Henry Luce Foundation: American Art Program Responsive Grants

The Henry Luce Foundation's American Art Program offers responsive grants to support projects in art museums that encourage creative expression and public dialogue. These grants focus on projects that rejuvenate collections through diverse partnerships, especially in visual arts, including Native American art. The Foundation seeks innovative approaches to documentation and exhibitions while emphasizing ethical practices. Eligible applicants include U.S. not-for-profit organizations, with a history of providing over $1 billion in grants since 1936.

NOTE: Concept notes can be submitted at any time through our online portal.
About the Henry Luce Foundation
For more than 80 years, the Henry Luce Foundation has invested in knowledge makers and ensured that their work informs public discussion. Luce created Time magazine to disseminate the most important news, ideas, analysis, and criticism to a mass audience.
Today, the Luce Foundation carries on this work by supporting projects at universities, policy institutes, media organizations, and museums, among many others. What these organizations have in common is a commitment to putting knowledge in the hands of the individuals and communities that need access to it. Hundreds of organizations have received more than 5800 grants totaling more than $1 billion since the Foundation’s establishment in 1936.
Over that long history, the Foundation played critical roles in strengthening the field of Asian studies, encouraging interfaith dialogue, raising the visibility of American art in museums and in universities, and increasing participation by women in STEM research and teaching.
The Henry Luce Foundation believes that art museums are vital public knowledge organizations that serve as accessible forums for creative expression and public dialogue. Encouraging museums to center their collections in this work, the American Art Program’s Responsive grants support a wide range of projects that reconsider and reinvigorate collections through partnerships with diverse collaborators and communities.
What We’re Looking For
We welcome projects in the visual arts across all media and chronologies, including Native American art and cultural objects. Successful applicants will initiate or apply new research and fresh approaches to collection-focused documentation, publications, reinterpretation, reinstallations, and in-house or touring exhibitions. We encourage projects that address collection holdings that have been inadequately preserved, studied, shared, or presented. Preferred projects will exemplify ethical best practices, particularly with ethnically specific collections.

Eligibility

Typically, grants are made to U.S. not-for-profit organizations or their international equivalents.Grants are only made to institutions and cannot be made directly to individualsAn organization that has an active grant from one of the Foundation's programs should contact the program director before applying for a second grant from that same program.
There is no prohibition against an organization with an active grant from one program applying for a grant from a different program.

Ineligibility

Please note that proposals related to performance art, film (including documentaries), the creation of art, the purchase of art, and the work of emerging artists are not eligible for funding through the American Art program.The Foundation does not support healthcare, medical, disaster relief, or international development projects.
The Foundation does not provide support to political parties or political campaigns, or for lobbying or other political activities.
The Foundation does not contribute to annual funds, fundraising events, endowments, or building campaigns.