Visual Arts Funders

AMERICAN ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY

AAS funds fellowships that improve the American people’s understanding of pre-twentieth century history, including several opportunities for visual arts and related research.

AMERICAN EXPRESS

Amex does not have a grantmaking program dedicated to the arts, yet it has made significant grants to arts projects from its leadership, historic preservation and community service giving areas. Funding prioritizes, but is not limited to Phoenix, New York City, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, South Florida and Washington D.C.

THE ANDERSON CENTER

The Anderson Center is an artist community in rural Minnesota that provides opportunities for residencies and retreats for visual artists and others.

ANNENBERG FOUNDATION

Annenberg is a big supporter of arts museums. Southern California is its major geographic focus.

ANONYMOUS WAS A WOMAN

This organization awards $25,000 prizes to women-identifying artists who are over the age of 40 and who are “at a critical juncture in their career.”

ARCADIA FUND

Support for visual arts stems from this grantmaker’s cultural heritage preservation program.

ARISON ARTS FOUNDATION

This low-profile funder supports both art museums and art education programs. New York appears to be a priority.

ARTADIA

Artadia supports contemporary visual artists and art projects in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York.

ASTRAEA LESBIAN FOUNDATION FOR JUSTICE

This fund supports art by LGBTQI people and organizations that use “art as a tool for social transformation and have limited access to resources for this critical work.” Grants adhere to a theme which changes with each funding cycle.

AYRSHIRE FOUNDATION

Concentrating on the greater Pasadena area, this funder supports arts programs that “enhance the vibrancy of our communities.”

BANK OF AMERICA CHARITABLE FOUNDATION

BoA supports art museums in communities served by its parent banking company. It also lends works from its private collection to museums around the world.

A BLADE OF GRASS

A Blade of Grass seeks social change through the arts. It supports outside-the-box artistic thinkers and artists through fellowship programs.

DEBRA AND LEON BLACK FAMILY FOUNDATION

The founders of the Black Family Foundation are serious art collectors who are involved with major musuems n New York City.

BNSF RAILWAY FOUNDATION

BNSF supports programs and institutions in BNSF Railway communities. In addition to musuems, it prioritizes programs for children.

BOGLIASCO FOUNDATION

The Bogliasco Foundation, near Genoa in Italy, provides short residencies to scholars and creative artists from all over the world.

LOUIS L. BORICK FOUNDATION

In addition to art musuems, this funder supports “arts education nonprofits that give youth the opportunity to explore their creativity and express themselves through art and movement.” California, Montanta and Texas are priorities.

DANIEL AND ESTRELLITA BRODSKY FAMILY FOUNDATION

This couple’s foundation backs the arts in New York City, with a particular focus on Latin American art and the city’s major arts and cultural institutions.

BROWN FOUNDATION

Brown’s arts grants mainly go to museums in Texas.

MARGARET A. CARGILL PHILANTHROPIES

Cargill supports a variety of arts-related organizations. This funder prioritizes projects related to folk and Native American arts.

E. RHODES AND LEONA B. CARPENTER FOUNDATION

This funder’s arts funding is specifically limited to public performances in Richmond, Virginia and local exhibitions of Asian Art.

AMON G. CARTER FOUNDATION

This funder makes grants to promote and strengthen Tarrant County, Texas, which includes Fort Worth.

CINTAS FOUNDATION

The Cintas foundation prioritizes grantmaking for creative artists with Cuban citizenship or who have a Cuban parent or grandparent.

STEVEN A. AND ALEXANDRA M. COHEN FOUNDATION

This foundation supports major musuems in New York and Los Angeles, as well as smaller outfits in the greater New York City area. The Cohens are serious art collectors.

CRANKSTART FOUNDATION

The Crankstart Foundation’s visual arts and arts education grants prioritize the Bay Area of California.

CREATIVE CAPITAL

Since its founding in 1999, Creative Capital has supported over 700 artists with nearly $50 million in funding, professional development opportunities, expert consulting, and artist retreats and gatherings.

