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Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation

Annual Giving
$17.6M
Grant Range
$25K - $1.0M

Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation - Funder Overview

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $17,560,204 (2021)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
  • Decision Time: Varies by program; three yearly grant cycles for collections grants
  • Grant Range: $25,000 - $1,000,000+
  • Geographic Focus: U.S. focus on Arizona, Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas; International for Art of the Spanish Americas (South America preferred)

Contact Details

Headquarters (Dallas)

Santa Fe Location

Grant Inquiries

Website: https://thomafoundation.org Grants Portal: https://grants.thomafoundation.org

Overview

The Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation was established in 1986 by Carl and Marilynn Thoma following successful careers in brand management and private equity. The foundation underwent a significant expansion and renaming in 2021 (from Carl & Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation) to reflect its broader philanthropic mission. The foundation is a strong believer in leadership, innovation, and equality of opportunity, recognizing that education and the arts enhance individuals' lives and communities. Their dual focus encompasses arts grant-making (particularly related to their significant art collection spanning Art of the Spanish Americas, Digital & Media Art, Japanese Bamboo, and Post-War Painting & Sculpture) and educational scholarships targeting rural youth in the Southwest. The foundation maintains exhibition spaces in both Dallas (Cedar Springs) and Santa Fe (Art Vault) and operates museum loan programs while distributing millions annually in grants across multiple programs.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Collections-Related Grants for Nonprofits

  • Grant Range: $25,000 - $1,000,000+ for single- or multi-year projects
  • Application Method: Rolling applications through three yearly grant cycles (Spring, Summer, Fall)
  • Focus: Projects engaging with Art of the Spanish Americas, Digital & Media Art, Japanese Bamboo, Post-War Painting & Sculpture, and arts/culture of the American Southwest
  • Recent awards include $150,000 to Whitney Museum of American Art for a Jaune Quick-to-See Smith retrospective, and $25,000 to Winterthur Museum for a Caribbean art symposium

Marilynn Thoma Fellowships in Art of the Spanish Americas

  • Predoctoral Fellowship: $50,000 (one-year award)
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship: $65,000 (one- to two-year award; PhD conferred between 2015-2025)
  • Application Deadline: December 15 annually; opens September 15
  • Established in 2018 as the only unrestricted research funding in the U.S. devoted exclusively to Art of the Spanish Americas

Research & Travel Awards

  • Grant Range: Up to $25,000 for projects lasting up to six months
  • Application Deadline: December 15 annually
  • Available to scholars, curators, and advanced graduate students; MA holders exceptionally welcome

Art of the Spanish Americas Conservation Grant

  • Total Annual Award: Up to $50,000 distributed among selected proposals
  • Application Deadline: December 15 annually; notification March; start date April 1
  • Focus: Preventive conservation, restoration, laboratory equipment acquisition, or conservation workshop organization for South American viceregal art
  • Eligibility: Conservators, curators, and professionals in museums or academic institutions; international applicants from Latin America strongly encouraged
  • Duration: One to two years

Education, Art, and Community Grants

  • Current Status: Available by invitation only; not accepting unsolicited proposals
  • Geographic Focus: New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma targeting youth in nonmetro and rural areas
  • Recent awards include $200,000 (two-year) to Empower Schools for LeadRural Fellowship and $1 million (three-year) to Collegiate Edu-Nation for rural Texas students

Thoma Scholars Program

  • Award: Full cost-of-attendance scholarships (tuition, fees, housing, meals, books) plus one-time study abroad scholarship
  • Partners: Texas Tech University and Oklahoma State University
  • Eligibility: Students from rural counties in Northwest Oklahoma, West Texas, and Eastern New Mexico
  • Program Scale: Approximately 20 students per cohort; up to $2 million annually at OSU when fully matriculated
  • Application: Through partner universities, not directly through foundation

Priority Areas

Arts Funding:

  • Projects substantively engaging with the foundation's collection areas (Art of the Spanish Americas, Digital & Media Art, Japanese Bamboo, Post-War Painting & Sculpture)
  • Arts and culture of the American Southwest
  • Projects with potential for both scholarly and mainstream audience reach
  • Traveling exhibitions and publications with digital components
  • Conservation and preservation of South American viceregal art
  • Original scholarship advancing understanding of Art of the Spanish Americas

