In 1864 Grigorovich was elected the Secretary of the Russian Society for Encouraging Artists and held this post for twenty years, doing much to improve the art education throughout the country. The Museum of Art History he organized at the Society was credited with being one of the best in Europe of its kind. At the Society's School of Drawing Grigorovich gathered the best teachers from all over Russia, and made sure exhibitions and contests were being held regularly, with winners receiving grants from the Society. Grigorovich was the first to discover and support the soon-to-become famous painters Fyodor Vasilyev and Ilya Repin. His achievements as the head of the Society Grigorovich earned him the status of the Actual State Councilor and a lifetime pension.