Iris Foundation

Foundation · Grantmaker New York, NY EIN: 13-6977690 Website

The Iris Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, NY, established in 1991. It operates as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization with the EIN 13-6977690. The foundation's trustee is William D. Zabel.

Key facts about Iris Foundation

EIN: 13-6977690
Latest 990 filing: Form 990-PF, 2024
Annual giving (2024): $10,693,927
Grants made (2024): 4
Average grant: $2,673,482
Median grant: $7,500
Total assets: $89,905,904
Primary geography: New York (100% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026.

Who Iris Foundation funds

By grant dollars, the top recipient states for Iris Foundation's 4 itemized 2024 grants were New York (100%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (2 grants). 75% of grants with a stated purpose were for general or operating support.

How Iris Foundation gives

Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−11%). Method
In 2024 it paid out 201% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.

Next steps with Iris Foundation

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Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$89.9M

+1.0% YoY

Annual Giving

$10.7M

-9.4% YoY

Grant Count

-42.9% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$2.7M

+58.5% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Iris Foundation reported a distributable amount of $5.3M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation's giving focuses primarily on higher education. Secondary funding interests include philanthropy, voluntarism & grantmaking, and arts, culture & humanities.

Grantmaking

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation's grantmaking is concentrated primarily in New York and Florida.

Grant Distribution by State

New York $10.7M (100%)

Florida $10K (0%)

Share of all 4 itemized 2024 grant dollars.

States

Florida New York

Cities

New YorkAnnandale On HudsonMiami Beach

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

As of Fiscal Year Ending August 2023:

Total assets: $89,025,142
Total revenues: $15,384,980
Total expenses: $14,894,759
Total liabilities: $7,000,000

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$89,905,904	$89,025,142	$81,534,921
Revenue	$14,701,926	$15,384,980	$12,772,064
Expenses	$13,821,136	$14,894,759	$12,795,790
Qualifying Distributions	$10,705,389	$11,823,657	$10,073,617
Net Investment Income	$13,887,387	$14,566,616	$12,044,433
Distributable Amount	$5,333,976	$5,698,230	$6,398,234

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

March 1, 2026 IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2024

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 4 recipients in 2024

Grant Size Distribution

19 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest recipients include Bard College Ein 14-17130334 ($10,673,927), Florida International Foundation Inc (Wolfsonian) Ein 86-2799015 ($10,000), Royal Oak Foundation Inc Ein 23-7349380 ($5,000).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
BARD COLLEGE EIN 14-17130334 Annandale on Hudson, NY	ONGOING ACTIVITIES	$10,673,927
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION INC (WOLFSONIAN) EIN 86-2799015 Miami Beach, FL	UNRESTRICTED GIFT FOR DONEE'S EXEMPT PURPOSE	$10,000
ROYAL OAK FOUNDATION INC EIN 23-7349380 New York, NY	UNRESTRICTED GIFT FOR DONEE'S EXEMPT PURPOSE	$5,000
THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART EIN 13-1624086 New York, NY	UNRESTRICTED GIFT FOR DONEE'S EXEMPT PURPOSE	$5,000

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

William D. Zabel serves as trustee of the foundation.

Compensation Overview

No officer or director reported compensation in the available filings.

From 2024 IRS filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
Susan Weber	Trustee	—	—
George Soros Co-Chair	Trustee	—	—
William D Zabel	Trustee	—	—

Contact Information

Phone: 212-501-3034
Address: 18 W 86th Street, New York, NY 10024

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Iris Foundation fund?

The foundation's giving focuses primarily on higher education. Secondary funding interests include philanthropy, voluntarism & grantmaking, and arts, culture & humanities.

How do I apply for a grant from Iris Foundation?

**Grant Activity:** • Total giving: $10,693,927 (2024 fiscal year) • Typical award range: $1,500 to $11,671,317 • Recent grants include: • Bard College Berlin A Liberal Arts University GGMBH: $11,671,317 (2023) • Metropolitan Museum of Art: $100,000 (2023) • Ars Brevis Foundation: $15,000 (2023)

Where does Iris Foundation make grants?

The foundation's grantmaking is concentrated primarily in New York and Florida.

What size grants does Iris Foundation award?

In 2024, Iris Foundation awarded 4 grants totaling $10.7M — an average of about $2.7M per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is Iris Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Iris Foundation reported a distributable amount of $5.3M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.