National Gallery receives $116M Rales gift to send art collection to museums across United States

The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, has received a $116 million gift from the NGA trustee Mitchell P. Rales, through his family foundation, to expand national access to the NGA collection through a permanent loan program for regional museums. The award funds “Across the Nation,” enabling small and mid-sized museums to borrow artwork with costs for shipping, insurance, installation, and programming fully covered. NGA aims to scale and strengthen under-resourced museums, and broaden public access to major works. The initiative positions the Gallery to circulate its holdings systematically, ensuring long-term programming to rotate the collection into communities nationwide.