Helen Frankenthaler Foundation
At a glance
Key takeaways
- Helen Frankenthaler Foundation funds visual arts work under three areas – climate action and sustainability, visual arts and education, and cultural resilience – with a geographic focus of U.S. Most grants fall between $25,000 and $50,000, and smaller discretionary grants of $5,000 to $15,000 are also made for single programmes, so a modest request in these ranges is realistic; half of its grants to organisations were $40,000 or less.
- Applications for Visual Arts & Education or Cultural Resilience go through a single-stage online application where you identify a funding area and give basic organisational, project and financial information along with a concise request description and intended use of funds.
- Only 32% of its grant dollars went to organisations it had also funded in the two previous filings, suggesting it is reasonably open to new applicants rather than driven mainly by existing relationships, though it favours rigorous, clearly articulated approaches, particularly to painting and printmaking, and collaboration across institutions, disciplines, collections or publics.
- Do not apply if your organisation is not based in the United States or its territories, does not hold 501(c)(3) status and lack a qualifying fiscal sponsor, does not have the visual arts as a primary focus, or if you are an individual (including artists or private collectors), a commercial gallery or other for-profit arts organisation, a performing arts organisation whose primary focus is not visual art, a media organisation, a social service organisation, or an institution whose primary focus rests outside the visual arts.
Overview
Helen Frankenthaler Foundation is a US private foundation based in New York, NY.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The Foundation supports public engagement with the visual arts through philanthropic, educational, curatorial and research initiatives. Its grantmaking has three areas: climate action and sustainability, visual arts and education, and cultural resilience. It supports energy-efficiency and sustainability infrastructure through the national Frankenthaler Climate Initiative; project-based exhibitions, publications, public programmes and academic initiatives that advance the presentation, study and interpretation of visual arts; and unrestricted support for organisations whose core work is centred on the visual arts. Eligible applicants are US-based nonprofit organisations, qualifying public institutions or entities working through an established fiscal sponsor, with the visual arts as a primary focus. For project-based requests, it favours rigorous, clearly articulated approaches, particularly to painting and printmaking, and collaboration across institutions, disciplines, collections or publics. It assesses alignment, clarity and feasibility, organisational capacity and relevance to the visual arts field.
Themes
- Climate action and sustainability
- Visual arts and education
- Cultural resilience
Geographic Focus
U.S.
What They Don't Fund
- Organisations that are not based in the United States or its territories
- Organisations that do not hold 501(c)(3) status and lack a qualifying fiscal sponsor
- Organisations that do not demonstrate a primary focus on the visual arts
- Individuals, including artists or private collectors
- Commercial galleries or other for-profit arts organizations
- Performing arts organizations whose primary focus is not visual art (e.g., dance, music)
- Media organizations or social service organizations
- Institutions whose primary focus rests outside of the visual arts (e.g., science or history museums)
How to apply
For Visual Arts & Education or Cultural Resilience, applicants use a single-stage online application, identify a funding area and provide basic organisational, project and financial information, along with a concise request description and the intended use of funds.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 32% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 318 grants to organisations were $40,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- The Foundation favours rigorous, clearly articulated approaches to studying and presenting artistic practice, particularly in painting and printmaking.
- It assesses alignment with the funding area, clarity and feasibility, organisational capacity and readiness, and relevance to the visual arts field.
- Grantees must report on activities and outcomes at the end of the grant period.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: 7%
Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 23%
- The largest single recipient received 11% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 32% of grant dollars went to organisations Helen Frankenthaler Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- 15% of grant dollars went directly to organisations outside the US (Switzerland, Spain, Ukraine).
- <1% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 105 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $30,000 (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Kunstmuseum Basel · Art for museum collection$3,800,0002024 tax year
- Guggenheim Museum Bilbao · Art for museum collection$3,500,0002024 tax year
- Foundation for Contemporary Arts · Endowment: hf award for painting$1,250,0002024 tax year
- Pen American Center · 2024 arc support (3 of 3)$666,6672024 tax year
- World Monuments Fund · Ukraine heritage response fund (3 of 3)$500,0002024 tax year
- Swiss Institute · 2024 nyc arts (consortium: 15 arts organizations) (2 of 3)$340,0002024 tax year
- Bennington College · 2024 museum fellows term program (2 of 5)$220,0002024 tax year
- Nevada Museum of Art · Fci 2024 implementation$100,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Ann Philbin — Director
- Richard Armstrong — Director
- Elizabeth Smith — Executive Director
- Clifford Ross — President / Director
- Michael Hecht — Secretary / Treasurer / Director
- Lise Motherwell — Chair / Director
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $12,804,330 | $7,699,111 | $520,409,900 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $32,170,742 | $25,325,037 | $545,208,180 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $26,360,479 | $14,412,827 | $573,564,085 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
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Applying to Helen Frankenthaler Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required