Thank you for your interest in donating your materials to the DEA Museum. The Museum collects items related to the history of drug law enforcement.
New materials are added to the Museum through the generosity of individuals and DEA employees. These donations help the Museum fulfill its mission.
If you have objects, images, or documents you believe would add to the Museum’s collection, please fill out the Collection Donation Form below.
The Museum is always looking for items including or related to:
- DEA basic agent training classes
- DEA agents working in the field
- DEA agents' undercover and assigned gear
- Pre-1950s apothecary bottles that contain (or did contain) scheduled substances
- DEA technology (e.g., early cellphones, recording devices, etc.)
Please note the Museum does not collect personal effects (e.g., awards), DEA magazines, or reproductions.
The Museum is unable to accept unsolicited objects, images, or documents unless you first submit a completed Collection Donation Form describing the material you wish to donate. Please do not send materials you wish to donate until you have been contacted by Museum staff. If you are unable to complete the donation form, please call the DEA Museum Collections Department at (202) 271-3224 or (202) 710-1937.
Once the form is received, someone from the Collections Department will contact you within two weeks. If we are interested in accepting your donation, Museum staff will work with you to receive your materials. Following acceptance by the Collections Department, you will be issued a deed of gift to document your transfer of the material to the Museum.
In evaluating donation offers, the Museum seeks to acquire objects, images, and documents that have strong potential for meaningful future use in exhibitions, programs, and for research; fill gaps in our existing holdings; and present opportunities to reveal or expand upon a compelling and significant story or theme of drug law enforcement.
Contextual information (i.e., the history of a material’s creation, subject matter, and use) is especially important to Museum staff in their evaluation of the interpretive and research potential of material. The Museum also evaluates donation offers per their condition, the amount of time and resources needed to process and store them, the material’s copyright status, and a variety of other criteria.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Museum Collections Department.