The National Gallery of Art (NGA) in Washington, DC, will host a fundraising dinner hosted by the Trump Vance Inauguration Committee prior to the president-elect’s official swearing-in on Monday, January 20, according to fundraising documents obtained by the Guardian.
In an email to HyperallergicA spokesperson for the art museum confirmed that it would “serve as a venue for an opening event at the request of the opening committee,” but declined to provide specific details. According to the Federal Election Council founding committees are appointed by the President-elect to lead the transition ceremony and related events.
“Although the National Gallery does not generally allow private events, exceptions have been made for official requests from previous governments. This includes inaugural occasions, such as an event held for President Bill Clinton in 1993,” the NGA spokesperson said..
According to the Guardian, an event called the Vice President’s Dinner will take place on Saturday, January 18 at the NGA, which is listed on the committee. official schedule for the weekend. Donors must donate $1 million or raise $2 million for the Trump Vance Inaugural Committee to secure two tickets.
The Trump Vance Inaugural Committee has plenty of cash and is approaching $200 million, according to the newspaper New York Timeswhich notes that the inauguration season is a key opportunity for lobbyists to gain influence over a new administration. There are no limits on donations to the founding committee, per NYT, and any excess money generated could eventually be transferred to form a Trump presidential library.
Trump Vance’s inauguration committee has not yet responded Hyperallergic‘S to ask.
The NGA was established as a federal agency at the behest of former Secretary of the Treasury and art collector Andrew W. Mellon, who offered his artwork to Congress for the creation of a national art museum in 1937. Then-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt dedicated the museum in 1941, the year in which the institution welcomed its first public visitors.
The NGA was founded as a national museum and continues to receive donations operating funds of the United States Government and adhere to federal hiring practices, including requiring citizenship for employment, while maintaining that 501(c)(3) non-profit status. The museum received in fiscal year 2024 $209 million in congressional appropriations for salaries, building maintenance, and special exhibitions. According to the museumit depends on private contributions for acquisitions and programs such as educational initiatives.
The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), an organization that sets ethical standards and accredits institutions, declined to comment on the NGA’s specific situation but said the Internal Revenue Service allows private nonprofits to rent their spaces to elected officials and campaigns with equal availability for parties.
In his guide for 501(c)(3) nonprofit museums during election years, AAM advises against any partisan activity, citing Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidelines. According to the tax authoritiesNonprofits are prohibited from “participating or intervening, directly or indirectly, in any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.” Violation of these parameters could result in revocation of tax-exempt status, according to the IRS.
However, the NGA spokesperson confirmed that the museum is “an independent establishment of the United States” and “does not endorse any government.”
“Serving as the opening venue simply reflects the museum’s role as a national cultural and social institution,” the spokesperson said. Hyperallergic.
President-elect Trump is also scheduled for a dinner on Sunday, which according to the Guardian, will take place on the National Building Museuma nonprofit educational organization created in 1980 by an act of Congress and under supervision by the US government.
Although the AAM issues guidelines on political activities, benefit dinners at other nonprofit museums have long stirred controversy.
Last year, demonstrators took to the Museum of Modern Art in New York City when it hosted a gala for the World Jewish Congress, an organization that has lobbied on behalf of the Israeli government and United Nations reports rejected claim that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. The National Historical Museum came under fire for hosting a dinner for right-wing think tank National Conservatism in May 2023, and the Pérez Art Museum Miami raised questions when it rented out its space for a Trump town hall in 2020.
