The Milwaukee-based Ruth Foundation for the Arts has announced the launch of grantmaking programs as well as its latest grants totaling $11.5 million.

In addition to its new Thought Leaders and Core Grant programs, the foundation introduced the Ruth DeYoung Kohler (RDK) Legacy Fund, mirroring the support DeYoung Kohler provided arts institutions throughout her lifetime. The Core Grant program awards grants of approximately $50,000 to each of 84 nonprofit arts organizations—$4.5 million in total. The one-year program builds out the foundation’s programmatic scope and geographic reach. The multiyear Thought Leaders awards a total of $4.5 million in funding to 14 nonprofit arts organizations, with each slated to receive approximately $300,000 over three years. The RDK Legacy Fund will provide $2.5 million annually to as many as 40 organizations.

To date, the foundation has awarded a total of $12.75 million in its first year of grantmaking, including funds through its Artist Choice Grant program, announced earlier this year.

“These programs are at once forward-facing and anchored in Ruth DeYoung Kohler II’s inimitable legacy,” said Ruth Foundation executive director Karen Patterson. “We’re proud to honor Ruth’s lifelong commitment to the arts by continuing to fund the organizations she personally supported, and to develop new programs in her spirit of experimentation and community-building.” 

(Photo credit: Getty Images/valentinrussanov)