The Holly Peterson Foundation is a private family foundation based in New York City. Established in 2008, it operates as a 501(c)(3) organization with a focus on discretionary grantmaking to pre-selected charitable organizations.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$5.3M
-19.3% YoY
Annual Giving
$1.5M
+32.4% YoY
Grant Count
31
-29.5% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$47K
+87.9% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation's primary funding areas include:
- Education
- Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking
- Human Services
Grantmaking
The foundation operates on an invite-only basis with no public application process. All grants are made through trustee discretion and pre-qualified relationships.
Grant Range
$500 to $355,309
Average Grant
$25,000-$34,000
How to Apply
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation primarily funds organizations in:
- New York
- Florida
- Rhode Island
- California
- Texas
- Colorado
- Connecticut
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets & Income (as of 2023):
- Total assets: $5.3-$6.5 million
- Total annual giving: $1.1 million (2023)
- Total revenues: $844,314 (2023)
- Total expenses: $1,135,054 (2023)
Historical Growth: Total assets have grown from $4.1 million in 2010 to $5.3 million in 2023.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $5,261,445 | $6,521,711 | $6,812,451 |
| Revenue | $217,339 | $844,314 | $518,913 |
| Expenses | $1,477,605 | $1,135,054 | $1,465,609 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $1,461,605 | $1,113,728 | $1,449,585 |
| Net Investment Income | $217,339 | $833,988 | $502,898 |
| Distributable Amount | $351,582 | $341,726 | $408,541 |
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
152 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
Holly Peterson serves as president and chairwoman of the foundation. She is a New York Times bestselling author and former ABC News producer who serves on numerous prestigious boards including The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York Presbyterian Hospital, and The High Line.
The foundation is governed by 3 officers and trustees.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| HOLLY PETERSON | DIRECTOR, CHAIRWOMAN,PRESIDENT | 1 | — |
| MICHAEL A PETERSON | DIRECTOR, SECRETARY | 0.1 | — |
| MICHAEL SHANKMAN | TREASURER | 2 | — |
Contact Information
Address: 399 Park Avenue, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10022-4614
Phone: 212-542-9243
Website: No public website available
Email: Not publicly available
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
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Similar funders by location and focus area
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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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