The collection contains the office files of Marcia T. Thompson, program officer in the Office of the Humanities and the Arts at the Ford Foundation from 1953-1983. Contents include background papers, reports, correspondence, grant files, and materials relating to the Symphony Orchestra Program, the Cash Reserve Program, the Ford Foundation Stabilization Program, the Office of the Humanities and the Arts, the Education and Culture Program, and the National Arts Stabilization Fund (NASF).

The collection contains the personal and professional files of Marcia T. Thompson, longtime promoter of financial stabilization projects in the arts. The collection includes reports and correspondence related to the Trude Lash Fellowship Program, reports and correspondence from Thompson's time at the Ford Foundation, and financial reports, correspondence, and long-term planning materials from the National Arts Stabilization Fund (NASF). There are many files related to the School of American Ballet, the New York City Ballet, and arts stabilization projects in major cities across the United States.