Ryobi Foundation

Ryobi Foundation is an operating foundation, not a grantmaking one. Its primary charitable activity is operating the Powers Art Center in Carbondale, Colorado — a free-admission museum honoring the artistic legacy of John and Kimiko Powers, with particular emphasis on Jasper Johns' works on paper from their former collection. The Foundation does not maintain a public grant application process for external organizations.

The foundation's "theory of change" is access and education: by running a free-admission world-class art center in a rural mountain Colorado community, it democratizes exposure to major contemporary art for residents who would otherwise not encounter it. The Ryobi Foundation also manages the Ryobi House and hundreds of acres under conservation easement, and loans art from the Powers collection to peer institutions for public viewing.

For organizations seeking a relationship with Ryobi Foundation, the most viable path is institutional partnership, not grant applications. Museums, universities, and arts organizations that wish to borrow works from the Jasper Johns / Powers collection for exhibition should contact the Powers Art Center directly. Similarly, local schools (the Center has worked with Colorado Rocky Mountain School, Delta High School, and Colorado Mountain College) that seek art education programming connections may approach the Center as a community partner rather than a funder.

The Jasper Johns Study Center Fellowship — a newly established curatorial fellowship supporting original research on the Ryobi Foundation's Johns collection — is the one competitive opportunity the Foundation has introduced. This is targeted at art historians and curators, not nonprofits or researchers outside the arts sector.

Ryobi Foundation's grantmaking is essentially nonexistent in the traditional sense. Its 990 data shows all charitable activity coded as direct program expenses: $4,113,589 in program service expenditures goes to operating the Powers Art Center, maintaining the Ryobi House, managing conservation easements, and hosting exhibitions and educational groups.

There is no evidence of external grant distributions to third-party organizations. The Foundation's asset base of approximately $292 million funds these operating activities. Annual total expenses run approximately $4.1M, representing a modest ~1.4% of assets — consistent with a conservative operating foundation strategy.

The one identifiable opportunity is the Jasper Johns Curatorial Fellowship, which supports a curatorial fellow at the Powers Art Center. This is an employment/fellowship arrangement, not a grant program. The inaugural fellow (Jessica Eisenthal) organized the December 2025 exhibition "Jasper Johns: a whole can be only a part."

Organizations seeking to borrow works from the Powers collection may negotiate lending agreements. The Foundation has a history of loaning to institutions including the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Geographic scope: entirely local (Carbondale, Colorado) for education and community programs; national and international for art loans to peer museums.

Ryobi Foundation is classified NTEE T23 (Private Independent Foundation) but functions more like an NTEE A50 (Museum) or A23 (Cultural/Ethnic Awareness) organization. Its closest operational peers are private operating foundations centered on specific art collections:

Ryobi Foundation is Colorado's most significant private operating foundation in the visual arts sector by asset base. It is comparable in concept to Crystal Bridges but far smaller in scale. Like Crystal Bridges, the free-admission model is central to its public benefit theory.

Unlike grantmaking peers such as El Pomar Foundation ($448M, CO) or Bohemian Foundation (Fort Collins, arts/community), Ryobi Foundation does not distribute grants externally. External arts organizations in the Roaring Fork Valley / Colorado mountains seeking philanthropic support should look to El Pomar, the Aspen Community Foundation, or Bohemian Foundation instead.

The Powers Art Center opened to the public with a new Squarespace-based website in early 2025, suggesting a recent institutional relaunch or rebranding effort. The current flagship exhibition, "Jasper Johns: a whole can be only a part" (December 2, 2025 – October 31, 2026), is a significant curatorial undertaking — 70 works on paper organized alphabetically by title, curated by the inaugural Jasper Johns Curatorial Fellow Jessica Eisenthal.

A companion long-term exhibition, "In the Living Room with John and Kimiko" (December 2024 – May 2026), contextualizes the Powers collection within the personal and social history of John and Kimiko Powers' Colorado cultural circle.

In early 2026, the Powers Art Center hosted the "Future Creatives: 2026 Student Art Show" (opening March 13, 2026), featuring students from Marble Charter School — continuing their K-12 education programming track. The Center also maintains regular school group visits from Colorado Rocky Mountain School, Delta High School, and Colorado Mountain College.

The Foundation recently established the Jasper Johns Study Center Fellowship, a formal research and curatorial fellowship that positions the Powers Art Center as a scholarly resource, not just a display venue. This is a meaningful institutional signal: the Foundation is investing in the long-term legitimacy and research value of the Johns collection, not just its exhibition.

Hours of operation: Tuesday–Friday 11am–5pm, Saturday 11am–3pm, closed Sunday–Monday. Admission is free.

1. Do not apply for a grant — none exist. Ryobi Foundation is an operating foundation. It does not fund external organizations through grants or formal RFPs. Any outreach should be framed as partnership, not funding.

2. For schools and educators: The Powers Art Center actively hosts K-12 and college groups for art education visits. Contact the Center directly to schedule a tour or explore curriculum integration opportunities.

3. For museums and collectors: The Ryobi Foundation lends works from the Jasper Johns / Powers collection to peer institutions (confirmed loan to the Whitney Museum). If your institution is interested in borrowing a specific work for exhibition, approach the Powers Art Center through their institutional contacts.

4. For curators and art historians: The Jasper Johns Study Center Fellowship is the most significant competitive opportunity this Foundation offers. It is a curatorial fellowship, not a grant — but for early-career art historians with a focus on postwar American art (particularly Johns, Rauschenberg, or the broader New York School), this is a rare access opportunity to a major private collection.

5. For regional arts organizations seeking funding: Do not approach Ryobi Foundation. Instead, consider El Pomar Foundation ($448M, Colorado Springs), the Aspen Community Foundation, or the Bohemian Foundation (Fort Collins) — all of which make external grants to Colorado arts and culture organizations.

6. For conservation/land organizations: The Foundation manages conservation easements in the Carbondale area. Organizations working on land conservation in Pitkin or Garfield counties may find indirect alignment, but this is not a grantmaking activity.