Sustainability by Design

Some of the strongest programs begin quietly, built on disciplined design before visible expansion.

The History and Culture Access Consortium (HCAC), led by the Office of Strategic Partnerships at the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), was structured as a five-year pilot supporting five Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

The majority of the initiative focused on digitization and expanding access. That work matters. It has already produced visible results, including the recent opening of At the Vanguard: Making and Saving History at HBCUs at NMAAHC, bringing the collections of five institutions into national view.

Expansion without infrastructure rarely produces long-term confidence. Visibility without viability can weaken institutions. Sustainability had to be embedded in the design.

Compass partnered with each participating HBCU museum and archive to embed long-term institutional strength across three areas: strategic planning that clarifies priorities, relationship-building that reinforces funding and trust, and leadership development that ensures continuity beyond any one individual.

The decision to embed sustainability from the outset reflects the leadership of Deborah Mack, NMAAHC’s recently retired Associate Director for Strategic Partnerships, whose foresight helped shape the initiative from its earliest stages. HCAC was not simply about expanding collections. It was about ensuring that the institutions stewarding those collections are positioned to endure.

The lesson extends beyond cultural institutions.

Programs can expand quickly. What sustains philanthropic confidence over time is institutional strength—and institutional strength is intentionally engineered. Growth alone does not create durability. Access alone does not ensure resilience. Sustainability must be embedded at inception, not retrofitted later.