Weeksville Heritage Center Launches Public Fundraising Campaign To Avoid Closure

NEW YORK, May 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Weeksville Heritage Center, a one-of-a-kind historic house museum that brings to life the history of one of the largest free black communities in pre-Civil War America through its arts, culture and preservation efforts, is launching a crowdfunding campaign to close a budget deficit and avoid shutting its doors.  The effort, which will run through June 30, goes live today at [https://www.crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/save-weeksville2019] and is designed to raise funds for continued operations and strategic planning.

"Our funding for operations has not kept pace with the expenses associated with running a 23,000-square foot building and maintaining our Historic Hunterfly Road Houses, three landmarked buildings, each of which is over 100 years old," said Rob Fields, Weeksville's president and executive director.

According to a recent DeVos Institute report, "Diversity in the Arts: The Past, Present, and Future of African American and Latino, Museums, Dance Companies, and Theater Companies," lack of broad support is common for black cultural institutions across the sector.  "Weeksville needs time to develop a more robust individual donor base; its current board that is smaller than those of the average white institution," Fields said, naming a few trends impacting the Center. "And since much of our programming is free, we have to come up with ways to diversify our sources of revenue."

Almost $100,000 has been committed prior to the start of the campaign from a consortium of individuals, foundations, and corporations, but more is needed.  Fields noted that the funds raised will keep the institution afloat through September as it develops a sustainability plan that better aligns the institution with the current non-profit landscape and address the issues highlighted above. 

The campaign will launch with a fundraising video that features the noted actor and Brooklyn native Michael K. Williams (The Wire, Boardwalk Empire, Hap & Leonard) and will be supported through a combination of social media, PR, and live events that give Weeksville's community in Central Brooklyn and beyond many opportunities to support the organization. 

"Historic Weeksville was founded on the idea of community," Fields said. "It was 'rediscovered' and the historic houses were saved in the 1960s by working people in the community, and I'm confident we'll get through this crisis with the support of our extended community."

About Weeksville Heritage Center

Weeksville Heritage Center is the only African-American historic site of its kind in Brooklyn and preserves the history of one of the largest free black communities of pre-Civil War America, Weeksville, Brooklyn.

Contact: Sonia Richards
Phone: 718-756-5250 x 300
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Weeksville Heritage Center

Related Links

https://www.weeksvillesociety.org

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