FRANKENTHALER CLIMATE INITIATIVE

Helen Frankenthaler, Cool Summer, 1962, oil on canvas, 69 3/4 x 120 inches (177.2 x 304.8 cm).*
The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation has awarded more than $5 million in grants supporting climate action by visual arts institutions in 2021 and is expanding its commitment with an additional $5 million to be awarded over the next two years. For information about 2021 grantees, click here.
Grants For Clean, Efficient Energy in Visual Arts Museums
As climate change has emerged as a defining issue of our day, museums and cultural institutions can take a leadership position in demonstrating that climate action is within reach. The cost of energy is the second-largest component of museum budgets. Energy efficiency improvements are the best opportunity for museums to reduce emissions and save money. The Frankenthaler Climate Initiative is an energy and climate granting program launched by Helen Frankenthaler Foundation in partnership with RMI and Environment and Culture Partners. It is the first program of its kind in the U.S. for the visual arts and is the largest private national grant-making program to address climate change through cultural institutions.
The Frankenthaler Climate Initiative funds energy efficiency and clean energy generation projects in the following categories:
  • Scoping grants help museums understand the climate and energy mitigation opportunities at their facilities.
  • Technical assistance grants support the specification and budgeting of an identified efficiency project to allow for procurement and financing.
  • Implementation grants provide partial seed funding for fully specified projects.
Museums of all sizes that have a significant visual arts component are encouraged to apply. Monetary awards are issued in proportion to the scope and timeline of the project. Details on submission timeline for the next application cycle will be shared in early 2022.
* © 2021 Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, Inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. Photo credit: Rob McKeever, courtesy Gagosian.
Copyright Frankenthaler Climate Initiative © 2021 All rights reserved.