Learn about grants for arts and culture by exploring our curated list of top arts funders below. Members can also research funding opportunities for the arts using the search tool for Grantfinder. Become a member.
Funding Trends for the Arts
Museums, major ballet companies and other large, established arts organizations have long been mainstays of the nonprofit sector. Major donors in particular tend to support big capital projects like a new, named museum wing. But there is also a vibrant ecosystem of community arts organizations receiving funding across the country, some of it from arts-focused funders, and some from community-focused funders that view arts and culture as essential elements of a thriving community.
Arts and culture are supported by many types of philanthropy. Some foundations make arts grants across disciplines, while others are devoted to particular art forms, such as dance or theater. Some funders give for arts and culture projects that relate to a social mission or intersecting issue — for instance, a funder whose primary mission is to advance LGBTQ equality might give to arts and culture projects that amplify LGBTQ voices. And others fund arts and culture as part of supporting vibrant communities. Funding goes to individual artists, community arts organizations, and large institutions like museums and orchestras.
Recognizing the dearth of public funding for the arts in the United States, some funders prioritize support for individual artists. This type of support increased during the pandemic, including rapid-response grants to help artists stay afloat while venues were shuttered. Grants for arts education in underserved communities exemplify how philanthropy fills the gaps left by a public sector that has shrunk arts funding for decades.
Some large foundations like Mellon and Ford support arts and culture across disciplines, while others focus on specific art forms, such as the Shubert Foundation (theater and dance), Jerome Foundation (film and writing), and Herb Alpert Foundation (music). Artist-endowed foundations like those associated with Andy Warhol and Mike Kelley are also a growing force in arts funding.
Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) artists and arts organizations have been calling on philanthropy to do more to advance equity in the arts, and some funders are starting to respond, dedicating grants to BIPOC-led organizations, BIPOC artists, and initiatives to increase diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in arts organizations.
Foundations for the Arts
A BLADE OF GRASS
A Blade of Grass seeks social change through the arts and digital media. It supports of out-of-the-box artistic thinkers and artists through fellowship programs.
AEGON TRANSAMERICA FOUNDATION
This foundation’s grantmaking for arts and culture prioritizes grants for music, the performing arts, arts programs for youth and underprivileged populations, as well as cultural venues.
AGUA FUND
The Fund’s art and culture giving focuses on Native Americans and establish art organizations in its geographic priority areas.
FRED AND JEAN ALLEGRETTI FOUNDATION
This funder’s giving for the arts focuses almost exclusively on Florida.
HAROLD ALFOND FOUNDATION
The Alfond Foundation’s arts and culture grantmaking stems from its youth and community development funding area.
PAUL G. ALLEN FAMILY FOUNDATION
A newer endeavor for this foundation, arts and culture grantmaking prioritizes greater Seattle and Oregon with a focus on providing arts experiences to youth with the aim of inspiring, educating a new generation of artists and audiences.
ALPHAWOOD FOUNDATION
Alphawood’s arts and culture funding invests in museums, theaters, and artistic institutions in Chicago and beyond. This foundation has no stated restrictions on the type of art it will support.
ALPHADYNE FOUNDATION
This funder invests in the performing arts in NYC.
ANDERSEN CORPORATE FOUNDATION
The Andersen’s grants to arts and culture support public radio and television outfits, as well as museums and performing arts centers.
AON FOUNDATION
Aon gives broadly to a variety of arts and cultural institutions in the Chicago area and other giving regions through its community grantmaking. It generally donates to well-known institutions such as theaters and museums, but it sometimes supports arts education through its main education program.
APPLIED MATERIALS FOUNDATION
Applied Materials broadly supports Arts and Culture in communities where its employees live and work.
ARCADIA FUND
The Arcadia Fund centers its grantmaking for arts and culture on the cultural heritage of art and culture outside of North America and Europe. Grants through this area of funding invest in documenting endangered languages, cultural heritage and traditional practices for future generations.
