The Farbman Family Foundation
The Farbman Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Water Mill, New York. Its filing describes the Watermill Center, an interdisciplinary arts and humanities laboratory founded by theater and visual artist Robert Wilson, and its work with young and emerging artists through an international summer program and individual residencies.
Key facts about The Farbman Family Foundation
In short: The Farbman Family Foundation gave $391K across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $23K), mostly in New York. 29% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 13-4008937
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $391,445
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- Average grant
- $23,026
- Median grant
- $25,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 29% first-time grantees (5 of 17, 2025)
- Total assets
- $1,080,976
- Primary geography
- New York (60% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to apply
- The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$1.1M
-16.7% YoY
Annual Giving
$391K
-23.5% YoY
Grant Count
17
-34.6% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$23K
+17.0% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Farbman Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $60K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is The Farbman Family Foundation open to new grantees?
29%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 17 grantees (29%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $13K; repeat grants $27K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $25K repeat.
- 59% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 56% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 657% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s filing describes the Watermill Center as a place for artists to work, learn, create, and grow, integrating performing arts practice with resources from the humanities and sciences. The center’s programs welcome artists from around the world and support projects that combine genres and art forms and challenge traditional forms of representation.
The foundation’s 2025 grants also went to organizations working in areas including social justice and community organizing. For example, North Star Fund describes its mission as supporting community organizing in New York and awarding grants to emerging grassroots groups. Girls for Gender Equity describes its work as advancing gender and racial justice by centering Black girls and gender-expansive young people of color. Youth Represent describes its work as using legal services, policy advocacy, and other tools to support youth of color harmed by the criminal legal system and other systems of oppression. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own missions.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 17 grants totaling $391,445. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $50,000, with a median of $25,000.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 60% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York, 19% to California, 15% to Washington, DC, 1% to South Carolina, and 5% to recipients whose state is unspecified.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $97K (2020) to $894K (2022). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $391K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Amalgamated Charitable Foundation ($50K). Together the top 10 received $339K.
Grant Size Distribution
102 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 86 grants of 102 (84%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Amalgamated Charitable Foundation Washington, DC | Charitable Donation | $50,000 |
| Social and Environmental Calabasas, CA | Charitable Donation | $50,000 |
| Violence Intervention New York, NY | Charitable Donation | $40,000 |
| North Star Fund New York, NY | Charitable Donation | $40,000 |
| Columbia University New York, NY | Charitable Donation | $40,000 |
| Interreligious Foundation New York, NY | Charitable Donation | $25,000 |
| Rockefeller Philanthropy New York, NY | Charitable Donation | $25,000 |
| Community Partners Los Angeles, CA | Charitable Donation | $25,000 |
| Women and Justice Project Jackson Heights, NY | Charitable Donation | $25,000 |
| Callactivit | Charitable Donation | $19,445 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,080,976 | $187,107 | $403,194 | $391,445 |
| 2024 | $1,297,063 | $79,842 | $534,829 | $511,797 |
| 2023 | $1,752,150 | $2,126,980 | $548,063 | $540,452 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $1,080,976 | $1,297,063 | $1,752,150 |
| Revenue | $187,107 | $79,842 | $2,126,980 |
| Expenses | $403,194 | $534,829 | $548,063 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $391,445 | $519,447 | $540,452 |
| Net Investment Income | $161,680 | $71,892 | $141,714 |
| Distributable Amount | $59,591 | $77,661 | $39,139 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS July 23, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 9, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 17, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Steven Farbman as principal manager and Eileen Farbman as manager.
The Farbman Family Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Eileen Farbman
Manager
On filings since 2020
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Steven Farbman
Principal Manager
On filings since 2020
0.2 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.
Contact
Mailing address: 268 Mecox Rd, Water Mill, NY 11976
Phone: (914) 238-5999
Frequently asked questions about The Farbman Family Foundation
How much does The Farbman Family Foundation give each year?
The Farbman Family Foundation gave $391K across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $512K across 26 grants.
What is The Farbman Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Farbman Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $23,026, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Farbman Family Foundation that year got $13K on average.
Where does The Farbman Family Foundation give grants?
The Farbman Family Foundation gives mostly in New York: 60% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were California (19%) and District of Columbia (15%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (9 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does The Farbman Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 17 grants with a stated purpose on The Farbman Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable Donation" (17 grants).
Who are The Farbman Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Farbman Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Amalgamated Charitable Foundation ($50,000), Social and Environmental ($50,000) and Violence Intervention ($40,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 36% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Farbman Family Foundation?
The Farbman Family Foundation reported $1.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $391K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $60K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Farbman Family Foundation fund?
The foundation’s filing describes the Watermill Center as a place for artists to work, learn, create, and grow, integrating performing arts practice with resources from the humanities and sciences. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Farbman Family Foundation?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Farbman Family Foundation's EIN?
The Farbman Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-4008937. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Farbman Family Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
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