Founded in 1956, the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts makes project-based grants to individuals and organizations and produces public programs to foster the development and exchange of diverse and challenging ideas about architecture and its role in the arts, culture and society. Architecture and related spatial practices engage a wide range of cultural, social, political, technological, environmental and aesthetic issues. The Graham Foundation provides grants for projects that investigate the contemporary condition, expand historical perspectives or explore the future of architecture and the designed environment. The Foundation supports innovative, thought-provoking investigations in architecture; architectural history, theory and criticism; design; engineering; landscape architecture; urban planning; urban studies; visual arts; and related fields of inquiry. This interest also extends to work being done in the fine arts, humanities and sciences that expands the boundaries of thinking about architecture and space. Open discourse is essential to advance study and understanding, therefore, the grantmaking focuses on the public dissemination of ideas. With this support, the work of individuals and organizations reaches new audiences, from specialized to general, and creates opportunities for critical dialogue between various publics.