Caterpillar Foundation Donation Creates Innovation Entrepreneurship Curator

$2 Million Grant Awarded to the National Museum of African American History and Culture

Caterpillar Foundation Donation Creates Innovation Entrepreneurship Curator
$2 Million Grant Awarded to the National Museum of African American History and Culture

WASHINGTON PRNewswire -- The Caterpillar Foundation,
the philanthropic arm of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) and a
founding donor of the Smithsonian National Museum of African
American History and Culture (NMAAHC), is proud to announce
a new collaboration with NMAAHC and the creation of the
first-ever Caterpillar Curator of African American Innovation and
Entrepreneurship through a $2 million grant.

The grant will support the creation of a new NMAAHC museum
position named the Caterpillar Curator of African American Innovation and Entrepreneurship. This position will direct initiatives
to help NMAAHC advance new conversations and understanding
of diversity and inclusion through the lens of African American
innovation and entrepreneurship in science and technology. The
grant will also establish an endowment for permanent funding
to support creating and maintaining collections, exhibits and
programs that highlight and preserve the history and culture of
African Americans and the contemporary traditions of innovation
and entrepreneurship in the African American community.

“Entrepreneurship has created opportunities for African Americans
often when there were none,” said Kevin Young, Andrew W.
Mellon Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African
American History and Culture. “Those innovators have changed
the ways that people experience the world today and forged a way
for future generations to follow. We’re excited to share their work
through this collaboration with the Caterpillar Foundation as
we continue to share the efforts of African Americans and their
impact on American history and culture.”

“Caterpillar’s commitment to diversity and inclusion extends beyond our workforce. The Caterpillar Foundation’s ongoing partnership with the museum provides a platform for thought leadership and best practice sharing,” said Caterpillar Chairman & CEO Jim Umpleby. “The Caterpillar Foundation is pleased to support sharing lessons learned from generations of African American changemakers, providing tools and perspectives to inspire current and future innovators, and build resiliency among individuals and communities.”

September marked the five-year anniversary of the NMAAHC
and 10 years that the Caterpillar Foundation has partnered with
the Smithsonian Institution through strategic grants and the
matching gifts program.

Founded in 1952, Caterpillar’s philanthropic organization,
the Caterpillar Foundation, has contributed nearly $810 million
to help make sustainable progress possible around the world by
building resilient communities that thrive in a rapidly changing
world. To learn more about the global impact of the Caterpillar
Foundation, visit caterpillar.com/foundation.

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