Donate to the Museum
The Dowagiac Area History Museum is a department of the City of Dowagiac and is funded through three roughly equal revenue streams: The City of Dowagiac, annual membership dues and donations, and the annual ‘Keep History Alive’ fundraiser. Contact the museum director at 269-783-2561 to discuss ways to support the museum’s annual funding needs.
In 2022, Don and Joan Lyons created an endowment through the Michigan Gateway Community Foundation to provide long-term support to the museum and to make it a ‘forever’ institution. The Lyons have committed to donate $100,000 each year for ten years to the museum endowment with the earnings becoming available for the museum to use in 2032, at which time the endowment should be between $1.3-1.5 million.
That $1.3-1.5 million figure is if there are no other contributions outside of the Lyons family. The endowment, however, is not restricted to donations by the Lyons family. Anyone can donate to the endowment and the museum is creating a ‘Planned Giving’ campaign to encourage our supporters to consider making the museum one of the beneficiaries as they are planning their estates.
Contact the Michigan Gateway Community Foundation to learn more about how to give to the Dowagiac Area History Museum Endowment. The museum can do more for the community the larger the endowment.