The O’Brien Art Foundation provides qualified curators, scholars, and institutions with funding to further the advancement of American art through research, exhibitions, and publishing.
Applications for funding are reviewed on a rolling basis and awardees will be notified after a decision is made. Please check back for updates as the Foundation will periodically post open calls for proposals. In order to apply and be considered for funding as a charitable organization, please click and download the application form. If you are not a charitable organization and wish to apply for funding for projects that further the Foundation’s charitable mission, please contact us at info@obrienartfoundation.com.
All decisions with respect to grants, funding and lending are in the full discretion of the Foundation. When evaluating a grant proposal, the Committee intends to consider the following principles:
The Foundation is involved in the subject of the proposal apart from the request for financial support (e.g. is the Foundation loaning work to an associated exhibition or providing images for a publication, etc.)
The artist or artists who are the subject of the proposal are already well known or whether the proposal would bring to light an underappreciated creator*
The proposal will result in the preservation or enhancement of the legacy of the artist or artists who are the subject of the proposal via the creation of lasting educational material (e.g. a physical book, catalog, brochure, etc.)
The proposal focuses on American art created during the timeframe of the Foundation’s focus (i.e. circa 1890 through 1985)
The proposal concerns media that is a focus area of the Foundation (e.g. painting, works on paper (including prints), sculpture and drawing)
Financial support will be meaningful in comparison to funding from third parties, such that the Foundation’s resources will have a materially positive impact on the proposed project
The proposed grant recipient has or will raise third-party funding for the proposed project
The proposed grant recipient will enhance the Foundation’s visibility and reach
The Principles will serve as non-binding guidelines for the Committee’s use. The Committee always maintains the sole and absolute discretion whether or not to apply the Principles, as well as the interpretation of and any amendments to the Principles.
*Generally, the Foundation does not award grants to projects primarily related to folk art, naïve or untrained art because, while having great merit, those areas fall outside the Foundation’s focus and Mission.