BARBARA DEMING MEMORIAL FUND

This fund supports women writers and artists working in the feminist tradition and toward inclusive visions of social justice.

DIOGENES CHARITABLE FOUNDATION

Diogenes visual arts grants typically go to larger, well-known museums. New York City is an area of priority.

DOBKIN FAMILY FOUNDATION

This foundation supports only a handful of visual arts organizations each year, focusing on smaller art museums and exhibit spaces.

DORSEY & WHITNEY FOUNDATION

This foundation of a national law firm, this funder mainly gives to arts organizations in Minnesota.

MAX AND VICTORIA DREYFUS FOUNDATION

Arts grants tend to support projects and organizations that have broad impact with audiences and provide opportunity for community involvement. 

DORIS DUKE FOUNDATION

While the foundation doesn’t list the visual arts as a priority, Duke has funded some arts and culture organizations that promote visual arts.

EHRENKRANZ FAMILY FOUNDATION

The couple’s arts philanthropy focuses largely on New York City, with a focus on photography and contemporary art. Joel and Anne Ehrenkranz are major art collectors.

FIDELITY FOUNDATION

This corporate foundation mainly supports the arts in communities served by its parent banking and investing company.

FIRSTENERGY FOUNDATION

Arts grantmaking falls within this funder’s “vitality of our communities” giving area, and grants go to many smaller and locally-operated visual arts organizations.

FORD FOUNDATION

With more than $11 billion in assets, the Ford Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the United States. Its giving for the arts supports projects that draw attention to underrepresented groups and strengthen marginalized peoples.

FOUNDATION FOR CONTEMPORARY ARTS

The FCA provides unrestricted funding to artists at pivotal stages of their careers. Expect stiff competition for the small number of unrestricted grants offered here.

PHILIP AND IRENE TOLL GAGE FOUNDATION

Toll Gage’s visual arts funding mainly supports established and well-known museums in the U.K.

DAVID GEFFEN FOUNDATION

Visual arts funding emphasizes art museums that focus on contemporary and modern art in Southern California and New York.

GEORGIA-PACIFIC FOUNDATION

Philanthropic arm of the major paper manufacturer supports visual arts in communities where its employees live and work. A significant portion of this funder’s grants stay in Georgia and neighborhing southern states.

GETTY FOUNDATION

An iconic arts funder, the Getty Foundation funds a variety of projects in the visual arts, art museums, art conservation and art history.

GILDER FOUNDATION

This funder’s arts grants tend to focus on preservation, historical exhibits and archives.

GLICK PHILANTHROPIES

Makes modest grants to a wide range of arts organizations in the Indianapolis area.

ELIZABETH FIRESTONE GRAHAM FOUNDATION

This funder provides grants that partially fund catalogues and other publications that document exhibitions by emerging or under-recognized artists.

GRAHAM FOUNDATION FOR ADVANCED STUDIES IN FINE ARTS

Supporting both organizations and individuals, this funder prioritizes architecture and its role in the arts, culture, and society.

ELIZABETH GREENSHIELDS FOUNDATION

This foundation supports early career artists in painting, drawing, sculpture and printmaking. Grants support artists anywhere in the world.

JOHN SIMON GUGGENHEIM MEMORIAL FOUNDATION

This well-known foundation runs highly prestigious and competitive fellowship programs for artists, scholars and researchers working across a broad range of disciplines.

HEARST FOUNDATIONS

Funding for the arts emphasizes projects and organizations that aim to support developing artists and expose underserved communities to the arts as both audiences and participants.

WILLIAM H. HURT FOUNDATION

This funder supports museums. It works mainly in the Los Angeles area.

JAPAN-UNITED STATES FRIENDSHIP COMMISSION

This funder is an independent federal government agency. It supports projects that highlight cultural, educational and intellectual exchange between the United States and Japan.

