About our donors
Image of the Sydney Modern Project as produced by Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa / SANAA © Art Gallery of New South Wales, 2018
We are poised for a new era in our history, with the completion of the Sydney Modern Project in December 2022. The project is a ground-breaking transformation of our flagship public art museum: a new stand-alone gallery building and art garden, along with the revitalisation of our historic building.
We invite you to join the Gallery’s community of donors to help bring this once-in-a-generation project to life, delivering enormous cultural and economic benefits for generations to come. The Campaign – led by a dedicated Campaign Committee under the chairmanship of former Gallery Trustee Dr Mark Nelson – welcomes gifts of any size. All donations are entirely tax-deductible.
Acknowledging and thanking our highest-level donors for their philanthropic contributions to the Sydney Modern Project, David Gonski AC, president of the Art Gallery of New South Wales Board of Trustees and Founding Donor, said:
‘It’s incredibly exciting that our Lead donors are backing the future success of the Gallery with all the positive cultural and social benefits it will bring to the people of New South Wales’
As a donor, you will have an insider’s view of the Gallery’s expansion, through special communications and events such as behind-the-scenes tours, programs and other engagement opportunities.
Together we will celebrate the Gallery’s proud history and build for the future, transforming the arts and cultural landscape in Sydney and Australia.
Contact our campaign team for more information on how to make a major gift. All gifts over $2 are tax-deductible and may be made over a number of years.
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Leadership and Founding donors
In June 2017, the Gallery announced Susan and Isaac Wakil as Lead Donors to the Sydney Modern Project Capital Campaign, with the extraordinary gift of $20 million, one of the largest lifetime monetary gifts ever made to an Australian art museum, and the largest monetary gift in the Gallery’s 146-year history. That gift has since been increased to $24 million and our heartfelt thanks go to Isaac Wakil and the late Susan Wakil and their family, for a gift that spearheaded our Campaign and gave it the impetus it needed to achieve its record-breaking success.
‘We’re living in an increasingly visual culture so it’s very important that young people have abundant opportunities to engage thoughtfully with art in all its evolving forms. Our family is delighted the expansion will allow the Gallery to cater for twice the number of school students than it can presently.’
Geoff Ainsworth AM, Leadership donor
‘This is desperately needed cultural infrastructure for NSW and I’m very proud that my family is supporting its development,’ Steven Lowy, Lead Yiribana founder and president of the Board in 2013 when the Sydney Modern Project was announced
‘The Art Gallery’s expansion will enable us to display so much more of the extraordinary and diverse permanent collection, which belongs to all residents of the state. It’s a terrific outcome for Sydney and NSW.’
Dr Mark Nelson, Chair, Campaign Committee and Leadership Donor
With Leadership gifts of $5 million or more and Founding gifts of $1 million or more, our highest-level donors have played a crucial role in bringing our landmark project to life.
Donors at these highest levels may be offered naming rights and/or prominent recognition in both the new and the existing building, along with invitations to engage with the development of the new expanded Gallery through private invitations and events, as we celebrate each milestone.
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Major and Visionary donors
With Major gifts of $500,000 and more and Visionary gifts of $100,000 and more, our generous donors have played an immensely important part in making our new expanded Gallery a reality and we pay tribute to them, with our warm and heartfelt thanks.
Our Major and Visionary level donors will be prominently recognised in the new SANAA-designed building and invited to engage with us at the Gallery through private invitations and events, as we acknowledge their support at each stage of this exciting development.
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Key supporters
Our Key supporters have made extremely generous pledges of gifts of $10,000 or more, and we warmly thank them for their strong support of our once-in-a-generation expansion project.
Key supporters will be recognised on the Honour Board on display at the entrance to the new SANAA-designed building and invited to celebrate the opening of the expanded Gallery.