In existence since 1982, the Fonds régional d’art contemporain (Frac) des Pays de la Loire is a public institution. Its aims are: to create and maintain a regional collection of contemporary art; to raise public awareness of present-day artistic practice; to participate in the developement, distribution, and knowledge of all forms of contemporary creation.
After the Abbaye Royale at Fontevraud, where the first Ateliers Internationaux were organised in 1984, the Frac was housed in the neo-classical villa of Garenne Lemot. In 1994, the Frac took up temporary residence in a renovated warehouse in Nantes, while Saint Nazaire became the host town for the Ateliers each summer. In 2000, the Frac moved to Carquefou, a dozen or so kilometres north of Nantes, to the technology park known as the Fleuriaye which regroups innovative businesses, important schools, and research institutes.

Le Frac des Pays de la loire est subventionné par le Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication, Direction régionale des affaires culturelles des Pays de la Loire, et la Région des Pays de la Loire.