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Welcome

Welcome to the official website of The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation—the specially designated successor organization of the federal Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (ALBC). We hope you will visit us often to learn about the latest developments in the Lincoln field, and to discover how you can organize Lincoln events of your own with our support.

Created by Congress and the President of the United States in 2000, the original ALBC worked from 2001 to 2010 to plan and organize the national celebration of Lincoln’s 200th birthday in 2009. But its work did not end on that milestone anniversary. With the conclusion of the bicentennial observations, the commission placed its remaining, privately raised funds in a new Foundation. Its goal is to continue and widen efforts to emphasize the Lincoln legacy.

Now led by a distinguished Board of Trustees comprised of scholars, collectors, and history enthusiasts from around the country, The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation (ALBF) supports and encourages the study and appreciation of Lincoln—particularly during the current, ongoing Civil War Sesquicentennial, which lasts until 2015. The Foundation awards monetary grants and endorsements to schools, not-for-profit organizations, state and local historic agencies, historic homes, tourism consortia, and other groups to help them pursue research, education, high-tech digitization of historical records, and preservation projects, as well as to encourage and support scholarly conferences, public programs, and civic engagement around the Lincoln theme.

Each event supported by the ALBF will be listed in the Calendar you see on this homepage. Our press releases will be regularly posted, our previous grants listed, and our rules, requirements, and recommendations for potential applicants prominently displayed. You can learn about our Board Members here, and eventually link to other organizations around the country that are committed to the study of our 16th President. Additionally, a special feature containing the latest “Lincoln News” will be posted every three months, featuring essential reports about new books, projects, speeches, events, and organizations actively committed to the field.

The Foundation has pledged itself to expanding the pursuit of the Commission’s original goal: to help complete Lincoln’s “unfinished work.” We urge Americans to “live the legacy” left to us by Abraham Lincoln in the 19th century—and to use that legacy to enhance our own lives in the 21st century—in short, to study the usable past to inform a better future. We want to help you meet these shared goals.

Please visit our site often—and use the “Email Us” feature to let us know how we can better serve you.

Harold Holzer, Chairman