Eisenhower Foundation
ABILENE - The Eisenhower Foundation’s "I Like Ike" Capital Campaign is well underway, raising funds for a new state-of-the-art Education Center aimed at inspiring future generations through innovative learning and civic engagement.
“We celebrated The Eisenhower Foundation’s 80th anniversary on June 22,” said Emily Miller, Director of Development for the Eisenhower Foundation. “This capital campaign is our way to make sure our organization secures Ike’s legacy for another 80 years.”
The Foundation is at 74% of its $17 million dollar goal, having already received substantial support from the Sunderland Foundation in Overland Park, the Patterson Family Foundation in Kansas City, Missouri, the William T. Kemper Foundation in Kansas City, Missouri, and the Anne C. Eagles estate. Additionally, the Foundation’s board of directors has come together to make a collective six-figure donation.
The State of Kansas has also pledged a $5 million matching grant.
The center will serve both public and K–12 audiences through in-person and online programming. It will feature several dynamic elements, including an Oval Office replica that will offer visitors a tangible connection to Eisenhower’s time in office; a state-of-the-art Immersion Theater that will use four-wall projection to fully engage audiences in historical and educational experiences; and a Global Studio that will enable programs to be broadcast nationally and internationally.
If completed on schedule, the Education Center is set to open in 2026, coinciding with the United States’ 250th birthday.
“Only 45 individuals have held the Office of the President of the United States,” Miller said. “Here in Abilene, we have one of those individuals. This new center will be our birthday gift to America.”
For those interested in supporting the I Like Ike Capital Campaign or learning more, visit bit.ly/IKECapitalCampaign.
People who make between now and the end of 2025 will be entered into a leather-bound book that will be presented during the grand opening ceremonies of the Education Center.