Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust
The Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust is a private foundation based in New York, NY. Its 2025 filing lists grants to arts organizations, including theaters, dance presenters, and arts education organizations.
Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust at a glance
In short: Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust gave $154K across 19 grants in 2025 (avg $8K), mostly in New York. 11% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $153,500
- +18.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 19
- +11.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $8,079
- +5.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $1,887,248
- -4.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 11% first-time grantees (2 of 19, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (95% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The trust states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. The filing lists Christina M Mason as the contact, says forms and materials are at the applicant’s discretion, and lists no restrictions on awards.
- Contact
Application contact: Christina M Mason
Mailing address: Two Park Ave, New York, NY 10016
Phone: (212) 592-1400
Email: cmason@herrick.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Tilles Center ($28K). Together the top 10 received $114K.
Grant Size Distribution
87 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 85 grants of 87 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 95% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York and 5% to recipients in Florida.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust open to new grantees?
11%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 19 grantees (11%) were first-time recipients. With only 19 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $9K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $6K repeat.
- 84% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 22% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 117% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $123K (2020) to $198K (2022). In 2025 it made 19 grants totaling $154K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Tilles Center Greenvale, NY | See Rider Attached | $27,500 |
| The Clubbed Thumb New York, NY | See Rider Attached | $15,000 |
| Kaufman Center New York, NY | See Rider Attached | $15,000 |
| Lincoln Center Theatre New York, NY | See Rider Attached | $10,000 |
| Manhattan Theatre Club New York, NY | See Rider Attached | $10,000 |
| Building for the Arts New York, NY | See Attached Rider | $10,000 |
| Atlantic Theatre Company New York, NY | See Rider Attached | $7,500 |
| Kravis Center Palm Beach, FL | See Rider Attached | $7,500 |
| New Dramatics Inc New York, NY | See Rider Attached | $6,000 |
| The Joyce Theater New York, NY | See Rider Attached | $5,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,887,248 | $112,447 | $196,071 | $153,500 | 19 | $156,639 | $76,337 | $133,338 |
| 2024 | $1,970,873 | $280,404 | $179,172 | $130,000 | 17 | $136,182 | $239,181 | $129,354 |
| 2023 | $1,869,641 | $27,007 | $181,454 | $135,000 | 17 | $138,000 | $9,268 | $121,487 |
| 2022 | $2,024,088 | $154,540 | $234,714 | $197,500 | 18 | $199,923 | $118,269 | $125,690 |
| 2021 | $2,104,262 | $273,410 | $195,122 | $145,000 | 16 | $147,500 | $224,096 | $136,978 |
| 2020 | $2,025,974 | $157,871 | $159,087 | $122,500 | 13 | — | $123,818 | $123,025 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $133K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the trust is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for arts organizations. For example, Manhattan Theatre Club describes its work as producing and developing new plays, nurturing artists, and providing education programs; Playwrights Horizons describes its work as developing and producing contemporary plays and educating future theatermakers. Exploring the Arts says its mission is to expand equitable access to arts education in underserved public middle and high schools. DANSpace Project describes its work as presenting and commissioning contemporary dance.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the trust made 19 grants totaling $153,500. Grants ranged from $2,500 to $27,500, with a median grant of $5,000. Among the largest were $27,500 to Tilles Center; $15,000 each to The Clubbed Thumb and Kaufman Center; and $10,000 each to Lincoln Center Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, and Building for the Arts. Other listed grants included $7,500 to Atlantic Theatre Company and $5,000 each to The Joyce Theater, Roundabout Theatre Company, and Classic Stage Company.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Christina M Mason and Russell A Glick as trustees.
Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; all 2 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Christina M. Mason
Trustee
On filings since 2020
$3K (2024) → $3K (2025)
Russell A. Glick
Trustee
On filings since 2020
$3K (2024) → $3K (2025)
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $3K, to Christina M Mason (Trustee). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust
How much does Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust give each year?
Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust gave $154K across 19 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $130K across 17 grants.
What is Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust's typical grant size?
Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $8,079, across 19 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust that year got $3K on average.
Where does Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust give grants?
Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust gives mostly in New York: 95% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (14 grants).
Does Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 19 grants with a stated purpose on Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "See Rider Attached" (15 grants) and "See Attached Rider" (4 grants).
Who are Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust's largest grantees?
Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust's largest 2025 grantees include Tilles Center ($27,500), The Clubbed Thumb ($15,000) and Kaufman Center ($15,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 37% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust?
Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust reported $1.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $157K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $133K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust fund?
No mission statement for the trust is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for arts organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust?
The trust states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust's EIN?
Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-7140245. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 8, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/barbara-bell-cumming-charitable-trust-morg_d23cd5b467724a6babff4f10cbee84e8
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_817140245_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/barbara-bell-cumming-charitable-trust-morg_d23cd5b467724a6babff4f10cbee84e8},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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