Support the American Folklife Center

Go to funds:

Help celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the American Folklife Center with a contribution that allows the AFC to expand and enrich its mission for the next 40 years! Your tax-deductible contribution will strengthen, preserve, support, revitalize, and disseminate the cultural richness of the nation. The American Folklife Center's collections are among the great treasures of the Library of Congress, from recordings of Lead Belly, Woody Guthrie, and Zora Neale Hurston to oral histories with former slaves, civil rights leaders, and our nation's veterans. At the AFC, we preserve and present the nation's and the world's rich folklife with the support of the U.S. Congress and the American public.

Your support will help...

• Expand the nation's folklife collections by enabling the Center to acquire and process new collections and field recordings.
• Make AFC's folklife treasures more accessible through education programs; research, publication and preservation projects; concerts, lectures and symposia; online and social media resources.
• Nurture the capacity of cultural communities and organizations worldwide to preserve their legacies and connect with our archival resources through training, consultation, and collaborative projects.
• Support fellowships for independent research by individuals who are documenting our diverse and dynamic cultural heritage.
• Set standards for archival preservation methods that provide guidance to researchers, libraries, museums, and other cultural heritage organizations throughout the world.

Four ways to support the American Folklife Center

There are four easy ways you can support the Center:

1. Make a contribution to the Friends of the Folk Archive Fund to support the acquisition and preservation of new collections.
2. Make a contribution to the American Folklife Center Fund to support the development of public and online programs, training, and research opportunities.
3. Make a contribution to the Veterans History Project.
4. Support researchers through one of our fellowship funds.

Contributions can be made online via the links below or by sending a check, made out to the American Folklife Center and specifying which fund you wish to support, to: American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington DC 20540-4610. To find out more, call 202-707-5510, or email [email protected]. It’s that simple!

Image: Dallas Chief Eagle performing a hoop dance at the Library of Congress in 2007. Photo by Michaela McNichol.

Options for Support:

Build and Preserve Our Collections

Your contribution supports the acquisition and preservation of collections for the archive.

Friends of the Folk Archive Fund Donate Now (Copy and paste or type "Friends of the Folk Archive Fund, Gift Fund 628200" in the box for the name of the fund.)

(Gift Fund 628200) Established in 1978 by folksinger Michael Cooney and various other donors, to support the Center's archive and collection-based activities.

Share Our Collections and Knowledge

Your contribution supports the development of public and online programs and archival training for cultural heritage archives

(Gift Fund 626600) Established in 1977 by various donors to support public programs of the American Folklife Center.

(Gift Fund 651265) Established in 2017 with initial support from Peter Bartis, to provide paid program or archive internships at the American Folklife Center. Beginning in summer, 2018, the American Folklife Center will offer the first round of internships from the American Folklife Center Internship Program Fund. Learn More

Support the Veterans History Project 

Veterans History Project Fund

(Gift Fund 650050) Established in 2001 by various donors to support the programs and activities of the Veterans History Project. For more information, visit the Veterans History Project website.

Support Our Fellowship Programs

Contributions support research projects by scholars, artists and other cultural specialists. Choose a Fellowship:

The Blanton Owen Fund for Fieldwork at the Library of Congress Donate Now (Copy and paste or type "Blanton Owen Fund, Trust Fund 720810" in the box for the name of the fund.)

(Trust Fund 720810) Established in 1999 in memory of folklorist Blanton Owen by his family and friends, to support ethnographic field research and documentation in the United States, especially by young scholars and documentarians. Select this link for application instructions and more information about the Blanton Owen Fund.

(Trust Fund 720660) Established in 1994 by former Center reference Librarian Gerald E. Parsons Jr. in honor of his parents, to support the use of the Archive of Folk Culture and ethnographic collections housed elsewhere in the Library of Congress, by persons or organizations in the private sector. Select this link for application instructions and more information about the Gerald E. and Corinne L. Parsons Fund For Ethnography.

(Trust Fund 720850) Launched in 1999 by Alan and Karen Jabbour and other donors, in honor of oldtime fiddler Henry Reed, this fund was established to provide support to activities directly involving folk artists, especially when the activities reflect, draw upon, or strengthen the collections of the American Folklife Center. Select this link for application instructions and more information about the Henry Reed Fund for Folk Artists.