Franklin Furnace

What Franklin Furnace does

Franklin Furnace is a nonprofit arts organization founded in 1976 and headquartered in Long Island City, NY (with a Brooklyn mailing address). Its mission is to present, preserve, interpret, educate, and advocate on behalf of avant-garde art — particularly forms vulnerable to institutional neglect, cultural bias, ephemerality, or politically unpopular content. The organization operates a portfolio of programs centered on performance art and artists' books, including the Franklin Furnace Fund for Performance Art (an annual peer-panel-reviewed grant program established in 1985 with grants ranging from $2,000 to $10,000), the Artists' Books Collection (partially acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in 1993 to form the MoMA/Franklin Furnace/Artist Book Collection), The LOFT (a virtual and physical venue for time-based art), online exhibitions, an Event Archive, a Moving Image Archive, the Ree Morton Sketchbooks, and publications spanning 1976 to the present. The organization also administers three awards: the XENO Prize for Performance Art and Artists' Books, the Jacki Apple Award ($10,000 for a mid-career New York artist, inaugurated in 2023), and the Ariane Dewey Dannasch Empathetic Elementary Educator Award.

The organization does not operate a technology product. Its go-to-market is community-led, relying on a rotating peer-panel review system where a new panel of artists evaluates all grant proposals each year, alongside the Goings On newsletter, social media channels (Instagram, Vimeo, Facebook), and a website (franklinfurnace.org). The 2025-26 FUND cycle attracted 382 applications and awarded nine $7,000 grants, illustrating both demand and program scale.

The revenue model is nonprofit-style and diversified across foundation and government grants (Jerome Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, NYSCA, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, SHS Foundation), individual donations and memberships, and event/program revenue. The headcount is 1–10 employees and no revenue figure is disclosed.

Name

Franklin Furnace

Legal name

Franklin Furnace Archive, Inc.

Website

https://franklinfurnace.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Franklin Furnace is a 50-year-old New York nonprofit arts organization that presents, preserves, and advocates for avant-garde performance art and artists' books. It funds early-career artists through annual grants and maintains archives, virtual exhibitions, and partnerships with MoMA and BAM.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts and Culture Nonprofit

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190), Museums (712110)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ), Arts & Culture Service/Support Organizations (Networks, Advocacy, Capacity Building) (BPAGAHAL)

Keywords

• Performance art grants
• Avant-garde art preservation
• Artists books archive
• Nonprofit arts organization
• Virtual performance venue

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Government Grants: Franklin Furnace receives substantial support from foundations (Jerome Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Henry Luce Foundation, Teiger Foundation, etc.) and government agencies (New York State Council on the Arts, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs) to fund its grant programs for artists.
2. Individual Donations and Memberships: The organization solicits donations from individuals and offers membership programs to supporters of avant-garde art.
3. Event Revenue: Revenue generated from exhibitions, performances, and special events including the First Fifty celebration and LOFT virtual programming.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Franklin Furnace is a nonprofit arts organization that presents, preserves, interprets, educates, and advocates on behalf of avant-garde art, especially performance art and artists' books. It delivers annual grants to early-career artists through The FUND (a peer-reviewed program initiated in 1985 with grants of $2,000–$10,000), maintains archival collections (Artists' Books, Moving Image, Vertical Files, Ree Morton Sketchbooks), operates The LOFT as a virtual and physical venue for time-based art, curates online exhibitions, and administers recognition awards including the XENO Prize and the Jacki Apple Award.

Product overview

Franklin Furnace is a nonprofit arts organization offering a portfolio of programs centered on avant-garde performance art and artists' books. The core offerings include The FUND grant program (initiated 1985) providing annual grants to early-career artists; the Artists' Books Collection (partially acquired by MoMA in 1993); and The LOFT as a virtual/physical venue for time-based art. Additional services include online exhibitions, event and moving image archives, publications from 1976-present, and vertical files collection. The organization also manages three awards: the Xeno Prize for Performance Art and Artists' Books, the Jacki Apple Award ($10,000 for mid-career NYC artists), and the Ariane Dewey Dannasch Empathetic Elementary Educator Award. Ree Morton Sketchbooks are also digitally archived. This is a services-based nonprofit rather than a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The FUND (Franklin Furnace Fund for Performance Art): Annual grant program for early career performance artists initiated in 1985, combining the original Franklin Furnace Fund and The Future of the Present programs since 2008.
• The LOFT
• XENO Prize
• Jacki Apple Award

