The Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation

What The Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation does

The Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation is a private, family-controlled 501(c)(3) foundation established in 1987 by Emily Hall Tremaine (1908–1987) and funded through the 1988 and 1991 auction sales of the Tremaine Collection of more than 600 works of 20th-century contemporary art, which included pieces by Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, and Robert Rauschenberg. The foundation operates from Madison, Connecticut with a mailing address in Tolland, Connecticut, and runs a lean four-person professional staff (President Michelle Knapik, Senior Program Director Heather Pontonio, Accounting Manager Renie Besaw, Operations Assistant Diane Taylor) under the governance of Tremaine family descendants led by Board Chair Gean Tremaine. Its core business is grantmaking across three focus areas — Art (with emphasis on contemporary curators and artist careers), Environment (community-scale clean energy and climate resiliency), and Learning Differences (dyslexia and learning-attention support for youth) — funded by returns on the Tremaine endowment rather than commercial revenue. The product portfolio consists of invitation-driven grant programs, including the flagship Emily Hall Tremaine Exhibition Award (up to $200,000), the $10,000 Exhibition Research Grant, Curatorial Advancement Grants ($500–$10,000), and program-area grants in environment and learning differences, supplemented by backbone support for the Artists Thrive national field-assessment platform.

The foundation operates as an invitation-only, proactively-scouted grantmaker that consults with sector experts to identify partner organizations, distributing funds through an online grant portal to domestic U.S. grantees. It does not develop or sell technology products, generate commercial revenue, or employ traditional pricing models; instead, its go-to-market is relationship-driven, with grant sizes calibrated to programmatic purpose and sector norms. Its service populations include contemporary art museums, curators, and artist-service organizations; community sustainability and climate nonprofits; and organizations supporting youth with dyslexia and learning differences.

Name

The Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation

Legal name

Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation

Website

https://tremainefoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation is a private, family-controlled 501(c)(3) foundation established in 1987 that distributes grants across three focus areas — contemporary art, community-scale environment/climate resiliency, and learning differences (especially dyslexia) — from an endowment built on the Tremaine Collection.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Contemporary arts funding
• Learning differences grants
• Environmental grantmaking
• Family foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

New Haven

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Endowment: The foundation was established with funds from the sale of the Tremaine Collection, which was sold at two auctions in 1988 and 1991. The foundation uses its endowment to fund grants in its three focus areas. The foundation does not generate commercial revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation is a private family foundation that distributes grants from its endowment to nonprofit organizations working in three focus areas: contemporary Art (supporting curators and artists' careers), Environment (applied clean energy and climate resiliency at community scale), and Learning Differences (supporting youth with dyslexia and related processing and attention issues). Core offerings include multi-tiered grant programs such as the Emily Hall Tremaine Exhibition Award (up to $200,000 in total components), Exhibition Research Grants ($10,000), Curatorial Advancement Grants ($500–$10,000), and program-specific grantmaking for artists, environmental organizations, and learning-differences advocates, alongside the Artists Thrive national resource hub.

Product overview

The Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation operates as a philanthropic organization with a grantmaking portfolio structured around three focus areas: Art, Environment, and Learning Differences. The Foundation's core offerings are grant programs including the Emily Hall Tremaine Exhibition Award (up to $200,000 including all components), Exhibition Research Grants ($10,000), Curatorial Advancement Grants ($500-$10,000), and program-specific grants for supporting artist careers, learning differences initiatives, and environmental innovation. The Foundation also supports the Artists Thrive platform, a holistic measurement tool for artist valuation. All offerings are grant programs funded by the Foundation's endowment, not commercial products or technology platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Emily Hall Tremaine Exhibition Award: Grant program created in 1998 to support innovative curators and thematic exhibitions of contemporary art
• Emily Hall Tremaine Exhibition Research Grant
• Curatorial Advancement Grants
• Curators on the Cusp
• Artists Thrive
• Practice on the Cusp

