Museum of the City of New York receives $8M from Puffin Foundation for social activism center

The Puffin Foundation has announced an $8 million gift to the Museum of the City of New York to establish a center for social activism, a new hub for exhibitions, public programming, fellowships, and researrch focused on the history and practice of activism. Opening in fall 2026 in a newly renovated museum wing, the center will feature a reimagined permanent exhibition on activism tactics, rotating shows on social movements, at least six annual public programs, and a 12-year fellowship initiative launching in 2027. The endowment expands a partnership dating to 2009 and is designed to strengthen civic education and scholarship around social change in New York City and beyond.