THE ASIAN AMERICAN FOUNDATION
The Asian American Foundation supports the Asian American and Pacific Islander community with grants for anti-hate, education, narrative change, and resources and representation initiatives.
ASSOCIATION FOR PERFORMING ARTS PROFESSIONALS
The Association of Performing Arts Professionals supports individuals and organizations through its signature grant and professional development programs.
SUSAN A. AND DONALD P. BABSON CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
This foundation’s arts and culture grants tend to concentrate around Massachusetts. Arts grants invest in arts education, community theater and centers for the arts, as well as audience accessibility.
BANK OF AMERICA CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
Bank of America’s Arts and Culture grantmaking supports institutions that help economies thrive and enrich societies. Grants also support museum.
BARING FOUNDATION
This foundation’s arts and culture grants focus on a range of interests, all focused on a particular theme, in the U.K.
BARR FOUNDATION
The Barr Foundation’s arts and culture grants invest in organizational risk-taking, cross-sector partnerships, and public support.
BASTIAN FOUNDATION
The B.W. Bastian Foundation broadly funds major arts and cultural institutions in Salt Like City and Utah in general, as well as smaller, local outfits and arts outreach initiatives.
BAYER FUND
The Bayer Fund conducts arts and culture grantmaking through its Community Development strategic priority, which focuses the Performing Arts, including music, theater and dance.
BELFER FAMILY FOUNDATION
The Belfers are major supports of artistic institutions and museums in and around New York City.
BLACHFORD-COOPER FOUNDATION
The Blachford-Cooper Foundation supports cultural institutions and the arts in the greater San Diego area, with a primary focus on performing arts and music.
JACOB AND HILDA BLAUSTEIN FOUNDATION
The Blaustein Foundation’s grantmaking for arts and culture centers around the Baltimore area and largely benefits youth.
ARTHUR M. BLANK FAMILY FOUNDATION
The Blank Foundation’s giving for the arts supports “audience building innovations” in addition to other related interests.
BLOOMBERG PHILANTHROPIES
Bloomberg’s arts and culture grants address cultural institutions around the world.
BLOSSOM FUND
As part of its overall education grantmaking, the Blossom Fund supports programs that promote “active participation in musical activities that foster community-based live musical performances.”
WILLIAM K. BOWES, JR. FOUNDATION
Bowes broadly gives to arts organizations and museums.
BRINSON FOUNDATION
Brinson broadly funds arts and culture, especially in Chicago.
BROAD FOUNDATION
The Broad Foundation’s arts program broadly funds the arts and cultural institutions in Los Angeles.
MARGARET A. CARGILL FOUNDATION
MACF funds the arts through its arts and culture program, which supports "folk arts, Native American art, music, tactile art, and artistically significant crafts that foster human creativity."
E. RHODES AND LEONA B. CARPENTER FOUNDATION
This funder’s support for Arts and Culture is specific and clearly defined, limited to public performances in Richmond, Virginia and local exhibitions of Asian Art.
CHANEL FOUNDATION
Chanel’s Culture and Sport program seeks to promote women’s “access to sports and cultural activities as a means for personal expression, the development of social skills and professional integration.”
JAMES H. CLARK FOUNDATION
The Clark Charitable Foundation’s main recipient in the area of arts and culture is the Perlman Music Program, a summer music intensive for gifted young musicians based on Shelter Island.
STEVEN AND ALEXANDRA COHEN FOUNDATION
This foundation invests in the visual arts and arts education.
CROSSCURRENTS FOUNDATION
CrossCurrents’ funding for arts and culture covers the gamut from arts organizations and museums to film and arts festivals.
NATHAN CUMMINGS FOUNDATION
This foundation’s grantmaking for arts and culture is conducted through a racial justice lens.
DALIO PHILANTHROPIES
Dalio’s Arts Community and the Arts initiative configures the arts as central to the building of healthy communities.
