The Future Is Now

Final Campaign Update

It is our great pleasure to share the news that the MFA’s The Future Is Now Campaign has successfully concluded, meeting its goal of $200 million. Launched in the summer of 2013, this three-year Campaign sought to ensure the Museum’s financial stability. We are tremendously grateful to each and every one of our supporters for their belief in the importance of investing in priorities today that will pave the way toward the most exciting future.

The Campaign attracted nearly 5,500 donors from across the Museum family including Trustees, Overseers, Benefactors, Patrons and Museum Council members, Visiting Committee members, past SMFA Governors, volunteers, and staff. This remarkable outpouring of generosity was directed to five priority areas: Net Endowment, Gallery Renewal, Annual Support, New Investments, and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts.

The Future Is Now has had a transformative effect on the Museum, from increasing the net impact of the endowment, to creating new galleries, to launching innovative programs. The Campaign also raised important support for the SMFA including scholarships and campus renovations leading up to the School’s recent transition from the MFA to Tufts University.

Among the Campaign’s many achievements, we are especially proud of the following:

  • Endowed funding for five curatorial and programmatic staff positions
  • New and increased support for over 20 endowment funds dedicated to a wide range of areas including conservation, education, community arts, and special exhibitions
  • Critical support to strengthen our balance sheet, through designated as well as unrestricted gifts
  • Funding for the renovation and reinstallation of ten spectacular galleries across the Museum
  • Support for key new initiatives such as #mfaNOW overnights, cultural celebrations and performance art
  • Multi-year annual gifts to sustain the core operating budget

Together, we have succeeded in providing the MFA with the strongest possible foundation on which to plan for future phases of development. Deserving of special recognition is the extraordinary generosity of the Board of Trustees in bringing to completion the Campaign Challenge for debt reduction, which was established by an anonymous donor and amplified eligible gifts by 50 percent. The vision and foresight of these inspiring leaders, as well as the crucial support of many others in the MFA family throughout the Challenge, has made a significant contribution to the MFA’s fiscal well-being.

Energized by the remarkable success of the Campaign, we could imagine no better time to embark on a new period of transformation with our Ann and Graham Gund Director, Matthew Teitelbaum, at the helm of the MFA. This winter, we look forward to the completion of a Museum-wide strategic planning endeavor which will set a clear vision for the next chapter in the Museum’s history.

Thank you, once again, for your steadfast support and commitment to this institution. The Future–truly–Is Now, and it looks brighter than ever for our MFA!

Barbara Alfond
Co-Chair, The Future Is Now

Richard Lubin
Co-Chair, The Future Is Now

P.S. We hope that you will take the opportunity to explore gift highlights through the links below.

Gift Highlights

Campaign Commmittee

Barbara Alfond, co-chair*
Richard Lubin, co-chair*
Kevin Callaghan*
John F. Cogan, Jr.
Frances H. Colburn
David Croll*
Ronald M. Druker
Stephen Fine
Ann Gund
Robert P. Henderson
J. Atwood Ives
Joy Kant
Susan B. Kaplan
Carl Martignetti*
P. Andrews McLane*
Sandra Moose*
Susan Paine
Tim Phillips
Roger Servison*
Lisbeth Tarlow*
Susan Weatherbie
Emi Winterer

*Campaign Executive Committee member

Campaign Updates