Collections grants are often a vital source of support for organizations working to reinterpret their permanent collections of American art. Such efforts are essential to promoting visibility and maintaining relevance in a community and among today’s audiences.

By supporting collections projects, we hope to support endeavors that will exert a long-term impact on institutional practices, such as:

• presentation of a multiplicity of artists and themes

• inclusion of a plurality of voices

• rethinking of collections to re-tell local or regional histories

• engagement with local communities in collaborative program and content creation

• broadening and deepening access through inclusive stories and design

Grants offset planning, research, and/or implementation costs for permanent collection reinstallations or temporary exhibitions drawn primarily from an institution’s permanent collection. Funds may be used for costs associated with:

• planning and research, including short-term positions (e.g. research fellows or assistants), convenings, travel, and advisory committees

• interpretation

• signage/labels

• artist fees (except for commissions)

• shipping, crating, couriers, insurance, and object loan fees

• construction of temporary gallery walls

• conservation/framing

• rental equipment

• programs and events

• marketing

• evaluation

• dissemination of research, whether in digital or print form

We encourage written materials to be multilingual when possible and relevant to the project and/or its audiences.

We are also happy to support related staff positions (up to 25% of the award amount) and indirect costs (up to 15% of the award amount).

We encourage projects that:

• generate knowledge and interpretive frameworks that collectively reflect the full breadth and complexity of American art and its histories through the artists represented, voices included, and stories told

• engage artists, scholars, and communities who present a plurality of perspectives and methods, including intercultural and interdisciplinary approaches

• catalyze inclusive practices and expansive histories in the field of American art