SHELBY CULLOM DAVIS CHARITABLE FUND
Arts and culture grantmaking often addresses visual arts, dance and historic preservation.
DEER CREEK FOUNDATION
Deer Creek’s arts and culture grantmaking is limited to the St. Louis area, and grants mainly go to public media outlets.
DEVON CREEK FOUNDATION
Devon Creek’s arts initiative is one of its smallest and overlaps significantly with its civic engagement funding.
DELMAS FOUNDATION
Delmas’s arts and culture funding stems mainly from its performing arts grantmaking program, which focuses on dance, music and theater in New York City.
DELUXE CORPORATION FOUNDATION
While this funder does not name arts and culture as an area of interest, it regularly supports many small, community-based performing arts organizations.
DEUTSCHE BANK AMERICAS
Deutsche Bank supports arts and culture through its community arts grants, music initiatives and sponsorships of arts organizations.
WILLIAM H. DONNER FOUNDATION
Arts and culture comprise the foundation’s smallest area of giving, but Donner gives to a broad range of organizations, museums and venues in the visual and performing arts.
DORIS DUKE FOUNDATION
The foundation’s arts and culture grantmaking comprises the foundation’s largest area of giving.
ECOLAB FOUNDATION
Despite investing heavily in the environment and sciences, this is a well-rounded funder whose arts and culture grantmaking range widely and flow through a dedicated program.
EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION OF AMERICA
EFA broadly invests in the arts through its Creative Placemaking program, which works in partnership with “identified communities to make long-term change through arts and culture.”
EMBREY FAMILY FOUNDATION
The Embrey Family Foundation supports theater productions, film and other arts organizations across the United States.
MOSES FELDMAN FAMILY FOUNDATION
This international funder’s arts grants support arts organized based in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania only, particularly in the performing and visual arts.
FIDELITY FOUNDATION
Fidelity does not state priorities for its arts and culture giving; however, it has given to performing arts, theater, music and visual arts organizations.
MAX AND MARJORIE FISHER FOUNDATION
This foundation’s giving for arts and culture focuses on providing children and youth with “enrichment, exposure, and instruction in arts and culture.”
FORD MOTOR COMPANY FUND
Ford Motor’s grants for arts and culture work to “bring communities together to share experiences, understand and preserve their heritage, and celebrate traditions” through projects and programs that support family-friendly activities.
FOSTER FOUNDATION
The Foster Foundation’s Community Engagement grantmaking primarily centers around support for artistic and cultural institutions in the Pacific Northwest.
WALLACE ALEXANDER GERBODE FOUNDATION
This foundation’s arts and culture grantmaking funds music, dance and theater.
GETTY FOUNDATION
The Getty Foundation is an iconic funder of the arts, from arts research to visual arts.
GILDER FOUNDATION
Gilder’s arts and culture grantmaking prioritizes history museums and historical preservation.
GIVE2ASIA
Give2Asia funds a range of visual arts, performing arts and media organizations in China, Cambodia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
T.S. AND K.D. GLIDE FOUNDATION
Glide’s giving for arts and culture is limited, but tends to focus on music education and classical music.
GRAINGER
This is a limited area of funding for Grainger and interests remain broad, as well as generally focused on Chicago.
GRAND CIRCLE FOUNDATION
Grand Circle’s modest giving for arts and culture generally supports historical preservation projects involving buildings, artifacts, cultures or traditions.
GREEN FAMILY FOUNDATION
Arts and culture grantmaking centers on supporting youth programs that encourage young people to express themselves.
HALLORAN PHILANTHROPIES
Halloran Philanthropies support performing arts institutions and nonprofits mainly in the greater Philadelphia area.
IRVING HARRIS FOUNDATION
The foundation’s arts and culture unrestricted grants work to promote “an environment where artists have the opportunity to create works that shift expectations, provide social and political context through creative acts, and contribute to new ways of experiencing the world.”
