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New York, NY—June 26, 2025—The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation announced today that it has awarded $3.4M in grants to 74 visual arts organizations across the United States supporting the advancement of energy efficiency and clean energy projects. Initially launched in 2021 as a $5M initiative, the Foundation has conferred over $17.5M to 249 grantees to date and has affirmed its commitment to extend the program for five years. As the first grant program of its kind at the intersection of visual arts and environmental strategy, FCI empowers arts organizations to advance ambitious, transformative energy projects that pursue institutional sustainability and resiliency for a greener collective future.

The newly announced grantees range in size, scale, and mission, and include:

• Non-collecting institutions, such as the Frist Museum (TN), the Museum of Contemporary Art Tucson (AZ), and the Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture (CA);
• Art schools, including the California Institute of the Arts (CA), Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University (PA), Champlain College (VT), and Yale School of Art (CT);
• Museums, including Anchorage Museum (AK), Cincinnati Art Museum (OH), The Metropolitan Museum of Art (NY), and The Museum of Art + Light (KD);
• Residency programs, such as MacDowell (NH), Yaddo (NY), and Santa Fe Art Institute (NM); and
• Community art centers, such as Foci Minnesota Center for Glass Arts (MN) and Racing Magpie (SD); among many others.

The full list of 2025 grantees can be found .

FCI was created in 2021 as the first grantmaking initiative promoting energy efficiency and clean energy generation at art organizations and has continued to expand its funding and impact since its inception. Overseen by the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation in partnership with and , FCI has now supported 318 different energy projects across 40 states across the country.

“It is inspiring to see how visual arts organizations continue to make impactful change through their commitment to sustainability. With each cycle, the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative supports an ever-growing network of cultural institutions that are taking bold steps to reduce their environmental impact and embrace long-term solutions,” remarked Lise Motherwell, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation. “This fifth round of awards represents not only a milestone in our ongoing work, but a testament to the sector’s shared dedication to innovation and resilience. Building of this success, we are looking forward seeing continued innovation in the next five years of the program.”

“The Foundation is proud to continue supporting visionary projects that are reshaping the way arts institutions operate. FCI’s fifth cycle highlights a new level of strategic thinking among applicants—one that seamlessly integrates creative practice with environmental responsibility. By extending this initiative, we reaffirm our belief that the arts can play a meaningful role in shaping our shared future,” added Elizabeth Smith, Executive Director of the Foundation.

The Frankenthaler Climate Initiative reflects the Foundation’s mission to steward a vibrant arts and culture landscape, with ongoing support for education, scholarship, and resiliency planning to ensure the future of the field. FCI is empowering this year’s awardees to take the following actions:

• Advancing net-zero and carbon-neutral plans and creating renewable energy, including the Cheyenne River Youth Project (SD), which is implementing geothermal heating and cooling to achieve net-zero status for its Waniyetu Wowapi Institute & Art Park; Midway Contemporary Art (MI), which is adding solar power and save carbon emissions by using hemp, wood and recycled glass insulation; and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts (ME), which is constructing a solar array that will generate more electricity than Haystack consumes in a year.
• Renovating facilities to preserve collections and support conservation, such as the George Eastman Museum (NY), which is replacing the Louis B. Mayer Conservation Center’s roof to protect the museum’s rare collection of motion picture reels and photographic negatives on nitrate film; the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art (TN), which is installing a Building Management System (BMS) to support LEED certification in a new museum, replacing current facilities that are unfit to keep fragile works of art safe; and Springfield Art Museum (MO), which is improving the environmental conditions of its vaults for the longevity and preservation of its 10,000+ piece art and humanities collection.
• Modeling  resiliency  practices  and  serving  as  a  vital  resource  for  local communities, including Museo de los Santos y Arte Nacional (PR), which is upgrading to solar panels to eliminate dependency on a used carbon-based generator to resolve frequent power grid outages; DiverseWorks (TX), which is scoping plans for a carbon net-positive facility with an arts recycle/reuse center, outdoor stage, and garden using regenerative, sustainable design; and Public Space One (IA), which is making energy efficiency and stability repairs to the entrances of its historic buildings, and sharing energy conservation skills with the public through newsletters and workshops.
• Embracing innovative new technologies and systems to increase energy efficiency, including SITE SANTA FE (NM), which is adding photoelectric panels to its roof repair to decrease energy costs and increase solar energy production; Art Omi Pavilions at Chatham Inc (NY), which is designing and engineering a zero-combustion HVAC system that recovers waste heat and optimizes energy use; and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MA), which is transition from steam to mist humidification, which is piloting a adiabatic mist humidification system, ensuring optimal humidity control artwork preservation while significantly reducing environmental impact.
• Conducting feasibility assessments and energy efficiency audits, including Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (MA), which is assessing building systems and energy use, evaluating the feasibility of solar energy, and developing a long-term climate action roadmap; Ballroom Marfa (TX), which is completing a feasibility assessment of its 1920's-era ballroom to identify energy efficiency upgrades; and Cameron Art Museum (NC), which will conduct a feasibility study on the installation of solar panels, an electric boiler with a geothermal field, LED lighting, and a solar-powered vault for art collection.