Education Funding:

  • Rural Southwest scholarships through Thoma Scholars Program
  • Educational institutions and nonprofits in target states (New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma)
  • Programs promoting equality of opportunity for rural and nonmetro youth

Geographic Priorities:

  • U.S. preference: Arizona, Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas
  • Rural and nonmetro institutions particularly encouraged
  • International: Art of the Spanish Americas projects, preferably in South America

What They Don't Fund

  • Projects not substantively related to their collection areas or strategic priorities
  • Decorative arts, maps, and manuscripts (for Art of the Spanish Americas programs)
  • Emergency requests for late-stage initiatives
  • Projects lacking measurable outcomes
  • Group projects for fellowships
  • Equipment purchases (for fellowships; allowed for conservation grants)
  • Family/companion expenses for fellowship travel
  • Projects from students at Amarillo ISD or Canyon ISD schools (Thoma Scholars Program)

Governance and Leadership

Board of Directors:

  • Carl D. Thoma - President and Founder
  • Marilynn J. Thoma - Vice President, Treasurer, and Founder (Chicago-based philanthropic leader and art collector; serves on boards of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and Chicago Humanities Festival)
  • Gary S. Hart - Secretary
  • Margo Thoma - Board Member
  • Mark Thoma - Board Member

Key Staff:

  • Kathleen Forde - Director and Curator, Media Arts
  • Verónica Muñoz-Nájar - Associate Curator, Art of the Spanish Americas
  • Kambra Bolch - Director, Scholarship Program
  • Russell Miller - Assistant Director, Thoma Scholars Program
  • Kathleen Richards - Santa Fe Art Spaces Director & Exhibitions Manager
  • Alli Deri - Grants & Administrative Manager
  • Meagan Robson - Collections Manager
  • Rachel Lewis - Acquisitions and Collections Coordinator
  • Madison Spencer - Communications Coordinator
  • Lachlan Benford - Preparator

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Collections-Related Grants for Nonprofits:

  1. Review the Criteria for Collections-Related Nonprofit Grants before applying
  2. Submit Letter of Inquiry (LOI) through online portal at thomafoundation.smartsimple.com
  3. LOI must include: project start/end dates, requested amount, total budget, and 200-300 word synopsis outlining main goals and significance
  4. Applications accepted during three yearly grant cycles: Spring, Summer, Fall
  5. Foundation prefers 12 months' notice before project start
  6. Organizations new to the foundation are encouraged to reach out to grants team in advance to discuss their project
  7. The foundation has condensed their previous two-step process (LOI and full proposal) into a single application stage
  8. Applications reviewed internally by grants team; they only respond to projects meeting their criteria
  9. Contact: grants@thomafoundation.org

Fellowships and Research & Travel Awards:

  1. Applications open September 15
  2. Deadline: December 15
  3. Submit through online portal with application form, project proposal, CV, and professional references
  4. Notification: March
  5. Contact: ASAFellowships@thomafoundation.org

Conservation Grant:

  1. Applications open annually
  2. Deadline: December 15
  3. Notification: March
  4. Grant start date: April 1
  5. Submit application form, seven-page proposal (plus two optional image pages), CV for project director and key personnel, timeline, budget with justification, and professional reference
  6. International jury of experts evaluates proposals
  7. Contact: ASAFellowships@thomafoundation.org

Education, Art, and Community Grants:

  • Currently invitation only; not accepting unsolicited proposals

Thoma Scholars Program:

  • Apply through Texas Tech University or Oklahoma State University scholarship offices
  • Not a direct foundation application

Decision Timeline

Collections-Related Grants: Three yearly grant cycles; specific decision timelines not publicly disclosed, but foundation reviews applications internally and responds only to projects meeting criteria

Fellowships & Research Awards: Applications due December 15; notification in March

Conservation Grant: Applications due December 15; notification in March; grant start date April 1

Success Rates

The foundation does not publish specific success rates. Grant activity shows:

  • 2021: 11 awards totaling $17,560,204
  • 2020: 52 awards
  • 2019: 76 awards

This suggests highly competitive grant programs with selective funding decisions.

