The Lambent Foundation is a private grantmaking organization founded in 2008, recognized for its support of contemporary arts initiatives and projects that intersect with social issues. The foundation’s activities are centered in three major urban areas: New York City, New Orleans, and Nairobi, Kenya. ¹

As a donor-advised fund and a project of the left-of-center Tides Foundation, Lambent distributes approximately $4 to $5 million annually to arts and cultural organizations. Beyond financial support, the foundation cultivates connections between its grantees and broader national and international artistic networks, amplifying its impact beyond its primary geographic focus. Lambent also maintains a by-appointment exhibition space in Manhattan’s Financial District. ²

Background

The Lambent Foundation was established in response to a perceived gap in arts funding, particularly for projects that connect creative practice with broader social themes. In its early years, the foundation adopted a traditional grantmaking approach, but by 2013, it shifted toward a model informed by network theory, emphasizing the importance of interconnectedness among grantees, funders, and communities. ³ For example, the foundation has funded collaborations between grassroots collectives and institutional museums to reinterpret historical narratives through contemporary art. ⁴

Ties to Creative Capital Foundation

The Lambent Foundation is a financial supporter of the Creative Capital Foundation, a prominent arts grantmaker that has distributed millions of dollars to artists across the United States. In 2025, Creative Capital awarded $2.45 million to 55 artists, with 75 percent of recipients identifying as non-white. Lambent’s partnership with Creative Capital and similar organizations reflects its commitment to expanding opportunities for underrepresented voices in the arts sector. ⁵

In April 2025, Lambent grantee Creative Capital Foundation, became the subject of national scrutiny following a complaint filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by the American Alliance for Equal Rights (AAER). AAER alleged that Creative Capital, along with the Gates Foundation and the Lagrant Foundation, engaged in race-based discrimination through their scholarship and grantmaking programs, potentially violating federal law and jeopardizing their tax-exempt status. ⁶

The complaint specifically cited a partnership between Creative Capital, the Skoll Fund, and Kickstarter, which launched a $500,000 fund to support projects by Asian, Black, Indigenous, and Latino creators. According to AAER, the program’s eligibility criteria, which limited applicants to certain racial and ethnic groups, constituted “intentional discrimination” against white Americans. The complaint asserted that such practices are incompatible with the requirements for federal tax exemption, as organizations that discriminate based on race are not eligible for public subsidies through the tax code. ⁶

1. Lambent Foundation. Lambent Foundation. Accessed May 13, 2025. https://lambentfoundation.org/.
2. Animating Democracy. “Funder Portrait: Lambent Foundation.” Animating Democracy, Americans for the Arts. Accessed May 13, 2025. https://www.animatingdemocracy.org/sites/default/files/funderportait_lambentfoundation.pdf
3. Americans for the Arts. “Lambent Foundation: Art. Culture. Justice.” December 19, 2022. https://www.americansforthearts.org/by-program/reports-and-data/legislation-policy/naappd/lambent-foundation-art-culture-justice-0
4. Robert Rauschenberg Foundation. “Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Elects Michelle Coffey and Peter Kraus to Board of Directors.” Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, March 19, 2024. https://www.rauschenbergfoundation.org/news/robert-rauschenberg-foundation-elects-michelle-coffey-and-peter-kraus-board-directors-and.
5. Voon, Claire. “Creative Capital Awards Millions to 55 Artists.” Hyperallergic, January 18, 2025. https://hyperallergic.com/984688/creative-capital-awards-millions-to-55-artists/.
6. Lindquist, Spencer. “Bill Gates Foundation, Other Nonprofits Could Lose Tax-Exempt Status Over Anti-White Discrimination.” Daily Wire. April 2, 2025. Accessed May 13, 2025. https://www.dailywire.com/news/bill-gates-foundation-other-nonprofits-could-lose-tax-exempt-status-over-anti-white-discrimination