About the Foundation

The McCord Museum Foundation is a charitable organisation dedicated to supporting the development of the McCord Museum, while encouraging the preservation and promotion of its rich collections.

Through the financial assistance the Foundation provides, the McCord Museum is able to maintain its internationally recognized collections, tell stories of Montreal, Quebec, and Canada through our award-winning website, educational programs, and exhibitions, and support rigorous research and publication on the part of our highly trained curators.

Some areas in which we most need your help:

Our Collections: The McCord Museum holds an extraordinary number of treasures that are recognized nationally and internationally:

• The Notman Photographic Archives that have frozen in time Canadian landscapes, well-known people, families, places, events, and activities from the 1840s to the present (with almost 81,000 photographs online);
• One of the largest collections of Paintings, Prints, and Drawings in Canada (including the best known caricature collection in the country with approximately 80% of the collection online);
• A total of 262 running metres of Textual Archives, containing valuable accounts of early Montreal life by famous and not-so-famous individuals on topics ranging from early industrialisation and business, to exploration and the fur trade, to family histories;
• One of the oldest and best preserved Ethnology and Archaeology collections in the world, known internationally thanks to the broad geographic area represented and its extensive documentation;
• One of the most important collections of Costume and Textile in Canada, including the leading collection of dresses created by Montreal's greatest 20th century designers and the oldest known patchwork quilt in North America (1726);
• An important Decorative Arts collection, including a collection of 19th century toys.

Educational and Cultural Programs: The McCord Museum's award-winning educational programs inspire more than 16,000 children and youth every year. We also partner with organizations such as Blue Metropolis and Heritage Montreal, to present conferences and activities that touch on important issues to all Montrealers.

Exhibitions: Costs associated with the Museum's exhibitions continue to grow, especially given the need for meticulous and costly conservation of objects, the expense of rotating exhibitions quickly to provide new and innovative interpretations, and the demand for integrating educational programs and cutting-edge technology.

Technology: Technology is critical to engage the young and old alike in an immersive museum experience, but the newest equipment and programs are very expensive. Technology features strongly in our exhibitions, educational programming, and, of course, online, where more than one million visitors a year consult our website for research and other purposes.

There are so many ways to support the McCord Museum!