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THE AAMC FOUNDATION
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 800083168 · Form 990 · FY2025 · NTEE A25 · Arts, Culture & Humanities · Small ($100K-$1M) · artcurators.org
revenue
$911K
expenses
$1.1M
net assets
$359K
employees
4
volunteers
20
program ratio
54%
mission · from form 990

THE AAMC FOUNDATION WAS FORMED TO HEIGHTEN PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE CURATORS ROLE THROUGH LECTURES, SYMPOSIA, AND PUBLISHED MATERIALS AND TO AWARD GRANTS TO CURATORS TO IMPROVE THEIR ABILITY TO SERVE THE PUBLIC.

profile · synthesized from sources

The AAMC Foundation supports curators through professional development initiatives, including mentorship and fellowship programs for mid-career and early-career professionals. It fosters global curatorial discourse via international exchange programs and promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion within the field. The organization operates in New York and serves a worldwide network of art museum curators.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2025

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $187K
    PROPEL PROGRAM (FORMERLY MENTORSHIP PROGRAM) - A MULTIFACETED INITIATIVE DESIGNED TO SUPPORT AND ACCELERATE A CURATORS MID-CAREER ADVANCEMENT. THE PROGRAM IS THE LONGEST RUNNING INITIATIVE OF ITS KIND OFFERING BOTH TRAINING SESSIONS AND WORKSHOPS AS WELL AS SUPPORT THROUGH A PROFESSIONAL NETWORK INCLUDING A PAIRING WITH A SENIOR CURATORIAL MENTOR, A PEER COHORT, AND ALUMNI COMMUNITY.
  2. #2 $196K
    PROFESSIONAL ALLIANCE FOR CURATORS OF COLOR (PACC) - PACC IS A MULTIFACETED INITIATIVE DESIGNED TO SUPPORT AND ACCELERATE A CURATORS EARLY CAREER DEVELOPMENT. FOUNDED IN 2021, THE PROGRAM OFFERS TRAINING SESSIONS, WORKSHOPS AND THE OVERSIGHT OF A CURATORIAL ADVISOR, AS WELL AS SUPPORT THROUGH A PROFESSIONAL NETWORK INCLUDING A PAIRING WITH A SENIOR CURATORIAL MENTOR, A PEER COHORT, AND ALUMNI COMMUNITY.
named programs · 4 · from sources

What they call their work

Curator Gatherings
Private forums for curators to discuss professional challenges and strategies, covering topics such as DEAI, sustainability, and institutional leadership.
Engagement Program for International Curators (EPIC)
A cross-cultural exchange program connecting international curators with U.S. liaisons to foster global dialogue and peer-to-peer learning.
PROPEL Program
A multifaceted initiative supporting mid-career curators through training, workshops, mentorship with senior curators, peer cohorts, and alumni networks.
Professional Alliance for Curators of Color (PACC)
A program designed to accelerate early-career development for curators of color, offering training, workshops, mentorship, and professional networking.
activities · 7 groups

What they do

  • Arts Education Professional Development 1 activity
    • Delivering digital skills and leadership training for curators
      Provides digital education and capacity-building programs for art museum curators through webinars, in-person events, fellowships, and cohort-based initiatives such as the 2023 Curatorial Digital Leadership program and the Networked Curator initiative, which include online learning, peer collaboration, and in-person gatherings to strengthen digital fluency and audience engagement.
  • Artist Support Grants 1 activity
    • Funding curators through grant programs
      Awards grants to curators to enhance their capacity and effectiveness in serving the public, supporting individual professional growth and public engagement in the arts.
  • Community Safety and Conduct Enforcement 1 activity
    • Maintaining inclusive professional environments
      Ensures a professional and respectful workplace and virtual environment by prohibiting discrimination and harassment across all organizational activities and settings.
  • Cultural Exchange and Mutual Understanding Programs 1 activity
    • Operating the Engagement Program for International Curators (EPIC)
      Runs the Engagement Program for International Curators (EPIC), a cross-cultural initiative that has connected nearly 60 curators across more than 40 cities and 13 countries, fostering global collaboration and professional exchange.
  • Arts Professional Advocacy & Equity Initiatives 1 activity
    • Operating the Professional Alliance for Curators of Color (PACC)
      Implements the Professional Alliance for Curators of Color (PACC), launched in 2021, to support early-career curators of color through structured training, workshops, mentorship, advisor oversight, peer cohorts, and alumni network access, while addressing systemic issues such as racism, inequity, and gatekeeping in the curatorial profession.
  • Mentorship and Professional Development Programs 1 activity
    • Operating the Propel Program for mid-career curators
      Runs the Propel Program, a long-term initiative that provides mid-career curators with training, workshops, mentorship from senior curators, peer cohorts, and access to an alumni network to strengthen professional development and leadership in the field.
  • Professional Conference & Symposium Organization 1 activity
    • Organizing the Art Curators Conference
      Hosts and manages the annual Art Curators Conference, including organizing events, opening registration, announcing speakers, and convening leading curators globally to shape the future of the field, with upcoming events scheduled in New York City for 2025 and 2026.
financials · form 990 · fy2025
revenue
Total revenue$911K
Contributions & grants$790K87%
Program service revenue$116K13%
Investment income$450%
Other revenue$5K
expenses
Total expenses$1.15M
Program expenses54%
Admin / overhead26%
Fundraising20%
Salaries & benefits$429K
Grants paid out$153K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$395K
Cash$164K
Investments$0
Liabilities$35K
Net assets$359K
Liquid reserves1.7 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2025 · YoY revenue +45.2%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2025

