The New York City-based Helen Frankenthaler Foundation has announced grants totaling $3 million in support of efforts to advance energy efficiency and clean energy projects at visual arts institutions across the United States.

Grants were awarded to 49 organization through the second cycle of the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative (FCI), which was launched in 2021 to address climate change through cultural institutions. This year, the initiative was expanded to include non-collecting visual arts organizations and art schools, and grants were divided to support scoping and technical assistance as well as implementation.

Recipients include the Museum of Modern Art, which will use its grant to develop its cold storage vault; the Storm King Art Center, which will support a range of sustainability efforts, including photovoltaics and makeup air units; MacDowell in Peterborough, New Hampshire, which will convert fossil fuel to clean electric; and Philadelphia Contemporary, in support of a floating gallery on a barge on the Delaware River Waterfront. In addition, funding will support preservation and conservation projects at the Center for Jewish History in New York City, the Kentucky Museum in Bowling Green, and the Cleveland Museum of Art; and to expand existing FCI commitments at the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, Connecticut, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

“The first round of FCI’s funding helped museums actualize climate neutrality commitments, prepare for and respond to climate-driven disasters, and create avenues to achieve long-term operational sustainability, among other key goals,” said Frankenthaler Foundation chair Lise Motherwell. “This second phase expands our reach and impact by advancing current projects in development and providing a new roster of visual art institutions with the support needed to meet their climate goals.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Liam Matter)