About Cy Twombly Foundation
The Cy Twombly Foundation concentrates its philanthropy on placing and supporting the exhibition of Cy Twombly artworks at major American art museums. Its grants are predominantly large, often non‑cash donations of art to underwrite exhibitions and collection enrichment at top cultural institutions. The foundation makes a small number of high-value, repeat gifts to a handful of leading museums rather than many small awards.
Focus Areas
Placement and exhibition of Cy Twombly artworks in major U.S. museumsSupport for museum exhibitions and collection enrichment at leading art museumsRepeat strategic partnerships with top-tier cultural institutions in the U.S.
Who They Fund
museums and galleriesvisual artists (donors and exhibiting artists)poets/poetry award recipientsarts organizations/programs
Giving Approach
Concentrated, high-value giving (few grants) focused on non-cash art donations and multi-grant relationships with a small set of major museums (repeat grantees).
About Cy Twombly Foundation
The Cy Twombly Foundation’s giving is built around placing and exhibiting Cy Twombly artworks at major museums, often through non-cash art donations rather than conventional operating grants. That pattern appears at the top of its recent grants: the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston received a $7.5 million non-cash donation of art for exhibition support in 2024, and the Art Institute of Chicago received three separate art-donation grants between 2023 and 2025, including a $3.8 million award in 2025. The foundation also uses its support to reinforce institutions closely connected to Twombly’s legacy, scholarship, and preservation work. Alongside museum gifts, it makes targeted support to organizations that hold or present related programs, including the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Foundation for Contemporary Arts. Its portfolio is selective rather than broad, with a small number of high-value awards concentrated among a few cultural institutions and partner grantmakers. The result is a grantmaking profile centered on exhibition support, collection enrichment, and the stewardship of Twombly’s work within major art settings.
What Cy Twombly Foundation Funds
Museum exhibition support is the clearest throughline in the foundation’s recent giving. The Art Institute of Chicago received multiple art-donation grants for exhibition support, including $4 million in 2023 and $3.75 million in 2024. The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston received both a $7.5 million non-cash donation of art for exhibition support and a separate $3.5 million general-support grant in 2024. The foundation also backs institutions tied to interpretation and access to art. Drawing Center Inc. received $100,000 in 2025 and $50,000 in 2024 for general support. In literary arts, Foundation for Contemporary Arts Inc. received $50,500 in 2025 and $50,500 in 2024 to support the Cy Twombly Award for Poetry, with an additional $45,000 grant in 2023 for the same award.
How Cy Twombly Foundation Gives
Typical grants are large: the 25th percentile is $50,000, the median is $240,000, and the 75th percentile is $3,041,500. The recent record shows repeated awards to the same recipients across multiple years, especially the Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Whitney Museum of American Art, Drawing Center Inc., Safe Horizon Inc., Foundation for Contemporary Arts Inc., and Fondazione Nicola Del Roscio. The foundation funds through a mix of non-cash art donations, general support, and designated support for partner programs. It also funds individuals through the Cy Twombly Award for Poetry, but that award is administered through Foundation for Contemporary Arts rather than an open application managed directly by the foundation.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$4M
Total Assets
$1.5B
Total Revenue
$6.3M
Total Expenses
$9.7M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $50K and $3M, with a median of $240K.
25th Percentile
$50K
Median
$240K
75th Percentile
$3M
Geographic Reach
Regional3 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
NICOLA DEL ROSCIO
PRESIDENT
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Where Cy Twombly Foundation Funds
Top 2 recipient countries by grant volume for Cy Twombly Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 16 | $26M | 80.0% |
| 2 | Italy | 4 |
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