United States Artists

The Los Angeles-based United States Artists was founded in 2005 with a mission to invest in America's finest artists and illuminate their value to society. Prompted by a pivotal Urban Institute study showing that while 96% of Americans appreciate the arts, only 27% believe that artists contribute to the good of society, four leading foundations-Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Prudential Foundation, and the Rasmuson Foundation-contributed $22 million to establish USA as a sustainable nationwide funding source for living artists. Through the USA Fellows program, which annually awards 50 unrestricted grants of $50,000 to outstanding performing, visual, media, and literary artists across the country, USA has put $12.5 million in the hands of artists in just five years. Past recipients of USA Fellowships include visual artists Kara Walker and Catherine Opie, cartoonist Chris Ware, designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy (of Rodarte), performing artist Meredith Monk, jazz composer Jason Moran, ballet dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied, choreographer Bill T. Jones, and the writer Sapphire.