The National Gallery of Art (NGA) has received a significant $116 million donation from the foundation of biotech mogul and Glenstone museum co-founder Mitchell Rales. This generous contribution will permanently support the artwork lending initiative that extends the NGA’s collection to smaller regional museums nationwide. Originally launched as a pilot program last spring with initial funding from Rales, the ‘Across the Nation’ initiative has already showcased works by Georgia O’Keeffe in Anchorage, Rembrandt in Denver, Rothko in Boise, Botticelli in Flint, and Henri Matisse in northern Washington.
This program, which covers costs for transportation and installation, reached approximately 900,000 visitors during its inaugural year across 10 participating institutions. The Rales donation represents the largest endowment ever received by the museum to support a program. The Mitchell P. Rales Family Foundation made this endowment in honor of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Planning for this initiative began in 2023, predating the Trump administration’s focus on the nation’s semiquincentennial as a means to promote an ‘American exceptionalism’ cultural agenda.
Funded through a combination of private and public sources, like the Smithsonian, the NGA was affected by the 2025 directive to eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs in federal agencies. After Trump’s inauguration, the NGA complied by closing its diversity initiatives. When ‘Across the Nation’ launched last April, it promised to deliver ‘unprecedented access’ to masterworks. Early adopters of the program included the Anchorage Museum, Nevada Museum of Art, and the Flint Institute of Arts.
Mitchell Rales, in a press release, emphasized the importance of endowments for nonprofit success, noting, “Endowments are the superpower of nonprofits, enabling institutions to fulfill their missions.” Rales, who co-founded Danaher Corporation with his brother Steven in 1969, has served on the NGA’s board for 20 years and established Glenstone, a private art museum, in 2006. “Through his remarkable partnership and thanks to this landmark gift, the National Gallery is able to establish ‘Across the Nation’ as a core pillar of our work and fulfill a central part of our vision — of the nation and for all the people,” stated NGA Director Kaywin Feldman.
