Donate to the Museum Capital Campaign Today!
Work is underway to relocate the museum! Over the past year, our Board of Directors has been hard at work toward finding a new home for the museum that is highly visible and away from future flooding. A location has been found, and we have begun a Capital Campaign to make this a reality.
This is why the Bix Museum needs YOUR help through 2025! Relocating the museum requires support. Our new home will make us more sustainable, better protect our collections, and make Bix’s Legacy more visible in the Quad Cities.
To ensure the success of our move, the Bix Museum needs to raise $120,000 by the end of Spring 2025. Our new location is a ground-level space in Downtown Davenport, just across the street from the current museum. We are excited to share designs for the new space with you very soon!
The museum has received $47,500 in grant funding and $40,500 in donor pledges for the project so far. To accomplish our relocation by end of Spring 2025, we need YOUR help to reach our relocation campaign goal and help the museum grow into our new space. We also have a brand-new artifact, Miff Mole’s Trombone, featured on several of Bix’s recordings to be displayed after the relocation!
Miff Mole’s F.E. Olds Trombone
Early Design of the new exhibit Space.
Your tax-deductible donation this Spring ensures the success of our relocation, or consider a multi-year pledge to help secure long-term sustainability for our organization! Your tax-deductible donation is essential for the preservation of Bix’s legacy and the cultural history of our community. Additionally, we would love to hear from you if you have any questions or comments on how to best serve the museum.
You can donate by mail or online by sending donations to
Bix Beiderbecke Museum & World Archives
PO Box 3052, Davenport IA 52808
or donate through our secure link above.
If you are considering a multi-year pledge to help secure long-term sustainability for our organization, please contact Director Nathaniel Kraft at director@bixmuseum.org or (563) 293-4046 to plan your pledge.
Make a Memorial Contribution
Have someone you want to make a memorial contribution to? Click the link below to donate online in their name. Make sure to check that it is a memorial donation and write in the name the donation is for. All memorials will be recognized in our upcoming Annual Report, which all contributors to a memorial donation will receive mailed to them in the Spring. Contact director Nathaniel Kraft at director@bixmuseum.org or (563) 293-4046 with any questions.
Bix William Sandke Memorial Fund
Since 2022, over 60 donors have raised over $18,000 to honor the life of Bix William Sandke who died on September 25th, 2022 in a car accident at the age of 15. We will continue to grow the fund as more contributions come in. All funds have been designated to help go towards museum programming and operation to fulfill our mission of preserving and teaching the life and musical legacy of jazz legend Bix Beiderbecke, a cause near and dear to both Randy and Karen. Your support of this fund has helped the museum through a time of economic uncertainty and allows us to continue offering free tours and admission to our museum, live jazz concerts, and the ongoing development of online content we make available on our site and through an upcoming mobile app. The Bix Museum, Randy, and Karen thank you so much for your gracious contributions, kind words, and support of our mission to keep Bix’s life and legacy alive.
All donors of the Bix Sandke Memorial Fund will be recognized in our Annual Report in memory of Bix Sandke. All contributors to the fund will receive the report mailed in the Spring of the following year. If you are considering contributing to this fund's continued growth, click the link above to donate online.
The Bix Museum thanks everyone for their outpouring of love and support toward Randy's family during this tough time. If you have any questions or need help making a contribution, you can contact director Nathaniel Kraft at director@bixmuseum.org or (563) 293-4046.
Thank YOU to our $100 for 100 Years Club Members!
100 years ago on February 18, 1924, Bix Beiderbecke and the Wolverines made their first recordings at the Gennett Records studios in Richmond, Indiana. The songs were "Fidgety Feet" written by Nick LaRocca and Larry Shields from the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, and "Jazz Me Blues" written by Tom Delaney. This would be the first time Bix Beiderbecke's unique soloing was recorded.
The Wolverines would go on to record 15 total sides for Gennett Records between February and October 1924 before Bix would return on January 26th, 1925 to record his first original composition “Davenport Blues”. Many of these records are considered jazz standards still played and recognized today as significant recordings of jazz history.
