Carson Family Charitable Trust
The Carson Family Charitable Trust is a private foundation established in 1990 and based in New York City. It is a 501(c)(3) organization classified as a private independent foundation under the Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking category. The trust operates as an invitation-only foundation and does not maintain a public website or accept unsolicited applications.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$497.6M
+6.6% YoY
Annual Giving
$50.5M
+2.8% YoY
Grant Count
120
+4.3% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$421K
-1.5% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation prioritizes funding for:
- Education reform
- Poverty relief and community development
- Healthcare and medical science
- Arts and culture
- Hospitals
The trust demonstrates a particular commitment to long-term partnerships with core organizations, with some recipients receiving substantial multi-year support.
Grantmaking
The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. Funding is by invitation only, and interested organizations typically need to engage through high-level networking to be considered.
Grant Range
$10,000 to $10,325,000
How to Apply
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation primarily funds organizations in New York City, with some grants extending to the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, and Florida.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets & Revenue (2024):
- Total assets: $497,620,335
- Total revenue: $63,019,144
- Total expenses: $66.1 million
- Total liabilities: $0
Assets & Revenue (2023):
- Total assets: $466,593,070
- Total revenue: $44,605,576
- Total expenses: $61,143,014
Giving Rate: Approximately 10.5% of assets distributed annually.
Staffing: The foundation employs 6 staff members.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $497,620,335 | $466,593,070 | $454,041,302 |
| Revenue | $63,019,144 | $44,605,576 | $111,506,666 |
| Expenses | $66,071,188 | $61,143,014 | $70,256,397 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $53,140,566 | $51,497,115 | $62,340,080 |
| Net Investment Income | $47,701,355 | $30,706,263 | $53,299,848 |
| Distributable Amount | $23,090,589 | $22,462,204 | $22,145,337 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
250 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The Carson Family Charitable Trust is led by trustee Russell L. Carson, a private equity advisor and founding partner at Welsh, Carson, Anderson, and Stowe. The trust is managed by Russell Carson along with his wife Judith and their two children, Edward and Cecily, who serve as trustees. The family collectively sits on approximately 15 nonprofit boards in New York City.
Key Board Affiliations:
- Russell L. Carson: Chair of the board of trustees of Rockefeller University; board of overseers of Columbia Business School
- Cecily M. Carson: Board member of the Robin Hood Foundation
Russell Carson is an alumnus of Dartmouth College and Columbia Business School, where he earned his M.B.A.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| RUSSELL CARSON | TRUSTEE | 40 | — |
| CECILY M CARSON | TRUSTEE | 40 | $485,000 |
| EDWARD S CARSON | TRUSTEE | 15 | $117,500 |
| JUDITH CARSON | TRUSTEE | 5 | — |
| MADELINE CARSON | TRUSTEE (BEGAN APRIL 2024) | 40 | $85,417 |
| AMY MEYERCORD STEVENS | EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT | 40 | $587,500 |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
In May 2019, the Carson Family Charitable Trust led a $125 million grant to the New York Genome Center, partnering with the Simons Foundation. This represented a significant commitment to genomic research focused on neurodegenerative disease, neuropsychiatric disease, and cancer.
New York Genome Center Receives $125 Million to Continue Operations \u2013\Related Funders
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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