FCI provides visual arts institutions with up to $100,000 to undertake ambitious sustainability and energy efficiency initiatives that directly address carbon reduction and energy efficiency. The scope of its support is broad, encompassing everything from modest, rapid-response projects to comprehensive efficiency audits and feasibility studies, and extending to financial contributions for significant infrastructural renovations and strategic planning for new buildings and major initiatives. 

Building on the core values of the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, the initiative aligns a commitment to environmental stewardship with a belief in the vital importance of the visual arts and arts education. Through strategic funding and partnerships focused on tangible infrastructure, FCI aims to catalyze a sector-wide shift toward zero carbon operations, promoting a future where the visual arts thrive—while contributing to a more sustainable and ecologically conscious world.

FCI funds nonprofit institutions in the United States and its territories whose primary focus rests in the visual arts. The visual arts includes but is not limited to painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, photography, and installations in clay, glass, metal, wood, fiber, paper, film, and mixed media.

What We Fund

FCI funds energy efficiency and clean energy generation projects. Detailed information about each grant category can be found here.

Catalyst grants (up to $20,000) support stand-alone projects with a quick turnaround and are perfect for small spaces or first actions at a site or institution with a total annual operating budget equal to or below $500,000. Catalyst grantees are eligible for an additional award of up to five (5) hours of in-project coaching. 

Scoping grants (up to $25,000) support initial assessments typically performed by independent consultants to understand how to save energy. Scoping grants are designed to assist institutions that are in the initial stages of assessing and understanding their emissions footprint. 

Technical Assistance grants (up to $50,000) support projects that have finished initial assessments, and need procurement and financing support for an identified efficiency project. This may include providing designs, specifications, or fees for working with energy services companies (ESCOs) for project support. These grants also support more complex studies or analysis required for pursuing major implementation projects. At the conclusion of a Technical Assistance grant, the applicant should be sufficiently informed to implement a project. 

Implementation grants (up to $100,000) support ambitious, innovative, and transformative projects that directly address institutional climate impact. Implementation grants are highly competitive and involve multiple stakeholders, collaborators, and organization-wide buy-in. They can act as seed funding for large projects, and often lead to matches for capital campaigns. Preference is given to organizations moving to electricity from fossil fuels.

Eligible Organization Types 

-Visual-arts focused museums, nonprofit galleries, archives, and other related organizations 

• Archive who can demonstrate that a significant portion of their mission and programming relates to visual art 

• Artist collective 

• Fine arts conservation center 

• Library that can demonstrate a significant portion of their mission and programming relates to visual art 

• Noncollecting institution ○ Nonprofit art gallery or art space 

Museum examples: ■ Art museum ■ Film, literary or music museum that can demonstrate a significant portion of their mission and programming relates to visual art ■ Photography museum ■ Sculpture museum ■ Textile museum ■ Some historic houses, historical societies, or history museums; organization must demonstrate that a significant portion of their mission and programming relates to visual art

-Arts education, higher education, and the study of art 

• Art schools or departments/divisions within an accredited college, university, or other non-profit institution of higher education whose focus entails art or the study of art

• Artist residency programs 

• Arts education center/community art center that can demonstrate a significant portion of their mission and programming relates to visual art/displays the art of their community 

• Center for the study of art (art history, visual studies, curatorial studies, etc.) 

• University museum, gallery, or arts-focused department 

-Arts events capable of monitoring their energy consumption or generation, including: 

• Biennials, triennials, periodic exhibitions hosted by nonprofit entities 

• Multi-institutional collaborations 

• Temporary exhibitions and traveling exhibition structures 

• Large-scale public art exhibitions 

-Artist-endowed foundation