Philanthropy
A $4 Million Ford Foundation Gift Is One Museum’s ‘Survival’
New York’s El Museo del Barrio was in rough financial shape. Then it received 68% of its annual budget in one fell swoop.
The facade of El Museo Del Barrio, on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue.
Source: El Museo Del Barrio
In early spring, El Museo del Barrio’s finances were looking grim.
Like every other New York institution, the museum, which showcases the art of Latino, Caribbean, and Latin American culture in its location across from Central Park on Fifth Avenue, had shut down operations in mid-March. Its annual May gala, which normally brings in about $1 million, was canceled, and event rentals for its newly restored theater space were out of the question. Its store and cafe were closed.