Art Matters
Art Matters Foundation is a New York-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1985 that provides no-strings-attached grants to artists and collectives whose work pushes aesthetic boundaries and confronts urgent social issues.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Art Matters does
Art Matters Foundation is a New York-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1985 that provides no-strings-attached financial grants to individual artists and collectives whose work pushes aesthetic boundaries and confronts urgent social issues. The foundation does not develop or operate a technology platform; its sole function is grant-making, sustained by tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations and processed through Donorbox. The organization operates from a New York mailing address (PO Box 311, Prince Street Station) with no publicly disclosed headcount, reflecting a lean operational footprint.
Its core offering is the Art Matters Grant Program, which since 1985 has supported artists across disciplines including film, video, installation, performance, photography, sculpture, painting/drawing, and research-based practices. Funding is unrestricted, with no requirements for specific deliverables or outcomes, distinguishing the foundation from more conventional arts funders. Notable past grantees include Rodrigo Valenzuela, Rafa Esparza, Gelare Khoshgozaran, Sky Hopinka, Frank Waln, Natani Notah, John Kelly, Sacha Yanow, and Cosmo Whyte, with a thematic emphasis on experimental, identity-focused, Indigenous, and socially engaged work.
In 2025, the foundation launched the inaugural Gai Gherardi Fellowship, a $10,000 award honoring the late longtime Board President and l.a.Eyeworks co-founder, designated by a panel of artists and funded in perpetuity through a dedicated contribution fund. That same year, Art Matters entered a partnership with l.a.Eyeworks to produce limited-edition memorial frames, with sales proceeds supporting the fellowship. The foundation's geographic scope is concentrated in the United States, and it markets its programs through its website, Vimeo, Instagram, and Facebook channels. Revenue, headcount, and grant totals are not publicly disclosed.
Art Matters firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Art Matters
- Legal name
- Art Matters Foundation
- Website
- https://artmattersfoundation.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1985
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Art Matters Foundation is a New York-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1985 that provides no-strings-attached grants to artists and collectives whose work pushes aesthetic boundaries and confronts urgent social issues.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Art Matters industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Arts Grants and Foundation Services
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH), Media Arts & Film/Photography Nonprofits (BPAGAHAJ), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)
Keywords
Where Art Matters is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Art Matters business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Others, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Contributions: Art Matters is funded through tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations who support artists pushing aesthetic and social boundaries. The foundation receives contributions to sustain its grant-making activities.
Marketing channels4 records
Art Matters product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Art Matters Foundation provides no-strings-attached financial grants to individual artists and collectives whose work pushes aesthetic boundaries and confronts urgent social issues. Since 1985, it has funded practitioners across film, video, installation, performance, photography, sculpture, painting/drawing, and research, and in 2025 added the inaugural Gai Gherardi Fellowship, a $10,000 award for an artist with a unique vision.
Product overview
Art Matters is an artist foundation that operates as a grant-giving organization supporting artists who make work intending to break ground aesthetically and socially. The organization offers no-strings-attached funding through its core grant program, which has supported artists since 1985 across disciplines including film, video, installation, performance, photography, sculpture, painting, and research. The foundation also administers the Gai Gherardi Fellowship, a $10,000 award recognizing artists with unique vision. Artists supported by the foundation work across multiple mediums and often engage with themes of social justice, identity, community organizing, and cultural expression.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Art Matters Grant Program No-strings-attached financial grants awarded to individual artists and collectives whose work pushes the boundaries of aesthetic form and confronts urgent social issues. Recipients have worked across film, video, installation, performance, photography, sculpture, painting/drawing, and research-based practices.
- Gai Gherardi Fellowship An inaugural $10,000 fellowship award recognizing an artist with a unique vision, established in memory of longtime Board President and l.a.Eyeworks co-founder Gai Gherardi. The recipient is selected by a panel of artists, and all contributions made in Gai's name support the fellowship fund in perpetuity.