“With each additional year of FCI project proposals, we see growth across the field in terms of sustainability awareness and ability,” commented Sarah Sutton, CEO of Environment & Culture Partners. “This year’s grantees are advancing projects that not only enhance their own institutions, but also create stronger ties with their communities by enhancing infrastructure, access, and service. The collective knowledge, ambition, and foresight in this group give us confidence that the cultural sector is poised to continue driving real, measurable progress.”

“From cutting-edge technologies to community-driven improvements, these grantees are setting powerful examples of how sustainability can be woven into the fabric of cultural spaces. We are honored to support adopting cleaner, smarter energy solutions alongside the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation and Environment & Culture Partners,” said Jon Creyts, CEO of RMI.

In support of FCI’s commitment to aligning cultural sector practices with federally recognized energy standards, FCI grant recipients track and report their energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions using Energy Star^® Portfolio Manager^®, an industry-standard tool created and administered by the EPA.

The application process for the next grantmaking cycle is expected to open in Spring 2026.

�Ը������� the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative

The is the first nationwide program to support energy efficiency and clean energy use for the visual arts and the largest private national grantmaking program to address climate action through cultural institutions. The ongoing initiative provides critical support to visual arts organizations in the United States seeking to assess their impact on the environment and to lower ongoing energy costs. The Foundation has conferred more than $17.5 million since its launch in 2021, supporting 318 energy efficiency and clean energy projects at 249 institutions across 40 states in the U.S.

Supporting climate action at various stages of development, FCI grants include:

• Catalyst Grants (up to $15,000), a new grant category for first actions, small spaces, or stand-alone projects with a quick turnaround;
• Scoping Grants (up to $25,000), supporting outside assessments to identify clean energy needs and options;
• Technical Assistance Grants (up to $50,000), focusing on complex project support and design; and
• Implementation Grants (up to $100,000), enacting innovative, large-scale infrastructural changes, often in concert with other funding sources.

Building on the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation’s commitment to social impact philanthropy and to catalyzing positive change on critical issues in the arts, the Foundation launched and leads FCI in association with , an independent nonprofit that engages businesses, communities, institutions, and entrepreneurs in accelerating the adoption of market-based solutions that cost- effectively create a clean, prosperous, and secure low-carbon future; and , a nonprofit that creates relationships and leads collaborations that engage the cultural sector in broader climate action. For more information, visi .

�Ը������� the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation

Established and endowed by Helen Frankenthaler during her lifetime, the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation advances the artist’s legacy and inspires a new generation of practitioners through a range of philanthropic, educational, and research initiatives. Since becoming active in 2013, the Foundation has continued to strategically expand its program, which includes organizing and supporting significant exhibitions of the artist’s work, fostering new research and publications, advancing educational programs in partnership with arts organizations around the world, and launching groundbreaking initiatives that foster systemic change in the field. As a primary resource on the artist, and a steward of her collection and archive, the Foundation holds an extensive selection of Frankenthaler’s work in a variety of mediums, her collection of works by other artists, and original papers and materials pertaining to her life and work.

Media Contacts

Frankenthalerclimate@resnicow.com

Juliet Sorce, jsorce@resnicow.com, 212-671-5158

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Shea Seery, sseery@resnicow.com, 212-671-5173