Leading Legacy Donors of the Peoria Riverfront Museum

The Peoria Falcon

The Peoria Falcon is the oldest and most significant artifact of the Illinois River Valley, a millennium-old copper decorative breast plate of the first people of our region. On loan beginning in Fall 2021 from the Smithsonian Institution to the Peoria Riverfront Museum, the Peoria Falcon symbolizes the soaring spirit of the generations of past, the inspiration of present, and promise of the future.

The Peoria Falcon Circle

The Peoria Falcon Circle recognizes the leading legacy donors of the Peoria Riverfront Museum. Legacy giving includes planning an estate gift, creating an endowment, making lifetime financial and collections gifts valued at $100,000 or greater, or providing contributions transformational to the Museum.

Join the Peoria Falcon Circle

1. Create an Endowment: The Peoria Riverfront Museum Endowment Fund, managed by the Peoria Riverfront Museum Foundation, provides vital operational support to the Museum on an annual basis. This support currently accounts for roughly 10% of the Museum’s annual operating budget. Gifts to help increase the Endowment Fund help grow this important piece of the operating budget and provide long term stability for the organization.

Create an Endowment Fund as a permanent way of support:

• For a minimum $25,000 donation a named endowment fund can be created
• For a minimum $50,000 donation a named endowment fund can be designated to support a specific area or program
• Provide an endowment gift to support the Museum’s collection

2. Lifetime Giving of $100,000 or More: In grateful recognition to the Museum’s most loyal donors, when cumulative giving to the Museum totals $100,000 or more, individuals will be invited to be a part of the Peoria Falcon Circle. This will also include gifts made to our predecessor, Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences.

3. Commit to a Bequest:

• General/Fixed-Dollar Bequest: Designates a stated sum of money to a beneficiary. “I bequeath the sum of $ to the Peoria Riverfront Museum.”
• Percentage Bequest: Allows your bequests to grow as your assets grow, adjusting automatically as the value of your estate changes. “I bequeath to the Peoria Riverfront Museum an amount equal to percent of the net value of my estate.”
• Residual Bequest: Allows you to give the balance of your assets or “what is left” after your friends and loved ones are provided for. “I bequeath the residue of my estate, after the satisfaction of all specific bequests to the Peoria Riverfront Museum.”

4. Transform the Collection: Gifts to the Museum’s more than 17,000 object collection can be just as impactful as monetary gifts. The gift or gifts to the Museum Collection should result in significantly furthering an already established area of the collection in art, science, history, or achievement. The Museum has an established Collections Policy that defines those areas of prominence in Peoria Riverfront Museum’s permanent collection. Objects could be purchased specifically for the collection in consultation with the Museum’s curator.

For more information on how to join the Peoria Falcon Circle please contact our development office at 309-863-3019 or development@peoriariverfrontmuseum.org.