Chicago, IL (September 3, 2025) – The Lincoln Presidential Foundation (“Foundation”) announced today that acclaimed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns will receive its 2026 Lincoln Leadership Prize at a ceremony on April 16, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. At the same event, Susan Crown, Chairman and Founder of the Susan Crown Exchange (SCE) and Chairman of Owl Creek Partners, will be honored with the 2026 Wayne Whalen “Charity for All” Award for her outstanding philanthropic leadership and service.
Ken Burns to Receive the Lincoln Leadership Prize
The Lincoln Leadership Prize recognizes individuals who accept the responsibilities imposed by history and demanded by conscience, show great strength of character, and exhibit an unwavering commitment to the defining principles of democracy.
Widely regarded as one of the most influential storytellers of our time, Ken Burns has transformed public understanding of American history through films such as The Civil War, The National Parks, The Roosevelts and The Vietnam War. His work is credited with deepening national dialogue and fostering civic awareness, hallmarks of Lincoln’s vision for a more informed and united democracy. Burns’s most recent project, a groundbreaking documentary on the Revolutionary War, continues this tradition by illuminating the origins of American democracy and the enduring struggles that shaped the nation’s founding ideals.
“After nearly fifty years of making films about the American experience, it is a honor to be recognized by an organization so dedicated to preserving the legacy of Abraham Lincoln,” said Burns. “Lincoln's story has always guided me, and to receive the Lincoln Leadership Prize is profoundly humbling.”
“Ken Burns has a singular gift for telling America’s story in ways that connect us to our past and to one another,” said Lincoln Presidential Foundation CEO Erin Carlson Mast. “His exploration of the nation’s greatest challenges and triumphs echoes Lincoln’s own commitment to preserving and strengthening democracy. This prize is a recognition of his unparalleled contribution to our national dialogue and a tribute to the legacy he continues to build.”
For more information about the Lincoln Leadership Prize, please visit www.lincolnpresidential.org. For tickets and/or table sponsorship information, please contact Phyllis Evans at pevans@lincolnpresidential.org.
Susan Crown to Receive the Wayne Whalen “Charity for All” Award
The Wayne Whalen “Charity for All” Award, named in memory of the Foundation’s former board chair, recognizes individuals who exemplify civic leadership, generosity of spirit, and commitment to the ideals of the nation.
This year’s honoree, Susan Crown, has been a transformative force in philanthropy and business for more than three decades. As Chairman and Founder of the Susan Crown Exchange (SCE) and Chairman of Owl Creek Partners, she combines her visionary philanthropy with strong business leadership to drive meaningful change. Her efforts span education, youth development, health care, and global poverty alleviation.
Her vision helped shape some of Chicago’s most iconic initiatives, including the revitalization of Rush University Medical Center and the creation of the Crown Fountain in Millennium Park. She also advanced excellence in Jewish education by designing the Covenant Foundation and played key roles with organizations such as CARE USA and the National Conference on Global Poverty. Building on this broad experience, she founded the Susan Crown Exchange to help youth succeed and thrive in a rapidly changing, highly connected world. She also serves as a trustee of the Brookings Institution and the Aspen Valley Community Foundation.
Unlike most foundations, the Exchange extends beyond traditional grantmaking by fostering partnerships and collaborations with expert organizations working on the front lines to create lasting social change. SCE focuses on three related program areas: digital media and its impact on youth, social and emotional learning in a highly connected, post-pandemic world, and training over 1M youth sports coaches, to provide them with youth development skills to build grit, empathy, teamwork, problem-solving, and emotion management. Through SCE, Crown supports efforts to help young people develop skills proven most vital to a healthy society and 21st century workforce. These include perseverance, agency, and adaptability.
“I’m deeply honored to receive the Wayne Whalen ‘Charity for All’ Award,” said Susan Crown. “OCP’s and SCE’s work seeks to equip rising generations with the skillsets required to navigate life in the 21st century. We try to identify the brightest and most experienced professionals in fields of interest and partner with them to find solutions to common challenges. By fostering these partnerships and, subsequently, specific positive traits in young people, we work to transform individual lives and also build a stronger, more just society. This recognition highlights the power of deep research, thoughtful strategies, hopefulness, hard work, and adaptive philanthropy.”
“Susan Crown leads with clarity, generosity, and wisdom,” said Foundation Board Chair Charles Bobrinskoy. “She focuses on what is most needed and what truly works. Her commitment to creating real change places the issue ahead of any of the people or organizations pursuing specific goals. She is not interested in taking credit. She believes, as former honoree Newt Minow observed, that we can get much more done if we don’t worry about who gets the credit. We are proud to recognize her remarkable contributions.”
About the Lincoln Presidential Foundation
Established in 2000, the Lincoln Presidential Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity headquartered in Illinois. It is the only national foundation focused on increasing access to history, educational programs, exhibits, and sites highlighting the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. The Foundation does its work in cooperation and partnership with others locally, nationally, and globally. Its vision is a world where freedom and democracy flourish, inspired by the life and work of Abraham Lincoln. Learn more at lincolnpresidential.org.
# # #
Media Contact:
Grace DuFour
grace@reputationpartners.com
(301) 337-0708