The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) announced Friday that it has a $600 million fundraising campaign in the works. The goal is to support the institution’s long-term health—and it is nearly 80 percent of the way there.
As it approaches the final stretch of the campaign, the museum is announcing the public phase of the campaign, which it is calling “For the Benefit of All the People.” It is the largest fundraising campaign in the museum’s history and, according to the museum, the largest by a cultural organization in Ohio.
In an emailed interview, CMA director William M. Griswold said the campaign “emerged from our recognition that institutions must continually invest in their future,” adding that the museum’s ambitions and growing audience made it “increasingly important for us to create permanent funding streams for key strategic priorities, as well as for professional expertise.”
Griswold also pointed to broader trends affecting the museum world as a factor in the campaign’s creation. “Operating costs continue to rise, audience expectations are evolving rapidly, and revenue growth often struggles to keep pace,” he said. “Visitors rightly expect exceptional exhibitions, meaningful educational experiences, digital access, welcoming spaces, and opportunities for deeper engagement. Those expectations require sustained investment. That challenge is particularly significant for an institution that remains committed to free general admission for all.”
While the campaign isn’t directly geared toward continuing the museum’s admission free policies, the infusion of funds will help that program’s continuation. The CMA is one of the few major encyclopedic museums in the country to not charge for entry; by comparison, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts Boston all charge $30 for adults.
Since January 2023, the CMA has set out to raise $400 million in cash and $200 million in art. As of this month, it has secured commitments of $351.5 million toward the cash goal and more than $128.5 million in gifts and promised gifts toward the art goal. The internal fundraising campaign began as the museum marked 110 years since its founding, while the public phase of the campaign marks the 110th anniversary of its opening to the public.
The campaign has also received support from every standing member of its board of trustees. The first of these was a $25 million donation from previous board chair Ellen Stirn Mavec when she launched the Chair’s Challenge, which generated $100 million. Several gifts have come in at $5 million and $10 million, with the largest single gift being $40 million. “There are more individual donors to this effort than to any previous CMA campaign, which is a reflection of the philanthropic spirit in Cleveland,” Griswold said.
The Cleveland Museum of Art’s east wing.
Photo David A. Brichford
The “For the Benefit of All the People” campaign aligns with a strategic plan that the museum adopted in 2023, with “focuses on areas that are essential to fulfilling our mission and securing our future,” Griswold said. One of the main focuses of support for the campaign is to endow staff positions. The museum currently has 21 endowed positions, 18 of which were realized in the past three years. They include 10 curatorial posts, four in conservation, and four in leadership. Last October, the museum announced the endowing of its directorship in perpetuity, which is now officially called the Sarah S. and Alexander M. Cutler Director.
The campaign will also benefit special exhibitions, educational programs, the preservation and stewardship of its collection, the growth of its Ingalls Library and Museum Archives, and support for digital innovation, like its ArtLens gallery and app. The campaign will also bring in new art into the museum’s collection, which Griswold described as “works of exceptional quality, rarity, condition, and lasting significance.”
“The campaign serves a dual purpose,” he said. “It provides critical support for current programs and operations while building long-term resources that will sustain the institution for generations to come. We are investing simultaneously in today’s audiences and tomorrow’s opportunities.”
The museum last completed a capital campaign in 2016 for a comprehensive renovation and expansion of its campus by architect Rafael Viñoly. Some funds from the current campaign will go toward capital improvements, like the renovations to the museum’s lobbies and improvements to the landscape and pathways on its campus, Griswold said “the overwhelming majority of funding is directed toward people, programs, collections, scholarship, and long-term sustainability.”
In 2025, the CMA achieved its highest attendance figures, welcoming more than 800,000 visitors, as well as having a record-high membership of 31,000 households. “This campaign is about ensuring that momentum continues,” Griswold said. “It is designed to strengthen the museum today while positioning us to thrive for the next 110 years.”
Part of that also includes being realistic about the museum’s needs in a changing landscape. “The Cleveland Museum of Art is not immune to the challenges facing the sector,” he said. “What distinguishes this campaign is its balance. Rather than focusing exclusively on current needs or long-term aspirations, it addresses both: supporting today’s programs with current-use dollars while building the endowment and institutional capacity for the future.”
He added, “Ultimately, we believe the most important lesson is that long-term sustainability requires long-term thinking. Institutions that invest simultaneously in people, programs, collections, and endowment are best positioned to serve their communities for generations to come.”
