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Cummer Museum | Art | Gardens | Education
  • The Museum will be open today from 11:00am - 9:00pm.
  • Admission will be FREE from 4:00pm - 9:00pm. Sponsored by Vystar Credit Union.
  • red_click_iconThe Museum is open today 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Investing in the Creativity of Future Generations

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Help the museum grow, maintain its exemplary art collection, share engaging exhibitions and provide fun and educational programming for all of Jacksonville and beyond. We encourage you to invest in the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens by making a gift that holds meaning for you and will accomplish your personal philanthropic goals. The Development team is happy to speak with you about the various ways you can make a gift to the Museum.

Donate Now
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Your generosity keeps the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens vibrant – nurturing creativity, preserving an exemplary art collection, sharing world-class exhibitions, maintaining our historically significant gardens, and providing engaging educational programs for all ages across Jacksonville and beyond.
 
Every contribution, large or small, helps ensure that the Museum can provide art, garden, and learning experiences that spark discovery and well-being. Together, we can grow the Museum’s impact for generations to come. 
Founded in 1996, the Ponce de León Society (PdL) is the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens’ premier philanthropic circle – a community of donors whose annual support sustains exhibitions, educational programs, and the historic gardens that define our museum. Members ensure that art and nature remain accessible and inspiring for all.
 
What Membership Makes Possible
Your generosity as a PdL member supports:
  • Exhibitions that bring world-class art to Jacksonville
  • Educational outreach for thousands of local students
  • Conservation and care of our historic gardens and collections
  • Community access through free admission days and inclusive programs
 
Every PdL gift directly fuels the Museum’s mission to create art, garden, and learning experiences that spark discovery and well-being.
 
Member Benefits
Patron Circle: $1,500 – $4,999
  • Invitations to exclusive Donor Society events
  • Complimentary admission for 2 adults and up to 6 children/grandchildren under 18 for one year
  • Member discounts on all classes and events, and a 10% discount in the Cummer Shop and Café
  • Reciprocal admission access to more than 2,000 museums and gardens
  • Subscription to monthly newsletter with exclusive, members-only content
  • Invitation to pre-scheduled annual group tour of the permanent collection and gardens
  • Invitations to Lectures
  • Invitations to Q&A sessions with museum experts
  • Recognition in the Annual Report and online donor wall
  • Advance ticket purchasing option for select events
 
Benefactor Circle: $5,000 – $9,999
  • All Patron Circle level benefits plus:
    • Regional travel opportunities
    • Recognition of your choice as Spring Planting Sponsor, member of an Exhibition Host Committee, or in Art Connections
    • Recognition on digital signage in the Museum
    • Priority seating for events, programs, and classes, when available
 
Director Circle: $10,000 – $19,999
  • All Benefactor Circle level benefits plus:
    • National travel opportunities
    • Free admission to a garden concert of your choice
    • Invitation to Tea in the Gardens with a tour by the Director of Gardens and Horticulture
    • Small group Curator- or Associate Curator-led group tours of traveling exhibitions (20 people or fewer)
    • Invitation to annual Dinner with the Director
    • Opportunity for reserved seating and exclusive meet and greet toast with featured speaker(s)/panelist(s) for select events, when available. Event tickets must be purchased in advance for reserved seating access
 
Visionary Circle: $20,000+
  • All Director Circle level benefits plus:
    • Personal art collection consultation with Chief Curator or Associate Curator
    • Personal garden consultation with Director of Gardens & Horticulture 
    • Ability to book a private tour for up to 10 people. Must be scheduled in advance at a mutually beneficial time.

Support at the Ponce de León Society level

The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens fulfills its mission of creating art, garden, and learning experiences that spark discovery and well-being through the exhibitions it presents to the community.

If you or your business are interested in supporting an exhibition or program through sponsorship, please reach out to the Development Office at donors@cummermuseum.org

A Memorial or Honorary Gift is a meaningful way to celebrate life’s milestones, honor someone special, or remember a loved one. These generous gifts not only recognize the people who matter most to you, but they also carry their legacy forward by supporting the Museum’s mission.
 
When making your gift, please include in the comment box:
– Whether the donation is a memorial or an honorary gift, along with the name of the honoree.
– Name and address of the person you would like us to notify about your generous donation. The amount of your donation will be kept confidential from the recipient in the notification letter.
 
Through your tribute, you create a lasting impact that celebrates art, nature, learning, and community.

Donate now

Every gift to the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens makes a positive impact on the organization whether given now or in the future through a deferred giving vehicle. Deferred gifts can be made in a variety of ways through gifts of cash, establishment of endowments, real estate, appreciated securities, life insurance policies, charitable lead trusts, charitable remainder trusts, charitable gift annuities, donor-advised funds, gifts of art, retirement benefits, or bequests through estate documentation. Please reach out to the Development Office to discuss your plans.

Many companies offer matching gifts to employee contributions. Some companies also provide matching funds for employee volunteer hours. Please contact donors@cummermuseum.org, for more information.

Congress has passed some important tax provisions that positively affect charitable giving. Most notable is the retroactive reinstatement of the IRA Charitable Rollover provision.

The IRA Charitable Rollover allows individuals 70½ or older to make a tax-free rollover using funds transferred directly from their IRA. This means you can donate up to $100,000 from your IRA without having to count the distribution as taxable income – and it counts towards your required minimum distribution. Since you will not be taxed on the income, no income tax deduction may be claimed. Consult your plan administrator for more details. Originally enacted into law in 2006, the Rollover has been permanently extended into the future.

Please consider a gift to the Cummer Museum as part of your annual IRA Rollover plans. If you have questions about this opportunity or would like to discuss other planned gifts to the Museum, please contact Amy Pierce, Chief Development Officer at 904.899.6001 or donors@cummermuseum.org

The Ninah Cummer Legacy Society honors individuals who follow in Mrs. Cummer’s footsteps and make a planned gift to the Museum.

When the Museum first opened its doors on November 11, 1961, the historic event was the achievement of someone who knew the importance of planned giving. In her will, Ninah Cummer established a foundation to share a renowned art collection, a riverfront lot adorned with formal gardens to build an extraordinary institution, and more.

“This Foundation is created in the full knowledge that my bequests and the endowment make only a small beginning toward a large vision, but it is created, also, in the hope that others will share this vision and by their interests and contributions will help to establish here a center of beauty and culture worthy of the community.” – Ninah M. H. Cummer

Join the Ninah Cummer Legacy Society by notifying the Museum that you have included the Cummer Museum in your estate plans. Contact Amy Pierce, Chief Development Officer, at 904.899.6001 or donors@cummermuseum.org.