The Locks Foundation concentrates its philanthropy on major visual arts institutions, providing substantial support to established museum programs and collections. Giving is geographically focused in the Northeastern U.S. and channels large gifts to university-affiliated and encyclopedic art museums, suggesting interest in high-profile cultural stewardship rather than broad community arts funding.
Highly concentrated: a very small number of large gifts with repeat support to a primary beneficiary (three grants to Princeton Art Museum) and one other major museum; limited diversification across grantees.
The Trustees of Princeton University - Princeton Art Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art
Locks Foundation’s largest recent grant was a $550,000 contribution of artwork to The Trustees of Princeton University - Princeton Art Museum in 2025. That gift fits a broader pattern of support for established visual arts institutions, especially museum programs, collections, and general operations. Princeton Art Museum appears repeatedly in the recent grants list, alongside other major museums in Philadelphia and New York, which shows sustained attention to a small set of art institutions rather than broad-based arts funding. The foundation’s recent giving also includes general support for the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Barnes Foundation, and the National Gallery of Art. Across those grants, Locks Foundation backs museums that are already deeply embedded in the cultural landscape, with awards that can support ongoing operations, exhibitions, collections, or institutional priorities. The pattern suggests a funder oriented toward preserving and sustaining high-profile art organizations, including university-affiliated and encyclopedic museums.
Princeton Art Museum is a clear anchor in the foundation’s recent grantmaking. Locks Foundation gave the museum $300,000 in 2024, another $300,000 in 2025, plus $110,000 in 2024 and $10,000 in 2025 in general support, along with a $550,000 contribution of artwork in 2025. Philadelphia institutions are also a major thread: the Philadelphia Museum of Art received $140,000 in 2024, then $50,000 and $30,000 in 2025, while Moore College of Art and Design received $100,000 in 2025. New York museums also appear in the portfolio. The Whitney Museum of American Art received $30,000 in 2024 and $30,000 in 2025, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art received $30,000 in 2024, $30,000 in 2025, and $15,000 in both 2024 and 2025. The Barnes Foundation received multiple gifts as well, including $25,000 in 2025 and $22,500 and $10,000 in 2024, showing continued support for museum operations and institutional stability.
Locks Foundation’s typical grant size sits at $18,750 at the 25th percentile, $30,000 at the median, and $70,000 at the 75th percentile. The recent record includes several larger awards, but the center of gravity is still in the $30,000 range. Recipients often appear across multiple years, especially Princeton Art Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and The Barnes Foundation. The foundation does not make grants to individuals and does not make program-related investments. Its recent grants point to flexible support, with many listed as general support and one major contribution of artwork.
$1.9M
$6.5M
$414K
$864K
Most grants fall between $19K and $70K, with a median of $30K.
25th Percentile
$19K
Median
$30K
75th Percentile
$70K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in PA.
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All recent grants in the sample went to U.S. recipients. Pennsylvania is the top state by grant count, led by Philadelphia recipients such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Moore College of Art and Design, and The Barnes Foundation. Princeton, New Jersey, also appears repeatedly through Princeton Art Museum. New York City recipients include the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Via Art Fund Inc. The Foundation also made a grant to the National Gallery of Art in Landover, Maryland, and one to Jorge M Perez Art Museum of Miami-dade County Inc in Miami, Florida.
The foundation supports major visual arts institutions, especially museum programs, collections, exhibitions, and general operations. Recent grants went to Princeton Art Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Barnes Foundation, and Moore College of Art and Design.
Its stated grant-size distribution centers on $18,750 at the 25th percentile, $30,000 at the median, and $70,000 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards include both those typical operating-level grants and larger commitments, such as $300,000 and $550,000 to Princeton Art Museum.
Yes. Princeton Art Museum appears multiple times across 2024 and 2025, as do the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and The Barnes Foundation. That pattern indicates ongoing support rather than one-time gifts only.
Pennsylvania is the top state by grant count. Recent recipients there include institutions in Philadelphia such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Moore College of Art and Design, and The Barnes Foundation.
The pattern is primarily flexible support: many recent grants are labeled general support, and the foundation also made a contribution of artwork. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY - PRINCETON ART MUSEUM | PRINCETON, NJ | $550,000 | 2025 | CONTRIBUTION OF ARTWORK |
| THE TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY - PRINCETON ART MUSEUM | PRINCETON, NJ | $300,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MOORE COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $30,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART | NEW YORK, NY | $30,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART | NEW YORK, NY | $30,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| VIA ART FUND INC | NEW YORK, NY | $30,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE BARNES FOUNDATION | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART | NEW YORK, NY | $15,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE BARNES FOUNDATION | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| JORGE M PEREZ ART MUSEUM OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY INC | MIAMI, FL | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY - PRINCETON ART MUSEUM | PRINCETON, NJ | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART | LANDOVER, MD | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY - PRINCETON ART MUSEUM | PRINCETON, NJ | $300,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $140,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY - PRINCETON ART MUSEUM | PRINCETON, NJ | $110,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $30,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART | NEW YORK, NY | $30,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART | NEW YORK, NY | $30,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE BARNES FOUNDATION | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $22,500 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART | NEW YORK, NY | $15,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART | NEW YORK, NY | $15,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE BARNES FOUNDATION | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
THE TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY - PRINCETON ART MUSEUM
$550,000CONTRIBUTION OF ARTWORK
THE TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY - PRINCETON ART MUSEUM
$300,000GENERAL SUPPORT
MOORE COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN
$100,000GENERAL SUPPORT
PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART
$50,000GENERAL SUPPORT
PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART
$30,000GENERAL SUPPORT
METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
$30,000GENERAL SUPPORT
WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART
$30,000GENERAL SUPPORT
VIA ART FUND INC
$30,000GENERAL SUPPORT
THE BARNES FOUNDATION
$25,000GENERAL SUPPORT
METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
$15,000GENERAL SUPPORT
THE BARNES FOUNDATION
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
JORGE M PEREZ ART MUSEUM OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY INC
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
THE TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY - PRINCETON ART MUSEUM
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
THE TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY - PRINCETON ART MUSEUM
$300,000GENERAL SUPPORT
PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART
$140,000GENERAL SUPPORT
THE TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY - PRINCETON ART MUSEUM
$110,000GENERAL SUPPORT
PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART
$30,000GENERAL SUPPORT
METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
$30,000GENERAL SUPPORT
WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART
$30,000GENERAL SUPPORT
THE BARNES FOUNDATION
$22,500GENERAL SUPPORT
WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART
$15,000GENERAL SUPPORT
METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
$15,000GENERAL SUPPORT
THE BARNES FOUNDATION
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT