Samuel H. Kress Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Samuel H. Kress Foundation does not have a large endowment, but its support of scholarly work in the field of art history is robust. The foundation generally awards a few million dollars annually in the form of research grants and fellowships in art history, art conservation, and digital resources.
IP TAKE: While the foundation was created in 1929, the founder’s origins go back to the heady years of the American Civil War, and that’s where the foundation’s interests stop. Arts grantseekers looking to fund a project focused on the twentieth century or later will want to look elsewhere, as will those looking for support for art created outside of Europe. The foundation is both accessible and transparent; its application process is comprehensive—3 to 5 pages, plus color illustrations, if possible. Higher education projects likely face stiff competition.
PROFILE: Founded in 1929, the Samuel H. Kress Foundation supports “the work of individuals and institutions engaged with the appreciation, interpretation, preservation, study and teaching of the history of European art and architecture from antiquity to the dawn of the modern era.”
Grants for Humanities Research
The foundation’s grantmaking programs are the history of art, conservation and digital art history.
The foundation’s history of art program supports “scholarly projects that will enhance the understanding and appreciation of European art and architecture.” Projects receiving past support include everything from museum exhibitions to technical and scientific studies.
The conservation program supports the “professional practice of art conservation, including conservation research, scholarly publications, international conferences and symposia.”
Kress's digital art history program supports the integration of “new technologies into the practice of art history and the creation of important online resources in art history, including both textual and visual resources.” The main objective of the program is “to foster new forms of research and collaboration as well as new approaches to teaching and learning,” though a variety of other projects may also receive funding.
In addition to institutional grants, Kress also awards annual fellowships in art history, conservation and interpretation. Each fellowship selects six winners who pursue one- or two-year projects at select institutions. As with the foundation’s grants, the largest share of funding is directed toward the field of art history.
Important Grant Details:
Kress’s grants generally range from $5,000 to $45,000. The foundation provides a “representative sample” of past grants dating back to 2006, while full listings of previous years' awards are available in the foundation’s annual reports.
Applications for funding are program-specific, and can be found under the appropriate heading of the foundation’s application page.
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