The Calamus Foundation
The Calamus Foundation is a New York, New York-based private foundation that made 11 grants totaling $150,000 in 2024. Its 2024 grants went to charitable organizations, with all listed grant purposes recorded as general support.
The Calamus Foundation at a glance
In short: The Calamus Foundation gave $150K across 11 grants in 2024 (avg $14K), top state California. 55% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $150,000
- -40.0% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 11
- -35.3% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $13,636
- -7.3% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $15,000
- Total assets
- $5,255,232
- +11.5% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 55% first-time grantees (6 of 11, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (37% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Calamus Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 14 Pennsylvania Plaza 1800, New York, NY 10122
Phone: (212) 598-4872
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Calamus Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Chosen Family Center ($20K). Together the top 10 received $145K.
Grant Size Distribution
76 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 74 grants of 76 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 37% of grant dollars went to recipients in California and 33% to recipients in New York. Louisiana received 10%, Florida 7%, and Illinois 7%. The listed grants also included a recipient in Connecticut.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Calamus Foundation open to new grantees?
55%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 6 of 11 grantees (55%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $13K; repeat grants $15K. How we count
Medians: $13K first-time, $15K repeat.
- 45% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving fell 44% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 41% 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 (2020–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $150K (2024) to $425K (2022). In 2024 it made 11 grants totaling $150K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Chosen Family Center New York, NY | General Support | $20,000 |
| Transgender Law Project La, CA | General Support | $20,000 |
| William Insitute UCLA School of Law Los Angeles, CA | General Support | $20,000 |
| America Diversa Brooklyn, NY | General Support | $15,000 |
| Designing Justice Designing Spaces Oakland, CA | General Support | $15,000 |
| Promise of Justice New Orleans, LA | General Support | $15,000 |
| Black LGBTQ Liberation Inc Fort Lauderdale, FL | General Support | $10,000 |
| Inter-Intra Community Chicago, IL | General Support | $10,000 |
| Queer Youth Project of Connecticut Hartford, CT | General Support | $10,000 |
| Terra Firma Bronx, NY | General Support | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Calamus Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $5,255,232 | $800,434 | $247,597 | $150,000 | 11 | $150,000 | $507,547 | $366,506 |
| 2023 | $4,711,806 | $280,882 | $335,816 | $250,000 | 17 | $253,250 | $100,997 | $300,869 |
| 2022 | $4,766,740 | $125,103 | $520,897 | $425,000 | 3 | $430,023 | $53,553 | $13,201 |
| 2021 | $5,159,613 | $670,335 | $366,064 | $267,500 | 26 | — | $580,028 | $336,728 |
| 2020 | $4,855,342 | $629,458 | $346,798 | $247,500 | 19 | — | $314,225 | $273,295 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Calamus Foundation reported a distributable amount of $367K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grantees included organizations working on different issues. For example, Designing Justice Designing Spaces describes itself as an architecture and design firm, real estate development firm, and nonprofit working to end mass incarceration; it says its mission is to use architecture to address racism, poverty, and unequal access to resources caused by the criminal legal system.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation gave $150,000 through 11 grants. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $20,000, with a median grant of $15,000. The largest grants were $20,000 each to Chosen Family Center, Transgender Law Project, and William Institute UCLA School of Law. Other grants included $15,000 to America Diversa, Designing Justice Designing Spaces, and Promise of Justice; and $10,000 each to Black LGBTQ Liberation Inc, Inter-Intra Community, Queer Youth Project of Connecticut, and Terra Firma. Tarab NYC received $5,000.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The foundation’s 2024 filing lists Loring McAlpin as president, Milap Patel as secretary, and Sue Simon as vice president.
The Calamus Foundation is led by Loring McAlpin, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Loring McAlpin
President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Milap Patel
Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sue Simon
Vice President
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Matthew Hart (2020–2023) — V.p. & Treasurer
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 The Calamus Foundation
How much does The Calamus Foundation give each year?
The Calamus Foundation gave $150K across 11 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $250K across 17 grants.
What is The Calamus Foundation's typical grant size?
The Calamus Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $15,000, and its average grant was $13,636, across 11 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Calamus Foundation that year got $13K on average.
Where does The Calamus Foundation give grants?
The Calamus Foundation's top state is California, with 37% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (33%) and Louisiana (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Bronx, NY (2 grants).
Does The Calamus Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Calamus Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (11 of 11) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Calamus Foundation's largest grantees?
The Calamus Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Chosen Family Center ($20,000), Transgender Law Project ($20,000) and William Insitute UCLA School of Law ($20,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 40% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Calamus Foundation?
The Calamus Foundation reported $5.3M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $150K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $367K (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 The Calamus Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grantees included organizations working on different issues. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Calamus Foundation?
The foundation states that it 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 The Calamus Foundation's EIN?
The Calamus Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-3922034. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Calamus 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Calamus Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-calamus-foundation-morg_20d97fd1dc6f4726991ff9b6b221b050
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_133922034_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Calamus Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-calamus-foundation-morg_20d97fd1dc6f4726991ff9b6b221b050},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 The Calamus 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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