
Our story is an American story. Our founders promised that the Museum would stand as a beacon of civil rights to ensure that what happened to Japanese Americans in 1942 would never happen to any other group. We are therefore embarking on the largest campaign in our history to secure our future and transform our physical and digital presence, our exhibitions, and our programming.
In 2023, JANM announced Our Promise, an ambitious campaign and plan for the future that includes a renovation of the Museum’s galleries, a new core exhibition, and transformational investments in its programming.
Thanks to our community’s overwhelming support and generosity from donors like you—large and small, public and private, near and far—the Museum exceeded its original goal of $65 million and will increase it to $85 million while extending the campaign until late 2026.
Your generous response reflects the value our community places on JANM and its standing as a beacon of civil rights and a keeper and storyteller of the Japanese American experience. Reinvigorating our campus, programs, and reach will bring these American stories into the future, for and with people from all backgrounds and walks of life.
In the Future We Call Now

In its most significant change since 1999, JANM is creating its new core exhibition, In the Future We Call Now: Realities of Racism, Dreams of Democracy (2026). The exhibition will:
- Re-imagine how it tells the stories of Japanese Americans by drawing on today’s technological advances and national discussion around race and democracy
- Include familiar elements from the current core exhibition to carry the World War II incarceration stories forward
- Highlight new stories that explore the choices our community made in face of adversity as they fought towards an ever-shifting vision of the future.
Improvements to the Museum’s HVAC systems will help preserve over 150,000 objects and collections with which JANM has been entrusted (and the powerful American stories they tell) to make sure they are available and accessible to future generations.
We are incredibly grateful to the volunteers, Members, and donors who have made JANM the resource and destination it is since its founding, and for the investments they have made in our future.
The mission of the Japanese American National Museum is to promote understanding and appreciation of America’s ethnic and cultural diversity by sharing the Japanese American experience.

Renovation Updates
Renovating JANM’s Public Galleries
September 22, 2025
See updates of the renovation of the Museum’s exhibition spaces on the JANM blog.
OUR PROMISE
JANM’s $85 Million Comprehensive Campaign to Revitalize, Amplify, Deliver, and Secure our Future.
OUR CAMPAIGN PROMISES
This $85 million campaign will help us:
1.
Revitalize
Redesign and repurpose JANM’s campus to provide welcoming, cohesive, and dynamic spaces for audiences, a new core exhibition that will re-imagine how it tells the stories of Japanese Americans, and improvements to help preserve over 150,000 objects and collections with which JANM has been entrusted ($25 million) Learn More
2.
Amplify
Activate the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy as a platform for civic engagement with events and issues that shape our nation—such as race, the fragility of democracy, shared values, civil rights and social justice, and the arts ($7.5 million) Learn More
3.
Deliver
Power the Museum’s ability to tell stories in bold new ways, create new experiences using smart technology, share our resources nationally, and provide learning opportunities with general operating support ($32.5 million) Learn More
4.
Secure
Secure JANM’s future by endowing core functions ($20 million) Learn More

Our Progress
Thank you to our community whose generous support will strengthen the future of JANM and enable us to proudly tell our story in bold and innovative ways.
Thanks to the overwhelming response from the community, the “Our Promise” campaign has already raised $78 million—92% of our $85 million goal! We’ve received 100 leadership gifts of $100,000 and above. We now invite the public to become a part of this historic fundraising effort.
Naming Opportunities
JANM offers opportunities for recognition of individuals, families, and honorees of gifts of $10,000 and above. Visit the Naming Opportunities page for more information or contact the Development Office at development@janm.org or 213.830.5646.
Upcoming Events
We invite you to register and join Ann Burroughs, JANM's President & CEO, for a virtual town hall meeting on one of the following dates to hear updates about our capital renovation project, including our new donor recognition opportunities.
For questions, please contact Jennifer Vu at jvu@janm.org.
“Our Promise” Campaign Town Hall
Thursday, October 23, 2025
2 p.m.-3 p.m. PT
RSVP NOW (meeting link to be provided upon registration)
Ways to Give
Gifts by Credit Card or Check
Two fast and easy ways to have an immediate impact! Make checks (personal, cashier’s, money order) payable to: Japanese American National Museum.
Wire or Electronic Funds Transfers
We accept donations by Automated Clearing House network such as direct deposit and wire transfer. You can also set up a transfer through your donor-advised fund or corporate matching gift platform.
Gifts of Securities
Appreciated securities, stocks, and bonds provide tax advantages when transferred to JANM before they are sold.
Estate Gifts
Join our Legacy Society today by making a testamentary gift to JANM. Bequests, charitable IRA distributions, charitable gift annuities, charitable trusts, and donor-advised funds may help fulfill your legacy gift to JANM. We can work with you and your advisor to customize a gift that maximizes your philanthropic goals and provides tax advantages to you and your heirs.
Gifts of Real Estate or Personal Property
Tangible items such as personal homes, businesses, automobiles, or art may have a transformative impact on JANM.
Matching Gifts
Double or triple your philanthropic impact by inquiring if your company provides charitable matching gifts or donations for hours of volunteer service.
CONTACT US
Please contact our Development Office to learn about ways to give:
Email: development@janm.org
Phone: 213.830.5646
Online: janm.org/give
Tax Incentive for donations to JANM in Japan
You can support JANM’s Our Promise campaign in Japan. Corporations and individuals will be able to enjoy tax deductions when they make donations to JANM’s campaign through the Council for Better Corporate Citizenship (CBCC). If you wish to receive tax deductions in Japan, please download the donation form below and e-mail the completed form to CBCC, instead of making your donation directly to JANM.
Press
Browse our press releases, statements, and news coverage.
For press inquiries, email mediarelations@janm.org or call 213.625.0414.
(Password Access Only—contact mediarelations@janm.org for access.
Press Releases
JANM Breaks Ground on Pavilion Construction
July 11, 2025
The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) launched an exciting new chapter with its groundbreaking ceremony that marks the start of construction for the Museum’s renovation and new core exhibition, In the Future We Call Now: Realities of Racism, Dreams of Democracy. The special event featured remarks from JANM’s leadership, a reception, and behind the scenes tours of JANM’s reimagined gallery spaces in the Pavilion.