For Immediate Release 

Contact: Kara O’Keeffe 
608-261-9596
kara.okeeffe@wisconsinhistory.org 

July 31, 2019

Nelson Family Fund Donates $1 Million to Wisconsin Historical Museum Project

Madison, Wis. – The Wisconsin Historical Foundation has announced that the David L. and Rita E. Nelson Family Fund, a donor advised fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, has donated $1 million dollars to the new state history museum project.

“We are grateful to the Nelson Family Fund for choosing to give to the new state history museum project,” said Julie Lussier, managing director of the Wisconsin Historical Foundation. “This project will ensure that generations of Wisconsinites and visitors from around the globe learn about the significant contributions our state has made to the world.”

The Wisconsin Historical Society has been working towards building a new $120 million, 100,000 square-foot museum for more than 20 years. The new state history museum will continue the Society’s growth of outreach and education to communities across the state, reach thousands of students and families, become a national destination of history as well as expand access to and democratize the state’s world-class collections.

“Through digital distance-learning technology and relationships with local history groups -- like the DePere Historical Society, where the Nelsons were members for 15 years, the new museum will celebrate the unique history and culture of Wisconsin’s local communities,” said Curt Detjen, president and CEO of the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region. “It was an honor to award $1 million to the Wisconsin museum on behalf of David and Rita Nelson and be a catalyst for giving to the project from northeast Wisconsin.”

This grant is one of 27 totaling $3.8 million awarded this year from the David L. and Rita E. Nelson Family Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region. The fund was established in 2017 with an estate gift of $103 million from the late David L. Nelson and his wife, Rita, to the Community Foundation to award grants to charitable organizations reflecting the charitable interests of the couple, including parks, recreation and waterways; education; health care; community services and community centers; and historic preservation, including lighthouses, museums and historical societies.

About the Wisconsin Historical Foundation
The Wisconsin Historical Foundation exists to advance the mission of the Wisconsin Historical Society: to help people connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories. The Wisconsin Historical Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization, receives grants and private contributions benefitting the Society and administers the membership program. Visit wisconsinhistory.org for more information.

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