Friends. With benefits.

24th December 2019, 10:36 am

 

TOM OF FINLAND Untitled (From Camping), 1976, Gouache on paper, 12.00″ x 11.25″, © 1976-2019 Tom of Finland Foundation

Hard to believe that our beloved Tom was born 100 years ago. His legacy of unique, sexy, homo erotic art work lives on and continues to inspire countless art lovers throughout the world, due in part to the ongoing work of TOM’s Foundation.

As we approach this upcoming landmark year #TOMs100, the Foundation has been reviewing the public programs we offer and income received from the public in the form of donations and memberships to support these programs. The Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public charity and is required to be both serving the public and supported by the public.

The original mission of the Foundation since its inception in 1984 has been to preserve TOM’s vast catalog of work. That mission was expanded and the Foundation now offers a safe haven for all erotic art.

Today, the Foundation offers a number of public programming, including:

  • Museum, Archive and Library – The Foundation holds a permanent collection of more than 1,000 original works by Tom and another 1,500 works by hundreds of other erotic artists. ToFF also has a library and archive at TOM House, containing over 500,000 books, periodicals, film and other forms of erotic images. The Foundation is one of the largest repositories of erotic art and is frequented by academic researchers.
  • Artist-in-Residence Program – The Foundation hosts erotic artists from around the world who live at TOM House for up to 3 months, providing them support and access to extensive source material for artistic inspiration.
  • Exhibitions – The artist-in-residence program culminates with an exhibition of the artist’s work created while staying at TOM House. In addition, ToFF hosts, curates and supports exhibitions throughout the world of both Tom’s work and that of other erotic artists.
  • Community Events – The Foundation sponsors numerous events throughout the year at TOM House and off-site, including monthly life drawing sessions, the annual TOM’s Bar, and the yearly Tom of Finland Art and Culture Festival. These events educate the public as to the importance of erotic art in our culture; the Foundation’s mission.
  • Safe Gathering Space – TOM House and the Foundation have created an inclusive environment for the LGBTQ+ community and their supporters, providing a warm, safe, fun space for people from all walks of life, sexual orientation and expression who enjoy erotic art.

Approximately 80% of the Foundation’s budget goes to providing the public services detailed above. The financial support that the Foundation receives from the public is considerably less then these programming expenses.

Although the Foundation licenses Tom’s images and name to various enterprises, including book publishers, income from sales provides just a small portion of the total funds needed to support TOM’s Foundation. In addition, licensed products help promote Tom’s art work and keep his legacy alive in society.

We can not do this work without continued support from individuals and members like you.

There are a variety of ways your tax-deductible donations can aid the Foundation.

  • ToFF currently has three immediate financial underwriting needs.
    • A new, more interactive Foundation website;
    • A new Data Management system to document and record our growing collection;
    • Additional on-site storage capability to house art donations.
  • The Foundation offers 10 different membership levels starting at $25 for artists, $40 for TOM’s Crew members, up to $5,000 for TOM’s Lifetime Benefactors.
  • Remembering the Foundation when preparing your estate planning. The Foundation welcomes, and continues to accept erotic art and other gifts from donors.

Donations —|— Memberships —|— Bequests

Together, we can — through protection, preservation and promotion — educate both our own community and the public on the merits of erotic art, its integration into culture, and how it produces healthier and more tolerant attitudes toward all aspects of sexuality.

Members are the best ambassadors the Foundation can have and we count on them to help us spread the word about ToFF’s purpose. Please, if you are not already, become a member and share your commitment and support for ToFF with others.

Give a donation in a friend’s name and TOM’s Foundation will send them a card notifying them of your generosity.

Donations —|— Memberships —|— Bequests

For every donation/membership made between now and the end of the year, a generous benefactor will match your gift (up to $5,000).

We are thrilled that so many responded to our Membership Survey. WE HEAR YOU! We’ve updated our Membership program with more levels (and benefits) for all to be able to join, we will be hosting membership-only events in Los Angeles, a number of exhibitions are being planned throughout the world for TOM’s Centennial, and know that 80% of your donation dollars are going to help fund our public programs described above.    

We look forward to hearing from you and engaging in a discussion on how you can re-commit to ToFF and our mission. We are looking to not only increase public financial support, but also generate more consistent public funding streams.

Post Office Box 26658, Los Angeles, CA 90026, USA   Phone +1 213 250 1685
Website: www.TomOfFinlandFoundation.org   Email: [email protected]

Published: 24th December 2019

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