Join the Bix Museum in celebrating 100 years of recorded music this decade! From now until September 15, 2030, donate $100 to the museum as part of our $100 for 100 Club to honor the centennial of Bix’s recording career. We will conclude the campaign on the 100-year Anniversary of “Georgia on My Mind”. Please share this campaign and show off your support by telling us about your favorite Bix recording. All funding from this campaign allows us to continue our operations as a publicly available museum, fund live jazz concerts, clean and maintain the instruments in our collection, and continue the ongoing development of our visitor experience! All $100 for 100 donors will be listed on our site and Annual Reports for their contributions alongside their picks for favorite Bix Recording!
$100 for 100 Club Members
Bill Cardiff and Lynda Kuehn
David Mahon
Alison McCrary- "Mississippi Mud"
Bernadine McGuire
Trevor Nicholls
Leslie Rosenbaum- "Davenport Blues"
Michael Scott
Fred Tadrowski
Allen Welsh- "Crying All Day"
Barry Winograd
Monica and Rob Ausdal
Josh Duffee
Grandison Gardner- "Wringin' An' Twistin'"
Albert Haim- "Sugar"
Noel Howel
Bob and Stephanie Jacobsen
Dan and Jennifer Kraft
Nathaniel Kraft- "Clarinet Marmalade"
Harold and Rosanne Krubsack
Charles Larrabee
Steve Lech
Become a Museum Sponsor
Looking to join the Bix Beiderbecke Museum Partner Program? To better serve our mission of preserving the legacy of Bix Beiderbecke, the Bix Museum offers programs to the public. These programs include public jazz performances, presentations on Bix related topics, hosting a free museum filled with Jazz Age artifacts, and presenting the Bix Lives award to distinguished individuals who exemplify keeping Bix’s Legacy Alive.
Concert/Speaker Event Sponsorship
Orchestra Sponsor ($3,500)
Sextet Sponsor/Trio Sponsor ($2,5000)
Concert Supporting Sponsor ($1,000)
Speaker Sponsor ($250)
*Band/Speaker fees may vary based on travel and board
Exhibit/Virtual Content Sponsorship
Exhibit Sponsor ($25,000)
Exhibit Co-Sponsor ($5,000-$10,000)
Artifact Preservation/Acquisition Sponsor ($2,500)
Website/Virtual Content Sponsor ($1,500)
Annual Bix Birthday Celebration
Presenting Sponsor ($5,000)
Band Sponsor ($2,500)
Table Sponsor ($500)
Contact director Nathaniel Kraft at director@bixmuseum.org or (563) 293-4046 to discuss your options.
All Sponsors will be recognized based on the total level of support on our museum sponsor wall, printed materials, and marketing for sponsored programs based on these levels:
$1,000-$1,499; $1,500-$2,499; $2,500-$4,999; $5,000-$9,999; $10,000-$14,999; $15,000-$19,999; $20,000-$24,999; $25,000-$49,000; $50,000-$74,999; $75,000-$99,000; & $100,000+
Looking to make a Legacy Gift?
Want to support the Bix Beiderbecke Museum and World Archives through Legacy Gifting using an estate provision? Please download and fill out the Statement of Intent form below with your personal commitment and send it to the museum. We would love to talk to you about your intentions as well, so contact director Nathaniel Kraft at director@bixmuseum.org or (563) 293-4046 with any questions.
Your online donation today can be very flexible. When making a donation, you can make a single donation, or divide your donation into convenient monthly pledge payments. Consider becoming a monthly supporter for as little as $5 today!
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If you would like to support us but have questions, please see the contact information below.
Representation/ Press inquiries
Nathaniel Kraft (Director)
director@bixmuseum.org
(563) 293-4046
The Bix Museum would like the thank the following sponsors for their contributions for dedicating the benches to Ray Voss and Rich Johnson.
Carol Schaefer
Catfish Jazz Society
Chris Barry
Dixie Melquist
Glenda Childress
Jim Petersen
Mary Williamson
Muriel Voss
Randy Sandke
Robert Rothberg
Thank you for helping renovate our Permanent exhibit!
The museum has been fundraising to cover the costs of the $12,000 project that will put Don Murray's Saxophone and Bix's Tuxedo Jacket and Traveling Trunk during the Whiteman years on permanent display in the museum. Thanks to the help of over 30 donors we have raised just over $13,000! All donors who contribute $100 or more have their name listed on a donor label near Bix’s Tux as a thank you for your support. Any unused funds from the project will be used to cover the operation costs that keep the museum open.