In 2021 and 2022 we began exploring how to do this in consultation with the nonprofit members of PACT. In part through contact with their efforts, we learned more about how people in contemporary visual art can be involved in urgent climate action. In addition, in 2022 and 2023 we directly supported Artists Commit, Art + Climate Action, Ki Culture, and Art into Acres.
Six of our 2023 grantees are currently participating in our climate action pilot. Since summer 2023, each has received tailored support from a sustainability coach to embed climate consciousness into both daily operations and programs. Importantly, the pilot is grantee-led. The coach supports the curator in developing a climate plan that is most appropriate for their project or organization in terms of capacity, philosophy, and relevance to their communities. Following the creation of a plan, each pilot participant receives up to $20,000 to execute that plan.
Pilot participants were chosen by Teiger staff according to their project start date, to ensure enough time for integrating climate-aware actions into their work; with attention to geography and project or organization type, size, and scale; and to the stage at which a curator or organization had already arrived on their “climate journey.”
Climate support will also be available to a subset of grantees selected in the 2024 cycle. When you apply for a Teiger Foundation grant, don't forget to check the box indicating your interest on the last page of the application.