Shawn Jenkins and Mason Holland pledge $500,000 to International African American Museum

Benefitfocus Co-Founders and Their Families Support Local Community

Longtime Charleston leaders and co-founders of Benefitfocus, Shawn Jenkins and Mason Holland, and their families have generously pledged $500,000 to the International African American Museum’s (IAAM) Founders Fund.

Jenkins and Holland have a long history of leadership in business and philanthropy in the Lowcountry. Holland actively serves on several non-profit Boards, most notably the Carolina American Red Cross and the South Carolina Aquarium. Jenkins’ commitment to Charleston is visible to anyone driving on the peninsula, where the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital is currently under construction.

“We are so proud to announce Shawn and Mason’s pledge to the Founders Fund,” said IAAM President and CEO Michael Boulware Moore. “Their families have wisely chosen important and impactful projects to support over the years, and we are honored to be counted among them.”

Rather than functioning as a traditional collecting institution – like many museums – the IAAM will harness the power of technology and interactive digital media to maximize its space and present history and culture in innovative, engaging ways.

“Given our backgrounds in the technology space, we see the value and potential of this museum,” said Jenkins. “This institution will evolve over time, serving generations to come. It’s exciting to support a cultural landmark that will serve this community and its families far into the future.”

Former Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr., a founding board member of the IAAM added, “I’ve had the pleasure of working with Shawn and Mason over the years, and I am so proud to have the support of their families as we build this museum, which I consider to be the most important work of my life.”

About the IAAM 

Nearly half of all enslaved Africans forced to America through the Transatlantic Slave Trade arrived in Charleston, and the vast majority disembarked at Gadsden’s Wharf, the future home of the International African American Museum (IAAM) and one of the most significant and sacred sites of the African American experience in the Western hemisphere. The IAAM, a museum, memorial and site of conscience, will present unvarnished history and culture, commemorate and celebrate the foundational role that Africans and their descendants played in the making of America, and highlight their diasporic connections around the world. It will include immersive, interactive exhibits engaging to all ages and feature the Center for Family History, a leading genealogy archive that will help visitors identify their individual threads in the complex tapestry of history.