HEARST FOUNDATIONS
The Hearst Foundations’ culture funding emphasizes projects and organizations that aim to support developing artists and expose underserved communities to the arts as both audiences and participants.
HEINZ ENDOWMENTS
The Heinz Endowments’ Creativity strategic area is its oldest program department, primarily aimed at supporting cultural institutions in downtown Pittsburgh and its surroundings. Much funding here invests in BIPOC artists and programs.
WILLIAM AND FLORA HEWLETT FOUNDATION
Hewlett’s grantmaking for the arts is extensive and often clusters in the Bay Area, but occurs nationally.
HOFFEN FAMILY FOUNDATION
The New York City-based Hoffen Family Foundation supports Jewish causes, higher education and arts and culture. Grantmaking prioritizes the New York City area.
CHARLES EVANS HUGHES MEMORIAL FOUNDATION
The foundation’s current priorities are music, dance and historic preservation.
VIOLET JABARA CHARITABLE TRUST
Jabara funds U.S. organizations that promote a deeper understanding of Middle East issues and culture within the U.S. This support extends to arts and culture organizations that span various fields.
KAHLE-AUSTIN FOUNDATION
This funder’s grants for the arts center on books arts.
J.M. KAPLAN FUND
The Kaplan Fund’s heritage conservation program is committed to “preserving and conserving cultural heritage.”
DAVID KOCH FOUNDATION
The David Koch Foundation has broadly supported major performing arts institutions and museums in New York City and beyond.
ROBERT P. AND ARLENE R. KOGOD FAMILY FOUNDATION
The Robert P. and Arlene R. Kogod Family Foundation supports Jewish causes, arts and culture, education, youth and health in the Washington, DC area and beyond.
KOVNER FOUNDATION
The Kovner Foundation are deeply involved in the New York City art scene, as well as funding the performing arts.
KRESGE FOUNDATION
Kresge’s Arts and Culture grants support organizations and programs that contribute to community revitalization and work to end systemic racism and inequality.
EUGENE M. LANG FOUNDATION
The Eugene M. Lang Foundation broadly supports arts and culture through its giving for arts and preservation.
LAUDER FOUNDATION
While the Lauder Foundation does not outline its grantmaking priorities in the areas of arts and culture, tax filings suggest a strong interest in this areas, with recent grantees representing a broad range of performing arts, visual arts and other cultural organizations in New York.
LEAR FAMILY FOUNDATION
In addition to its grants for film and theater, the Lear Family Foundation supports a few organizations in visual arts, music and dance each year.
LEON LEVY FOUNDATION
Arts and culture funding stems from the Leon Levy Foundation’s ancient world, arts and humanities and nature and gardens initiatives.
PHILIP AND JANICE LEVIN FOUNDATION
The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation’s largest area of giving is arts and culture. Other grantmaking interests include higher education, health, civic engagement and Jewish causes.
REVA AND DAVID LOGAN FOUNDATION
The Logan Foundation’s arts funding mainly supports organizations in Chicago, but a few organizations in other parts of the U.S. have received grants.
MACY’S INC.
Macy’s has a long history of broadly supporting arts and culture programs.
MILAGRO FOUNDATION
The Milagro Foundation works in the arts, education and health, prioritizing vulnerable children and youth around the world and the Bay Area.
MILTON AND TAMAR MALTZ FAMILY FOUNDATION
The Milton and Tamar Maltz Family Foundation supports arts, health, human services, medical research, education and the environment in Ohio and other places of interest to the family.
CHARLOTTE MARTIN FOUNDATION
The Youth program’s support for culture “includes art, music, dance, literature, theater, ethnic and regional heritage.”
MATISSE FOUNDATION
Arts education is the Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation’s largest area of giving, which often centers on programs and projects in New York City.
MCKNIGHT FOUNDATION
McKnight’s Arts program supports local Minnesota artists, who “nurture […] cultural identities, imagine solutions, and catalyze social change” through a variety of funding programs.
