HANCOCK, Mass. — With construction underway on a new Visitor Center and Center for Shaker Studies on the campus of Hancock Shaker Village, two philanthropic contributions will help bring new exhibits and programming to visitors when the doors open in the summer of 2026, while supporting the long-term financial sustainability.

 

Hancock Shaker Village received more than $2.34 million in grant support from Lilly Endowment Inc., which will be used to activate new galleries with world-class exhibition space, new interpretive resources, and an enriching slate of programming for visitors.  Also in 2025, Hancock Shaker Village received a challenge gift of $500,000 from an anonymous donor towards the museum's endowment that is designed to support the long-term financial stability of the organization.

 

The grant from Lilly Endowment was made through its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative, a national initiative designed to encourage and support museums and cultural institutions in the United States in strengthening their capacities to provide fair and accurate portrayals of the role religion has played and continues to play in the United States and throughout the world, stated a press release.

 

The grant funding aligns with Hancock Shaker Village's priority to design world-class exhibition space and new interpretations of Shakerism throughout the newly renovated building as the Village expands their available gallery, exhibition, and interpretive footprint.

 

"The Shakers are recognized throughout the world for their iconic design aesthetic, unique way of living, and progressive values," said Caroline Holland, Director & CEO of Hancock Shaker Village.  "While there is wide appreciation for recognizable forms like Shaker chairs, architecture, cloaks, and oval boxes, what is sometimes missed in that conversation is the deep religious sentiment that drove the perfect lines, symmetry, and integrity of those pieces.  The support from Lilly Endowment is a tremendous capacity-multiplier and enables our team to dive deeply into an exploration of these topics and make relevant connections between our Shaker history and modern times."

 

To date, the fundraising effort to support the capital needs of the new Visitor Center & Center for Shaker Studies has resulted in nearly $8.8 million in commitments to the Shaker Legacy Campaign through a mixture of individual gifts, state funding from Massachusetts Cultural Council and Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, and private foundations such as Feigenbaum Foundation and the Jane & Jack Fitzpatrick Trust.  This $10 million campaign is aimed at raising $8.5 million towards the capital needs of the renovation project, and $1.5 million towards the Village's endowment. 

 

Over the summer, Hancock Shaker Village learned that it was awarded a challenge gift of $500,000 towards the $1.5 million endowment goal of the Shaker Legacy Campaign.  

 

"We are so grateful for the endowment gift from this partner and are up to the challenge to leverage the match," said Elissa Haskins-Vaughan, Director of Development & Special Projects at Hancock Shaker Village. "We see this as such a powerful tool to strengthen the financial stability of our organization."

 

The team at Hancock Shaker Village intends to continue campaign outreach to the community to raise the $500,000 of Endowment support to secure the anonymous donor's $500,000 matching pledge, of which half is already secured.

 

"There is a very palpable feeling of momentum," said Holland. "We are so lucky to have the basis of support that shares in our commitment and vision for what can be achieved here at the Village. So many have helped us raise the funds to re-build this structure, and now the Lilly Endowment grant will help us activate it in such an impressive way while growth in our endowment will help secure a financial future for the museum."

 

Hancock Shaker Village has partnered with IKDxTSKP, a Cambridge-based architecture firm, and Allegrone Construction Co, a Pittsfield-based construction management company, to begin renovations on the newly imagined Visitor Center & Center for Shaker Studies.  As the gateway to the historic living museum, this two-story renovated structure will enable dramatic enhancements to the visitor experience through creative orientation, expanded program offerings, close encounters with elements of the museum's extensive Shaker collection, and impressive views of the picturesque vistas unique to the site.

 

With a dual goal of improving the visitor experience and protecting the Village's world-class collection, the project will reconceive the existing building, introducing permanent exhibit galleries, climate-controlled collection storage, open-storage for some of the premiere objects in the collection, a library, new lobby, and multi-purpose spaces. The scope of the project includes significant accessibility and visitor amenity improvements and will create an extraordinary opportunity to expand and improve upon the museum's programming in the new spaces and throughout the historic Village.