The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation in New York City has announced grants totaling $5.1 million in support of energy efficiency and clean energy projects at art museums across the United States.

Launched in February by the foundation in partnership with RMI and Sustainable Museums, the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative aims to help address climate change by enabling cultural institutions to assess their impact on the environment and lower their energy costs. Inaugural scoping, technical assistance, and implementation grants of between $25,000 and $100,000 were awarded to seventy-nine visual arts institutions with annual budgets ranging from $1 million to nearly $500 million.

Recipients include the Met Cloisters ($50,000), the Museum of Arts and Design ($25,000), and the Seattle Art Museum ($50,000), which will replace end-of-life systems, bring existing buildings up to current standards, and respond to evolving state and local policies; the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum ($35,000), Museum of Modern Art ($50,000), and the Davis Museum at Wellesley College ($100,000), which will use the funds to meet their climate neutral commitments and other climate goals; and the California Indian Museum and Cultural Center ($100,000) and Museo de Arte de Ponce ($50,000), which will use the funds to prepare for and respond to climate-driven disasters.

The foundation also announced an additional $5 million commitment to the initiative — boosting its support to a total of $10 million — to fund additional grants to be awarded over the next two years.

For a complete list of inaugural grant recipients, see the Frankenthaler Foundation website.

(Photo credit: California Indian Museum and Cultural Center)