Keep the record within reach
Every gift helps put the words of the eyewitnesses back into the hands of students, families, and honest inquirers.
The historic record of Christopher Columbus survives in letters, journals, court documents, and chronicles written five centuries ago — much of it untranslated, out of print, or buried in archives most people will never visit.
The Columbus Legacy Foundation exists to bring that record into the open: translated, published, taught, and freely discussed. We are an independent nonprofit, and this work is made possible by the generosity of people who believe history should be settled by evidence, not by slogans. Your donation advances the efforts below.
Choose the fund your gift supports
Direct your donation to the work that matters most to you — or leave the choice to the Foundation, and your gift will go wherever the need is greatest.
Where Needed Most — General Fund
Your gift will support the Foundation’s highest current priorities and allow us to respond to emerging research, educational, preservation, and institutional needs.
Give to this fund →Columbus Papers Translation & Digital Corpus Fund
Supports the transcription, translation, annotation, digitization, and publication of primary-source documents related to Christopher Columbus.
Give to this fund →Research, Scholarship & Publications Fund
Supports rigorous historical research and the publication of reliable scholarship based on contemporary primary sources.
Give to this fund →Education & Public Outreach Fund
Supports accessible educational materials that bring primary-source history to families, students, teachers, and the general public.
Give to this fund →Research Library & Headquarters Fund
Supports the acquisition, preservation, cataloging, and public use of the Foundation’s research collection, as well as the development of permanent research facilities.
Give to this fund →Columbus Heritage & Monument Preservation Fund
Supports the identification, acquisition, conservation, relocation, interpretation, and permanent protection of Columbus monuments and other historic memorials.
Give to this fund →Educational Travel & Youth Scholarship Fund
Supports the development and operation of historically rigorous educational travel, and need-based opportunities for students, families, educators, and researchers to study Columbus-related sites firsthand.
Give to this fund →Have a specific project in mind?
Interested in funding a specific project or establishing a named fund? Contact the Foundation before making your gift so we can discuss a written gift agreement.
Give to the Foundation
Choose a one-time or monthly gift of any amount, and direct it to the fund you care about most — or let the Foundation apply it where it’s needed most. Every contribution advances the work of putting the primary sources back into the public’s hands.
The Columbus Legacy Foundation is a tax-exempt organization described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. EIN 41-2710063. Your gift may be tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law, and you’ll receive an emailed receipt for your records.
Monthly gifts continue until you cancel them. You can stop one at any time from your gift page, using a link we email to the address you gave. See refunds & cancellations before you give.
The sources can speak for themselves — if someone keeps them in print
Five hundred years from now, the documents will still be the documents. Whether anyone can read them is up to us.