An anonymous group of donors has pledged up to $200,000 in matching funds to help with renovations at the Bluegrass Heritage Museum.

According to a press release from the museum, all donations made to the museum in 2019 will be matched up to $200,000.

Working through the Blue Grass Community Foundation, the group is offering a dollar-for-dollar match, with funds raised to be used for the expansion and upkeep of the museum.

“Contributions eligible for the match include donations that are solicited by the Museum for charitable purposes, as well as grants awarded to the Museum for charitable purposes,” according to a Jan. 31 letter from the Blue Grass Community Foundation.

The anonymous donors established this fund, known as the Bluegrass Heritage Museum Match Fund, after the Museum received the adjacent lots and house behind it from the Edward O. Guerrant Memorial Foundation in November.

The museum opened in 2004 in the former Guerrant Mission Hospital and Clinic at 217 S. Main St. and quickly grew to fill the entire building with artifacts and exhibits showcasing the history of Clark County and central Kentucky. Thousands of students and tourists have visited over the years.

“This is an enormous opportunity for the museum and the community to expand our only full-time tourist attraction and further the work of preserving our local history for our youth and future generations,” Museum Board President Gardner Wagers said in the release.

According to the release, the museum has outgrown its current space, so much so “that it no longer has room to store, let alone display, all the artifacts and documents that have been donated over the years. Free second Thursday programs open to the public are often standing-room-only events.”

The board plans to use the grant offer and matching funds as necessary seed money for design and architectural services for the construction of a new building on the north side of the present museum to further expand the services offered to the community.

“We have been very fortunate with the support received here locally by some very loving charitable people that have supported the museum in the past,” Wagers said.  “The museum is extremely grateful for the generosity of this anonymous group who is offering this enormous gift.”