Foundations & Grantmakers in New York
15,689 grantmakers in New York reported grants on their latest 990s. The 6,807 that made at least 5 grants gave $31.0B. The largest by giving are GS Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund, NYU Langone Hospitals and Pfizer Patient Assistance Foundation Inc. The list below ranks grantmakers with at least 5 grants by annual giving, and each funder links to a profile with its grant history and financials.
Looking for open funding opportunities instead? Browse New York grants
Foundation giving in New York at a glance
Active grantmakers
15,689
reported grants on latest 990
Annual giving
$31.0B
from the 6,807 with 5+ grants
Typical grant
$20K
median of each funder's average grant
Median annual giving
$94K
per grantmaker
Top 10 foundations in New York by annual giving
| # | Funder | City | Annual giving | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GS Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund | New York | $3.0B | 7,424 |
| 2 | NYU Langone Hospitals | New York | $1.8B | 6 |
| 3 | Pfizer Patient Assistance Foundation Inc | New York | $1.5B | 45 |
| 4 | The Ayco Charitable Foundation | Cohoes | $1.3B | 2,480 |
| 5 | The Bloomberg Family Foundation Inc | New York | $1.0B | 203 |
| 6 | Jewish Communal Fund | New York | $917.2M | 4,976 |
| 7 | The Ford Foundation | New York | $844.7M | 4,007 |
| 8 | The Andrew W Mellon Foundation | New York | $555.0M | 848 |
| 9 | Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany Inc | New York | $542.1M | 124 |
| 10 | Blue Meridian Partners Inc | New York | $484.2M | 99 |
Ranked by grants reported on each funder's latest 990. Only grantmakers with at least 5 grants are ranked.
Most common focus areas
- Education 568 · 21%
- Arts, Culture & Humanities 322 · 12%
- Human Services 319 · 12%
- Health 208 · 8%
- Religion Related 189 · 7%
- International, Foreign Affairs & National Security 158 · 6%
Share of grantmakers with a program NTEE code (44% carry any NTEE code); general grantmaking foundations (NTEE T) are not counted.
Community foundations in New York
- Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo $33.4M · 562 grants
- Central New York Community Foundation $23.6M · 436 grants
- Rochester Area Community Foundation $22.9M · 554 grants
- Federation of Jewish Communities $22.2M · 14 grants
- The New World Foundation $10.3M · 120 grants
- Adirondack Foundation $8.2M · 313 grants
- The Community Foundation of Herkimer $7.1M · 190 grants
- The Community Foundation for the Greater $5.3M · 286 grants
Showing the largest 8 of 50 with at least 10 grants.
Source: IRS Form 990 and 990-PF filings, latest available year per organization (most of the largest funders' latest filing: tax year 2024).
Most open to new grantees in New York
Foundations based in New York whose latest grant list had the largest share of organizations they had not funded in any earlier year on file.
| # | Funder | First-time grantees | Grantees | Avg first grant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Leary Firefighters Foundation | 95% (56) | 59 in 2024 | $15K |
| 2 | Goodnation Foundation Inc | 94% (48) | 51 in 2024 | $187K |
| 3 | Solutions Journalism Network Inc | 93% (28) | 30 in 2024 | $18K |
| 4 | Schoengold Foundation Inc | 93% (40) | 43 in 2025 | $3K |
| 5 | The Sparkplug Foundation | 93% (40) | 43 in 2024 | $15K |
| 6 | Foundation for Orthopedic Trauma | 92% (73) | 79 in 2024 | $2K |
| 7 | City Harvest Inc | 89% (49) | 55 in 2025 | $11K |
| 8 | Gannett Foundation Inc | 88% (28) | 32 in 2025 | $2K |
| 9 | Chamber Music America Inc | 86% (31) | 36 in 2025 | $16K |
| 10 | Stephen & Tabitha King Foundation Inc | 85% (184) | 216 in 2024 | $29K |
Estimate from itemized IRS Form 990 and 990-PF grant lists. Only foundations with at least 20 grants in each of the last three years (and 20 distinct grantees in the latest), a filing from the last 2 years, and first grants averaging at least $1K are ranked; grants to individuals are left out, and recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed grantee can look new. How we calculate this.
