Friends of the New York Transit Museum is proud to be the recipient of a $10,000 grant for general operating support from the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, Inc. This award is the first grant to Friends of the New York Transit Museum from the Foundation.
Funds will support the Museum’s expanding reach to broad, new audiences with exhibits and programs about the history, science and technology of the region’s mass transit system. In the last year, attendance at the Museum’s main site in Downtown Brooklyn increased 21%. The Museum has broadened its appeal to adult audiences with dynamic new programming, resulting in a 50% increase in attendance for after-hours lectures and special events in 2012. Popular programs like Problem Solvers, an evening discussion series featuring experts in New York transit and urban planning, are attracting young professional and urbanists.
Funds will also support the Museum’s role as a haven for Brooklyn families. 223 children’s programs were offered in 2012, a 20% increase over 2011. Already well-known for guided school group visits, the Museum has become a leader in special needs programming with its acclaimed after-school program for children on the autism spectrum. In 2013, the Transit Museum will mount a number of exhibitions, conduct programs and release publications as centerpiece to a year-long celebration of Grand Central Terminal’s centennial.
About the New York Transit Museum
The Transit Museum was formed in 1976 by a dedicated group of MTA employees. In 1991, Friends of the New York Transit Museum was formed as a 501c3 to raise funds to support Museum operations. Since its inception, the Museum has experienced continual growth and has emerged as a leading Brooklyn cultural institution. Attendance and budget have more than doubled in the past decade. The Museum operates a Gallery Annex (and Store) in Grand Central Terminal that presents changing exhibitions.
About the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, Inc.
The Lily Auchincloss Foundation, Inc. is a private grantmaking foundation dedicated to the enhancement of the quality of life in New York City. The foundation supports art, preservation and community programs which serve to enrich the lives of the people of New York City.
