irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2023
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $639KEMERGENCY GRANTS:THESE GRANTS ARE AWARDED ON A ROLLING BASIS TO ARTISTS AND COLLECTIVES WHO INCUR UNEXPECTED EXPENSES WHEN PROJECTS ARE CLOSE TO COMPLETION OR RECEIVE SUDDEN OPPORTUNITIES TO PRESENT THEIR WORK TO THE PUBLIC. EMERGENCY GRANTS RANGE FROM $500 TO $3,000. APPLICATIONS ARE RECEIVED ON A ROLLING BASIS THROUGH AN OPEN APPLICATION PROCESS. STAFF REVIEW APPLICATIONS FOR ELIGIBILITY, AND AN ARTIST PANEL IS CONVENED MONTHLY TO REVIEW AND DETERMINE GRANT RECIPIENTS. IN 2023, FCA MADE 208 EMERGENCY GRANTS TOTALING $389,400.
- #2 $78KCONTEMPORARY VISUAL ARTS SCHOLARSHIP (CVAS):FCA ADMINISTERS AN ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM FOR COLLEGE-BOUND SENIORS FROM THE HOUSATONIC VALLEY REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDY IN THE FINE ARTS, WITH FUNDS CONTRIBUTED BY A CONNECTICUT FOUNDATION. SELECTION IS MADE BY A PANEL OF VISUAL ARTISTS BASED ON MERIT AND FINANCIAL NEED. IN 2023, THE AMOUNT OF THE SCHOLARSHIP WAS DOUBLED; NEW RECIPIENTS RECEIVE $80,000 OVER FOUR YEARS ($10,000 PER SEMESTER). $70,000 WAS DISTRIBUTED TO FIVE STUDENTS IN 2023.
named programs · 5 · from sources
What they call their work
Contemporary Visual Arts Scholarship (CVAS)
Four-year scholarship of $80,000 total ($10,000 per semester) for high school seniors from the Housatonic Valley Regional High School pursuing undergraduate study in fine arts.
Creative Research Grants
Supports artists pursuing innovative research in their creative practice, though specific grant amounts and structure are not detailed on the website.
Ellsworth Kelly Award
Annual $45,000 grant to support a solo exhibition by a contemporary visual artist at a U.S. museum or university art gallery, funded by a gift from the Ellsworth Kelly Foundation.
Emergency Grants
Provides rapid, rolling grants of $500–$3,000 to artists and collectives facing unexpected expenses or sudden opportunities to present work publicly. Reviewed monthly by an artist panel.
Grants to Artists
Unrestricted $40,000 awards given annually to exceptional individual artists, collectives, or performing groups based on merit and career impact. Includes named awards in memory of Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, Dorothea Tanning, C.D. Wright, Cy Twombly, and Helen Frankenthaler.
activities · 2 groups
What they do
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Artist Support Grants 6 activities
- Funding creative research and experimental artistic developmentOffers Creative Research Grants of $10,000 to support exploratory and experimental work by artists, including artistic exploration, practice development, cultural exchanges, collaborations, and learning new forms. In October 2025, awarded thirty grants totaling $350,000.
- Funding innovative individual artists through unrestricted Grants to Artists awardsAwards unrestricted $45,000 grants annually to innovative individual artists in dance, music/sound, performance art/theater, poetry, and the visual arts to support research, development, and project completion. In 2025, awarded twenty-three such grants totaling $1,035,000.
- Funding solo exhibitions for contemporary visual artists via the Ellsworth Kelly AwardAdministers the Ellsworth Kelly Award, a grant program that provides $45,000 to fund solo exhibitions for contemporary visual artists at U.S. art museums or university/college art galleries. Awarded in 2025 and corroborated in IRS filings.
- Funding urgent project needs for artists through Emergency GrantsProvides emergency grants to visual and performing artists and poets facing sudden, unforeseen expenses or last-minute opportunities for public presentations of their work. In 2025, awarded 240 grants totaling $570,015, with an average award of $2,200, and provides 15–20 such grants monthly.
- Producing public documentation of grant programs and artist recipientsProduces and distributes an annual booklet featuring commissioned essays and profiles of Grants to Artists recipients to celebrate and document the Foundation’s activities, made available to the public.
- Providing emergency relief funding to artists affected by disastersOffers targeted emergency grants to artists impacted by natural disasters, such as wildfires, and supports community recovery efforts. In 2025, provided $349,800 to 82 artists affected by fires in Los Angeles and $25,000 to the Red Hook Fire Recovery Fund.
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Arts Education Scholarships 1 activity
- Funding fine arts education through visual arts scholarshipsProvides scholarships to support undergraduate study in the fine arts, including the Walter Prindle Visual Arts Scholarships and support for high school seniors. In 2025, distributed $70,000 in scholarships, including $70,000 to five college-bound seniors from Housatonic Valley Regional High School.
