For immediate release:

Contact:
Kristin Aguilera
Museum of American Financial History
Communications Director
212-908-4695
kaguilera@financialhistory.org

FINANCE MUSEUM AWARDED AMERICAN EXPRESS GRANT
Disaster Relief Assists Museum Closest to Ground Zero

Financial District, New York City - The Museum of American Financial History was awarded a grant of $25,000 from the American Express World Trade Center Disaster Relief Fund. American Express employees, as well as the company, contributed to the Fund. The award recognizes the impact to the Museum of the attacks of September 11, and the contributions the Museum makes to the Downtown community.

"We are deeply grateful to American Express and its employees worldwide for their generosity, which will be a big help to us as we work to fully resume our services to the community and get back on our feet in time for spring and summer visitors," said the Museum's Executive Director, Brian C. Thompson. "No local business has been so consistently active behind the scenes to promote Downtown tourism and bolster lower Manhattan's cultural institutions, before or after September 11." An expression of thanks to American Express appears at the entrance to the Museum's gallery.

The Museum closest to Ground Zero, it was closed for nearly a month following the September 11 attacks and suffered severe financial losses due to lost operating income, postponement of a sponsored exhibit, and the cancellation of fundraising initiatives among the Museum's core members and supporters in the Financial District.

The Museum is located at 28 Broadway and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.