Vilcek Foundation Awards $212,000 to 12 US Nonprofits Championing Immigrants, Arts and Sciences
The New York-based Vilcek Foundation announced its second open-call grant cycle on November 2: 12 U.S. nonprofit organizations will receive a combined $212,000 for work that uplifts immigrants or champions innovative initiatives in the arts and sciences. The 2026 grant period runs from September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2027.
The grantees were selected from nearly 2,000 applications from all 50 states, three U.S. territories and Washington, D.C., a 46 percent increase over the 2025 cycle, with proposals judged on innovation, depth of community engagement and potential for lasting impact. "Immigrants are essential to the fabric of the United States, yet their contributions are often overlooked or undervalued," said foundation president Rick Kinsel, noting that 2026 expands the foundation's geographic reach to eight new states. In the quarter century since its establishment, the foundation has awarded more than $7 million to nonprofits in 40 states, two territories and Washington, D.C.
The 12 grantees are the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts (Omaha), Radio Boise (Boise), the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (Brattleboro), City of Asylum/Detroit (Detroit), Counterpublic (St. Louis), Del Vaz Projects (Santa Monica), The Delaware Contemporary (Wilmington), The Immigrant Story (Portland), the Japanese American National Museum (JANM, Los Angeles), the National Performance Network (New Orleans), Rhode Island Latino Arts (Providence) and Voices Jackson Hole (Jackson Hole). Most received $20,000; Rhode Island Latino Arts received $15,000, Voices Jackson Hole $12,000 and City of Asylum/Detroit $5,000.
Projects of direct interest to Asian American communities include JANM's $20,000 grant to preserve, archive and edit its collection of artworks by Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II; Del Vaz Projects' $20,000 for exhibition research on cultural production across Iranian diasporic and queer communities; and $20,000 in operating support for The Immigrant Story's public storytelling programs, exhibitions, podcasts and oral history work. Applications for the 2027 grant cycle are open through March 31, 2027.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于 Los Angeles 的日裔美国人国家博物馆（JANM）外景，该馆是本轮受资助机构之一。Alexis Doine 摄，CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) in Los Angeles, one of this year's grantees. Photo by Alexis Doine, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
