The Foundation seeks to fulfill and further Robert Lehman’s vision, supporting the visual arts in any fashion that seems likely to enhance the appreciation, knowledge and enjoyment of this central aspect of culture.
Grants are made to leaders in the field of the visual arts as well as innovative newcomers—museums, arts organizations, educational institutions and other cultural organizations—with the goal of enhancing the role of the visual arts within American and world culture. The Foundation supports museum exhibitions, art education programs, scholarly publications and art history lectureships that complement the strengths of the Robert Lehman Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and advance the goal of identifying the Foundation with serious scholarly endeavors. The art education programs we support share the goal of providing art education to underserved communities that have insufficient access to any type of arts learning. This stems from the Foundation’s strong belief that access to the arts improves the lives of people and communities.
Organizations that have received Robert Lehman Foundation grants for four consecutive years will not be eligible for consideration of further grants for a period of two years.