The National Archives Experience

The Foundation for the National Archives, a 501(c)(3) organization, is directed by men and women from the private sector who are dedicated to the institution that holds and preserves the records of the United States of America. The National Archives is guardian of the nation’s most important and treasured documents. At the heart of its holdings are the Charters of Freedom: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. These documents exist as the cornerstone of our society.

It is the mission of the Foundation to create public awareness of the importance of the National Archives as a cultural resource in the American democracy—a place where historians, seekers of justice, and private citizens can find evidence on which truth is based.

The Foundation was created to support the Archivist of the United States in developing programs, technology, projects and materials that will introduce and interpret the Archives collection to the American people and to people around the world. The purpose of the Foundation is to educate, enrich, and inspire a deeper appreciation of our country’s heritage through the collected evidence of its history.

Within the Archives building in Washington, D. C., as well as its many branches and Presidential Libraries, and in outreach to the American public through traveling exhibitions and national media, the Foundation’s goal is to assist in presenting the historical records that: 1. Reveal the ideals and values of the nation’s Founders, 2. Point to the meaning of the records and accomplishments of previous generations, and 3. Establish the significance of these records as proof that individual citizenship not only matters, but is vital to our lives.

In this public/private partnership, the role of the Foundation is to generate financial and creative support from individuals and corporations to provide this extensive outreach, which has not been mandated by Congress.

It is the vision of the Foundation for the National Archives that this creative effort, enhanced with 21st Century methods, will produce a greater understanding of the American journey—where our nation has been and how it can be best guided in the future.