ALEX KATZ FOUNDATION

The Alex Katz Foundation was launched to collect contemporary art. Colby College Museum of Art in Waterville, Maine is a particular site of philanthropy, as are other university museums and art museum.

ANNA-MARIA AND STEPHEN KELLEN FOUNDATION

Arts grantmaking emphasizes landmark institutions in New York City.

F.M. KIRBY FOUNDATION

This funder focuses on its home state of New Jersey, although not exclusively.

KNIGHT FOUNDATION

This funder supports work involving “the application of technology to the creation, dissemination and experience of art” in order to “strengthen ties with communities while fostering meaningful connections between people and place.”

MARIE-JOSEE AND HENRY KRAVIS FOUNDATION

Arts grantmaking primarily takes the form of donations to prominent cultural institutions in New York City

KRESGE FOUNDATION

This foundation incorporates its arts giving with community development and urban planning work. Grants target programs “that expand opportunities for low-income people in disinvested communities in American cities.”

LANNAN FOUNDATION

Visual arts giving supports nonprofit art organizations for publishing, exhibition, tours and other types of public art programs with an emphasis on contemporary art and artists.

LEFKOFSKY FAMILY FOUNDATION

This foundation prioritizes prioritize art museums and other large visual arts venues and events.

LEON LEVY FOUNDATION

This funder demonstrates a strong commitment to New York City cultural institutions, including several art museums.

HENRY LUCE FOUNDATION

The foundation’s initiative for American Art supports museums, universities, and other organizations engaged in “efforts to advance the understanding and experience of American and Native American visual arts through research, exhibitions, publications, and collection projects.”

MACY’S

Arts organizations in communities where Macy’s operates stores have traditionally been eligible for funding via the company’s many local grant programs. Giving has decreased recently.

ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE FOUNDATION

The foundation’s accessible visual arts grants support photography exhibitions, programs and publications at museums and other visual arts organizations.

MARTIN Z. MARGULIES FOUNDATION

Based in Southern Florida, this foundation focuses on presenting exhibitions and educational programs related to the visual arts.

PIERRE AND TANA MATISSE FOUNDATION

The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation funds arts education in schools in New York City. It also supports scholarly research in the arts, loans works of art to museums for exhibitions and awards art-related project grants to museums, libraries and universities.

MAURER FAMILY FOUNDATION

This foundation aims to provide financial assistance to organizations that aim to enrich their communities through programs of cultural value. It also names interest in fine art, experimental art, applied and decorative art and film,

ANDREW W. MELLON FOUNDATION

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is an iconic arts, culture and humanities funder in the United States, supporting a variety of funds and grant programs in this space.

MICHELIN CORPORATE FOUNDATION

This corporate funder supports a wide range of visual arts organizations around the world. This funder focuses on preserving local heritage.

JOAN MITCHELL FOUNDATION

Named after the late artist and inspired by her mission, this foundation supports a variety of grant programs, artist residencies and other programs for visual artists.

MOODY’S FOUNDATION

This funder has made grants to major art museums around the country.

MORRISON & FOERSTER FOUNDATION

Most of this foundation’s arts and culture grants support organizations with programs that include public outreach or educational components.

NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS

NEA is an independent government organization that funds art projects that celebrate American artistic excellence.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF AMERICAN PEN WOMEN

National League of American Pen Women seeks to increase the visibility of women artists in the art world. It’s funding priorities include music, visual arts and writing.

NATIONAL YOUNGARTS FOUNDATION

Emerging visual artists 15 to 18 years old are eligible for National YoungArts grants. The NYAF’s goal is to cultivate and develop the next generation of artists with mentorship, scholarships and other opportunities.

OPEN MEADOWS FOUNDATION

Open Meadows grants support women and girls leading and benefitting from art projects that address activism and social justice.

LILLIAN ORLOWSKY AND WILLIAM FREED FOUNDATION

This foundation prioritizes American painters over age 45 who are in financial need and whose work has not received adequate recognition.