ANDREW W. MELLON FOUNDATION
Grantmaking focuses on “exceptional creative practice, scholarship, and conservation of arts and culture, while nurturing a representative and robust arts and culture ecosystem.”
METLIFE FOUNDATION
While the arts are not a stated priority of the MetLife Foundation, it does award several grants in this field each year, primarily to institutions in New York City.
MINDEROO FOUNDATION
This Australian foundation gives to arts and culture internationally.
AMBROSE MONELL FOUNDATION
The foundation’s support for arts and culture is broad and covers a wide range of larger performing and visual arts institutions.
MORRISON & FOERSTER FOUNDATION
Morrison & Foerster’s grantmaking in this space tends to support established arts organizations across the arts spectrum rather than prioritizing funding within one arts category.
MOZILLA FOUNDATION
Mozilla launched its Creative Media Awards program in 2021, committing $258,300 to support “artists and technologists who explore, interrogate, and reimagine the role of data in AI systems.” In 2022, the program funded 10 projects, but it is unclear if funding for this program will continue beyond this cohort of grantees.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LATINO ARTS AND CULTURES
NALAC supports Latino artists and arts organizations, prioritizing programs and projects with a social justice focus.
NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
The NEA makes competitive grants across the arts to artists and organizations based in the US.
NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES
NEH grants support “cultural institutions, such as museums, archives, libraries, colleges, universities, public television, and radio stations, and to individual scholars.”
YOUNES & SORAYA NAZARIAN FAMILY FOUNDATION
The foundation's Los Angeles grantmaking supports educational causes, as well as policy, the arts, and more. The Nazarians are strong supporters of Jewish causes, which informs the work the family does both in L.A. and Israel.
NEW COMMUNITY FUND
The New Community Fund’s grants for the arts generally prioritize contemporary works that present “new ways of conceiving and presenting current experience,” as well as projects that promote outreach and engagement with local communities.
NORDSON FOUNDATION
Nordson’s arts and culture grantmaking prioritizes programs organizations that “actively seek to broaden the audience bases in Nordson communities,” “promote greater understanding among people via the arts,” and provide “educational enrichment for students” and “motivation for at-risk youth.” Grantmaking invests in the performing arts.
PAULSON FAMILY FOUNDATION
This funder’s arts giving tends to prioritize New York City, but benefits museums and cultural institutions all over the world.
PERELMAN FAMILY FOUNDATION
The Perelman Family Foundation and the Perelman Family Charitable Trust represent the philanthropy of the billionaire Ronald O. Perelman. Giving encompasses higher education, health, diseases, Jewish causes, arts and culture and mental health.
PNC FOUNDATION
The PNC Foundation established its arts initiative, Arts Alive, in 2009. The initiative supports arts and culture initiatives that benefit the communities served by its parent company and periodically selects different geographic areas as the focus of its grantmaking.
POLLINATION PROJECT
The Pollination Project’s arts funding stems from its Artistic Expression and Creative Communities program, which aims to support arts education, activist art and art therapy programs.
IRWIN ANDREW PORTER FOUNDATION
Porter broadly funds the arts. Recent interests include the intersection between the arts and mental health.
TINA & STEVE PRICE CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
The Tina & Steven Price Charitable Foundation is the philanthropic vehicle of New York area couple Steven and Tina Price. The foundation strongly supports the Jewish community in New York City. Other interests include the arts, education and health. Philanthropy largely tracks with the family’s personal ties and board memberships.
JOHN PRITZKER FAMILY FUND
The John Pritzker Family Fund’s focus areas are mental health and healthcare, democracy and civic health, Jewish life and the arts. This funder supports organizations in the U.S. and Israel, with a strong focus on the San Francisco Bay Area.
JANE AND DANIEL OCH FAMILY FOUNDATION
The Jane and Daniel Och Family Foundation supports public health, disease research, Jewish causes, arts and culture, education and work and opportunity with a strong focus on the greater New York City area.
