Find Nonprofit and Small Business Grants

Awards to USA curators or curatorial teams in partnership with an established nonprofit exhibition space, such as a traditional gallery or museum, or an alternative nonprofit venue for thematic contemporary art exhibitions. Funding is intended to provide support for exhibitions at the beginning stage of their development and to offer the curator the support needed to fully explore a concept and realize an exhibition.

The proposal should be for a strong, thematic exhibition that puts the works of contemporary art and/or architecture in a new or unconventional aesthetic, historical, cultural, and/or social framework. Applicants are encouraged to think expansively and challenge conventional thought through the exploration of critical ideas in the context of contemporary art.

The Exhibition Award includes four components:
- Core Exhibition and Publication
- Living Artist Honorariums
- Enhanced Engagement Fund
- Post-Opening Opportunity Fund

Core Exhibition and Publication
The core exhibition funding ranges from $50,000-$150,000, depending on the amount requested by the applicant. Core funding is intended to support the following items:
- Opportunities for a curator (or multiple curators) to research and fully explore a concept.
- Full development and opening of a thematic exhibition that put the works of contemporary art and/or architecture in a new or unconventional aesthetic, or in historical, cultural, and/or social frameworks that challenge conventional thought.
- Commission new works for the exhibition.

Living Artists Honorariums (existing works)
- In honor of Emily Hall Tremaine’s dedication to supporting living artists, the Foundation will make available up to $10,000 for the exhibiting institution to provide direct benefits to living artists lending, installing, or in any other way showing their existing work in the exhibition.
- The suggested structure is to provide $1,000 per artist or per artist collaborative or artist collective (regardless of the number of pieces involved). The living artist support may be combined with artist fees or any other payments made related to securing existing works.
- Note 1: Because exhibitions proposals will be in early conceptual stages, the estimate of existing work and living artist supports will be finalized when the final exhibition checklist is submitted. In addition, the Foundation will issue a single check for the total amount of living artist supports to the exhibiting institution. After the opening, the exhibiting institution, in accordance with any and all IRS regulations, is responsible for distributing the living artist supports to each artist, artist collaborative, and/or artist collective whose existing work is exhibited.
- Note 2: Curators commissioning new work for an exhibition should reflect associated commissioning fees in the Core Exhibition budget line (under artists).

Enhanced Engagement Fund
- Up to $20,000 is designated to elevate the exhibition reach beyond the institution’s standard marketing/outreach. Uses may include interactive websites, 3D online tours, video documentation, etc.

Post-Opening Opportunity Fund
This $20,000 fund can be utilized for unbudgeted, post-opening opportunities that further impact and social discourse. For example, based on feedback, additional talks may be scheduled that require artists to travel to the institution, hours may be extended, more community or school groups can be underwritten, etc.

Review Criteria:
- Intellectual quality of the proposal's premise
- Degree of innovation
- Distinction from other major art exhibitions either planned or mounted within the last 15 years with a similar topic
- Potential for both professional and public impact
- Feasibility of implementation
- Quality and excellence of the works of art to be included
- Capacity of the exhibition space to physically accomplish the vision of the concept.

Whether the curator is on-staff or contracted for the exhibition, the research for an exhibition is a valid expense.