United States Artists, an organization that awards grants to American artists, has announced a new $20 million operations endowment campaign. The Ford Foundation has given United States Artists a five-year $10 million challenge grant, while the Rockefeller Foundation, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation have each given $1 million. A release notes that private donors filled out the rest of the endowment.
Since its founding in 2005, United States Artists has awarded over $21 million to almost 450 artists. Among its extensive list of fellows are Mary Heilmann, Glenn Ligon, Joan Jonas, William Pope.L, and Allan Sekula.
“Artists can drive social change by inspiring our imaginations and challenging us all to work toward a better world,” Darren Walker, the president of the Ford Foundation, said in a statement. “We are proud to join this effort that will give visionary artists the opportunity to flourish and engage our minds and our hearts.”
Bloomberg Philanthropies is currently conducting a study to determine the impact of United States Artists’s fellowships on American art. In light of this, Carolina García Jayaram, the president and CEO of United States Artists, said in a statement that the endowment comes at an “integral moment” in the organization’s history.
“Over the past decade, the organization has emerged as a thought leader, working not only to support artists through our fellowship program and through fostering creative communities, but to study the nationwide implications of this support in hopes that we can best serve the evolving needs of the country’s artists,” she said. “This endowment ensures our growth into the future and sustains our commitment to supporting the diversity of artists nationwide.”