The many facets of research at the Smithsonian provide ways 

 for our supporters to share their love for the Institution and 

 cheir commitment to the spirit of inquiry in which it was 

 founded. 



This was an excellent year for private giving at the 

 Smithsonian. We focused on helping our supporters build 

 their relationships with the Institution by exploring their 

 interests in different ways and by finding the right match for 

 them in the Smithsonian mosaic. Research was a guiding 

 presence, and throughout the Smithsonian development com- 

 munity, our perspectives are constantly evolving as the excite- 

 ment of discovery sparks new opportunities for giving. The 

 Institution received more than $92 million in fiscal year 1998 

 through the generosity of individuals, corporarions, founda- 

 tions, and other friends, or 187 percent of private gifts raised 

 in 1997. Donations from individuals constituted $25.7 mil- 

 lion, or 27.7 percent of the total, including planned gifts from 

 individuals, such as charitable gift annuities, charitable 

 remainder trusts, and bequests. Corporations and foundations, 

 including those established by individuals, contributed $60.9 

 million (65.5 percent). Of the total funds raised, $75.3 million 

 was restricted to specific programs. 



This major increase in support is evidence of the growing 

 recognition by a wide variery of audiences that the Smithson- 

 ian is a national treasure that needs philanthropic investment 

 to continue meeting the standards of excellence for which it is 

 known. The hard work of many volunteers and staff was 

 responsible for this success, and the momentum is building as 

 we enter our first national capital campaign. The Smithsonian 

 is indeed fortunate to have so many friends and supporters. 

 One thing remains constant: Our friends want the Smithson- 

 ian to keep pushing the envelope of knowledge and experi- 

 menting with ways to share it worldwide. Many are exploring 

 their interests through deepening relationships with our re- 

 search centers. Gifts this year included a large anonymous 

 unresrricted gift to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Insti- 

 tute, a gift to help the Smithsonian Environmental Research 

 Center fund an internship program, foundation support for 

 the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's Multiple-Mirror 

 Telescope project, a generous gift that helped us reconstruct 

 and plant new public gardens, and many unrestricted gifts to 

 help the Archives of American An build, preserve, and 

 catalogue its collections. 



The Smithsonian gratefully acknowledges the many in- 

 dividuals, corporations, foundations, and organizations that 

 have supported the Institution over the years, as well as those 

 whose generous contributions during fiscal year 1998 helped 

 us achieve the successes described in this annual report. 



Smithsonian National Board 



The Smithsonian National Board's generous gifts and unsel- 

 fish donation of its time and expertise are among the 

 Institution's greatest assets. Led in 1998 by Chair Jean 

 Mahoney and Vice-Chair Frank A. Weil, the board's 51 cur- 

 rent, 116 alumni, and 14 honorary members worked tirelessly 



as goodwill ambassadors across the country and often laid the 

 groundwork to help bring rhe Smithsonian to their com- 

 munities. 



The Board Annual Giving Committee, chaired by Mrs. 

 John M. Bradley, this year focused on Secretary I. Michael 

 Heyman's priorities of expanding the Smithsonian's electronic 

 presence and increasing opportunities for access to our un- 

 paralleled resources. The National Board gave generously to 

 shape education programs rhat experiment with new ways of 

 engaging people in learning. The Board Annual Giving Fund 

 raised more than $1.6 million for these purposes and for other 

 programs for which board members have a special affiniry. 



We extend our deepest thanks to Jean Mahoney, who com- 

 pleted seven years of board service this year, the last three as 

 board chair. Under her guidance, the board, working rhrough 

 the Office of Membership and Development, played a key role 

 in organizing activities for the 150th anniversary celebration. 

 Mahoney was a driving force in recruiting leaders for board 

 committees and engaging volunteers in productive work. 

 During Mahoney 's tenure as chair, regional constituency 

 development work advanced significantly, as teams of current, 

 alumni, and honorary board members organized working 

 groups to discuss ways of bringing local friends into a closer 

 involvement with the Smithsonian. Mahoney also dramatically 

 increased the board's commitment to annual giving. This 

 change was due in part to strengthened ties between the 

 board and Smithsonian museums, research institutes, and 

 offices, which allowed members to pursue personal interests 

 and understand how the many parts of the Institution relate 

 to the greater whole. 



In April, the New York Committee of the board organized 

 a special event at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design 

 Museum in cooperation with the National Museum of the 

 American Indian and the New York regional center of the 

 Archives of American An. A cocktail reception brought 

 together new and old friends of the Smithsonian, including 

 supporters of the New York "America's Smithsonian" gala, for 

 a concert by the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra. 

 New York is one of our strongest bases beyond the National 

 Mall, and we were happy to showcase for our supporters the 

 many ways the Smithsonian is active in their region. With the 

 National Board's assistance, we continue to build on the 

 strong relationships we established around the nation during 

 our historic anniversary year. 



Contributing Membership 



The Contributing Membership is the Smithsonian's annual 

 fund, an important source of unresrricted contributions that 

 provides support for research and other iniriatives where it is 

 needed most. This year, the Contributing Membership raised 

 nearly $9 million. 



The program also presents Smithsonian research to large 

 national audiences through irs publications and events and 

 helps engage people across the country more closely with the 

 Institution. "Smithsonian Treasures," the popular annual 



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