McDonough Foundation Awards $15.25 Million to Cultural Institutions
The Myles & C. Jean McDonough Charitable Foundation has announced grants totaling $15.25 million to seven arts and cultural organizations in and around Worcester, Massachusetts.
The grants will support endowments and capital campaigns at some of the oldest and largest cultural organizations in central Massachusetts, including the Worcester Art Museum, which was founded in 1896 and was awarded $4 million to endow a directorship to be named for C. Jean and Myles McDonough. The foundation also awarded $4 million to the American Antiquarian Society, whose library houses the largest collection of books, pamphlets, broadsides, newspapers, periodicals, music, and graphic arts material printed between the establishment of the American colonies and 1876; $2.5 million to Tower Hill Botanic Garden, which was incorporated in 1842 as the Worcester County Horticultural Society; $2 million to EcoTarium, the second oldest natural history society in the United States; $1.5 million to the Worcester Historical Museum, which was founded in 1875 as the Worcester Society of Antiquity; $750,000 to Music Worcester, formerly the Worcester Music Festival, the oldest music festival in continuous operation in the U.S.; and $500,000 to the Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts.
For decades, C. Jean McDonough and her late husband, Myles, founder of manufacturer FLEXcon, have supported the institutions through philanthropic giving and direct involvement. "Jean McDonough's exemplary dedication to the Worcester Art Museum, first as a member and docent, and later as an active and longstanding member of the board of trustees, has helped move WAM forward on many fronts," said Matthias Waschek, the C. Jean and Myles McDonough director of the museum.
"These extraordinary institutions have long been a part of the cultural heart of central Massachusetts," said McDonough. "We felt the time was right to present each with a gift to show our continued adoration of the role each plays in our community, with the desire to support their initiatives for years to come."