Products and services

• The FUND (Franklin Furnace Fund for Performance Art) Annual grant program providing financial support to early-career artists to produce major performance art works in New York City, administered through peer panel review with grants of $2,000–$10,000.
• Artists' Books Collection Archival collection of artists' books, one of the most significant of its kind, presented publicly and preserved in partnership with MoMA.
• The LOFT (Events Online) Virtual and physical venue for presenting time-based art, performance art, installation art, and other contemporary avant-garde artforms, featuring upcoming and archived online events accessible to global audiences.
• Exhibitions Online Curated online exhibitions including 'Hidden in the Stacks,' 'ABC to Z: Abecedaria & Dictionaries,' 'Shared Storytelling,' 'Dragging the Archive,' 'Historias,' and '46: Artists' Books Exhibition' presented virtually through the Franklin Furnace website.
• Event Archive Online database containing information about performance art works, temporary installations, exhibitions, and special events presented by Franklin Furnace.
• Moving Image Archive Archive of video and moving image works related to Franklin Furnace events and performances, hosted on Vimeo.
• FF Publications Publications documenting Franklin Furnace activities and avant-garde art from 1976 to present.
• XENO Prize for Performance Art and Artists' Books Annual prize awarded by Franklin Furnace to honor xenophiles who appreciate all people and cultures, recognizing excellence in performance art and artists' books.
• Jacki Apple Award in Performance and Artist Projects $10,000 grant award inaugurated in 2023 recognizing one mid-career New York artist to develop a major performance artwork in the city.
• Vertical Files Collection Archival collection of research materials and documentation related to avant-garde artists and artforms.
• Ree Morton Sketchbooks Digital archive of 22 sketchbooks, 16 notebooks, and 1 folder from artist Ree Morton, available online through the Franklin Furnace website.

Quantifiable outcome

• 382 applications received for 2025-26 FUND cycle with nine $7,000 grants awarded
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.

• Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 1993, the Franklin Furnace Artists' Books Collection was acquired by MoMA, forming the Museum of Modern Art/Franklin Furnace/Artist Book Collection. Franklin Furnace maintains the third copy and continues to work with MoMA and grow their own collection.
• Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for Franklin Furnace's 50th Birthday Jubilee celebration and ongoing exhibitions including "Standing Slightly Outside: Franklin Furnace 1976—2026".
• Coalition of Small Arts New York City (CoSA NYC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFranklin Furnace receives foundation support through CoSA NYC including from the Willem de Kooning Foundation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Creative Capital: National nonprofit that provides grants and advisory services to innovative and adventurous artists across disciplines including performance. Comparable as a peer-reviewed grantmaking organization funding avant-garde and experimental artists, with a similar application-review process.
• Danspace Project: New York nonprofit organization supporting experimental dance and performance art through residencies and presentations. Comparable as a small NYC-based nonprofit presenting and supporting avant-garde performance practitioners.
• New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA): Major nonprofit arts service organization that provides grants and fellowships to individual artists in New York State, including emerging artists. Directly comparable as a peer-reviewed grantmaker serving the same NYC artist community that Franklin Furnace supports.
• Performance Space New York: East Village nonprofit venue dedicated to presenting experimental and avant-garde performance art. Directly comparable as a New York-based presenting organization serving the same avant-garde performance art community.
• United States Artists: National nonprofit providing direct funding to artists across disciplines including performance art. Comparable as a peer-reviewed grantmaking organization supporting mid-career and established artists with unrestricted fellowships.
• Foundation for Contemporary Arts (FCA): New York-based nonprofit providing grants to innovative performance and visual artists, with an artist-driven selection process. Directly comparable as a small, artist-led grantmaker supporting experimental contemporary work.
• MAP Fund: National grant program supporting live performance art and performance-based work. Directly comparable as a peer-reviewed grantmaker specifically focused on performance artists, with similar funding amounts and artist-driven review.
• Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC): NYC nonprofit providing grants, residencies, and workspace to artists, including performance-based work. Comparable as a New York City-based arts service organization supporting artists through competitive funding programs.

Emerging players

• Jerome Foundation: Minnesota/New York-based foundation supporting early-career artists and arts organizations. Comparable as a peer funder that also directly supports artists in NYC and Minnesota, with overlapping geographic restrictions on the FUND program.

Broad incumbents

• Museum of Arts and Design (MAD): Manhattan-based museum presenting contemporary art, craft, and design with a focus on process and materials. Comparable as a NYC institution that hosts exhibitions and programs intersecting with artists' books and experimental practice.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/franklinfurnace
• Facebookfacebook.com/franklinfurnacefanpage
• Instagraminstagram.com/franklinfurnace
• Xx.com/FranklinFurnace
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/franklin-furnace-archive-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Franklin Furnace