PEW CENTER FOR ARTS AND HERITAGE

The Pew Center for Arts and Heritage awards grants exclusively to organizations and individuals in the five-county Southeastern Pennsylvania region. It supports artists and organizations with ambitious, imaginative projects.

POLLOCK-KRASNER FOUNDATION

This funder’s grants are narrow in scope and prioritize painters, sculptors and artists who work on paper. Funding targets artists who are fairly established in their field and have an immediate financial need.

PUFFIN FOUNDATION

The Puffin Foundation makes small grants to artists and arts organizations “who are often excluded from mainstream opportunities.”

DOROTHEA AND LEO RABKIN FOUNDATION

This grantmaker supports the work of visual arts journalists with monetary awards. It also makes grants to nonprofit visual arts organizations and journals.

ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG FOUNDATION

This funder awards grants to small and mid-sized arts organizations across all disciplines. A smaller program makes emergency medical grants to artists,

MANUEL RIVERA-ORTIZ FOUNDATION

The Manuel Rivera-Ortiz Foundation’s grants fund human interest documentary filmmaking and photography.

ROCHE

Arts grants support “groundbreaking contemporary art, cultural projects and activities that explore the parallels between innovation in art and in science.”

ROSENTHAL FAMILY FOUNDATION

Visual art is not a main area of giving here, but the foundation does fund awards for painting.

SALESFORCE FOUNDATION

Giving for the arts mainly goes to major cultural institutions in the communities where its employees live and work, such as San Francisco, Seattle, Indianapolis, and New Orleans.

W. EUGENE SMITH FUND

The W. Eugene Smith Fund supports individual photographers developing projects in humanistic photography.

SOCIETY OF CHILDREN’S BOOK WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS

This funder has a wide array of grants and awards for children’s book illustrators.

SURDNA FOUNDATION

Arts grants work to to create “just and sustainable communities” through the support of local arts and culture organizations. Giving focuses on “artists of color, guided by radical imagination.’“

SUSTAINABLE ARTS FOUNDATION

This funder’s unique goal is to support artists and writers trying to find a suitable balance between parenting responsibilities and creative pursuits.

TERRA FOUNDATION FOR AMERICAN ART

This foundation makes grants for exhibitions and academic programs to increase access to and appreciation of American Art in the U.S. and around the world. It also funds local visual arts in the Chicago area.

CARL AND MARILYNN THOMA ART FOUNDATION

This funder provides support for academic programs, conservation, exhibits and conferences related to digital art, the art of the Spanish Americas, Japanese bamboo and post-war painting and sculpture.

TRELLIS CHARITABLE FUND

The Trellis Charitable Trust does not outline specific goals for its visual arts grantmaking, but has demonstrated an interest in photographic exhibitions.

EMILY HALL TREMAINE FOUNDATION

Tremaine supports projects that seek to expand career opportunities for visual artists and curators.

UNION PACIFIC FOUNDATION

This foundation ties its arts giving to community development and beautification funding.

UNITED STATES ARTISTS

United States Artists gives out as many as 50 unrestricted $50,000 grants to artists each year. Support for visual artists is at the forefront of this giving. This is a very competitive grant.

U.S. BANCORP FOUNDATION

This funder’s arts giving focuses on community access and K-12 arts education.

ANDY WARHOL FOUNDATION

The Andy Warhol Foundation aims to foster “innovative artistic expression and the creative process” focusing on contemporary and pop art, as well as writing related to visual arts.

WELLS FARGO FOUNDATION

This corporate funder’s arts grantmaking targets arts organizations that are community-oriented and have broad participation.

HELENE WURLITZER FOUNDATION

The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation offers three-month residencies to visual artists, writers and musical composers on its 15-acre campus in Taos, New Mexico.

VIA ART FUND

This funder makes grants for for artistic production and incubator support, as well as a curatorial fellowship program. It works across a broad range of artistic disciplines and media.

ZEGAR FAMILY FOUNDATION

This family funder makes grants that foster “societal enrichment through the arts,” although this is not a main area of giving for this foundation.