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financials · form 990 · fy2023
revenue
Total revenue$6.43M
Contributions & grants$5.58M87%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$1.16M18%
Other revenue$-297K
expenses
Total expenses$3.26M
Program expenses64%
Admin / overhead16%
Fundraising20%
Salaries & benefits$1.03M
Grants paid out$1.54M
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$50.35M
Cash$7.35M
Investments$42.24M
Liabilities$1.08M
Net assets$49.27M
Liquid reserves182.4 mo
3 years on record · 2020–2023 · YoY revenue -20.1%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2023
Who runs it
paid leadership · 4
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| KAY TAKEDA | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $269K |
| KATHLEEN FLYNN | DEPUTY DIRECTOR | 40 | $169K |
| ANASTACIA BLOCH | COLLECTIONS AND OPS. MANAGER | 40 | $114K |
| MATANA ROBERTS | DIRECTOR | 1 | $4K |
board members · 10
- ANNE COLLIER — DIRECTOR
- ANTHONY B CREAMER III — TREASURER
- CECILY BROWN — CO-CHAIR
- DEAN MOSS — DIRECTOR
- EMILY WEI RALES — SECRETARY
- JAMES WELLING — DIRECTOR
- JASPER JOHNS — DIRECTOR
- JENNIE C JONES — DIRECTOR
- JOHN YAU — DIRECTOR
- JULIAN LETHBRIDGE — CO-CHAIR
relationships · 39
Who they work with
- Alvin Lucier Award for Music Partner — Endowed award supporting grants to artists in music/sound
- C. Spencer Yeh Partner — Recipient of 2019 Grants to Artists in Music/Sound, providing testimonial about the impact of FCA support.
- C.D. Wright Award for Poetry Partner — Endowed award supporting grants to poets
- California College of the Arts Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts Partner — Supported through a grant for the Lydia Ourahmane exhibition.
- Center for Performance Research Partner — Hosted the Spring Movement Festival where Emergency Grants-supported performance _SOMA_ by Ogemdi Ude was presented.
- Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans Partner — Hosted Emergency Grants-supported performance by Sidra Bell Dance New York and New Tide Orquesta.
- CultureHub Partner — Co-produced a performance presented at La MaMa by a grant-supported artist.
- Cy Twombly Award for Poetry Partner — Endowed award supporting grants to poets
- Dorothea Tanning Award Partner — Endowed award supporting grants to artists in the visual arts
- Ellsworth Kelly Foundation Partner — Established the Ellsworth Kelly Award through a gift in honor of the artist.
- Frist Art Museum Partner — Supported through a grant for the Shahpour Pouyan exhibition.
- Hammer Museum Partner — Hosted exhibitions by FCA grant recipients supported through grant funding.
- Helen Frankenthaler Award for Painting Partner — Endowed award supporting grants to artists in the visual arts
- Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University Partner — Supported through a grant for the dana washington-queen exhibition.
- Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles Partner — Supported through a grant for the Barbara T. Smith exhibition.
- Institute of Contemporary Art, San Diego Partner — Supported through a grant for the Yhuri Cruz exhibition.
- Jerome Foundation Funder — Provides grant support for the 2025 Emergency Grants program.
- John Cage Award Partner — Endowed award supporting grants to artists in music/sound
- La MaMa Partner — Presented a performance by a grant-supported artist in collaboration with CultureHub.
- Louisa Stude Sarofim/The Brown Foundation of Houston, Inc. Funder — Provides grant support for the 2025 Emergency Grants program.
- Merce Cunningham Award Partner — Endowed award supporting grants to artists in dance
- Mertz Gilmore Foundation Funder — Provides grant support for the 2025 Emergency Grants program.
- Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation Funder — Provides grant support for the 2025 Emergency Grants program.
- New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Government — Provides public funds for the Emergency Grants program in partnership with the City Council.
- New York Live Arts Partner — Hosted FCA-supported performance by Larissa Velez-Jackson.
- New York Live Arts Partner — Hosted performances by FCA grant recipients supported through grant funding.
- Richard Pousette-Dart Award Partner — Endowed award supporting grants to artists in the visual arts
- Robert Rauschenberg Award Partner — Endowed award supporting grants to artists in the visual arts
- Roy Lichtenstein Award Partner — Endowed award supporting grants to artists in the visual arts
- The Aaron Copland Fund for Music Funder — Provides grant support for the 2025 Emergency Grants program.
+ 9 more
strategies · 4
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.
- Artists-Funded Artist Supportmethodology: artist-funded_artist_supportBy generating grant funds through the sale of artworks donated by artists, the foundation creates a self-sustaining cycle of support where artists directly fund peers, reinforcing cross-disciplinary solidarity and reducing reliance on external donors.
- Process-Centered Funding for Early Artistic Explorationmethodology: process-centered_fundingBy funding the early, exploratory phases of artistic development without requiring defined outcomes or public presentations, the foundation supports creative risk-taking and innovation at the most vulnerable stages of an artistic project.
- Rapid-Response Emergency Grantmakingmethodology: emergency_support_for_artistsBy offering immediate, short-term funding through a rolling application process with monthly panel review, the foundation enables artists to overcome unforeseen financial gaps or seize time-sensitive opportunities, ensuring the completion and presentation of experimental work.
- Unrestricted, Peer-Nominated Grantmakingmethodology: unrestricted_grantmakingBy providing unrestricted grants through a peer-nominated selection process, the foundation supports artistic freedom and risk-taking while ensuring funding is directed to artists at critical career stages based on merit, imagination, and potential impact.