Products and services

• Emily Hall Tremaine Exhibition Award A flagship contemporary-art grant program providing up to $150,000 in core funding plus additional components (Living Artist Honorariums up to $10,000, Enhanced Engagement Fund up to $20,000, Post-Opening Opportunity Fund up to $20,000) for a maximum of $200,000. Supports thematic exhibitions of contemporary art that are fresh and experimental, honoring the founder's trailblazing spirit. Target applicants: U.S. non-profit contemporary-art institutions and curators.
• Emily Hall Tremaine Exhibition Research Grant A $10,000 grant for research to be completed within 2 years, supporting curators to research strong thematic exhibitions that place contemporary art in new or unconventional aesthetic, historical, cultural, and/or social frameworks. Target applicants: curators at U.S. non-profit contemporary-art institutions.
• Curatorial Advancement Grants Flexible grants of $500-$10,000 supporting peer-network opportunities and spark-catalyst requests for bold curatorial thinking and experimental curatorial practices within the United States. Target applicants: U.S.-based curators and arts organizations.
• Supporting Artist Careers Program Grants supporting professional practice, business-development expertise, and career supports for visual artists, including funding for organizations providing artist services, business-skills training, and the Artists Thrive initiative. Target applicants: U.S. non-profit arts-service organizations working with visual artists.
• Learning Differences Grants Grantmaking focused on advancing ways for learners with dyslexia and other learning differences to thrive, supporting people, programs, institutions, and systems that recognize and support learning strengths. Target applicants: U.S. non-profits, schools, and advocacy groups working on dyslexia and learning/attention issues.
• Environment Grants Grants supporting applied clean-energy and climate-resiliency innovations at community scale, with a cross-sector systems approach to engage and unite communities. Target applicants: U.S. non-profits and applied-research organizations working on clean energy, climate resiliency, sustainable communities, and environmental justice.
• Artists Thrive A field-wide formative assessment tool and dynamic measurement platform that invites holistic valuation of artists, outlining a spectrum of performance to spur continuous improvement among artists and arts professionals. Operated as part of the Supporting Artist Careers portfolio. Target users: artists, arts professionals, and arts organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20 years of supporting people with learning differences
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Campaign for Grade-Level ReadingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation collaborates with the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, which provides backbone support to a nationwide network of local and regional coalitions committed to assuring more hopeful futures for children through grade-level reading by end of third grade and on-track development by end of kindergarten.
• Reading UniversecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReading Universe is an online service that provides evidence-based strategies and practical guidance to help educators and parents teach their children to read. The foundation supports this initiative as part of its Learning Differences focus area.
• Understood.orgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnderstood.org is a Webby-winning online resource to support parents of the 1 in 5 children with learning and attention issues. The foundation includes this resource in its Learning Differences program ecosystem.
• The Funders' NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA membership organization that helps grantmakers across North America advance strategies to create fair, prosperous, and sustainable regions and communities.
• Neighborhood Funders GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA network of national and local grantmakers throughout the U.S. that brings together funders to learn, connect, and mobilize resources with an intersectional and place-based focus.
• Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAFSF amplifies the impact of philanthropic and investment communities in support of just and sustainable food and agriculture systems.
• Artists ThrivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEHTF seeded and functions as the backbone organization for Artists Thrive, a field-wide formative assessment tool. The vision includes improving conditions for artists and creatives within traditional art settings, integrating visual art into the emerging economy, and diverse career development.
• Association of Art Museum CuratorsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation supports Propel Mentorship Program through AAMC as part of its Practice on the Cusp curatorial support programs.
• Independent Curators InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the curatorial field connections supported by the foundation.
• Alliance of Artist CommunitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the curatorial field connections supported by the foundation.
• New York Foundation for the ArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the curatorial field connections supported by the foundation.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts: Private foundation established from the sale of a major contemporary artist's estate, providing grants to visual arts organizations and curatorial innovation. Directly comparable as an artist-heritage foundation funding contemporary art exhibitions and curatorial projects.
• Pollock-Krasner Foundation: Established from the estates of Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner, this foundation provides grants to individual artists and arts organizations. Comparable as a family-heritage contemporary art grantmaker with similar programmatic DNA.
• Joan Mitchell Foundation: Foundation created from artist Joan Mitchell's estate that supports painters and sculptors through grants, residencies, and career development programs. Directly comparable as a contemporary art grantmaker with artist-career support programs mirroring EHTF's 'Supporting Artist Careers' portfolio.
• Robert Rauschenberg Foundation: Foundation honoring artist Robert Rauschenberg's legacy through grants supporting experimental art, social justice, and emerging artists. Particularly comparable given Tremaine's historic connection to Rauschenberg's early career and shared focus on supporting artists before mainstream recognition.
• Foundation for Contemporary Arts: Provides direct grants to innovative contemporary artists and arts organizations across disciplines. Comparable as a grantmaking foundation specifically focused on supporting experimental and emerging contemporary art practices.
• Jerome Foundation: Family foundation supporting emerging artists and arts organizations, with significant grantmaking to curators and innovative contemporary art programs. Directly comparable as a family-heritage foundation prioritizing curatorial innovation and emerging artists.

Emerging players

• Creative Capital: Provides grants and advisory services to innovative artists working in all media, including visual arts. Comparable as a non-family contemporary arts funder with grant programs supporting artists' careers and experimental projects.

Broad incumbents

• John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation: One of the largest U.S. private foundations with significant arts and culture grantmaking programs alongside other focus areas. Comparable as a major private foundation with arts grantmaking, though at far greater scale and broader scope than EHTF.
• Kresge Foundation: Large national foundation with active arts and culture, environment, and education programs, many operating through community-scale place-based strategies. Comparable as a multi-focus private foundation with parallel programs in climate resiliency and arts that mirror EHTF's three-pillar structure.
• Surdna Foundation: Family foundation with significant arts grantmaking alongside other programs, including support for artists and arts organizations. Comparable as a multi-generational family foundation with arts-focused grantmaking and a similar scale of operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation