Foundation for Arts Initiatives
Foundation for Arts Initiatives (FfAI) is a private foundation based in New York, NY. It supports operations, projects, and research for new and alternative forms of institutions active in visual art and culture, and provides grants to individuals for self-directed research and related travel.
Key facts about Foundation for Arts Initiatives
In short: Foundation for Arts Initiatives gave $1.0M across 60 grants in 2025 (avg $17K), top state New York. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 98-6000319
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,000,000
- Grants made (2025)
- 60
- Average grant
- $16,667
- Median grant
- $7,500
- Total assets
- $32,961,545
- Primary geography
- New York (7% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to apply
- The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$33.0M
+2.3% YoY
Annual Giving
$1.0M
-16.9% YoY
Grant Count
60
-7.7% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$17K
-10.0% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Foundation for Arts Initiatives reported a distributable amount of $1.5M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
How Foundation for Arts Initiatives gives
- Giving fell 33% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 93% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
FfAI’s recent grants have focused on research and practices addressing culture wars, the erosion of rights, censorship, and other conditions of constraint. Its stated areas of concern for individual research grants include alternative forms of institutionality, the redefinition and use of archives, new applications for the commons, and dynamic definitions of community, connectivity, and solidarity.
Among its 2025 grantees, Arab Image Foundation Inc describes its mission as forging new pathways for photography and image practices from the Middle East, North Africa, and the Arab diaspora.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, FfAI reported 60 grants totaling $1,000,000. Awards ranged from $5,000 to $60,000, with a median grant of $7,500. Examples include $60,000 to The Lebanese Association for Plastic Arts Ashkal Alwan for institutional support; $50,000 to Decolonizing Architecture Art Residency for general activities and program support; $50,000 to Institute of Radical Imagination for institutional support; and $30,000 each to Arab Image Foundation Inc and Dar Jacir for general activities and program support.
How to Apply
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Its website says that those whose plans fit its current focus may submit an online inquiry. Submitting an inquiry requires creating a login and providing a summary of no more than 500 characters, a description of no more than 1,800 characters, and a funding timeframe. Institutional inquiries must state the total amount needed in U.S. dollars; the amount for an individual grant inquiry is set at US$10,000. Images, files, and other materials cannot be submitted with an inquiry.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant-dollar distribution lists 91% for an unspecified recipient state, 7% for New York, and 2% for Michigan. The listed grants include recipients with unspecified locations as well as organizations in Brooklyn and New York, NY.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 60 itemized grants.
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.0M (2025) to $1.7M (2020). In 2025 it made 60 grants totaling $1.0M.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Lebanese Association for Plastic Arts Ashkal Alwan ($90K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $405K.
Organizations only. It also paid 31 grants to individuals ($232,500), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
348 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 312 grants of 348 (90%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Lebanese Association for Plastic Arts Ashkal Alwan | Institutional Support | $60,000 |
| Decolonizing Architecture Art Residency | General Activities and Program Support | $50,000 |
| Institute of Radical Imagination | Institutional Support | $50,000 |
| Am Qattan Foundation | 28 Magazine General Activities and Programs | $35,000 |
| Al Ma'mal Foundation for Contemporary Art | Institutional Support | $30,000 |
| Arab Image Foundation Inc Brooklyn, NY | General Activities and Program Support | $30,000 |
| Critical Art and Media Practices | New Directions for Annotated Footage Archive Pad.ma | $30,000 |
| Dar Jacir New York, NY | General Activities and Program Support | $30,000 |
| Espacio De Investigaciones Feministas | General Activities and Program Support | $30,000 |
| Instituto Cultural Israelita Brasileiro | CASA Do Povo General Activities and Programs | $30,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grant total | Grant count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $32,961,545 | $2,298,123 | $1,703,329 | $1,000,000 | 60 |
| 2024 | $32,215,566 | $1,050,934 | $1,916,969 | $1,203,500 | 65 |
| 2023 | $30,010,208 | -$550,507 | $1,954,321 | $1,426,000 | 69 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $32,961,545 | $32,215,566 | $30,010,208 |
| Revenue | $2,298,123 | $1,050,934 | $-550,507 |
| Expenses | $1,703,329 | $1,916,969 | $1,954,321 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $1,436,897 | $1,685,427 | $1,945,582 |
| Net Investment Income | $2,099,742 | $854,895 | $412,360 |
| Distributable Amount | $1,549,169 | $1,479,777 | $1,443,182 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Vasif Kortun as chairperson, treasurer, and board member. Board members listed are Manuel J Borja-Villel, Zoe Butt, Frederick B Henry, Koyo Kouoh (through May 10, 2025), Maria Lind, Alessandro Petti, Ann Philbin, Sabina Sabolovic, and William Wells.
Foundation for Arts Initiatives is led by Vasif Kortun, Chairperson, Treasurer & Board Member since 2022 (on filings since 2020); 10 of 11 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Vasif Kortun
Chairperson, Treasurer & Board Member
Chairman, Treasurer & Board Member → Chairperson, Treasurer & Board Member, 2022
On filings since 2020
20 hrs/week
$4K (2020) → $15K (2025)
Alessandro Petti
Board Member
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
$3K (2020) → $10K (2025)
Ann Philbin
Board Member
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
$3K (2020) → $10K (2025)
Frederick B. Henry
Board Member
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
$3K (2020) → $10K (2025)
Joan Weakley
Secretary
On filings since 2020
50 hrs/week
$138K (2020) → $138K (2025)
Manuel J. Borja-Villel
Board Member
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
$3K (2020) → $10K (2025)
Maria Lind
Board Member
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
$3K (2020) → $10K (2025)
Sabina Sabolovic
Board Member
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
$3K (2020) → $10K (2025)
William Wells
Board Member
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
$3K (2020) → $10K (2025)
Zoe Butt
Board Member
On filings since 2023
5 hrs/week
$5K (2023) → $10K (2025)
Koyo Kouoh
Board Member
On filings since 2024
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Claire Hsu (2020–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Christophe Girard (2020) — Board Member
- Former: Marie-Claude Beaud (2020) — Board Member
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $138K, to Joan Weakley (Secretary). 10 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Contact
Mailing address: 375 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10013
Phone: (212) 267-8334
Website: https://apply.ffaiarts.net
Frequently asked questions about Foundation for Arts Initiatives
How much does Foundation for Arts Initiatives give each year?
Foundation for Arts Initiatives gave $1.0M across 60 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.2M across 65 grants.
What is Foundation for Arts Initiatives's typical grant size?
Foundation for Arts Initiatives's median grant in 2025 was $7,500, and its average grant was $16,667, across 60 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Foundation for Arts Initiatives give grants?
Foundation for Arts Initiatives's top state is New York, with 7% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Does Foundation for Arts Initiatives give general operating support?
Yes: 25% of Foundation for Arts Initiatives's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (15 of 60) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Fund for Arts Research Grant" (32 grants) and "Institutional Support" (3 grants).
Who are Foundation for Arts Initiatives's largest grantees?
Foundation for Arts Initiatives's largest 2025 grantees include The Lebanese Association for Plastic Arts Ashkal Alwan ($90,000 across 2 grants), Decolonizing Architecture Art Residency ($50,000) and Institute of Radical Imagination ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 31 grants to individuals ($232,500), which are not listed by name. Together they received 19% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Foundation for Arts Initiatives?
Foundation for Arts Initiatives reported $33.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.4M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.5M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Foundation for Arts Initiatives fund?
FfAI’s recent grants have focused on research and practices addressing culture wars, the erosion of rights, censorship, and other conditions of constraint. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Foundation for Arts Initiatives?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Foundation for Arts Initiatives's EIN?
Foundation for Arts Initiatives's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 98-6000319. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Foundation for Arts Initiatives accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
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