The National Gallery of Art (NGA) in Washington, DC, is slated to host a fundraising dinner organized by the Trump Vance Inauguration Committee ahead of the president-elect’s official swearing-in on Monday, January 20, according to fundraising documents obtained by the Guardian.
In an email to Hyperallergic, a spokesperson for the art museum confirmed it would “serve as a venue for an inaugural event at the request of the inaugural committee,” but declined to provide specific details. According to the Federal Elections Board, inaugural committees are appointed by the president-elect to lead the transition ceremony and connected events.
“While the National Gallery does not typically allow private events, exceptions have been made for official requests from across previous administrations. This includes inaugural occasions, such as an event held for President Bill Clinton in 1993,” the NGA spokesperson said.
According to the Guardian, an event called the Vice President’s Dinner will be hosted on Saturday, January 18, at the NGA, which is listed on the committee’s official schedule for the weekend. Donors must give $1 million or raise $2 million for the Trump Vance Inaugural Committee to secure two tickets.
The Trump Vance Inaugural Committee is flush with cash, approaching $200 million, according to the New York Times, which notes that inauguration season is an important opportunity for lobbyists to gain influence over a new administration. There are no limits on inaugural committee donations, per NYT, and any excess funds generated may eventually be transferred to form a Trump presidential library.
The Trump Vance Inauguration Committee has not yet responded to Hyperallergic’s inquiries.
The NGA was founded as a federal institution at the behest of former Secretary of the Treasury and art collector Andrew W. Mellon, who offered his artworks to Congress for the creation of a national art museum in 1937. Then-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt dedicated the museum in 1941, the year the institution welcomed its first public visitors.
The NGA was created as a national museum and continues to receive operational funds from the United States government and conform to federal hiring practices including requiring citizenship for employment, while maintaining its 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. In fiscal year 2024, the museum received $209 million in congressional appropriations for salaries, building maintenance, and special exhibitions. According to the museum, it relies on private contributions for acquisitions and programs such as educational initiatives.
The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), an organization that sets ethical standards and accredits institutions, declined to comment on the NGA’s specific situation but said that the Internal Revenue Service permits private nonprofits to rent their spaces to elected officials and campaigns with equal availability to parties.
In its guide for 501(c)(3) nonprofit museums during election years, AAM advises against any partisan activities, citing Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidelines. Per the IRS, nonprofit organizations are prohibited from “directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office.” Violation of these parameters, according to the IRS, could result in revocation of tax-exempt status.
However, the NGA spokesperson affirmed that the museum is “an independent establishment of the United States” and does not “endorse any administration.”
“Serving as an inaugural venue simply reflects the museum’s role as a national cultural and civic institution,” the spokesperson told Hyperallergic.
President-elect Trump is also scheduled for a dinner on Sunday, which according to the Guardian, will be held at the National Building Museum, an educational nonprofit created in 1980 by a congressional act and overseen by the US government.
Though the AAM issues guidelines on political activities, benefit dinners hosted at other nonprofit museums have long generated controversy.
Last year, protesters took to the Museum of Modern Art in New York City when it hosted a gala for the World Jewish Congress, an organization that has lobbied on behalf of the Israeli government and has rejected United Nations reports claiming that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. The National History Museum came under fire for hosting a dinner for right-wing think tank National Conservatism in May 2023, and the Pérez Art Museum Miami raised questions when it rented out its space for a Trump town hall in 2020.
