The mission of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation involves the appreciation, interpretation, preservation, study, and teaching of European art and architecture from antiquity to the early 19th century. It focuses on fostering a deeper understanding of European artistic achievements and their relationship and influence on historic preservation within the United States.
The Robert Silman Award is biennially presented to an engineer, architect, or design professional in related fields, focusing on the preservation, restoration, or adaptive reuse of the built environment. It celebrates proposals that embody the spirit of Robert Silman, favoring originality and the potential for advancing the art and practice of preservation in the United States. Projects may be theoretical or based on real scenarios and can include a diverse range of formats, such as graphical or textual outputs, for sharing within the preservation community. The evaluation criteria emphasize the demonstrated need, potential to advance historic preservation practice in the U.S., dissemination plans, innovative thinking, and positive impacts on underrepresented communities. The award grants up to $15,000 for selected projects.