CHILDREN PLAY ON THE TROLLEY EXHIBIT AT THE HEINZ HISTORY CENTER. | COURTESY HEINZ HISTORY CENTER

Starting Labor Day, admission to the Heinz History Center and Fort Pitt Museum will be free for kids.

Forever.

That’s thanks to a $11.5 million donation from Pittsburgh Philanthropists Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin. It covers all children ages 17 and under, as well admission for school groups for both museums.

“As our nation prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2026, it’s vital to remove barriers that keep young people from connecting with their past,” Andy Masich, president and CEO of the History Center, said in a statement. “Thanks to Dan and Carole Kamin, kids from our region and across the country can more easily experience the History Center’s nationally recognized exhibitions and programs.”

This is the Kamins’ third major donation to Pittsburgh’s cultural institutions in two years — after $65 million for the Carnegie Science Center in early 2024 (which in September will lead to the renaming of the science center) and $25 million to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in February of this year to help renovate its dinosaur exhibit and support other initiatives. UPMC also announced in July that the Kamins had contributed $65 million to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital for the new bed tower being built in Oakland; it will be called the Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin Tower.

Part of the Kamin’s contribution to the History Center also will go toward an expansion of its Strip District campus; plans include adding a new wing — featuring an auditorium, exhibition space, classrooms and an official welcome center — behind the center.