2024 Donor Update

Thank you for helping us fulfill our mission to Preserve History, Honor Excellence and Connect Generations. 

Our members and donors are the foundation for everything we do

As we look forward to 2025 and beyond, we will continue to focus on growth - growing our collections, our outreach programs, our online audience, and the number of visitors who can experience the magic of Cooperstown. It is critical that we expand our reach to share baseball history with an ever-evolving audience. 

Together – with you, our members and donors – we will continue to grow, ensuring that every baseball fan will always have a place to connect to the game's special moments.

On behalf of our entire team at the Hall and our Board of Directors, thank you for your generosity. We look forward to continuing to care for our incredible collection and celebrate the stories and legends of our game, together.

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HERE IS A LOOK BACK AT WHAT WE ACCOMPLISHED TOGETHER IN 2024

IMPROVING The Museum Experience

This has been on my bucket list for DECADES, and I am overjoyed that I finally got to visit. This is one of those places like the Grand Canyon that actually exceeds your highest expectations!

Museum visitor Terrance S.

What started as a one-room museum in 1939 has grown into a state-of-the-art, 60,000 square-foot history museum dedicated to baseball and its impact on American culture.

HANK AARON STATUE

From left to right: Fred McGriff, Pat Gillick, New York Lt. Governor Antonio Delgado, Harold Baines, Ryne Sandberg, Jim Kaat, Ozzie Smith, Dave Winfield, Billye Aaron, Eddie Murray, Bud Selig, Joe Torre, Rollie Fingers, Jim Rice, Lee Smith, Hall of Fame Chairman Jane Forbes Clark and Fergie Jenkins.

On May 23 we dedicated the Hank Aaron statue titled Keep Swinging honoring Aaron's legacy on and off the field.

THE SOULS OF THE GAME: VOICES OF BLACK BASEBALL

Souls of the Game: Voices of Black Baseball exhibit

The new exhibit honors the history of Black baseball and celebrates its impact on the game and on our country.

Located on the Museum’s second floor in the Yawkey Gallery, The Souls of the Game: Voices of Black Baseball spotlights the decades-long history of Black baseball prior to the formation of the Negro Leagues, through the complexities of baseball’s re-integration, to the challenges that remain today, revealing the deep connections between baseball and Black America.

The exhibit features men and women telling the story of Black baseball in their own voices. Sections cover stories of early Black baseball, the Negro Leagues era, the complexities of reintegration, Jackie Robinson, post-reintegration progress and retrogress, and calls for change in today’s game. 

EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

The students were incredibly excited to know there were African American pioneers in baseball, just like Martin Luther King Jr.

Elizabeth Gerling, Principal, Columbus Elementary School, Utica, NY.

EDUCATION

As we continued working on the Black Baseball Initiative and The Souls of the Game exhibit the outreach efforts kicked in to high gear as we hosted more than 1,500 students and teachers for field trips during the ’23-’24 school year at no cost to the schools.

We also launched the School Resource Kit program. The materials in the kit support the delivery of the Museum's Civil Rights History curriculum in a classroom setting. We distributed more than 200 kits to public schools in 35 states.

THE ROAD TO COOPERSTOWN PODCAST

the road to cooperstown podcast logo

Each episode features a conversation between SiriusXM host Jon Paul Morosi and a Hall of Famer diving into the challenges and obstacles the all-time greats of the game overcame to become enshrined in the most exclusive club in sports. Every Hall of Famer has a story of brilliance and resilience to tell on their journey along The Road to Cooperstown.

THE HALL OF FAME EAST-WEST CLASSIC

When I got the call from Josh about the exhibit they were doing and putting together a game and he asked me do I think I can get players there...you're gonna have to beat players off with a stick with the chance to come to Cooperstown

CC Sabathia
Team photo from the HOF East West Classic

From 1933 to 1962, the greatest legends of Black baseball demonstrated their talent and desire at the annual Negro Leagues East-West All-Star Game. 

The Museum paid tribute to that legacy by hosting the Hall of Fame East-West Classic: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues All-Star Game, presented by Boeing, on Saturday, May 25th, during a Memorial Day Weekend celebration of Black baseball.

HALL OF FAME WEEKEND

Seeing 50,000 fans waving towels, hoping this is their year, or a little boy or girl getting their first autograph and scurrying back to the stands to show their mom and dad their latest treasure. Ladies and gentlemen, that’s you, that’s baseball and this is the Hall of Fame!

Jim Leyland
The HAll of Fame CLass of 2024

On Sunday, July 21 we hosted our 75th Induction Ceremony, honoring Adrian Beltré, Todd Helton, Jim Leyland and Joe Mauer. Fifty-one Hall of Famers were on the stage that day, in front of a crowd of 28,000.

As we look ahead to 2025, there is much to be excited about

New artifacts. New stories. A new class of Hall of Famers to celebrate. And a new exhibit.

Coming in July 2025, Yakyu | Baseball: The Transpacific Exchange of the Game, will explore the wide-ranging cultural exchange between Japan and the United States.

LEARN MORE ABOUT YAKYU | BASEBALL

We know that these efforts, with your support, will impact baseball fans for years to come.

An impact that not only creates new memories, experiences or a source of inspiration, but one that can change lives.

Baseball is more than just a game – it is woven into the very fabric of our lives. No place tells the story of baseball’s rich history and rekindles our most precious memories more than the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York.

Together we are

PRESERVING HISTORY, HONORING EXCELLENCE AND CONNECTING GENERATIONS

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EXPLORE ALL OF THE WAYS TO GIVE

Whether purchasing a membership or donating an artifact, your support for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will keep history alive for years to come.