Two prominent local philanthropist families have pledged more than $1 million to start a new history center in Montgomery County as part of the county’s 250th birthday celebration in 2026.

The Kiplinger Family Foundation pledged $1 million at a Montgomery History fundraising event on Thursday.

“This [history center] will include every aspect of our history, going way, way back,” Keith Kiplinger said when announcing the pledge. “I was immediately excited about this.”

A second donor, the Kapiloff family, pledged a “significant” contribution to the center last week, but has not publicly announced the amount. The Kapiloffs are the former owners of the Montgomery Sentinel newspaper, which folded in 2020.

A representative for the family did not immediately respond to The Banner’s request for comment Thursday.

“To have such prominent, important families invest in a history center is really fitting, and it’s exciting to us that their names would forever be part of it,” Matt Logan, the executive director of Montgomery History, told The Banner.

The Montgomery County History Center is slated to open in September 2026 at 4 Courthouse Square in Rockville, in the former M&T Bank building. Montgomery History purchased the historic building, which was initially home to Farmers Banking and Trust, in January. The project is expected to cost $8 million and is supported by $1.2 million from the state, $420,000 from the county and private pledges.

The museum will feature exhibits, lectures, receptions, and a research and special collections library.