Artist-Endowed Foundations Initiative | AEFI

Bearing names such as Frankenthaler, Haring, Lichtenstein, Mapplethorpe, Pollock-Krasner, Rauschenberg, and Warhol, private foundations created by visual artists are a rapidly emerging force in cultural philanthropy and art stewardship. The Aspen Institute Artist-Endowed Foundations Initiative/AEFI aims to strengthen the charitable impact of this emerging field by addressing the significant information gap facing those who create, lead, govern, and advise artist-endowed foundations. It implements this strategy through research, publication, leadership convening, professional development, and events to share knowledge with key audiences.

A Selection of Artist-Endowed Foundations in the U.S.

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AEFI LEAD UNDERWRITERS

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About the AEF Consortium Advancing Next-Gen Leaders in the Visual Arts

Building the AEF community’s capacity to host interns and fellows from backgrounds under-recognized in the visual arts.

AEFI’s Project Consultant

Meet Nikki Kirk AEFI Project Consultant for the AEF Consortium Advancing Next-Gen Leaders in the Visual Arts.

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AEFI’s Project Advisors

Meet visual arts and allied fields leaders serving as advisors to the AEF Consortium Advancing Next-Gen Leaders in the Visual Arts.

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Project Resource Library

Explore the project resource library for the AEF Consortium Advancing Next-Gen Leaders in the Visual Arts.

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AEFI presents critical information on key topics in short guides based on research findings, including Notes on Estate Planning for Artists Creating a Foundation, A Reading Guide for Artists and Their Family Members, and A Reading Guide for Artists and Their Lifetime Foundations: The Dos and Don’ts.

AEFI’s two-volume publication sets out the initial findings of AEFI’s flagship research program, the National Study of Artist-Endowed Foundations, and its regularly-issued Study Report Supplements provide five-year interval updates to the Study’s findings.

AEFI’S National Study of Artist-Endowed Foundations defines an artist-endowed foundation as a tax-exempt, private foundation created or endowed by a visual artist, the artist’s surviving spouse, or other heirs or beneficiaries to own the artist’s assets for use in furthering charitable and educational activities serving a public benefit.

AEFI’s principal research component—the National Study of Artist-Endowed Foundations—was initiated in 2007 with the support of a donor consortium led by the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Roy Lichtenstein Foundation, and Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and including major arts funders such as the Ford Foundation and Getty Foundation.

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AEFI’s research has been featured in key publications covering the arts and philanthropy, and journalists writing for a variety of online and print platforms have drawn on AEFI’s materials as resources to inform their work.

AEFI’s Donor Consortium has enabled it to conduct and publish the findings of ground-breaking research, as well as disseminate research findings through a variety of events targeted to key audiences, such as artists creating foundations, as well as their advisors.

Please check this list for links to a variety of sources offering additional information on topics of interest to artist-endowed foundation creators and leaders.