Cornell University is a major research and educational institution located in Ithaca, New York. Established in 1951 as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, it operates as an independent educational institution classified as a University or Technological Institute. The university maintains multiple campuses, including its main campus in Ithaca, New York, with additional locations for Weill Cornell Medical College and Cornell Tech in New York City. Weill Cornell Medical College also operates a campus in Doha, Qatar.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$18.6B
+7.4% YoY
Annual Giving
$120.8M
+27.8% YoY
Grant Count
331
+6.1% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$365K
+20.4% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
Cornell University is renowned for its academic rigor, intellectual vibrancy, and entrepreneurial character. The institution offers undergraduate, graduate, professional, post-doctoral, and continuing education programs with a global reputation for excellence and innovation. The university's curricula span multidisciplinary research and study areas.
During its most recent reporting year, Cornell University granted degrees across multiple levels: 3,877 undergraduate degrees, 3,745 master's degrees, 116 D.V.M. degrees, 197 J.D. degrees, and 601 Ph.D., J.D., and D.M.A. degrees combined.
The university provides medical services including training and education in the medical field through its Weill Cornell Medical College operations.
Grantmaking
Cornell University Foundation, a related subordinate organization (EIN 22-2848738), operates as a donor-advised fund providing charitable giving services for Cornell alumni and friends. The Foundation made grants totaling approximately $13.2 million in 2024, including a $9.2 million allocation to Cornell University in furtherance of its tax-exempt mission and grants to other charitable organizations such as Tumblehome ($800,000) and CDYMCA ($500,000).
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of June 2024:
- Total Assets: $18.6 billion
- Annual Revenue: $6.55 billion
- Annual Expenses: $6.41 billion
- Employees: 41,865
Cornell University Foundation (as of June 2024):
- Total Assets: $185.6 million
- Total Revenues: $18.8 million
- Total Expenses: $14.8 million
The university has demonstrated consistent financial growth over the past decade, with assets increasing from $11.5 billion in 2013 to $18.6 billion in 2024.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $18,612,463,436 | $17,336,489,402 | $17,439,114,941 |
| Revenue | $6,551,885,454 | $5,877,363,039 | $6,503,011,003 |
| Expenses | $6,409,742,353 | $5,846,117,271 | $5,456,954,931 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $705,131,301 | $409,419,575 | $862,337,153 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
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
Open Grants
6 open opportunities from Cornell University
Mellon Graduate Fellowships Grant
Cornell University
Amount
US $35,661
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship in History of Art and Visual Studies Grant
Cornell University
Amount
Up to US $64,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship in Literatures in English Grant
Cornell University
Amount
Up to US $64,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| MARTHA E POLLACK | PRESIDENT | 55 | $1,680,854 |
| ABIGAIL C COHN | PROFESSOR & TRUSTEE | 2 | $143,663 |
| ALEXANDER D HANSON | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| ANA G PINCZUK | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| A'NDREA L VAN SCHOICK | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| ANDREA STEWART-COUSINS | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| ANNE MEINIG SMALLING | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| ARYAN SHAYEGANI MD | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| BETH ANDERSON | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| BRADLEY H STONE | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| BRUCE S RAYNOR | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| CARL E HEASTIE | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| DALE S ROSENTHAL | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| DAN BROMBERG | GRADUATE STUDENT & TRUSTEE | 2 | $31,152 |
| DAVID J BREAZZANO | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| DAVID R LEE | PROFESSOR & TRUSTEE | 2 | $1,207 |
| DEBORAH J ARRINDELL | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| DOUG MITAROTONDA | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| ELDORA ELLISON | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| ENRIQUE J VILA-BIAGGI | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| ERIC KUTCHER | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| EZRA CORNELL | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| GARY S DAVIS | CO-VICE CHAIRMAN | 2 | — |
| GILDA PEREZ-ALVARADO | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| GIRISH V REDDY | TRUSTEE | 0.2 | — |
| HARRIET P SCHLEIFER | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| HEI HEI DEPEW | EMPLOYEE & TRUSTEE | 2 | $94,799 |
| HERNAN J SAENZ | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| HON STEPHEN C ROBINSON | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| HOWARD L MORGAN | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| HOWARD P MILSTEIN | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| J ALLEN SMITH | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| JENNIFER L DAVIS | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| JESSICA M BIBLIOWICZ | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| JIA ZHU | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| JOHN CERIALE | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| JOHN R TOOHEY-MORALES | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| JP SWENSON | STUDENT & TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| K LISA YANG | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| KATHY HOCHUL | TRUSTEE & GOVERNOR | 2 | — |
| KATRINA E JAMES | Co-Vice Chairman | 2 | — |
| KEVIN JACOBS | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| KEVIN JOHNSON | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| KIMBERLY A WAGNER | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| KIMBERLY N DOWDELL | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| KRAIG H KAYSER | Chairman | 2 | — |
| LINDA M GADSBY | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| MARIO CILENTO | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| MARTIN F SCHEINMAN ESQ | TRUSTEE | 2 | $2,000 |
| MARY ARMSTRONG MEDUSKI | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| MATTHEW L BIBEN | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| MICHAEL L THOMPSON | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| PAUL D RUBACHA | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| PEGGY J KOENIG | CO-VICE CHAIRMAN | 2 | — |
| PETER R CALL | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| REBECCA ROBERTSON | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| REUBEN A MUNDAY | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| RICHARD S EMMET | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| ROBERT JAIN | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| ROBERT W SELANDER | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| SUSAN C SCHNABEL | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| VALISHA GRAVES | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| WILLIAM J LIPINSKI | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| WILLIAM LIM | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| CHRISTOPHER J COWEN | EVP & CFO | 55 | $754,218 |
| DONICA VARNER | UNIVERSITY COUNSEL | 55 | $746,710 |
| FRANCIS LEE | INTERIM DEAN OF WCM (1/1/23 - 9/11/23) | 55 | $1,296,545 |
| MICHAEL I KOTLIKOFF | PROVOST | 55 | $910,010 |
| ROBERT HARRINGTON | PROVOST FOR MEDICAL AFFAIRS & DEAN | 55 | $1,056,314 |
| KENNETH MIRANDA | CHIEF INVESMENT OFFICER | 55 | $2,803,490 |
| ROBERT J MIN MD | PRES. & CEO OF PHYSICIAN ORG | 55 | $2,802,847 |
| SCOTT PUCCINO | CFO & ASSOC. TREASURER - WEILL | 55 | $1,114,256 |
| THOMAS STOKES | VP FOR FINANCE/CFO WCM | 55 | $861,171 |
| HEY-JOO KANG MD | ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR - CLINICAL | 55 | $5,361,742 |
| KIEHYUN DANIEL RIEW MD | ASSISTANT PROFESSOR | 55 | $6,145,652 |
| LEONARD GIRARDI MD | ACADEMIC CHAIR | 55 | $5,906,735 |
| RONY T ELIAS MD | ASSISTANT PROFESSOR | 55 | $4,600,187 |
| ZEV ROSENWAKS MD | ACADEMIC PROFESSOR | 55 | $9,323,175 |
| AUGUSTINE MK CHOI MD | FORMER PROVOST - MEDICAL AFFAIRS & DEAN | 55 | $1,971,609 |
| JOANNE M DESTEFANO | FORMER CFO & EVP | 55 | $529,996 |
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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