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research dossier

INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR ART RESEARCH INC

NEW YORK, NY · EIN 132623376 · Form 990 · FY2025 · Small ($100K-$1M) · ifar.org
revenue
$178K
expenses
$500K
net assets
$481K
employees
4
program ratio
43%
mission · from form 990

EDUCATIONAL AND RESEARCH ORGANIZATION CONCERNING ART OBJECTS AND ISSUES.

profile · synthesized from sources

The International Foundation for Art Research (IFAR) is an educational and research organization focused on art-related issues, including provenance, authenticity, and cultural property law. For over 50 years, it provided fee-based online courses, public lectures, and digital resources such as the Art Law & Cultural Property Database and Catalogues Raisonnés Database. The organization ceased operations after 2025.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2025

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $105K
    EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMSBEGINNING IN 2024, IFAR LAUNCHED A NEW INITIATIVE CALLED IFAR EDUCATION, COMPRISING FEE-BASED ONLINE COURSES ON PROVENANCE, FAKES AND FORGERIES, AND ETHICAL AND INFORMED ART COLLECTING. IN 2025, IFAR CONTINUED THIS INITIATIVE, OFFERING TWO SESSIONS OF ITS SIX-WEEK ONLINE CLASS, INTRODUCTION TO PROVENANCE RESEARCH, IN WHICH STUDENTS FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE LEARNED HOW TO INVESTIGATE, DEVELOP, AND INTERPRET PROVENANCE NARRATIVES FOR ARTWORKS FROM ANTIQUITY TO THE PRESENT DAY.
  2. #2 $55K
    WEBSITE INITIATIVESIFAR OFFERS THREE MAJOR EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES ON ITS WEBSITE: THE ART LAW & CULTURAL PROPERTY DATABASE, THE CATALOGUES RAISONNS DATABASE, AND THE PROVENANCE GUIDE. THE TWO DATABASES, LAUNCHED IN 2008, ARE CONTINUOUSLY UPDATED. THE ART LAW & CULTURAL PROPERTY DATABASE IS A COMPENDIUM OF CASE LAW AND INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL PROPERTY LEGISLATION DEALING WITH INTERNATIONAL AND DOMESTIC LEGISLATION AND LEGAL CLAIMS RELATING TO ART OWNERSHIP & EXPORT, RESTITUTION, REPATRIATION, AND AUTHENTICITY OF ART OBJECTS. THE ART LAW DATABASE IS CURRENTLY A SUBSCRIPTION-BASED SERVICE, THOUGH USERS CAN ALSO ACCESS IT FOR 2- OR 4-HOUR SEGMENTS AT A MODEST FEE. THE CATALOGUES RAISONNS DATABASE HAS ALWAYS BEEN FREE. THE PROVENANCE GUIDE IS A PRIMER ON HOW TO DO PROVENANCE RESEARCH, PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT IN THIS ERA WHEN MUSEUMS AND THE ART COLLECTING PUBLIC ARE HELD TO A HIGH ETHICAL STANDARD REGARDING THE ACQUISITION AND EXHIBITING OF ART WORKS.
named programs · 5 · from sources

What they call their work

Art Law & Cultural Property Database
Subscription-based resource compiling case law and legislation on art ownership, restitution, repatriation, and authenticity, accessible by subscription or short-term fee.
Catalogues Raisonnés Database
Freely accessible online database supporting research on catalogues raisonnés of artists' works.
IFAR Education
Fee-based online courses on provenance research, fakes and forgeries, and ethical art collecting, including a six-week Introduction to Provenance Research class offered globally.
IFAR Evenings
Public lecture series featuring experts on art-related topics, many recorded and made available online, with proceedings sometimes published in the IFAR Journal.
Provenance Guide
Online primer providing guidance on conducting provenance research for artworks, aimed at promoting ethical collecting practices.
activities · 2 groups

What they do

  • Artist Legacy Preservation and Documentation 2 activities
    • Conducting and publishing art-related research
      Advances scholarship and ethical stewardship in the art world through long-term research initiatives, including the publication of comprehensive guides and resources such as the Provenance Guide and educational primers on provenance research for museums and collectors.
    • Maintaining online research databases for art professionals
      Operates and continuously updates three major digital resources since 2008: the Art Law & Cultural Property Database, the Catalogues Raisonnés Database, and the Provenance Guide, providing critical reference tools for the global art community.
  • Professional Certification and Continuing Education 1 activity
    • Delivering educational programming on art research
      Offers structured educational opportunities including a six-week online course on provenance research and a public lecture series, IFAR Evenings, featuring expert speakers, with sessions recorded and made available online for global access.
financials · form 990 · fy2025
revenue
Total revenue$178K
Contributions & grants$5K3%
Program service revenue$99K56%
Investment income$73K41%
Other revenue$964
expenses
Total expenses$500K
Program expenses43%
Admin / overhead57%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$328K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$486K
Cash$23K
Investments$460K
Liabilities$5K
Net assets$481K
Liquid reserves11.6 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2025 · YoY revenue -56.6%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2025

Who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
LINDSEY SCHNEIDER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 40 $221K
board members · 12
  • ANTHONY WILLIAMS — DIRECTOR
  • CHRISTIANE FISCHER — DIRECTOR
  • DAVID J NASH — DIRECTOR
  • DORIT D STRAUS — DIRECTOR
  • JENNIFER SCHIPF — CHAIR
  • KATE GANZ — VICE CHAIR
  • LISA DENNISON — DIRECTOR
  • PETER C SUTTON — DIRECTOR
  • PIERRE DUPONT — DIRECTOR
  • SAMUEL SACHS II — DIRECTOR
  • STEVEN P SCHWARTZ — VICE CHAIR
  • WARREN ADELSON — DIRECTOR
relationships · 1

Who they work with

  • ARTnews Partner — Published an announcement regarding IFAR's closure.
strategies · 1

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Fee-Based Online Education in Ethical Art Practices
    methodology: fee-based online education
    By delivering fee-based online education on provenance, fakes and forgeries, and ethical collecting, the organization promotes informed and responsible practices in the art world because accessible, specialized knowledge empowers stakeholders to make ethically sound decisions.