Founded in Morristown, New Jersey
Sixty years
of backing
artists.
Masterwork funds the people who make the work — community arts grants, emerging artist awards, and a $10,000 Premier Award for something new.
What we fund
Three ways we
support the arts
Every award goes directly to artists and to the organizations that stage their work.
$500–$1,000
Community Arts Grants
Community-level arts programming designed to inspire and encourage continued development through the arts. We have funded a chorale at Carnegie Hall, new theatrical productions, and an award-winning film about 9/11.
Read more →$500
Emerging Artist Awards
For an individual whose dedication to their craft stands out — in any discipline.
Read more →$10,000
Premier Awards
For a new work by an artist or arts organization, in a discipline that rotates each year across music, theater, dance and the visual arts.
Read more →A color for each discipline
Four disciplines,
four colors
The Premier Award rotates annually across music, theater, dance and the visual arts. The site gives each one a color and uses it consistently — so a four-color mark, whenever the Foundation wants one, is derived from a system already in place.
01
Music
Concerts, composition and performance — where Masterwork began.
02
Theater
New productions and the companies that stage them.
03
Dance
Choreography and the work of dancers making something new.
04
Visual arts
Studio practice, exhibition and film.
Masterwork by the numbers
Small foundation.
Long memory.
60+
Years funding the arts, from Morristown to today
$10,000
The Premier Award, for a new work in a rotating discipline
100%
Of your gift reaches artists — a registered 501(c)(3)
Our story
Shirley May's vision, carried forward
Masterwork began more than sixty years ago in Morristown, New Jersey — the brainchild of Shirley May, who was passionate about the arts and understood the importance of nurturing developing artists while infusing the cultural life of the community.
Generations of artists were influenced by the concerts, theatrical events and fine arts projects Masterwork funded or produced. Shirley passed in 2016, and her loss prompted a revitalization of the organization and a recommitment to expand her vision.
Read our story
Give
100% of your gift
benefits artists
Masterwork is a registered 501(c)(3). Every dollar funds grants and awards.