New York Mills Regional Cultural Center Receives $110,000 in Grants to Advance Windows to the Future Capital Campaign Project 

The New York Mills Regional Cultural Center (NYMRCC) has received two grants totaling $110,000 to support Windows to the Future, the first phase of its Cultivating Community Capital Campaign. The project will preserve and strengthen the organization’s historic downtown building while significantly improving its energy efficiency for generations to come. 

The project will replace the deteriorating historic storefront windows and doors of the Cultural Center’s 1885 building with custom-designed, energy-efficient Low E² Energy Star units that preserve the building’s historic character while improving comfort, sustainability, and long-term performance. 

The project recently received a $100,000 implementation grant through the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative of the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, established in collaboration with Environment & Culture Partners to catalyze climate action in the visual arts. The grant will directly support the fabrication and installation of the new energy-efficient storefront windows and doors. 

Earlier, in December 2025, NYMRCC received a $10,000 Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) Seed Grant to support project planning, design, community outreach, and educational programming leading up to implementation. CERTs funding helped create educational materials about window energy efficiency, support project management and design work, launch a community mural project celebrating the connections of people, art, and place, and organize a community open house providing an opportunity to learn about clean energy directly through the project. 

Together, these grants demonstrate how historic preservation, environmental stewardship, and community engagement can work hand in hand. 

“Windows to the Future represents much more than replacing windows,” said Board Chair Latham Hetland. “This project allows us to preserve an important historic building while making it more energy efficient, creating a safer environment for the artwork housed inside, providing greater comfort for artists, visitors, and staff, and ensuring this community gathering place can continue serving our region well into the future. We are deeply grateful to both the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation and the Clean Energy Resource Teams for investing in our vision.” 

The project is expected to reduce the building’s annual energy use by approximately 15 percent, avoid an estimated 5 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions over the next decade, and save approximately $15,000 in energy costs during that time. The improvements will also create a more stable indoor environment that better protects artwork while providing a more comfortable experience for artists, audiences, and all who gather in this community space.

As part of the project, the Cultural Center partnered with Jaime Kopveiler of Overflow Creative to create large educational displays explaining the project’s energy-efficiency goals. Community members also submitted window-themed artwork that was painted onto large wood panels during community events. The finished murals will be installed on the temporary construction wall throughout the window replacement project, transforming the construction site into a vibrant public art installation. 

Custom windows are currently being fabricated by Minnesota-based Marvin Windows. Construction on the front façade is scheduled to begin in late July under the management of Hammers Construction of Perham. The Cultural Center will remain open and continue presenting exhibitions, concerts, educational programs, and community events throughout construction. 

Windows to the Future is the first phase of NYMRCC’s broader Cultivating Community Capital Campaign, which will preserve the historic building while preparing it for future generations through investments in accessibility, sustainability, and long-term stewardship. Future phases include a building expansion featuring an elevator, improved accessibility throughout the facility, and additional community gathering and creative spaces. The Center has also worked closely with energy experts from CERTs and Otter Tail Power’s Integrated Building Design Plus (IBD+) program to incorporate clean energy principles into future building plans. 

Heidi Auel, Central Coordinator with Clean Energy Resource Teams, explained, “CERTs can help communities determine a path forward to realize their clean energy goals. We provide resources and a large network of experts to help people on their journey to an energy-efficient and renewable energy future. CERTs Seed Grants provide a great opportunity for incorporating creativity into energy efficiency, and the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center has been making huge strides in sustainability. We are excited to see the Art in the Window exhibition as well as the final energy savings!” 

The Frankenthaler Climate Initiative is the first nationwide grantmaking program dedicated to supporting energy efficiency and clean energy projects at visual arts organizations. Established by the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation in collaboration with Environment & Culture Partners, the initiative helps cultural institutions reduce energy use while advancing climate action throughout the visual arts sector. 

“FCI’s staged-support model enables institutions to grow their commitment to sustainability over time and advance their projects to have multifold effects. Nearly half of this year’s cohort are returning grantees, many of whom are using infrastructure as anchors for community resilience, connecting environmental action to justice and belonging in ways that are deeply mission-driven,” commented Elizabeth Smith, Executive Director of the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation. 

Windows to the Future is made possible in part by the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative of the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation and a Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) Seed Grant. 

The Cultural Center will continue to share project updates and opportunities for community engagement throughout construction. 

To learn more about the Cultivating Community Capital Campaign or make a gift, visit https://kulcher.org/about/capital-campaign/, email [email protected] or [email protected], or call 218-385-3339.

About the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center

The New York Mills Regional Cultural Center is a nonprofit arts organization located in the heart of rural west-central Minnesota. Housed in a historic 1885 building on Main Avenue, the Cultural Center is a rural hub for creativity, community vitality, and lifelong learning in the arts. The Center presents year-round visual arts exhibitions, concerts, artist residencies, educational programs, a retail gallery featuring regional artists, and community events that enrich the cultural life of the region while welcoming artists and visitors from around the world. Learn more at kulcher.org. 

About the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative

The Frankenthaler Climate Initiative is the first nationwide program to support energy efficiency and clean energy use for the visual arts and the largest private national grantmaking program to address climate action through cultural institutions. The ongoing initiative provides critical support to visual arts organizations in the United States seeking to assess their impact on the environment and to lower ongoing energy costs. The Foundation has conferred more than $21.8 million since its launch in 2021, with 401 unique grants given for energy efficiency and clean energy projects at 295 institutions across 42 states and Puerto Rico.

Building on the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation’s commitment to social impact philanthropy and to catalyzing positive change on critical issues in the arts, the Foundation leads FCI in association with Environment & Culture Partners, a nonprofit that creates relationships and leads collaborations that engage the cultural sector in broader climate action; and Green Design Collaborative (GDC), an environmental design consultancy that optimizes building projects through expert collaboration to create a cost-effective, low-carbon future. Learn more at frankenthalerclimateinitiative.org.

About the Clean Energy Resource Teams

The Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) connect individuals and communities in Minnesota to the resources they need to identify and implement community-based clean energy projects. CERTs is a partnership of the University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Southwest Regional Development Commission, and the Great Plains Institute. Learn more at CleanEnergyResourceTeams.org.