Colonial Williamsburg launches $600 million ‘Power of Place’ campaign

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (WAVY) — The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation launched “The Power of Place — The Centennial Campaign for Colonial Williamsburg” on Saturday, Oct. 29, to raise money and awareness for their upcoming projects, according to their release.

This campaign is in preparation for 2026, which is the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the Foundation’s 100th anniversary.

Cliff Fleet, the president and CEO of the foundation, said that Colonial Williamsburg is significant in U.S. history and cultural institutions, and he intends to offer a more comprehensive understanding of American history.

The campaign will preserve Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area like: the Capitol, Governor’s Palace and Raleigh Tavern.

It will also fund the restoration of additional sites like: the Williamsburg Bray School, Historic First Baptist Church and the new Colin G. and Nancy N. Campbell Archaeology Center.

The Colonial Williamsburg Innovation Studios is launching the history.org website in an effort to help the foundation become the largest digital U.S. history museum, the release states.

The leadership phase of the campaign began in January 2020 and, despite obstacles from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Foundation raised over $325 million toward its $600 million goal.

“The work being done at Colonial Williamsburg today is truly inspiring and is already resonating with donors and visitors alike,” said Carly Fiorina, board chair of the Foundation, in a release. “The early success of this campaign proves that there is an appetite for history told completely and truthfully, and no organization is better positioned to provide that than Colonial Williamsburg.”