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Ellsworth Kelly Foundation Inc

Annual Giving
$4.5M
Grant Range
$45K - $0.1M

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $4,460,000 (2023)
  • Total Distributed Since 1991: Over $30 million
  • Grant Range: $45,000 - $100,000 (varies by program)
  • Geographic Focus: National (museums) and Columbia County, NY (local initiatives)
  • Application Process: Board-directed; no unsolicited applications accepted

Contact Details

Ellsworth Kelly Foundation
P.O. Box 220
Spencertown, NY 12165

Website: https://ellsworthkelly.org/foundation/
Rights and Reproductions: rights@ekelly.org

Overview

The Ellsworth Kelly Foundation was established in 1991 to uphold the philanthropic legacy of renowned American artist Ellsworth Kelly (1923-2015). Since its inception, the foundation has distributed over $30 million in grants supporting causes Kelly championed during his lifetime, including the conservation and exhibition of modern and contemporary artworks, historic preservation, environmental conservation, arts education, and community enrichment in rural Columbia County, NY, where Kelly lived and worked for nearly 50 years. Led by President Jack Shear, Kelly's husband and longtime partner, the foundation made its largest grant initiative ever in 2023, awarding $2.75 million to 50 museums across the United States in celebration of Kelly's centennial, alongside artwork gifts valued at over $16 million.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Museum Support for Contemporary Art

  • Major Museum Grants: $100,000 (awarded to select major institutions holding significant Kelly collections)
  • Museum Grants: $50,000 (awarded to museums with Kelly works in their collections)
  • Grants support exhibition and conservation of modern and contemporary artworks

Ellsworth Kelly Award (administered through Foundation for Contemporary Arts)

  • Annual grant: $45,000
  • Supports solo exhibitions of emerging, mid-career, or under-recognized contemporary visual artists
  • Awarded to U.S. art museums or university/college art galleries
  • Award alternates annually between regions east and west of the Missouri River
  • By invitation only; unsolicited applications not accepted

Columbia County, NY Community Initiatives

  • Arts Education: $300,000 endowment for arts and humanities programs across six public school districts (in addition to $1.45 million provided over the previous decade)
  • Environmental Conservation: Major endowments to Columbia Land Conservancy
  • Historic Preservation: Support for preserving cultural, historic, and civic resources
  • Community Development: Local community groups working to protect natural resources

Priority Areas

  • Arts: Conservation and exhibition of modern and contemporary artworks in U.S. and European museums; support for regional art institutions; arts education programs
  • Historic Preservation: Cultural preservation initiatives; restoration of world heritage sites globally; preservation of local Columbia County historic buildings
  • Environmental Conservation: Protection of open spaces and wildlife habitats, particularly in Columbia County
  • Education: Arts in education programs; teacher training to integrate arts into curricula
  • Community Development: Support for local community groups in Columbia County preserving cultural, historic, civic, and natural resources

What They Don't Fund

The foundation explicitly states it does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. All grants are board-directed to preselected charitable organizations.

Governance and Leadership

Jack Shear, President
Photographer, art collector, and philanthropist who was married to Ellsworth Kelly. Shear lives and works in New York City and Spencertown, NY. He has stated: "Whatever happens is because of Ellsworth. I'm stewarding his legacy as best I can." Regarding the foundation's support for emerging artists, Shear explained: "Ellsworth recognized that a museum exhibition can be transformative for an artist's career, and this award is intended to provide that opportunity to artists."

Emily Rauh Pulitzer, Board Member
Pulitzer has spoken about Kelly's relationship with museums: "Ellsworth loved museums from a very young age and they were a key part of his education in Paris after the war. He understood their essential function in preserving, interpreting and sharing our cultural heritage."

Board Structure
Grant awards by the foundation are board-directed. The foundation operates as a private foundation filing Form 990-PF annually.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process.

The foundation explicitly states on its website: "The Foundation cannot accept unsolicited applications for support."

All grants are board-directed to preselected charitable organizations. The foundation identifies grantees through board deliberations rather than through an open application process.

Ellsworth Kelly Award (Special Program)
The Kelly Award, administered by the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, operates by invitation only. Each spring, a request for proposals is issued to a small, select group of art institutions across the U.S. Institutions must be specifically invited to submit proposals; unsolicited applications will not be considered.

Decision Timeline

Specific decision timelines are not publicly disclosed. The foundation operates on a board-directed schedule for identifying and approving grantees.

For the Ellsworth Kelly Award, invitations to submit proposals are issued each spring, with the award announced later in the year.

Success Rates

Not applicable due to the invitation-only, board-directed nature of the foundation's grant-making.

The foundation awarded 36 grants in 2023 and 21 grants in 2022, reflecting the preselected nature of its grantees.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable, as the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications.

Application Success Factors

Since the Ellsworth Kelly Foundation operates entirely through board-directed grants to preselected organizations, there is no public application process. However, analyzing their grant-making patterns reveals the following priorities:

For Museum Grants:

  • Institutions must hold Ellsworth Kelly artworks in their collections
  • The foundation prioritizes museums that actively exhibit and conserve Kelly's work
  • Both major metropolitan museums and regional institutions are supported
  • The 2023 centennial initiative demonstrated the foundation's commitment to institutions across the entire United States, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art to smaller regional museums

For the Ellsworth Kelly Award:

  • Institutions invited to apply should propose exhibitions for emerging, mid-career, or under-recognized contemporary visual artists
  • The foundation emphasizes exhibitions that could be "transformative for an artist's career"
  • Regional art institutions, university galleries, and college art galleries are eligible
  • Selection is based on "the perceived strength of the proposed artist's work and the impact the exhibition might have on his or her career"

For Columbia County Initiatives:

  • Organizations must work to conserve and protect cultural, historic, civic, or natural resources in Columbia County, NY
  • Environmental conservation projects, particularly those preserving open space and wildlife habitats
  • Historic preservation efforts for local buildings and cultural landmarks
  • Arts education programs that integrate arts into public school curricula

Foundation Philosophy: Board member Emily Rauh Pulitzer's statement captures the foundation's ethos: Kelly "understood [museums'] essential function in preserving, interpreting and sharing our cultural heritage." Projects that align with this vision of cultural preservation and public access appear central to the foundation's mission.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No Public Applications: The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications; all grants are board-directed to preselected organizations
  • Museum Focus: Primary grant activity supports museums holding Kelly's work, emphasizing both conservation and public exhibition
  • Dual Geographic Focus: National scope for museum and contemporary art support; hyperlocal focus on Columbia County, NY for community initiatives
  • Legacy Stewardship: All grant-making reflects Ellsworth Kelly's personal philanthropic interests during his lifetime
  • Emerging Artist Support: Through the Kelly Award, the foundation prioritizes career-building opportunities for under-recognized contemporary artists
  • Long-term Relationships: The foundation works with established partners (e.g., 10-year partnership with Berkshire Taconic Foundation for Columbia County education programs)
  • Strategic Timing: Major initiatives often tied to significant anniversaries (e.g., 2023 centennial grants)

References

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