Join us on for the 2026 Museum Benefit, to be held on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, from 6:00–8:00 p.m. at the Abigail Adams Smith Ballroom, with a livestream option available for those unable to attend in person.

This year's Benefit will be especially meaningful as we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Mount Vernon Hotel opening as a day hotel in 1826. This bicentennial milestone offers a wonderful opportunity not only to honor the Museum's remarkable history, but also to support its future through the preservation, educational, and public programming initiatives that remain at the heart of its mission.

Tuesday, September 29th 

6:00 to 8:00 pm

Abigail Adams Smith Ballroom

New York City

Underwriting Opportunities:

Historical Garden Consultant Caleb Leech: To ensure the long-term care of our Alice Recknagel Ireys-designed garden, we plan to hire Caleb Leech, horticulturist and historical garden consultant, to advise and collaborate with us on our urban garden’s next evolutionary phase, as well as the execution of one project this year. Caleb was in charge of the design, care, and maintenance of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Cloisters Garden and was the curator of the Alice Recknagel Ireys' Fragrance Garden and Shakespeare Garden at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden so has a profound understanding of our garden and a vision for its sustainability. /$3,500

Visitor Engagement Support: To broaden our audiences and extend our reach, we would like to hire a firm to help create materials and provide communications support to ensure news of our programs is distributed widely and with a higher degree of professionalism. Phase 1 of 3 /$4,000

Museum Orientation Film: We hope to refresh the video we show before our classic tours; this video was created in 1999 and has terrific information but would benefit from a 21st Century update. /$7,500

Improvements for Exhibition Display Cases: To improve the safety and security of collection objects while on exhibition, both our own and those loaned to us, the plexiglass doors on our display cases should be replaced with thicker plexiglass and stronger locks. /$8,000

Plant Fund: In addition to providing funding for plants and supplies, we would like to purchase a number of new Hosta plants to surround and underplant the crabapple tree in the Museum's front yard to match the arrangement around the two crabapple trees in the back garden; this will also create a more pleasing appearance at the base of the tree, one of the first things visitors see on arrival and one of the last on departure. /$2,000