Twenty-five years ago, Jan and Marica Vilcek established the Vilcek Foundation with a simple yet powerful goal: to advocate for immigrants and to uplift the arts and sciences. Since its creation, the Vilcek Foundation has evolved into a nationwide organization known for its prizes, grants, and public programs that celebrate the impact of immigrants on American life.

“Our mission, though straightforward, is extraordinary,” says Rick Kinsel, president of the Vilcek Foundation. “Very few institutions recognize the full breadth of the contributions of immigrants to our everyday lives. From immunologists to fashion designers, chefs to biologists, curators to neuroscientists, and beyond, immigrants and visionaries advance each aspect of our country’s culture, proving that though talent emerges from across the world, it flourishes in the United States.

“As we look to the next 25 years, we aim to deepen our connections, increase our influence, and broaden our scope of work to amplify their stories and achievements,” Kinsel continues. “The vitality of our country depends on the continued presence and participation of individuals with diverse backgrounds and perspectives.”

A Legacy of Support and Partnership

In 2001, Vilcek Foundation awarded its first grant to the New York University School of Medicine. Since then, grantmaking has been a vital part of the foundation’s operations and programs. Over the past 25 years, the foundation has bestowed more than $7.4 million in grants and donations to nonprofit organizations in alignment with its mission, vision, and theory of change. Through this initiative, the foundation has built meaningful partnerships with more than 130 organizations across 30 states, Washington D.C., and Guam.

This includes long-term partnerships with organizations such as the Hawai‘i International Film Festival, an 18-year collaboration that began in 2007 with the launch of the Vilcek Foundation–supported New American Perspectives program, which has introduced 90 immigrant filmmakers from 30 countries to U.S. audiences. In 2025, the foundation doubled the number of annual grants through its first open call program to ensure continued support for creative and scientific institutions nationwide.

Honoring Excellence Through the Vilcek Prizes

At the heart of the foundation’s mission are the Vilcek Foundation Prizes, which spotlight immigrant ingenuity and innovation across the arts and sciences. Since 2006, these prizes have celebrated individuals whose work transforms their fields, ranging from Nobel laureates to pioneering artists.

The inaugural prizes recognized artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude and cancer biologist Joan Massagué. In 2009, the foundation added the Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise, which honor early-career innovators. In 2025, the foundation further expanded the program, doubling the number of prizes in the arts.

Since then, the foundation has given $9.6 million in prizes to individual luminaries such as Katalin Karikó, Yo-Yo Ma, Angélique Kidjo, José Andrés, Andrew Bolton, Nari Ward, and Dinaw Mengestu—each of whom exemplifies how immigrant perspectives strengthen the cultural and intellectual fabric of the United States.

Celebrating Culture Through Art

The Vilcek Foundation’s public cultural programming began in 2008 with its first exhibition, featuring Iranian artist Pouran Jinchi and South Korean artist Il Lee. Since then, the foundation has organized 14 major exhibitions nationwide, including:

• Grounded in Clay: The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery
• Marsden Hartley: Adventurer in the Arts
• Brian Doan: hôme, hôme, hôme
• Ryo Toyonaga: Mephistophelean

In 2020, the foundation introduced its coloring book series, a collaborative project with institutions including the Brooklyn Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Each edition bridges scholarship and creativity, inviting readers of all ages to explore art through illustration and storytelling.

Looking Ahead: Launching the Vilcek Foundation Public Archive

To commemorate this milestone, the Vilcek Foundation debuted a new public archive, an online resource that chronicles the foundation’s history and evolution. The archive includes images, videos, and documents highlighting the foundation’s leadership, exhibitions, grants, and prizes—offering an in-depth look at the people and programs that have shaped its 25-year legacy.

With its commitment renewed for the next quarter century, the Vilcek Foundation continues to champion immigrant contributions to the arts and sciences, affirming its belief that the United States’ strength lies in its diversity, creativity, and compassion.