To serve the United States by preserving, collecting, exhibiting, and fostering understanding and appreciation of works of art, providing free public access and national outreach.
The National Gallery of Art’s clearest recent funding signal is a single $7,384,677 grant to The George Washington University in Washington, DC for renovations and to support creative interdisciplinary innovation in the arts and design. That award fits a broader pattern of funding tied to research, curatorial development, and the museum’s educational mission rather than open-ended general support. The foundation serves the United States through preserving, collecting, exhibiting, and fostering understanding and appreciation of works of art, with free public access and national outreach as part of its stated purpose. Its named programs point to a strong emphasis on scholarship and professional development in museum and art history fields. The Andrew W. Mellon Post-Doctoral Curatorial Fellowships support early-career curators and curatorial scholarship. Kress Fellowships and Kress Professorship Support underwrite scholarly research and curatorial development in European art history. Through the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, the foundation also supports advanced research in the visual arts and museum studies. The Patrons’ Permanent Fund adds another dimension: acquisitions support for the National Gallery’s permanent collection. Together, these programs show a funder that combines institutional collection-building with research, fellowships, and arts infrastructure support.
In arts infrastructure and interdisciplinary practice, the National Gallery of Art made a $7,384,677 grant to The George Washington University for renovations and to support creative interdisciplinary innovation in the arts and design. That award connects the foundation’s grantmaking to space and program development rather than short-term project support alone. Its fellowship programs show a separate but related commitment to scholarship. The Andrew W. Mellon Post-Doctoral Curatorial Fellowships support early-career curators and museum research, while the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts Fellowships support scholarly research and advanced study in the visual arts. A third area is art history and curatorial development. Kress Fellowships and Kress Professorship Support are tied to research and curatorial work in European art history, which places specialized scholarship at the center of the foundation’s support. The Patrons’ Permanent Fund extends that mission through acquisitions for the permanent collection.
$439K
$1.9B
$315.5M
$243.7M
Most grants fall between $7.4M and $7.4M, with a median of $7.4M.
25th Percentile
$7.4M
Median
$7.4M
75th Percentile
$7.4M
About 0% of grants go to recipients in DC.
Kaywin Feldman
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The reported grant-size distribution is flat: p25, median, and p75 are all $7,384,677. The latest 990 year on file is 2024, and the active grant programs suggest a mix of one-off institutional support and recurring fellowship structures. Several programs are explicitly named fellowships, and one CASVA senior fellowship program is open to unsolicited applications. The foundation is structured as a public arts institution rather than a family foundation or DAF, and it does not fund individuals directly. Its giving is regional, with grants concentrated in DC.
Grantmaking is heavily centered in Washington, DC: the top state by grant count is DC, and the recent grants data show a recipient in Washington, DC. The recipient-country distribution is entirely U.S.-based, with 1 grant and 100% in the United States. The foundation’s HQ is in Landover, MD, but no recent grant in the provided data went to Maryland recipients. Its geographic footprint in the available records is therefore concentrated in the District rather than the headquarters state.
The foundation supports art acquisition, exhibitions, conservation, education, research, and public outreach. Its active programs also emphasize curatorial fellowships, scholarly research in art history and the visual arts, and acquisition support for the permanent collection.
One active program does: the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts (CASVA) Senior Fellowships are listed as accepting unsolicited applications. The other active programs shown are marked as not accepting unsolicited applications.
The grant-size distribution is a single-point pattern: p25, median, and p75 are all $7,384,677. The most recent grant listed is also exactly $7,384,677.
DC is the top state by grant count. The recipient-country distribution in the provided data is entirely U.S.-based, and the recent grant list includes Washington, DC as a recipient location.
Active programs include the Andrew W. Mellon Post-Doctoral Curatorial Fellowships, Kress Fellowships and Kress Professorship Support, and the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts fellowships, including senior fellowships. These programs support curatorial practice, museum research, art history, and advanced study in the visual arts.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The George Washington University | Washington, DC | $438,709 | 2025 | Support the creative interdisciplinary innovation in the arts and design |
| The George Washington University | Washington, DC | $7,384,677 | 2024 | Renovations and to support the creative interdisiplinary innovation in the arts and design |
The George Washington University
$438,709Support the creative interdisciplinary innovation in the arts and design
The George Washington University
$7,384,677Renovations and to support the creative interdisiplinary innovation in the arts and design