Kahng Foundation
The Kahng Foundation is a private foundation based in Austin, Texas. Founded in 1997, it supports projects in arts and culture, education, and the development of a civil society.
Kahng Foundation at a glance
In short: Kahng Foundation gave $2.2M across 23 grants in 2025 (avg $94K), mostly in New York. 39% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $2,171,500
- +18.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 23
- -4.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $94,413
- +23.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $5,625,983
- +2.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 39% first-time grantees (9 of 23, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (80% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Kahng Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 301 West Avenue 2206, Austin, TX 78701
Phone: (212) 242-3625
Website: https://kahngfound.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Kahng Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Guggenheim Foundation ($1.0M). Together the top 10 received $2.0M.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($2,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
127 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 77 grants of 127 (61%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, grant dollars were distributed among recipients in New York (80%), Massachusetts (7%), California (6%), Washington, DC (5%), and Texas (2%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 23 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Kahng Foundation open to new grantees?
39%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 9 of 23 grantees (39%) were first-time recipients. With only 23 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $23K; repeat grants $141K. How we count
Medians: $20K first-time, $38K repeat.
- 61% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 24% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 87% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $929K (2020) to $2.2M (2025). In 2025 it made 23 grants totaling $2.2M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Guggenheim Foundation New York, NY | For Charitable Purpose of Organization | $1,000,000 |
| New York Philharmonic New York, NY | For Charitable Purpose of Organization | $460,000 |
| Harvard University Cambridge, MA | For Charitable Purpose of Organization | $150,000 |
| Asian Art Museum San Francisco, CA | For Charitable Purpose of Organization | $100,000 |
| Whitney Museum New York, NY | For Charitable Purpose of Organization | $80,000 |
| Australian American Leadership Dialogue Foundation New York, NY | For Charitable Purpose of Organization | $50,000 |
| Committee for Human Rights in North Korea Washington, DC | For Charitable Purpose of Organization | $50,000 |
| Friends of New Curators Inc Washington, DC | For Charitable Purpose of Organization | $50,000 |
| New Museum of Contemporary Art New York, NY | For Charitable Purpose of Organization | $50,000 |
| Blanton Museum at UT Austin Austin, TX | For Charitable Purpose of Organization | $25,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $5,625,983 | $2,593,079 | $2,512,353 | $2,171,500 | 23 | $2,178,930 | $2,367,070 | $2,490,357 |
| 2024 | $5,484,527 | $2,590,502 | $2,162,112 | $1,837,005 | 24 | $1,842,760 | $2,354,831 | $2,189,887 |
| 2023 | $5,069,995 | $3,014,189 | $2,100,397 | $1,776,046 | 26 | $1,786,398 | $2,775,041 | $1,844,919 |
| 2022 | $4,128,820 | $360,004 | $2,096,322 | $1,751,064 | 29 | $1,768,570 | $115,550 | $1,786,251 |
| 2021 | $5,859,763 | $1,713,696 | $1,482,107 | $1,219,570 | 25 | $1,237,821 | $1,530,164 | $1,751,100 |
| 2020 | $6,825,536 | $1,072,864 | $1,245,425 | $929,025 | 20 | — | $854,063 | $1,245,757 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Kahng Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.5M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation states that it supports projects in arts and culture, education, and the development of a civil society. Its 2025 grants include support for museums, performing arts organizations, universities, and other charitable organizations. The foundation’s website also names Gold House: Gold Art Prize, the Blanton Museum at an individual recipient, and the Whitney Museum of American Art among its recent projects.
Grantees describe their own work in varied terms. Friends of New Curators Inc says it supports activities advancing education in art curating. The Tate Americas Foundation says it provides artwork, funding, and other support for Tate in the UK. The Museum of Modern Art describes its mission as fostering public awareness of modern and contemporary art.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 23 grants totaling $2,171,500. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $1,000,000, with a median of $25,000. Among the largest grants were $1,000,000 to the Guggenheim Foundation, $460,000 to the New York Philharmonic, $150,000 to Harvard University, $100,000 to the Asian Art Museum, and $80,000 to the Whitney Museum. Each was reported for the charitable purpose of the recipient organization.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Peter Kahng as president and Choongja Kahng and Stephen Kahng as vice presidents.
Kahng Foundation is led by Peter Kahng, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Peter Kahng
President
On filings since 2020
15 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Choongja Kahng
Vice President
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Stephen Kahng
Vice President
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Kahng Foundation
How much does Kahng Foundation give each year?
Kahng Foundation gave $2.2M across 23 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.8M across 24 grants.
What is Kahng Foundation's typical grant size?
Kahng Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $94,413, across 23 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Kahng Foundation that year got $23K on average.
Where does Kahng Foundation give grants?
Kahng Foundation gives mostly in New York: 80% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Massachusetts (7%) and California (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (11 grants) and Washington, DC (3 grants).
Who are Kahng Foundation's largest grantees?
Kahng Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Guggenheim Foundation ($1,000,000), New York Philharmonic ($460,000) and Harvard University ($150,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($2,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 74% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Kahng Foundation?
Kahng Foundation reported $5.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.2M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $2.5M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Kahng Foundation fund?
The foundation states that it supports projects in arts and culture, education, and the development of a civil society. Its 2025 grants include support for museums, performing arts organizations, universities, and other charitable organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Kahng Foundation?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Kahng Foundation's EIN?
Kahng Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 74-2883492. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Kahng Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS October 11, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS September 26, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS October 11, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 15, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Kahng Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Kahng Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/kahng-foundation-morg_eba17e93bd8949ebae299234545438a4
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_742883492_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Kahng Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/kahng-foundation-morg_eba17e93bd8949ebae299234545438a4},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Kahng Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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