The Coca-Cola Company Joins National Museum of African American History and Culture’s Corporate Leadership Council With $1 Million Contribution

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is getting a $1 million boost from The Coca-Cola Company. Coca-Cola joins a community of corporate donors committed to growing the reach and impact of the nation’s largest and most comprehensive cultural destination devoted exclusively to the African American story.

Created in 2003 as part of the Smithsonian by an act of Congress, the Museum opened in 2016 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The nearly 400,000-sq.-ft. building has welcomed more than 8.5 million visitors to explore the richness and resiliency of the African American experience via curated exhibitions, educational programs, conservation research and experiential displays. Admission is free and open to the public.

In 2011, The Coca-Cola Foundation—the company’s global philanthropic giving arm—became a founding donor of NMAAHC with a $1.25 million grant. By becoming a member of the Museum’s Corporate Leadership Council, The Coca-Cola Company will join Amazon, Google, Johnson & Johnson, Walgreens Boots Alliance and other organizations with shared values. 

“As a purpose-driven company committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, we are proud to expand our support of the National Museum of African American History and Culture as it faces its next chapter of growth,” said Sean Lee, Head of Customer Experience, Coca-Cola North America, and a member of the company’s Black Equity Accountability Council. “We applaud the Museum’s contributions to preserving our cultural heritage by building awareness and understanding of African Americans’ seminal role in history, and to inspiring a future without barriers for all.”  

Coca-Cola and The Smithsonian Institution enjoy a strong, multi-faceted partnership spanning more than four decades. Most recently, the company became a founding donor of the National Museum of the American Latino and a corporate founder of the Molina Family Latino Gallery.