Outgoing Loans Program

To help fulfill its mission, the Museum may lend items from its collections for exhibition and educational purposes to other non-profit cultural and educational institutions, archives and museums. 

In deciding whether to approve outgoing loans, the Museum will take into consideration the potential of such requests to advance the educational and commemorative uses of its collection. At the same time, consideration will be given to the borrower’s ability to meet professional standards for the preservation, security, safety, and public access to collection items during the term of their loan.

All borrowers must meet the following criteria:

• The Museum does not lend to individuals, nor will it lend collection material to elected or appointed officials for the primary purpose of decorating offices.
• The borrower will make loaned items accessible to the public pursuant to the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Any exception to full public accessibility must be brought to the Museum’s attention at the time the loan request is made.
• The borrower will meet the Museum’s requirements for safe object transport, handling, storage, and display.
• A current facility report completed by the borrowing institution must be provided to the Museum’s Registrar for review prior to the release of the loan. Click here.
• The Chief Curator may require a Museum staff member to accompany the loan to the borrower and supervise its transit, unpacking, and installation.
• It is the Museum’s policy to test objects originating from Ground Zero and the Pentagon for contaminants such as lead, asbestos, and man-made vitreous fibers prior to their exhibition to determine appropriate handling and display conditions. Testing fees may be associated with borrowing untested objects.
• All loan-related costs including, but not limited to, object conservation and testing, preparation, framing, mounting, packing, crating, shipping, insurance, couriering (if required), and rights and reproduction will be paid by the borrower.
• The Museum will evaluate all loan requests received on an individualized basis and reserves the right to decline a request for any reason.   

A minimum of 12 months’ written notice is required for turnaround time to prepare loans. Requests received within less than 12 months of the desired receipt date may not be fulfilled.

To browse the Museum’s online collection, which showcases a fraction of the types of artifacts in the collection, visit https://collection.911memorial.org/.