Colonial Williamsburg has a massive fundraising year

Here is Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily:

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation announced that Colonial Williamsburg (CW) received a record $102 million from donors in 2021.

The amount is an increase of 42 percent over the previous record of $72 million set in 2019.

Last year’s total includes $21.2 million raised through the Colonial Williamsburg Fund, surpassing 2020’s previous record of $19.7 million.

“Our remarkable donors are increasing their investments in Colonial Williamsburg because they believe in the importance of our educational mission and they understand the impact of our work for current and future generations,” Cliff Fleet, president and CEO of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, said. “Their loyal and extraordinary generosity is greatly advancing our efforts to engage audiences in our Historic Area, Art Museums and through online programming as we prepare to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary in 2026.”

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation was able to reopen many of its sites and hosted events in 2021, including for the first time, three Grand Illuminations.

The foundation also pursued various projects throughout the year to further its education, preservation and civic engagement goals.

“Our plans for 2026 require us to strive for excellence in our fundraising and our programming,” Earl T. Granger, III, chief development officer and vice president of Development for CW, said. “Our donors who are making this journey possible are among our most powerful partners in bringing new discoveries and groundbreaking opportunities to fruition for the nation and the world.”

Some of these new discoveries include last year’s archaeological identification of the original foundation of First Baptist Church, the nation’s first church founded by and for Black people in 1776.

The ongoing project is a partnership with the church’s congregation, the Let Freedom Ring Foundation and William & Mary (W&M). The foundation plans to reconstruct the original structure and open the site for interpretation in 2026, the 25th anniversary of the church’s founding.

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