Elizabeth Smith and James Thomas Discuss the Latest Frankenthaler Climate Initiative Grantees

Late last month, the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation announced $3.3 million in grants through its Frankenthaler Climate Initiative (FCI), with the money going to sixty-nine visual arts institutions seeking to do their part to fight the effects of global warming. The latest Frankenthaler Climate Initiative grantees offer unique solutions to climate change—during an American election in which neither party is promising much in that regard—and Observer caught up with the foundation’s executive director Elizabeth Smith and deputy director James Thomas to hear more about them.

The link between climate and the visual arts is not immediately apparent. For those who aren’t familiar, what was the impetus behind the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative?

Elizabeth Smith: The initiative emerged organically from the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation’s philanthropic support for various COVID-19 relief efforts and projects focused on equity and inclusion in the arts—endeavors that began in 2020. As these grantmaking programs supported arts organizations as they addressed questions of risk, precarity and resilience, the Foundation considered how an energy-focused initiative could address climate change as one of the key longer-term, socially urgent issues of our time.

We launched FCI in 2021 in partnership with RMI and Environment & Culture Partners to tackle a critical gap in funding projects that addressed climate change within the visual arts—for example, reducing the greenhouse gas emissions produced by museums nationwide. FCI is rooted in the Foundation’s broader commitment to advancing social impact, accessibility, and sustainability within the field of visual arts.

Why is it important for arts organizations to lead the way on climate change?

Elizabeth Smith: We believe that the visual arts, and more broadly, the arts and culture sector, can and should play a leading role in addressing critical issues facing our global society. Arts organizations are inherently well-equipped for this task: they are mission-driven, educational and public-facing entities, deeply engaged in providing leadership to, and learning from, the communities they serve. Climate change poses an existential and tangible threat to everyone. To tackle this complex and ever-growing issue, arts organizations can play a pivotal leadership role by first demonstrating how sustainability can be embedded as a core aspect of institutional practice. Additionally, they can model how the arts and culture sector can collaborate with other fields, combining funding and knowledge resources to tangibly address climate change. We see this approach as catalytic, offering widespread impact in ways both tangible and practical, while also drawing critical public attention to one of the most pressing challenges of our era.

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FCI has expanded its impact and reach since its inception in 2021, with broadened eligibility criteria and consecutive increases in its funding over the years, from the initial $5 million pledge to the current $15 million commitment. Why did the program expand so quickly? Was this commensurate with demand for this kind of funding?

Elizabeth Smith: Yes, the rapid and ongoing expansion of FCI directly reflects the range, depth, and increasing number of applications we’ve received since the first call for proposals. The overwhelmingly positive response highlights a growing recognition across the visual arts and broader cultural sector that addressing climate change is essential to an organization’s sustainability, longevity and ability to support the communities it serves. We are continually inspired by the new energy efficiency initiatives emerging across the country with each grant cycle, and the ways in which the field’s awareness of climate action possibilities is continuously growing. These efforts remind us that while much progress has been made, there is still significant work to be done—and a growing eagerness to undertake it.

FCI now includes projects at over 200 institutions across thirty-seven states in the United States. What would you say has been the most common type of project you’ve funded?

James Thomas: At their core, FCI projects focus on increasing energy efficiency and generating clean energy. They also employ a standardized, federally-recognized framework for tracking and reporting energy consumption, which provides an accurate understanding of energy use while demonstrating how these projects can save energy—and money—over time. The funds saved from increasing energy efficiency are funneled back into organizations’ programming and making them more accessible to the communities they serve. Typical FCI grantee projects include upgrading windows, enhancing lighting or HVAC systems and transitioning from fossil fuel energy to solar or geothermal sources.

The initiative is structured to provide arts organizations with multiple entry points on their climate action journey. Early-phase grants support feasibility studies, energy audits and efficiency planning, while more advanced grants fund the implementation of transformative and complex projects that address an institution’s climate impact on multiple levels. These projects might involve constructing new energy-efficient buildings, renovating existing ones, or undertaking major capital campaigns that affect not only an institution’s carbon footprint but also its entire physical campus and surrounding neighborhoods.

Are there any projects in this round of funding that you’d like to highlight as particularly innovative? 

James Thomas: Much of the work funded by the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative is being considered in alignment with organization-wide strategy plans, local and city climate plans, capital campaigns, and programmatic aspects, impacting both historic and non-historic sites. In the latest round of funding, several projects exemplify innovative approaches to sustainability. The Bakehouse Art Complex in Miami, the Frist Art Museum in Nashville, and the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico in Santurce are each focusing on feasibility studies and energy assessments while integrating these efforts into broader organizational and community strategies as they begin their climate action journeys.

Meanwhile, Implementation projects by the North Carolina Glass Center, the Ellis-Beauregard Foundation, and the California College of the Arts (CCA) illustrate the impact of decisive, transformative initiatives. The North Carolina Glass Center plans to eliminate reliance on carbon-producing studio equipment, including switching to electric kilns and installing solar panels. The Ellis-Beauregard Foundation is installing solar panels and a battery system on its existing and new residency buildings, enabling them to achieve net-zero energy consumption by 2025. Meanwhile, CCA is expanding its San Francisco campus with “Double Ground,” a major project co-produced by Studio Gang, and which will feature a microgrid system designed to harvest and store solar energy—a plan that will meet over half of the campus’s energy needs while educating future creative leaders on sustainable practices. More information on this year’s grantees can be found here.

This year marks the inaugural cycle of Catalyst Grants. What’s the goal of these?

James Thomas: Catalyst grants meet a need we were seeing among applicants: first actions and stand-alone projects with a quick turnaround. These grants confer full funding to smaller-scale and shovel-ready efficiency projects that are being completed within six months. At the same time, our initial Catalyst Grantees also include several speculative projects that are examining energy use in ways that we could not have anticipated when we announced the category. For example, the New York-based Swiss Institute (SI) is using a Catalyst grant to produce “Energies,” a neighborhood-wide exhibition and associated technical study that explores both the history and current state of renewable energy technologies that have been implemented in Manhattan’s East Village community since the 1970s.

This round of grants marks the fourth cycle. Are there any projects that have received funding in earlier rounds that have since materialized? What are some highlights from past years?

Elizabeth Smith: One standout project is Midway Contemporary Art in Minneapolis, which received a grant in 2023 and completed its renovations in spring 2024. The facility successfully switched to fully electric power, added new insulation that helps reduce carbon emissions, and upgraded to triple-pane windows, which together have greatly improved energy efficiency. The gallery reopened in June with a major exhibition, and plans are in place for another expansion that will incorporate additional sustainable features.

The Santa Fe Art Institute, also a 2023 grantee, completed its initial planning phase in March 2024. The study focused on electrifying the institute and installing solar panels, as part of a broader community project called the Midtown Arts and Design Alliance (MADA). This planning work has set the stage for a more detailed study, supported by the City of Santa Fe, to explore creating a community resilience hub powered by solar energy and a microgrid.

The Judd Foundation received support in 2022 to work toward creating a collections storage and research facility at their location in Marfa, TX, that runs entirely on renewable energy. Their studies suggest that the building will achieve net-zero energy use, mainly through solar panels. This project aims to set an example for other arts organizations looking to adopt similar sustainable practices.

Finally, the Denver Art Museum, a 2021 grantee, successfully installed a new system to better manage its heating and cooling. In the year following its implementation, the museum saved over $43,000 in energy-related costs. This also led to a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and improved ability to control temperature and humidity within the building.