SIGRID RAUSING TRUST
The Trust’s grants for the arts supports organizations that operate “at the intersection of arts and human rights, social justice and conservation.”
DAVID ROCKEFELLER FUND
Rockefeller supports music, film, arts education and theater organizations across the country.
ROSENKRANZ FOUNDATION
This funder’s arts grants tend to prioritize Asian art and video art.
SABAN FAMILY FOUNDATION
The Saban Family Foundation strongly support Jewish organizations in Israel and the U.S. Other areas of interest include health, the greater Los Angeles area and, to a lesser extent, arts and culture.
SCHMIDT OCEAN INSTITUTE
The Schmidt Ocean Institute’s Artist-at-Sea program is a unique opportunity for professional and student artists to “work together with scientists and crew to take inspiration from the research occurring aboard Falkor.”
SHAPIRO-SILVERBERG FOUNDATION
The Shapiro-Silverberg Foundation supports organizations that operate in New York City and across the United States. Its grants focus on Jewish causes, education and youth, arts and culture, human services, and health.
ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION
Sloan’s Public Understanding funding program names books, film and theater as areas of interest. Grantmaking in these areas also focuses on themes of science and technology in works of fiction and nonfiction.
JENNIFER AND JONATHAN ALLEN SOROS FOUNDATION
The majority of the Jennifer and Jonathan Allen Soros Foundation’s grantmaking for arts and culture takes the form of donations to major cultural institutions and arts groups.
JUDY AND MICHAEL STEINHARDT FOUNDATION
The Judy and Michael Steinhardt Foundation is the philanthropic vehicle of American billionaire hedge fund manager Michael Steinhardt. The foundation strongly supports the Jewish community and other causes in New York City. Its grantmaking focuses on Jewish Causes, Education, Health, Arts & Culture, and the New York City Community.
STRANAHAN FOUNDATION
It prioritizes groups that “reach out to and include those who might not otherwise have such opportunities,” especially those that “directly engage participants, of any age, in the creative process.”
TAUBE PHILANTHROPIES
Taube, which consists of two separate foundations, gives to established arts organizations from universities to museums.
TAWANI FOUNDATION
The foundation’s cultural institutions and preservation initiative runs sub programs for historical preservation of national architectural and cultural heritage and for cultural institutions in the Chicago area.
TEXTRON CHARITABLE TRUST
Textron’s arts and culture grants focus on outreach programs that “enhance learning and target low- and moderate-income individuals.”
TIGER BARON FOUNDATION
Arts and culture are Tiger Baron’s largest areas of giving, and the foundation has demonstrated a strong commitment to supporting the performing arts and a broad range of museums.
FLORA L. THORNTON FOUNDATION
Arts and culture, with an emphasis on music and the performing arts, are significant investments for this funder.
TURING FOUNDATION
Turing’s arts funding supports the visual and performing arts in the Netherlands.
U.S. BANCORP FOUNDATION
The foundation supports access to artistic and cultural programming and arts education in local communities through its Play Grants program.
WAGNER FOUNDATION
The Wagner Foundation’s Cultural Transformation grantmaking is committed to “encouraging visionary individuals, as well as arts institutions that expand cultural access.” It particularly prioritizes work involving “disadvantaged groups questioning fundamental issues impacting their lives.”
THE WALLACE FOUNDATION
The Wallace Foundation supports K-12 education and the arts, as well as research on best practices and organizational effectiveness. Recent areas of specific interest have included out-of-school learning and arts organizations of color.
WHITING FOUNDATION
In addition to creative writing and humanities research grants, this funder also invests internationally in the preservation and dissemination of Cultural Heritage.
ZEGAR FAMILY FOUNDATION
Zegar’s work related to arts, culture and heritage supports organizations “contributing to societal enrichment through the arts, historical education, preservation of our national and global heritage and other cultural programs.”
