FOR THE NEXT 250

Preserving the Past. Powering the Future.

As we approach the 250th anniversary of our nation, we at Pequot Library find ourselves reflecting not only on what we celebrate, but on what we are called to preserve, share, and shape for the future. For more than a century, the library has stood as a steward of remarkable Special Collections and a gathering place where history and community meet. Within its walls live extraordinary voices from the past, found in rare books, manuscripts, and documents that capture the aspirations, contradictions, and imagination of America itself. These powerful writings remind us that history is not distant—it lives in the stories we tell and the future we choose to build together.

Preservation is only the beginning. Through exhibitions that spark dialogue, performances that bring history to life, educational outreach that expands access to learning, we bring these collections to life and expand access to learning, connection, and creativity. Our 2026 year-end campaign, For the Next 250: Preserving the Past. Powering the Future., supports a new generation of initiatives that strengthen the library’s role as a civic and cultural center. Your support ensures that Pequot Library continues to thrive as a place where knowledge, creativity, and community come together.

You may give at any level meaningful to you and direct your support toward one of the campaign initiatives below. The funding levels represent our goals for each project area as we work together to build the future of Pequot Library.

Ways to Shape the Next 250

2026 Campaign Goals

Nature Trails & Discovery Garden — Goal: $10,000

Create spaces for children to roam and explore the outdoors, launching themselves into essential screen-free experiences that stimulate their young minds. Support related programs designed to spark curiosity and wonder, as inspired by Audubon’s Birds of America. Your gift helps to instill in youngsters a sense of respect and reverence for the natural world.

Education & Outreach Initiative — Goal: $12,000

Allow us to partner with five additional schools, supercharging our Passport to Pequot school tours programs, which currently enrich the lives of 500+ students from underserved schools annually. Students take guided tours of the library’s Special Collections exhibitions and enjoy a live “Meet the Orchestra” concert, presented in partnership with the nonprofit group Music for Youth. School tours open visitors' minds to new possibilities, illuminating the past and fostering creativity.

Broadway Conservatory Student Scholarships — Goal: $15,000

With your support, we'll be able to help ten youth performers from underresourced families to achieve their goals of performing on our legendary stage and developing skills that will serve them for decades to come. Recipients will build confidence under the guidance of award-winning instructors.

Paul Taylor Dance Company Performance & Residency — Goal: $25,000

Put Pequot Library on the map! Bring one of the world's most famous dance companies to the library's Great Lawn for a jaw-dropping world premiere performance and residency. This will truly be a once-in-a-lifetime viewing experience that will dazzle audiences and attract new attendees eager to embrace this singular opportunity.

Special Collections Exhibition & Public Humanities Programming — Goal: $50,000

As we plan our fall Special Collections exhibitions and beyond, your contribution underwrites many of the costs involved in showcasing our more than 30,000+ Special Collections holdings, which include manuscripts, books, ephemera, and much more, from seventeenth-century Shakespeare folios to artist Clare Leighton's teenagehood diary, written during WWI. Monies raised also support bringing scholars and authors to the library to deliver talks related to the exhibitions, fostering lifelong learning and stoking curiosity as we seek to bring history to life and distill lessons from the past.

Be Part of the Next Chapter

History does not preserve itself. It depends on communities who believe that places like Pequot Library matter, not only today, but for the future we are shaping together. Your support sustains education, creativity, preservation, performance, and public access for generations to come. Join us as we preserve the past, and power the future, for the next 250 years.

Your tax-deductible gift is unrestricted, allowing Pequot Library to advance its mission where support is needed most.