Thoma Foundation: Collections-Related Grants

The Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation provides a variety of grants related to Thoma’s art collections areas for individuals and nonprofits. Through these programs, the Foundation seeks to heighten public interest and awareness, fuel innovative scholarship, and promote dynamic partnerships and promising insights in the fields of art and art history.

There are typically three yearly grant cycles for bold proposals that align with Thoma’s collections areas and artists. The Foundation’s collections areas include: Art of the Spanish Americas, Digital & Media Art, Japanese Bamboo, and Post-War Painting & Sculpture. The Foundation also welcomes requests pertaining to the arts and culture of the American Southwest.

The Foundation values long-term relationships with grantees and encourages applicants to reach out at any stage of the application process. The Foundation prefers 12 months’ notice before the start of a project. If an organization has not previously worked with the Thoma Foundation, they are encouraged to reach out to the grants team in advance of applying to discuss their proposed project.

Projects supported through the Collections-Related Grants for Nonprofits fall within one or more of the following categories:

• Exhibitions—The Foundation seeks to learn about exhibitions that are slated to open in mid-2023 through 2024, welcoming the opportunity to become an early funder of landmark exhibitions that relate to Thoma’s collections, and which significantly raise the public profile of those genres while also advancing art historical scholarship. Historically, Thoma has cultivated strong relationships with medium-size museums across the country that reach a diverse regional audience and value innovative curation. Exhibition funding can include development, scholarship, construction, outreach, traveling costs, admissions subsidies, and more.
• Convenings—Thoma funds academic conferences and workshops that will significantly advance the fields of art scholarship related to its collections. Applicants are encouraged to familiarize themselves with industry standards for honoraria and per diems in advance of creating a convening budget.
• Academic—Research, travel, manuscript development, hiring research assistants, equipment, etc. to support original scholarship related to collection areas. Academic projects should culminate in a clear final deliverable such as a book manuscript or peer-reviewed article.
• Exhibition Catalog Support—In conjunction with exhibition support, Thoma supports development, research, and publication costs associated with museum catalogs relating to artists in Thoma’s collection.

Amount: Award amounts are unspecified, but recent awards indicate a range of $25,000–$1,000,000, for single- or multi-year project periods.

Eligibility: 501(c)(3) organizations, fiscally sponsored organizations, and university departments are eligible. Applicants from across the United States are eligible, with particular interest in target regions which include Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, with particular emphasis on rural and nonmetro institutions and organizations from within those states. For projects related to Thoma’s Art of the Spanish Americas collection, international projects may be funded.

Link: https://grants.thomafoundation.org/

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