Showing all 18,053 foundations and grantmakers in New York
GS Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund
New York, NY
Assets
$12.7B
Grants
7,424
Total Given
$3.0B
NYU Langone Hospitals
New York, NY
Assets
$13.1B
Grants
6
Total Given
$1.8B
Pfizer Patient Assistance Foundation Inc
New York, NY
Assets
$9.4M
Grants
45
Total Given
$1.5B
The Ayco Charitable Foundation
Cohoes, NY
Assets
—
Grants
2,480
Total Given
$1.3B
The Bloomberg Family Foundation Inc
New York, NY
Assets
$12.1B
Grants
203
Total Given
$1.0B
Jewish Communal Fund
New York, NY
Assets
$3.6B
Grants
4,976
Total Given
$917.2M
The Ford Foundation
New York, NY
Assets
$17.5B
Grants
4,007
Total Given
$844.7M
The Andrew W Mellon Foundation
New York, NY
Assets
$7.8B
Grants
848
Total Given
$555.0M
Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany Inc
New York, NY
Assets
$784.5M
Grants
124
Total Given
$542.1M
Blue Meridian Partners Inc
New York, NY
Assets
$2.4B
Grants
99
Total Given
$484.2M
Foundation to Promote Open Society
New York, NY
Assets
$10.8B
Grants
738
Total Given
$481.5M
Freedom Together Foundation
New York, NY
Assets
$3.4B
Grants
595
Total Given
$470.0M
The OJC Fund
Brooklyn, NY
Assets
$58.5M
Grants
3,714
Total Given
$448.3M
The Leona M and Harry B Helmsley
New York, NY
Assets
$7.1B
Grants
570
Total Given
$440.9M
The Jewish Federations of North America Inc
New York, NY
Assets
$429.8M
Grants
204
Total Given
$432.7M
Wellspring Philanthropic Fund Inc
New York, NY
Assets
$134.4M
Grants
1,101
Total Given
$326.0M
The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation
New York, NY
Assets
$321.8M
Grants
8
Total Given
$293.6M
United Jewish Appeal-Federation
New York, NY
Assets
$1.9B
Grants
306
Total Given
$275.5M
Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Inc
New York, NY
Assets
$891.5M
Grants
1,153
Total Given
$275.0M
The Simons Foundation Inc
New York, NY
Assets
$4.5B
Grants
1,727
Total Given
$272.0M
The Rockefeller Foundation
New York, NY
Assets
$6.4B
Grants
381
Total Given
$233.2M
The Goldman Sachs Charitable Gift Fund
New York, NY
Assets
$637.3M
Grants
2,572
Total Given
$229.1M
Novo Foundation
Hurley, NY
Assets
—
Grants
508
Total Given
$214.1M
The Trustees of Columbia University
New York, NY
Assets
$26.0B
Grants
417
Total Given
$208.3M
Here's the math on clicking through this list.
You, clicking into all 24 funders
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at ~7 min per funder profile
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~1 min
every profile evaluated and scored, with reasoning
Questions about foundations in New York
What are the largest foundations in New York?
By grants reported on their latest 990s, the largest are GS Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund ($3.0B across 7,424 grants), NYU Langone Hospitals ($1.8B) and Pfizer Patient Assistance Foundation Inc ($1.5B). Together the top 10 account for 38% of the $31.0B given by the 6,807 grantmakers in New York that made at least 5 grants. Organizations that reported large giving in fewer grants, usually a single transfer to an affiliated charity, are left out of the ranking.
How big is a typical foundation grant in New York?
The typical grant is about $20K (the median of each grantmaker's average grant). Half of these grantmakers gave less than $94K in total in their latest filing year, so many are small foundations that give to a few organizations they already know. The largest funders make many more grants, but also get the most requests.
Are there community foundations in New York?
Yes. We found 50 community foundations in New York with grant activity. The largest by giving are Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, Central New York Community Foundation and Rochester Area Community Foundation. Community foundations pool gifts from many local donors and usually run open grant rounds for nonprofits in their area, which makes them a good first stop for local funding.
How do I find New York foundations that accept unsolicited proposals?
Most private foundations don't run an open application. Their 990-PF says whether they only give to preselected charities, and their past grants show who they actually fund. Start with the funders above whose grant counts and typical grant size fit your budget, then check each profile's grant history for organizations like yours before you reach out. Read the grant prospecting guide.
Related guides
- Grant prospecting: how to find funders that fit
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