Charity Navigator’s Top 10 Tuesday: Preserving American History

Each week, Charity Navigator features a new Top 10 list of highly-rated charities working on a particular cause or issue. With Fourth of July right around the corner, we are using this opportunity to explore some of the highly-rated charities that are working to explore and preserve American history.

Presidential libraries, foundations, and centers are set up to honor the legacy, policies, and principles of their namesake. Today, we’re featuring 10 of these organizations that cover a range of historical and political eras. Keep reading to learn more about the great work these organizations are doing to connect Americans with their history.

Thomas Jefferson Foundation
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Preserving and educating

Founded in 1923, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation maintains Thomas Jefferson’s estate, Monticello. The Foundation built, dedicated, and oversees the David M. Rubenstein Visitor center and Carl and Hunter Smith Education Center, the Jefferson Library, and the Saunders-Monticello Trail. Monticello is also home to the Robert Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies and the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants, both of which serve to create additional learning opportunities for visitors and students. Overall, the Foundation aims to continue to restore the estate allowing it to better tell the stories of all its residents and create opportunities for modern dialogue.

Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
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Guaranteeing you a place to fish and hunt

In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt said, “There can be no greater issue than that of conservation in this country.” While in the political arena, he succeeded in making conservation a top-tier issue. Founded in his honor to continue his passion for protecting American habitats, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership helps create federal policy and funding solutions by uniting partners and amplifying the voices of American sportsmen and women in service of Theodore Roosevelt’s conservation legacy.

Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute
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Informing new generations of the ideals and achievements of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, and perpetuating their legacy

Inspired by the legacy of Franklin and Eleanor, the Roosevelt Institute reimagines America as it should be: a place where hard work is rewarded, everyone participates, and everyone enjoys a fair share of the collective prosperity. The Institute unites leaders across sectors to redefine the rules that guide our social and economic realities. They rethink and reshape everything from local policy to federal legislation, orienting toward a new economic and political system: one built by many for the good of all.

Harry S. Truman Library Institute
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Fulfilling the Truman Library’s commitment to research and education

Harry Truman donated his Presidential papers to the American people to be preserved at the Truman Library. He envisioned the Library as a place where people of all ages could study the American presidency and government. With time, the Library’s collection continues of artifacts and resources continues to grow with the aim of helping visitors better understand the life of Harry Truman and the issues that shaped his presidency.

John F. Kennedy Library Foundation
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Providing support for the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation provides financial support, staffing, and creative resources for the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. The Foundation assists the Library in planning and establish long-term goals, and offers resources to enrich its educational programs, expand its research, and enhance its museum experience.

The Richard Nixon Foundation
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Illuminating and protecting the legacy of the 37th President

The Richard Nixon Foundation was established after this charge by the President, “I have insisted that the Nixon Library and Birthplace be not a monument to the career of one man, but a place where visitors and scholars will be able to recall the events of the time I served as President, and to measure and weigh the policies my administration pursued…” To further this mission, the Foundation in association with the National Archives provides financial support to collect, preserve, and make available the documents, recordings, and other materials that illuminate the life and times, and historic legacy of Richard Nixon.

The Carter Center
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Waging peace. Fighting disease. Building hope.

The Carter Center, in partnership with Emory University, is guided by a fundamental commitment to human rights and the alleviation of human suffering. It seeks to prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy, and improve health. The Center’s Peace and Health programs work in countries around the world to advance this mission and provide individuals and communities with the necessary skills, knowledge, and resources they need to improve their lives.

Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation
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Established by Ronald Reagan and protecting his legacy since 1989

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the legacy of Ronald Reagan and his timeless principles of individual liberty, economic opportunity, global democracy, and national pride. It provides financial support to sustain a number of sites and programs including the Reagan Library, which houses over 55 million pages of Gubernatorial, Presidential and personal papers and more than 60,000 gifts and artifacts chronicling the lives of Ronald and Nancy Reagan.

George W. Bush Presidential Center
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Experience the presidency, shape the future

The George W. Bush Presidential Center includes the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum and the George W. Bush Institute. Together, these bodies aim to preserve history shape the future. The Library offers educational programs to teach visitors about the American presidency, and the time in history in which President Bush served, as well as offering access to papers, gifts, and artifacts. The Institute develops leaders, advances policy, and takes to action to solve today’s most pressing issues. Its work is inspired by President and Laura Bush’s guiding principles and values.

National Archives Foundation
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Connecting you to America’s history

The National Archives Foundation increases public awareness of the National Archives, the body which oversees many of the Presidential libraries, and inspires a deeper appreciation of our country’s heritage while encouraging citizen engagement in our democracy. The Foundation supports the National Archives Museum which provides visitors with access to a number of exhibits and educational programs that explore American history.

You can use Charity Navigator’s Advanced Search Tool and Discover feature to find even more highly-rated charities exploring and preserving America’s history.