Reapplication Policy

No specific reapplication restrictions documented. Organizations are encouraged to contact the grants team to discuss future proposals if not initially successful.

Application Success Factors

The Thoma Foundation evaluates applications using six explicit criteria, making this one of the most transparent funders regarding what they value:

1. Alignment Projects must substantively engage with the foundation's fields of interest. The foundation shows preference for work directly related to artists in their collection or specific subfields. Applicants should clearly explain why partnering with this particular foundation matters to their project—demonstrating knowledge of their collection and strategic priorities is essential.

2. Leadership The foundation explicitly states they "back individual leaders demonstrating drive and vision." They seek executive-level buy-in and involvement from senior staff who helped shape the proposed project, not just organizational endorsements. Direct contact from executive leadership discussing investment in project success strengthens applications.

3. Innovation The foundation asks: "Does the project drive the field forward? Does it disrupt conventional thinking?" They seek projects that advance scholarship through cutting-edge approaches—whether exhibitions reconsidering historic groupings, overdue research publications, or conservation using new technologies. Standard or conventional approaches are less competitive.

4. Timing The foundation prefers being "seed funders" who enter partnerships early. They explicitly require 12 months' advance notice for major projects and state they do not fund emergency requests for late-stage initiatives. Early engagement with the grants team is valued.

5. Feasibility Projects must demonstrate realistic, measurable outcomes. The foundation values detailed planning and evidence that projects can be successfully completed. For convenings, they specifically recommend reviewing industry standards for honoraria and per diems before budgeting.

6. Reach Projects should engage both mainstream and scholarly audiences. The foundation defines accessibility as traveling exhibitions, publications with digital components, or updated curricula with dedicated marketing and education plans. Single-venue or limited-access projects are less competitive.

Specific Application Advice from the Foundation:

  • Organizations new to the foundation should reach out to the grants team in advance to discuss their project
  • Provide 12 months' notice before project start dates
  • Review the detailed Criteria for Collections-Related Nonprofit Grants page before applying
  • For convenings, review industry standards for honoraria and per diems
  • Demonstrate how the project will disseminate outcomes (publications, exhibitions, workshops, etc.)
  • For fellowships, applicants must demonstrate ability to communicate and conduct research in both Spanish and English
  • For conservation grants, international applicants from Latin America are strongly encouraged

Recent Funded Project Examples:

  • Whitney Museum of American Art: $150,000 for "Jaune Quick-to-See Smith: Memory Map" retrospective
  • Winterthur Museum: $25,000 for "Shifting Tides: Art in the 18th-Century Caribbean" symposium
  • Empower Schools: $200,000 (two-year) for LeadRural Fellowship program for rural leaders
  • Collegiate Edu-Nation: $1 million (three-year) for Learning & Development activities for rural Texas students
  • Arizona Student Opportunity Collaborative: support for rural high school dual credit programs

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Lead time is critical: The foundation explicitly requires 12 months' notice before project start and does not fund emergency or late-stage requests—plan ahead and engage early
  • Executive leadership involvement matters: The foundation wants to see senior staff who shaped the project demonstrating buy-in, not just organizational endorsement
  • Innovation over convention: Standard approaches won't compete; show how your project disrupts thinking or advances the field through cutting-edge methods
  • Know their collection: For arts grants, demonstrate substantive engagement with their specific collection areas (Art of the Spanish Americas, Digital & Media Art, Japanese Bamboo, Post-War Painting & Sculpture)—generic arts proposals won't succeed
  • Seed funding preference: Position your project as early-stage where their investment can catalyze rather than rescue; they want to be early partners, not last-minute gap fillers
  • Dual audiences essential: Projects serving only scholarly or only mainstream audiences are less competitive; demonstrate plans for both through traveling exhibitions, digital publications, or educational programming
  • Geographic alignment: Strong preference for Arizona, Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas institutions, particularly rural and nonmetro organizations; international projects limited to Art of the Spanish Americas in South America

References

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