The Chazen Foundation

NEW YORK, NY EIN: 13-3229474 Website

Arts and culture Performing arts Music Opera Museums

The Chazen Foundation is a private family foundation established in 1985 by Jerome Chazen, co-founder and Chairman Emeritus of the fashion company Liz Claiborne, and his wife Simona. Based in New York City, the foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) organization and is entering its second generation of leadership, with the three Chazen children actively involved in maintaining the foundation's vision.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$6.7M

-7.4% YoY

Annual Giving

$983K

+108.6% YoY

Grant Count

-9.3% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$25K

+130.0% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Chazen Foundation reported a distributable amount of $629K 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 provides support across a diverse range of philanthropic interests, including:

Higher education
Medicine and health associations
The arts, particularly art museums
Jewish agencies and temples
Rights of women
Jewish philanthropy
Human services

Grantmaking

The foundation made 73 grants in 2023. Recent grants include:

How to Apply

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation operates primarily in the United States, with a focus on New York-based organizations and national institutions.

Grant Distribution by State

New York $1.2M (58%)

Wisconsin $759K (37%)

Rhode Island $75K (4%)

Massachusetts $9K (0%)

Illinois $9K (0%)

New Jersey $6K (0%)

District of Columbia $5K (0%)

Colorado $5K (0%)

+7 more states

States

Colorado District of Columbia Florida Georgia Illinois Kansas Massachusetts Maryland Missouri New Jersey New York Rhode Island Texas Virginia Wisconsin

Cities

AmericusArlingtonAventuraBaltimoreBasaltBig SandyBostonBronxBrooklynChicagoClarksburgDallasEast BurnswickEast HamptonFlushingIrvingKansas CityLindaleMadisonMahwah

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

As of December 2023:

Total assets: $7,205,462
Total revenues: $819,988
Total expenses: $575,038
Investment income and dividends: $256,427
Grants and contributions received: $414,435

As of December 2017:

Fair market value of all assets: $9,537,318

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$6,674,808	$7,205,462	$6,966,997
Revenue	$556,100	$819,988	$-332,449
Expenses	$1,093,167	$575,038	$678,073
Qualifying Distributions	$993,694	$484,553	$578,187
Net Investment Income	$461,627	$319,068	$120,421
Distributable Amount	$629,053	$524,040	$524,938

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

209 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Uw Foundation Chazen Museum of Art ($690,401), 92nd Street Y ($50,000), Center for Safety & Change ($26,000).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
92ND STREET Y NEW YORK, NY	GENERAL SUPPORT	$50,000
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION (ACLU) NEW YORK, NY	GENERAL SUPPORT	$100
AMERICAN CRAFT COUNCIL BIG SANDY, TX	GENERAL SUPPORT	$200
ANDREW GOODMAN FOUNDATION MAHWAH, NJ	GENERAL SUPPORT	$1,000
ASSOCIATION OF ISRAEL'S DECORATIVE ARTS NEW YORK, NY	GENERAL SUPPORT	$1,000
CENTER FOR SAFETY & CHANGE NEW YORK, NY	GENERAL SUPPORT	$26,000
CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF MANHATTAN NEW YORK, NY	GENERAL SUPPORT	$305
HIGH JUMP CHICAGO, IL	GENERAL SUPPORT	$2,500
HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF NYACK NYACK, NY	GENERAL SUPPORT	$5,000
IMPACT ISRAEL NEEDHAM, MA	GENERAL SUPPORT	$2,500

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

Jerome Chazen — Founder, co-founder of Liz Claiborne
Simona Chazen — Co-founder
Three Chazen Children — Actively involved in second-generation leadership

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
SIMONA CHAZEN	TRUSTEE	0.25	—

Contact Information

Address: c/o Cohnreznick, 1301 6th Avenue, New York, NY 10019
Phone: 212-888-7800
Website: chazen.org

Subject Areas

Focus areas based on grantmaking activity

Arts and culture Performing arts Music Opera Museums

Frequently Asked Questions

What does The Chazen Foundation fund?

The foundation provides support across a diverse range of philanthropic interests, including: • Higher education • Medicine and health associations • The arts, particularly art museums • Jewish agencies and temples • Rights of women • Jewish philanthropy • Human services

How do I apply for a grant from The Chazen Foundation?

**Grant Activity & Amounts** The foundation made 73 grants in 2023. Recent grants include: • 92nd Street Y: $50,000 (General Support) • Museum of Arts and Design: $50,000 (General Support) • JCC Rockland: $25,000 (General Support) Total grants distributed in 2023 amounted to approximately $287,615 across 25 documented grants. **Application Process** The foundation does not consider unsolicited requests for funding and does not issue requests for proposals (RFPs).

Where does The Chazen Foundation make grants?

The foundation operates primarily in the United States, with a focus on New York-based organizations and national institutions.

What size grants does The Chazen Foundation award?

In 2024, The Chazen Foundation awarded 39 grants totaling $983K — an average of about $25K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is The Chazen Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, The Chazen Foundation reported a distributable amount of $629K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.