Ponsold Motherwell Charitable Trust

The New York Community Trust

New York, NY

The New York Community Trust funds projects in areas including arts, education, health, human services, community development, and the environment, primarily in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester, with some opportunities elsewhere. Its 2024 median grant was $20,000, though awards varied widely. It accepts applications through its open competitive grants program and selected RFPs or letters of interest; donor-advised funds do not accept proposals.

Helen Frankenthaler Foundation Inc

New York, NY

The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation supports visual arts and education, cultural organizations’ capacity and core programs, and arts-sector energy efficiency and sustainability projects. Its 2024 grants ranged from $2,500 to $3.8 million, with a median of $30,000, for organizations in the U.S. and internationally. It says it funds only preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.

Boston Foundation Inc

Boston, MA

The Boston Foundation funds equity-focused work in child well-being, economic opportunity, community wealth, and community leadership, primarily in Greater Boston. Its 2025 grants had a median of $25,000, while specific programs offer awards from up to $15,000 to $50,000; it accepts applications through some competitive initiatives, but whether it accepts unsolicited requests generally is not stated.

Al Held Foundation Inc

Boiceville, NY

Rockefeller Brothers Fund Inc

New York, NY

The Rockefeller Brothers Fund supports work on democracy, sustainable development, and peacebuilding, as well as programs in China, Central America, the Western Balkans, and New York City arts and culture. Its typical grant range is $25,000–$400,000, with a 2024 median of $60,000. It accepts unsolicited requests in Southern China and Democratic Practice, though grants are unlikely; its Peacebuilding program rarely considers unsolicited requests.

The Commonwealth Fund

New York, NY

The Commonwealth Fund supports health care research, policy, and projects that improve access, care quality, affordability, and equity, primarily through grants to health care-focused organizations. In 2025, grants ranged from $75 to $2.35 million, with a median of $15,000; it funds work in the United States and supports international learning and exchange. It accepts letters of inquiry through its online portal on a rolling basis and responds to unsolicited proposals, generally from tax-exempt charities.

The Ford Foundation

New York, NY

The Ford Foundation funds organizations, individuals, and ideas working to reduce inequality and advance social justice, including work in areas such as immigrant justice, criminal justice reform, gender equity, and arts and culture, through grants around the world. Its 2024 grants had a median of $100,000, with amounts ranging from $45 to $15 million; it does not accept unsolicited requests by mail, email, or phone.

The JM Kaplan Fund Inc

New York, NY

The J.M. Kaplan Fund supports environmental protection, heritage conservation, social justice, and related arts and cultural work, usually through grants to U.S. organizations. Its 2024 grants ranged from $300 to $1.5 million, with a median of $6,000; it does not accept unsolicited requests for discretionary grants, but the J.M.K. Innovation Prize has an application process.

The Simons Foundation Inc

New York, NY

The Simons Foundation funds research in mathematics and the basic sciences, as well as autism and other disease research, through grants to research centers, universities, and related organizations. In 2024, grants ranged from $1,480 to $20 million, with a median of $72,000; funding is concentrated in New York, California, and Massachusetts, with awards also made elsewhere in the U.S. and internationally. Whether it accepts unsolicited requests is not stated.