During fiscal 2003 the Library's fund-raising activities brought in a total of $13.3 million, representing 789 gifts from 643 donors. The donor categories included 57 corporations giving $4.6 million; 455 individuals giving $3.2 million; 50 foundations giving $2.7 million; 60 associations, councils and societies giving $1.8 million; and 11 trusts and estates giving $1 million. These gifts, including $561,000 received through the Library's Planned Giving Program, were made to 64 different Library funds and consisted of $7 million in cash gifts, $6.1 million in new pledges and $238,000 in in-kind gifts.
The Library forged new partnerships with 247 first-time donors, including 169 individuals, 32 associations, councils and societies, 23 corporations, 17 foundations, and six trusts, estates and embassies. These new donors gave $2.4 million, representing 18 percent of the gifts received this year. Thirteen new gift and trust funds were established.
Private gifts supported a variety of new and continuing programs throughout the Library, including exhibitions, acquisitions, symposia and other scholarly programs, and the 2003 National Book Festival. The charter sponsors of the festival were AT&T and The Washington Post. Patrons included AARP, the James Madison Council, the National Endowment for the Arts through Nancy and Rich Kinder of the Kinder Foundation, Target and WorkPlaceUSA. These donors—along with others—gave $1.1 million to support the festival.
Other major gifts received during the fiscal year included the following: (1) $3.5 million from Discovery Communications to support the acquisition of the Waldseemüller Map; (2) $1.7 million from the Herb Block Foundation to support the conservation and a rotating exhibition of the Herb Block collection; (3) $1.4 million from the Packard Humanities Institute for a film preservation project and a 78 rpm disc project; (4) $1.1 million from Madison Council Jeffersonian members to establish a fund to provide, at the Librarian's discretion, seed money and needed support for high-priority initiatives; (5) $500,000 from John Kluge to underwrite the Winston Churchill exhibition; (6) $409,000 from the Viburnum Foundation to the Center for the Book for a family literacy program; (7) $400,000 from Lady Sainsbury for science classics acquisitions; and (8) $275,000 from the Ira and Leonore Gershwin Trusts in support of the Gershwin collection, the George and Ira Gershwin Room at the Library and to support other worthy music and literary projects.
The James Madison Council continued to provide substantial support for a number of Library initiatives throughout the year. Gifts from members totaled $7.6 million, bringing the council's total support since 1990 to $153.2 million. The contributions received this year, in addition to those mentioned above, provided support for the 2003 National Book Festival; the Veterans History Project; the activities of the Phillips Society, a friends group of the Geography and Map Division; and the participation of the Librarian, Laura Bush and a number of the Library's curators in Russia's first book festival hosted by first lady of Russia Ludmila Putin.
In May 2003 council members and other friends of John Kluge came together to celebrate the formal opening of the John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress, with Tony Bennett giving the first-ever musical performance in the Main Reading Room of the Jefferson Building. During this two-day event, the Jeffersonians—Madison Council members who have given gifts of $1 million or more—met together for the first time as a group. At their initial meeting they decided to fund a joint project that would provide additional resources for high-priority, time-sensitive initiatives needing immediate support. By the end of the fiscal year, Jeffersonians had committed $1.1 million for this purpose.