The Frankenthaler Climate Initiative, founded in alignment with the values of the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, is committed to environmental stewardship and supports the visual arts and arts education. As the leading private national initiative in the U.S. for combating climate change within the visual arts sector, it aims to inspire a sector-wide transition towards carbon-neutral operations, dedicating over $10 million towards this goal, as part of a five-year, $15-million commitment to climate change action.
The Frankenthaler Climate Initiative is focused on advancing clean, efficient energy use in visual arts museums. The grant aims to support these institutions in demonstrating climate action by funding projects that improve energy efficiency and implement clean energy generation. The program offers scoping grants to help museums identify climate and energy mitigation opportunities, technical assistance grants for specifying and budgeting identified efficiency projects, and implementation grants for partially funding specified projects. It encourages applications from a broad range of visual arts institutions, including both collecting and non-collecting entities and visual arts schools. The projects supported by these grants range from feasibility studies for geothermal energy to the design of new building automation systems, with the goal of reducing emissions and saving money. Technical Assistance Grants, capped at $50,000, do not require a financial match and must be completed by October 31, 2025.