All gifts to the Center are meaningful, no matter how big or small. Your tax exempt contribution will help us realize our goal of presenting engaging exhibits and exciting public programs, as well as our research and preservation activities throughout the year.
While the Center receives partial funding from Fort Lewis College, private foundations, and state and federal agencies, your gift directly supports the Center and ensures that the campus community, scholars, and the general public have access to the Center’s world-class collections through exhibitions, educational programs, preservation activities, and research opportunities that promote a deeper understanding of the Southwest’s dynamic heritage.
You can also contribute directly to the conservation and preservation of the Center’s collections for future generations of students and scholars. You can designate which collection you would like to help preserve, the Archives, Library, or Museum. Or you can support our scholars!
ARCHIVES
The Center’s archival holdings of photographs, films, maps, documents, and memorabilia related to Colorado’s Western Slope and the Four Corners region is one of the largest and most comprehensive collections in the country focusing on Native Americans, mining, ranching, agriculture, railroads and the development of the Southwest. Donations made to the Archives will support ongoing preservation projects, digitization of negatives, photographs and maps. Or consider funding a public history student internship to help with these ongoing endeavors!
LIBRARY
The Robert Delaney Southwest Research Library houses an open-stack book and periodical collection relating to the history, anthropology, archaeology, art and cultures of the Southwest. Donations to the Delaney Library can help us grow and maintain these collections.
MUSEUM
The Center’s Museum is home to The Durango Collection® of Navajo, Puebloan and Hispano textiles, along with baskets, Pueblo pottery, sculpture, paintings and works on paper representing the multi-cultural artistic expressions along with historic artifacts representative of the Southwest’s dynamic heritage. The Center offers a free public space, unique among our peer institutions, where we feature our extensive collections in exciting interpretive exhibitions throughout the year.
STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES: INTERNSHIPS AND FELLOWSHIPS
Maybe you’d be surprised to know that a lot of what we do is training students! We couldn’t do the work we do without them, in turn – they gain real world skills to add to their resumes. These experiences often carry them into their careers or graduate studies. Our Internship fund allows us to pay students a small stipend for the work they do.
The Center has also been successful in attracting doctoral students who make contributions to the Center’s research projects as well as serving as a role model for students while teaching at Fort Lewis College. Contribute to the Doctoral Fellowship program and continue to bring talented young scholars to the Center and the Fort Lewis College campus.