Companies that use Art Matters
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Art Matters technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Art Matters partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- l.a.Eyeworksminorl.a.Eyeworks partnered with Art Matters to create limited edition frames in memory of Gai Gherardi, a longtime board member. Proceeds from frame sales support the Gai Gherardi Fellowship fund.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Art Matters competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- MAP Fund: MAP Fund supports live performance-based projects that demonstrate an innovative and experimental approach. Its focus on risk-taking performance work and grants to individual artists and ensembles is comparable to Art Matters' support of avant-garde performance artists.
- Creative Capital: Creative Capital provides project-based grants and advisory support to innovative artists across visual arts, film/video, performing arts, and literature. It is highly comparable to Art Matters in mission, structure as a private arts foundation, and focus on supporting risk-taking individual artists.
- Anonymous Was A Woman: Anonymous Was A Woman awards unrestricted grants to women artists over 40 in recognition of their artistic work. The foundation's no-strings-attached, artist-focused grant model is closely aligned with Art Matters' philosophy of unrestricted support to experimental practitioners.
- United States Artists: United States Artists provides $50,000 unrestricted fellowships to artists across disciplines including visual arts, performing arts, literary arts, and media. Its fellowship structure and unrestricted funding approach make it a strong direct peer to Art Matters' grant program and new Gai Gherardi Fellowship.
- Joan Mitchell Foundation: Joan Mitchell Foundation provides grants and fellowships to individual artists working in painting, sculpture, and related visual arts, with an emphasis on supporting working artists. Its artist-focused grantmaking philosophy and visual-arts emphasis are closely aligned with Art Matters' mission.
- Headlands Center for the Arts: Headlands Center for the Arts provides residencies and fellowships to artists working across disciplines, including its annual Artist Fellowship program. Its fellowship-based support model for experimental practitioners is structurally similar to Art Matters' core grant and new Gai Gherardi Fellowship program.
- Foundation for Contemporary Arts: Foundation for Contemporary Arts makes grants to individual artists working in performance, theater, dance, music, visual arts, and emerging art forms. Its unrestricted grant model to experimental practitioners is structurally nearly identical to Art Matters' core program.
- Pollock-Krasner Foundation: Pollock-Krasner Foundation provides financial assistance to individual working artists of recognized ability, primarily visual artists including painters, sculptors, and mixed-media practitioners. Comparable to Art Matters in providing direct grants to individual artists rather than institutions.
Broad incumbents
- Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts: Andy Warhol Foundation is a major arts funder primarily providing grants to curatorial programs at museums and nonprofit institutions, not individual artists. Comparable to Art Matters in visual-arts grantmaking focus, but operates at significantly larger scale and targets institutional rather than individual recipients.
- Graham Foundation: Graham Foundation funds innovative individuals and organizations working in architecture and the designed environment, including individual grants, research fellowships, and public programs. Comparable to Art Matters as an artist-focused grantmaker, though oriented to architectural practice.
Market position
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Art Matters social profiles
Digital presenceArt Matters financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Art Matters leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Art Matters funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Art Matters M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Art Matters
What does Art Matters do?
Art Matters Foundation provides no-strings-attached financial grants to individual artists and collectives whose work pushes aesthetic boundaries and confronts urgent social issues. Since 1985, it has funded practitioners across film, video, installation, performance, photography, sculpture, painting/drawing, and research, and in 2025 added the inaugural Gai Gherardi Fellowship, a $10,000 award for an artist with a unique vision.
Is Art Matters a public or private company?
Art Matters is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Art Matters founded?
Art Matters was founded in 1985.
Where is Art Matters based?
Art Matters is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Art Matters make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Charitable Contributions.
Who are Art Matters's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are MAP Fund, Creative Capital, Anonymous Was A Woman, United States Artists, Joan Mitchell Foundation, Headlands Center for the Arts, Foundation for Contemporary Arts and Pollock-Krasner Foundation. Broad incumbents are Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and Graham Foundation.
Does Art Matters have an API?
No public API is recorded for Art Matters.
What industry is Art Matters in?
Art Matters's product category is Arts Grants and Foundation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAJ, Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations, with a secondary code of BPAGAHAH, Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs. Its NAICS code is 813211.