The Harry W. and Mary Margaret Anderson Charitable Foundation

The Foundation's Focus
The Harry W. and Mary Margaret Anderson Charitable Foundation’s primary focus is the support of the contemporary visual arts in the San Francisco Bay area, and secondarily the support of the contemporary visual arts elsewhere in California and the Western United States. This support includes the Collection Sharing Program, which strives to assist small museums in expanding their exhibition capabilities through individual loan offers and high-quality exhibitions of Anderson Collection works.

Our Funding Priorities
The Trustees of the Harry W. and Mary Margaret Anderson Charitable Foundation have established the following funding priorities:

Collection Sharing Program - Supplemental Funding for Collection Sharing Exhibitions that utilize The Anderson Collection and/or The Anderson Graphic Arts Collection at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. This supplemental funding is intended to enhance exhibitions through contributing directly to any of the following areas:

Contributions to Qualifying Charities - Supplemental funding for contemporary visual arts exhibitions and programs at non-profit museums, galleries, colleges, and universities. The Anderson Foundation does not fund individuals. The Anderson Foundation is interested in funding the following areas:

Grants range from $1,000 - $5,000, and must be disbursed through direct payments to vendors and/or service providers, not to the grantee. From time to time, smaller grants have been made.

Each request is carefully evaluated on its own merits in the order in which it is received. The amount of funding available in each calendar year through the Foundation is limited, and once that funding has been disbursed, no more funding is available in that year. The Foundation operates on a January - December fiscal year, and applicants are encouraged to apply early in the year to have the best chance at funding.

Supplemental Funding
It is important to note that Harry W. and Mary Margaret Anderson Charitable Foundation funding is intended to be supplemental. Rather than funding projects in their entirety, the Foundation prefers to leverage its limited resources by enhancing exhibitions and educational programs. One example is the Foundation providing funds to print a catalogue in color rather than black and white.

The Foundation will look favorably on applicants who have secured funding from other sources at the time that they apply for Anderson Foundation funding. Other funding sources should be indicated in the project budget.

How to Apply
Please contact us at (650) 854-5160 or send a letter of inquiry via e-mail to Keith Southern keith@aacollection.com.

Letters of inquiry should be no longer than 3 pages and should outline clearly the purpose for which funding is sought, how that purpose fits into the focus and funding priorities of the Anderson Foundation, the goals and objectives of the project, and a project timeline. A project budget that indicates other sources of funding for the project should also be included. First-time applicants should also include some background on their institution.

The Anderson Foundation may make funding decisions based solely on this letter of inquiry, or we may request supplemental materials such as an organization's 501(c)(3) letter or financial statements.

Grant requests that fall outside the Foundation's funding priorities will not be funded.