Why Become a CDA Corporate Partner?
The Colonial Dames of America (CDA) is delighted to invite corporations and community foundations to partner with us in the preservation and education of Colonial American history. Your support helps us provide meaningful opportunities for children and adults to experience, study, and engage with the past.
One of the most visible expressions of this work is the Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden (MVHM&G) wholly owned and operated by CDA. The Museum is one of the last surviving 18th-century buildings in Manhattan and one of the few places where visitors can experience New York City’s early history in an intimate and engaging setting.
The property’s historic name dates to 1795, when Colonel William Stephens Smith and his wife, Abigail Adams Smith, daughter of President John Adams, purchased the land for their country estate and named it Mount Vernon. In 1826, the carriage house became a popular day resort where New Yorkers could escape bustling city life. A century later, CDA acquired the property and opened it as a museum.
Each year, more than 2,500 people visit MVHM&G —including approximately 600 schoolchildren from area public schools, who visit free of charge. Through its exhibitions, guided tours, educational programs, and more, MVHM&G offers visitors a rare glimpse of 19th-century New York City life.
As a corporate partner, your gift ensures the continued success of this historic landmark and the ongoing work of CDA. We hope you will take a moment to review the following packages and consider supporting the areas that best align with your company’s outreach initiatives and goals. Your support will have a lasting impact on the education and preservation of early American history.
Questions? We would love to hear from you!
Please fill out our Corporate Partnerships Form
Corporate Partnership Opportunities
Education/School Tours
Help bring history to life for today’s schoolchildren. Education Partners help make Museum tours available to students, both in person and virtually. More than 600 students from 25 public NYC schools visit the Museum free of charge each year. Your gift will sustain a dedicated education program, including expert guidance to align Museum experiences with New York curriculum standards, program oversight, and educational materials that help teachers connect the Museum’s stories to classroom learning.
Annual Museum Benefit
Support American history and a museum that preserves it. The Annual Museum Benefit is a signature CDA community event that brings together members, friends, and supporters in support of the MVHM&G. Partnership support helps sustain the Museum’s preservation efforts and public engagement, ensuring that visitors can continue to experience its nine, period-furnished rooms and adjoining property.
Garden & Grounds
Nurture a historic garden in the heart of New York City. The Garden offers visitors a charming green space with mature flowering trees, seasonal color, cobbled brick walkways, and historic plantings. Designed by landscape architect Alice R. Ireys, the Garden received a 2025 Zone III Historic Preservation Commendation from The Garden Club of America, recognizing its historic significance. Your support helps preserve the Garden’s historic character and ensures its place as a vibrant part of the Museum experience.
Annual Book Awards
Celebrate the authors who chronicle our nation’s history. Since 1951, CDA’s Annual Book Award Program has recognized more than 200 authors of outstanding historical nonfiction for adults and children. Your support helps sustain this long-standing tradition, expanding its reach to readers who share an appreciation for American history. Recipients are honored at our annual reception each spring.
Archival Support & Historic Preservation
Safeguard more than two centuries of American history. Corporate support sustains the archival work and preservation of CDA’s organizational archives and rare book collection, as well as the collections of the Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden, which date back more than 200 years. Your partnership helps ensure these documents, books, and historic objects are carefully preserved, catalogued, and accessible for future generations.
CDA Corporate Packages
Corporate Benefactor: $10,000
On-site signage as Corporate Benefactor at the Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden.
Recognition as Corporate Benefactor in CDA and MVHM&G newsletters & select publications.
Recognition in event programs for annual Book Awards Reception and Annual Museum Benefit.
On-site event recognition at Book Awards Reception and Annual Museum Benefit.
Two Benefactor tickets to annual Book Awards Reception or Annual Museum Benefit.
Private exhibition viewing and specialty tour with reception or
specialty tour with wine/tea tasting (up to 12 people for 3 hours, subject to availability).
One Vernon Fellowship Membership, including private tours, garden visits, 10% gift shop discount.
Corporate Patron: $5,000
On-site signage as Corporate Patron at the Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden.
Recognition as Corporate Patron in CDA and MVHM&G newsletters & select publications.
Recognition in event programs for Book Awards Reception and Annual Museum Benefit.
On-site event recognition at Book Awards Reception and Annual Museum Benefit.
Two Patron tickets to annual Book Awards Reception or Annual Museum Benefit.
One Family/Group Membership, including classic tours, garden visits, and 10% gift shop discount.
Corporate Supporter: $2,500
Recognition as Corporate Supporter in CDA and MVHM&G newsletters & select publications.
Recognition in event programs for annual Book Awards Reception and Museum Benefit.
On-site event recognition at Book Awards Reception and Annual Museum Benefit.
Two Supporter tickets to Book Awards Reception or Annual Museum Benefit.
One Dual Membership, including classic tours, garden visits, and 10% gift shop discount.
Exclusive Exhibition Partnership
CDA also offers an exclusive opportunity for a company or foundation to serve as the sole presenting partner of an exhibition at the MVHM&G. Exhibitions utilize historical treasures from the Museum’s extensive collection and may include pieces from outside sources. Each exhibition is curated by the MVHM&G and highlights topics from the US Colonial, Revolutionary, and Antebellum eras. Benefits are customized to the presenting partner’s community outreach and organizational goals. Please inquire about pricing and available dates.
Corporate benefits are non-transferable and apply for a 12-month period. Corporate partners must align with CDA’s mission and values. All partnerships are subject to approval by CDA’s Board of Managers.
CDA MISSION STATEMENT:
CDA honors American History through preservation and education.
ABOUT CDA
The Colonial Dames of America (CDA) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing historical programs, projects, and educational opportunities in the heart of New York City, across the country, and internationally in London, Paris, and Rome. Founded in 1890, CDA is the first women’s colonial lineage society in the United States, with 40 chapters across the United States and in Europe. For more than 135 years, CDA has brought together women committed to preserving, studying, and sharing American history.
WHAT WE DO
The Colonial Dames of America is dedicated to providing:
HISTORIC PRESERVATION:
Stewardship of historic properties, landscapes, collections, and archival materials.
EDUCATION & SCHOLARSHIP:
Educational programs, school tours, scholarships, and fellowships that encourage the study of American history.
COLLECTIONS & RESEARCH:
Preservation of manuscripts, rare books, lineage papers, artifacts, and other materials that document American history.
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT:
Book awards, exhibitions, lectures, and other programs that bring American history to broader audiences.
Through these efforts, CDA works to ensure that the places, collections, and stories of America’s past remain accessible—and meaningful.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CDA CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS, PLEASE CONTACT:
or
call the CDA office at 212-838-5489