Who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
CHRISTINA YANG EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 39 $99K
board members · 21
  • AHTONE HEATHER — DIRECTOR
  • BETH CITRON — DIRECTOR
  • BETTY KRULIK — DIRECTOR
  • CAROLYN ROYSTON — DIRECTOR (UNTIL OCTOBER 2025)
  • DANIEL BELASCO — DIRECTOR
  • HUTCHINSON ISABELLA — DIRECTOR
  • JOSE DIAZ — DIRECTOR
  • JULIET SORCE — VICE PRESIDENT - ADVOCACY
  • LAUREN HAYNES — DIRECTOR
  • LENZ EMILY — VICE PRESIDENT- FUNDRAISING
  • LYNDA HARTIGAN — VICE PRESIDENT - GOVERNANCE & NOMINATING
  • MARY KATE O'HARE — VICE RPESIDENT - FINANCE & AUDIT
  • MARY-DAILEY DESMARAIS — DIRECTOR
  • MICHELLE JACQUES — PRESIDENT
  • SIM CHERYL — DIRECTOR
  • SOYOUNG LEE — DIRECTOR
  • TANYA ODOM — DIRECTOR
  • TULIZA FLEMING — VICE PRESIDENT - OUTREACH
  • WENDY CHANG — DIRECTOR
  • WHITNEY DONHAUSER — DIRECTOR
  • WOLFRAM KOEPPE — DIRECTOR
relationships · 12

Who they work with

  • American Alliance of Museums Partner — Source of policy framework adapted for the AAMC Foundation's Code of Conduct.
  • Art Fund Funder — Generous supporter of the International Engagement Program for Curators
  • Association of Art Museum Curators Network — Operates as the foundation arm of the Association of Art Museum Curators.
  • Association of Art Museum Curators Network — Shares leadership, governance, and operational structure with the AAMC Foundation
  • Culture24 Partner — Collaborated with AAMC Foundation to share data, resources, and experiences to expand the reach and impact of the Curatorial Digital Leadership program.
  • Geek Feminism Wiki Partner — Original basis for the policy adopted by the American Alliance of Museums and subsequently adapted by the AAMC Foundation.
  • Getty Foundation Funder — Provided funding for the Networked Curator initiative.
  • John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Funder — Funded the 2023 Curatorial Digital Leadership program.
  • Nonprofit Technology Conference Partner — Provider of language used with permission in the AAMC Foundation's Code of Conduct.
  • Professional Alliance for Curators of Color Partner — Initiative founded and operated by The AAMC Foundation to support early-career curators of color.
  • Samuel H. Kress Foundation Funder — Provided funding for the Networked Curator initiative.
  • Terra Foundation for American Art Funder — Generous supporter of the International Engagement Program for Curators
strategies · 3

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.

  • Inclusive Practice as Foundational Design
    methodology: inclusive_practice
    By embedding inclusivity across national, racial, gender, religious, and geographic lines into program design, we counter systemic exclusion in the curatorial field, because equitable access and representation are prerequisites for meaningful professional development and global relevance.
  • Mentorship and Peer Network Integration
    methodology: mentorship_network
    By combining structured training with sustained mentorship and cohort-based peer support, we build lasting professional capacity and resilience among early- and mid-career curators, because relational networks amplify individual skill development and counter isolation in the field.
  • Peer-to-Peer Global Learning Exchange
    methodology: peer-to-peer global exchange
    By creating structured opportunities for peer-to-peer learning across national and cultural boundaries, we foster global curatorial connectivity and mutual capacity-building, because horizontal knowledge exchange produces more adaptable and inclusive professional practices than top-down models.