to build a better future for all. The campaign will provide a foundation for critical research to ensure people and nature thrive together, build unparalleled education programs with families and partners, document the present while reflecting on the past and reimagine the visitor experience both in person and online.

About the Museum 

Founded in 1967, the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum shares the untold and often overlooked stories of communities furthest from justice in the greater Washington, D.C., region. In celebrating stories of resiliency, joy and strength, the museum inspires those who visit to translate their ideas into action. For more information about the museum, visit anacostia.si.edu or follow the museum on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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