Established and endowed by the artist Helen Frankenthaler (1928–2011) during her lifetime, the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation supports public engagement with the visual arts through philanthropic, educational, curatorial, and research initiatives.
FCI extends that commitment to the buildings and institutions that hold the field's work. Many of its grantees are the museums, schools, residencies, and artist foundations that steward artistic legacy directly.
Our grantees span the full visual arts field—from major institutions, to small community art centers and artist-run spaces operating on modest budgets. They include collecting and non-collecting museums, art schools, artist residencies, nonprofit galleries, and the artist-endowed foundations that care for historic sites.
In 2025, the Foundation extended FCI through 2030, establishing a decade-long, data-driven commitment to sustainability and resilience in the visual arts, alongside a long-term study of how the sector can reduce its carbon footprint. The conviction behind it is straightforward: the institutions that safeguard our shared artistic culture can also help lead its transition to a more sustainable future.
FCI is produced by the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation with Environment & Culture Partners and Green Design Collaborative, who lead technical advising, applicant review, and program administration.
The Frankenthaler Climate Initiative (FCI) is the first national grant program dedicated to energy efficiency and environmental sustainability in the visual arts.
Launched by the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation in 2021, FCI helps museums and visual arts institutions assess, plan, and carry out the building and infrastructure work that lowers their emissions and operating costs while protecting the collections, buildings, and communities in their care.
To date, FCI has awarded more than $21.8 million to nearly 300 visual arts institutions across 40 states and Puerto Rico.
Helen Frankenthaler, Cool Summer, 1962, oil on canvas, 69 3/4 x 120 inches (177.2 x 304.8 cm) © 2024 Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, Inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. Photo credit: Rob McKeever, courtesy Gagosian.