Gilmore Car Museum Receives Grant from the Margaret Dunning Foundation

Photo courtesy of Margaret Dunning Foundation

$80,000 to support Gilmore Car Museum Education and Engagement Center.

Hickory Corners, MI, November 2025: Gilmore Car Museum has received a grant of $80,000 from the Margaret Dunning Foundation to support Gilmore Car Museum’s new Education and Engagement Center.

The Gilmore Car Museum,

currently welcomes over 130,000 guests annually including approximately 10,000 children, creating a need for a larger, dedicated learning space for guests. Grant funds awarded by the Margaret Dunning Foundation will help the Gilmore Car Museum continue to expand its mission to tell the story of America through the automobile, by providing a new, dedicated Education and Engagement Center.

This space will provide the following desired outcome and impact.

A dedicated indoor space for students of all ages will allow us to expand our education programming, and increase our reach to school age children, teachers, and families throughout Michigan.
Hands-on, experiential learning opportunities for visitors of all ages, increasing our ability to offer a more meaningful experience to neurodivergent individuals.
Provide our youth with immersive learning experience focusing on science, arts, and technology, designed to explore career opportunities, including the automotive industry.
Help us expand inclusive programming and remove barriers to participation for underserved and underrepresented communities.

The 3,600 Sq Ft Education and Engagement Center,

is an opportunity to engage with more students and get them thinking about the interconnectedness of the automobile and their daily lives. This center will have three major features.

The first is a modern classroom that can seat over sixty students comfortably. The walls will be covered floor to ceiling with unique design features from different automobiles as well as a Ford Model T that the students will be able to work on. The connecting wall to the existing museum will be glass that opens to the museum’s 1950s gallery. The idea behind this room is to facilitate a stand-alone structure that will be the capstone of their learning experience here at the museum. It will also be used for adult education opportunities as well as a private meeting space for other educational-focused groups and teachers retreats.

The second major feature,

is the room connecting to the classroom and is designed as a multi-sensory engagement area. It will be open to all museum guests as a space to create, interact, and learn about the automobile and its social impact. Students from ages 9 to 99 will have a wide range of opportunities for engagement. These two rooms connect so that a large school group can occupy both areas of learning in round robin. This activities room will feature exposed engines that people can tool on; a design area where children can create their own designs and display the future automobile designs; as well as a slot car track where they can learn about electrical current and the science behind what makes things move.

The last major feature, made possible by the Margaret Dunning Foundation, is an exterior extension of the engagement area. The room opens to the outside courtyard which is fully enclosed and completely safe for children to run free. This space we will boast beautiful gardens with native flowers that can teach us about our state and our community. It will also serve as an area of reflection and contemplation. As many museums can be overstimulating and at times create too much information, this area will be designed to offer the brain a break, so that more information can be attained. The exterior space will also have hands-on activities like remote controlled cars, pedal cars, and other automobile related activities that will let children and adults interact in a lively way.

Where many museums tend to be closed-off,

quiet mausoleums of education, we hope to liven things up and encourage movement and engagement. It is here at the Gilmore Car Museum where history truly comes alive.

Because of this generous grant awarded by the Margaret Dunning Foundation, the Education and Engagement Center will help the Gilmore Car Museum advance its mission by:

Increasing the number of school and community groups annually.
Increasing education program opportunities annually.
Serve a broader range of school groups annually.
Improve accessibility, ensuring that more individuals—including those with disabilities—can fully engage with our programs and facilities.
Increase knowledge of careers offered in the automotive industry.
Provide hands-on, immersive learning experiences for students and guests.

“The Education and Engagement Center initiative is far more than simply adding to the experiences for our guests,” says Executive Director, Nick LaCasse, “Here at the Gilmore Car Museum, we aim to be a world-class institution where Michiganders can be proud of what we built together and hopefully inspire generations of designers, educators, mechanics, and curious thinkers.”

LaCasse adds, “While our main attractions have always been automobiles, these initiatives will help bridge the gap between what a car museum has been, and what a car museum should be. Here, we will foster engaging experiences that offer our guests opportunities to learn about themselves just as much as they learn about our world. Our museum will be one of movement, and engagement. We will connect you with different moments in time, not simply through looking at vehicles from that era, but by placing you in an environment that takes you to a place in time. We want our visitors to feel like they have traveled back to a moment in time, and want them to interact within it.”

About Gilmore Car Museum

The mission of the Gilmore Car Museum is to tell the history of America through the automobile. We foster experiences which connect people with the history, heritage, and social impact on the automobile through collecting and preserving.

The Gilmore Car Museum started as the hobby of Kalamazoo businessman Donald S. Gilmore in 1963. The museum opened to the public as a nonprofit museum on July 31, 1966, with thirty-five cars on display. Today, Gilmore Car Museum is a public, 501(c)3 non-profit educational institution, dedicated to preserving the history and heritage of the automobile in America. The Museum is open year-round, welcoming over 130,000 guests from all over the world.

Educational programs are offered to school groups for students K – 12; scholarship assistance is provided, if needed. Gilmore Garage Works is a free, experiential program for high school students, providing hands-on experience. This program allows students the opportunity to explore a variety of careers in the automotive industry.

Active military members receive free admission, and Military Veterans receive a discount on admission and membership. The museum is ADA compliant, including two personal elevators allowing access to second floors. Wheelchairs and mobility scooters are available for those who may need assistance. For more information: Gilmorecarmuseum.org

About the Margaret Dunning Foundation

The Margaret Dunning Foundation was founded by Ms. Dunning in 1997. She was born in 1910 in Redford Township, Michigan, and moved with her mother to Plymouth, Michigan in the 1920s. During her lifetime, Ms. Dunning was a successful businesswoman, philanthropist, and civic booster. She was a major supporter of many Plymouth nonprofits, including the Plymouth District Library and the Plymouth Historical Society. In addition to her personal philanthropy, Ms. Dunning was a classic car enthusiast and was a regular participant in the Woodward Dream Cruise with her 1930 Packard 740 Roadster.

Ms. Dunning died in 2015 at the age of 104. Her estate provided additional funding for the Margaret Dunning Foundation, which continues to support her charitable interests and legacy. For more information: www.margaretdunningfdn.org.