Multi-Million-Dollar Gift from the Nanji Family Foundation to Expand the Aga Khan Museum's Global Impact with the Aim of Uniting Cultures Through the Arts

The impactful contribution in support of the arts will be the largest donation in the Aga Khan Museum's history

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Gulshan and Pyarali Gulamali Nanji Family Foundation has recently gifted a transformative multi-million-dollar donation to the Aga Khan Museum that will expand the Museum’s reach and impact millions of people around the globe, deepening their understanding of Muslim arts and cultures and their connection with the world. The generous donation will enable the Museum to enhance onsite and digital learning around the Museum’s renowned Permanent Collection and engender significant, unique Performing Arts programs which provide opportunities for communities to connect through collaboration and performance.

The Nanji Family Foundation is a philanthropic organization dedicated to supporting a wide range of charitable initiatives, impacting the lives of thousands through its contributions to a wide range of Canadian and international initiatives and healthcare facilities, including the Sunnybrook Foundation, North York General Hospital, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

“Our support for the Aga Khan Museum stems from our passion and appreciation for the arts and the ways in which they unify us,” says Azim Nanji, Gulshan and Pyarali Nanji’s son. “The Museum has established its place within the shared fabric of Canadian society, encouraging mutual understanding and appreciation of one another. We hope this contribution will encourage others to support their community, country, and the world.”

“We are truly humbled and awed by the transformational donation from the Gulshan & Pyarali G. Nanji Family Foundation,” says Dr. Ulrike Al-Khamis, Director and CEO of the Aga Khan Museum. “This phenomenal gift will enable us to drive our mandate of building intercultural bridges through the arts while growing our Museum and its impact with the aim of contributing to more inclusive and peaceful communities.”

The generous donation will be the largest granted by the Nanji Family Foundation to an arts organization. In recognition of their longstanding generosity and support, the Museum’s Auditorium will be renamed the Nanji Family Foundation Auditorium.

About the Aga Khan Museum

The Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, Canada, has been established and developed by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), which is an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). Through permanent and temporary exhibitions, educational activities and performing arts, the Museum’s mission is to spark wonder, curiosity, and understanding of Muslim cultures and their connection with other cultures through the arts. Designed by architect Fumihiko Maki, the Museum shares a 6.8-hectare site with Toronto’s Ismaili Centre, which was designed by architect Charles Correa. The surrounding landscaped park was designed by landscape architect Vladimir Djurovic.