Environment and Culture Partners (ECP), a non-profit organisation dedicated to strengthening and broadening the environmental leadership of the cultural sector, is celebrating the announcement that The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation has granted $3.3 million in grants to 69 arts organisations throughout the US as part of the fourth cycle of the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative (FCI).
FCI is dedicated to advancing climate action in the visual arts. It funds a wide range of transformative energy-efficiency and environmental sustainability projects that assist arts organisations in assessing, developing, and implementing plans to reduce environmental impacts and operational costs while also promoting clean energy generation.
Supporting climate action
Founded in 2021, the FCI has since expanded its impact and reach with oversight from its creator the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation in collaboration with RMI and Environment & Culture Partners. Its eligibility criteria have broadened and funding has consecutively increased, from a first pledge of $5m to its current $15m commitment.
FCI was one of the earliest grantmaking efforts to promote energy efficiency and clean energy generation in art organisations. It now supports projects at over 200 institutions in 37 US states.
Image: Akron Art Museum Exterior with 1899 Building Akron, Ohio. Photo Credit Akron Art Museum.
Sarah Sutton, CEO of Environment & Culture Partners, says: “Thanks to the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative, we’re already seeing significant and lasting changes within the industry. The level of knowledge demonstrated by this year’s awardees indicates a higher baseline of clean energy understanding and capabilities as compared to a few years ago.
“Their projects not only reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions and operating costs, they often incorporate components that also benefited their communities. Some are able to make ticket prices or artists’ costs more affordable, others are expanding offerings without increasing emissions, and some are planning for disaster resilience in ways that benefit their neighborhoods.”
Groundbreaking initiatives
The 2024 cohort of grantees also includes the inaugural recipients of the Catalyst Grant, which provides support to short-term projects for organisations at the beginning of their climate action journey. Across the US, the 2024 beneficiaries vary in size, scale, and mission and include non-collecting institutions, museums, community art centres, art schools and university museums, nonprofits, and others.
Grantees include Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, New Museum in New York, The Chinati Foundation in Texas, Rhode Island School of Design, Racing Magpie in South Dakota, New Mexico Highlands University Foundation, The Kitchen in New York, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, The Swiss Institute in New York, Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York, Seattle Art Museum, National Nordic Museum in Washington, MoMA PS1 in New York, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico, and more.
Image: SMHF Archive building exterior with green roof in view, in autumn. Image credit Yoshio Futagawa.
Lise Motherwell, chair of the Board of Directors of the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, says: “The Foundation is delighted with the advancements in environmental sustainability spearheaded by our partners through the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative. With its newest round of grantees, FCI has supported over two hundred visual arts organizations to date and is leading the way in tangible climate action.”
“Over the last four years, FCI grantees have developed and implemented groundbreaking climate focused initiatives, inspiring a surge in applications and more ambitious projects,” adds Elizabeth Smith, executive director of the Foundation. “Extending the Foundation’s full range of grantmaking activities, FCI upholds Helen Frankenthaler’s legacy and cultivates a future where our peer organizations in the visual arts lead the way in creating a more sustainable world.”
Jon Creyts, CEO of RMI, says: “The Frankenthaler Climate Initiative continues to enable an extraordinary shift in how arts organizations act on climate. This year’s grantees are a testament to the ingenuity and commitment of many schools, museums, and other organizations that are embracing energy efficiency and clean energy technologies to reduce pollution, lower energy costs, and improve resilience.
“These projects are not just about installing super-efficient HVAC systems and solar microgrids; they are about showing what is possible when creativity and environmental responsibility intersect. RMI is proud to join the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation and Environment & Culture Partners in supporting this fourth cycle of FCI’s visionary leaders who prove that cultural organizations can be a powerful force for climate action and a model for others to follow.”
The future for arts & culture
The Frankenthaler Climate Initiative represents the Foundation’s commitment to preserving a dynamic arts and culture landscape by providing ongoing support for education, scholarship, and resiliency planning to assure the field’s long-term viability. This year’s grantees combine visual arts and education goals with a dedication to meaningful climate action.
These institutions are taking the following actions with FCI support:
Increased energy efficiency through the use of innovative new technologies and systems. The North Carolina Glass Center will use electric hot shops in its new education facility; the Flint Institute of Arts will replace electric steam humidifiers with new ultrasonic humidification units to regulate artwork storage conditions; and the Seattle Art Museum will ensure optimal energy efficiency in its building management system using automated and digitisation functions.
Advancing net-zero and carbon-neutral plans. For example, the California College of the Arts will aim for net-zero operations by implementing solar energy through a new microgrid system at its expanded San Francisco campus, MacDowell’s extensive artist studio renovations will advance its goal of becoming a carbon-neutral campus by 2045, and the Ellis-Beauregard Foundation will add a new battery system and solar panels as part of its net-zero building renovations.
Upgrading and refurbishing historic buildings with energy-efficient systems that are being repurposed for the arts. The Centre for Photography at Woodstock is rehabilitating an old cigar factory with an all-electric design, while KinoSaito is installing solar panels and HVAC units for its art storage facility to maintain net-zero status and safe temperatures for artwork.
Undertaking feasibility assessments and energy efficiency audits to identify opportunities for significant improvement. For example, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art is assessing how its 125-year-old building can reduce its carbon footprint and increase its on-site renewable energy generation, and Bakehouse Art Complex will conduct energy-use assessments for its 100-year-old historic building and produce recommendations to inform plans for a multi-million dollar renovation.
Image: Hunter Museum Lobby Overlooking Tennessee River. Image Courtesy of Hunter Museum of American Art.
To support the FCI’s commitment to aligning cultural sector practices with federally recognised energy standards, beneficiaries track and report their energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions with Energy Star Portfolio Manager, an industry-standard tool developed and administered by the EPA.
The application procedure for the next grantmaking cycle is anticipated to begin in Spring 2025.
Sarah Sutton, CEO at Environment and Culture Partners, recently spoke at greenloop 2024, blooloop’s online conference exploring sustainability in the attractions industry. In discussion with Nick Merriman, chief executive at English Heritage, the session explored how museums have responded to the climate crisis and considered how they can accelerate action and authentically amplify their influence.
Top image – Grantee: North Carolina Glass Center Project type: Implementation, Energy Efficiency Upgrades. Image: Glass Creation, Courtesy of North Carolina Glass Center.
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