National Museum of the American Latino Receives $1 Million Gift From McDonald’s Corporation

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino has announced a $1 million gift from McDonald’s Corp. to support the new museum. The donation establishes the global foodservice retailer as one of the museum’s founding donors.  

“McDonald’s gift will allow us to build a national museum that tells the achievements, resiliency and contributions of Latinos in the United States,” said Museum Director Jorge Zamanillo. “McDonald’s support will enable us to share the Latino experience with audiences and visitors of all ages.”

“McDonald’s is honored to be a founding donor as we work to show up authentically in the lives of people we serve, inside and outside of our restaurants,” said Sandy Rodriguez, vice president of U.S. communications, McDonald’s USA. “Latinos have been such an integral part of McDonald’s—from our incredible Latino franchisees, suppliers and employees—and for us to contribute to creating a space that champions the history and the significant role of Latinos in the United States is one of the many ways we hope to give back.”

The Latino Museum’s first exhibition, “¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States,” is on view in its Molina Family Latino Gallery located at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. “¡Presente!” broadens what visitors know about U.S. history and explores Latino identity, immigration, historical legacies and the many ways Latinas and Latinos have shaped the nation. In addition, the exhibition offers historical artifacts, digital interactives, sensorial experiences and first-person oral histories that help visitors understand how the past relates to the present.

McDonald’s has supported the Smithsonian in the past with a $1 million contribution to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2016.

About the National Museum of the American Latino

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino advances the representation, understanding and appreciation of Latino history and culture in the United States. The museum provides resources and collaborates with other museums to expand scholarly research, public programs, digital content, collections and more. The museum’s Molina Family Latino Gallery is the Smithsonian’s first gallery dedicated to the Latino experience. The legislation creating the National Museum of the American Latino at the Smithsonian passed Dec. 27, 2020. Connect with us at latino.si.edu, and follow @USLatinoMuseum on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

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