Wilhelm Family Foundation Grants

Overview

Mission

Our mission is to help expand artists’ access to resources by supporting organizations working to make creative expression, experimentation, public programming, and discourse accessible to all people, artists and non-artists alike. By supporting creative organizations and arts programming in diverse communities across the country, we hope to expand artistic practices of all kinds, deepen community engagement, further creative collaboration, and improve the quality of life of artists and all people.

We believe that equality, diversity, democracy, and environmental wellbeing are fundamental components of a healthy society and these tenants are what drive our work. We believe that self expression and creative collaboration not only empower people to better understand themselves, but that art is a powerful tool for representing diverse voices, experiences, cultures, and opinions.

The Foundation’s grantmaking practices focus on funding nonprofit arts organizations of all types and sizes. The Foundation is interested in organizations and programming that similarly prioritize diversity, inclusiveness, community, and freedom of speech. We’re especially interested in organizations that utilize art and programming to engage diverse, marginalized, at-risk, or underserved communities of all kinds. We strive to help secure the longevity of creative organizations, their staff, creative practices, programming, and community resources, particularly in areas where gentrification and/or Covid-19 has forced the displacement of artists, nonprofit art spaces, and other marginalized peoples.

The Wilhelm Family Foundation is a continuation of the philanthropic spirit of our founder, Donald Wilhelm, who believed that art has the power to transform humanity through individual self expression.

Grants

For this grant cycle, we will prioritize funding organizations and projects that use art to engage with issues related to the environment and/or climate change. This might manifest in any number of ways, such as activating community through programming that addresses climate issues in your area, ecology and sustainability in art projects and practice, just to name a few.

We strive to support organizations that align with our mission and values, that are community focused, and embody intersectional practices and disciplines. As such, we frequently support general operations, programming, and other broader grant types.

Generally, the Foundation’s grants are given to small (<$1.5 million annual budget) nonprofit organizations that use their staff, programming & resources to further dialog around creativity, cultural, environmental and social justice issues, towards the benefit of artists, as well as the communities in which they operate.

Eligibility

_You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website._

* To submit an application for funding, you must be an official representative or staff member of a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (as defined by the Internal Revenue Service), working in the arts, and towards a mission that aligns with the Wilhelm Family Foundation’s work.
* Nonprofit organizations working in the arts with current tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and which are not classified as a private foundation.
* Organizations without nonprofit status may apply for funding through a fiscal sponsor.
* An application for funding, and all accompanying documentation, must come directly from the fiscal sponsor.
* The Foundation will consider applications utilizing fiscal sponsorship on a case by-case basis, at the Board’s discretion, and may require further documentation regarding the partnership between the organization and its fiscal sponsor.
* The majority of our grants are awarded for a one-year period.
* We do consider applications for multi-year funding, though projects or programs seeking funding beyond two years are not usually granted.
* While the majority of our funding supports organizations in California, we welcome and fund applicants from across the United States.

Ineligibility

* The Foundation is not legally capable of making grants to:
* individuals,
* individual artists,
* to any type of religious organization,
* nor to funding a 501(c)3 that directly or indirectly participates in, or intervenes in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office.
* We do not typically fund exhibitions or capital campaigns.