The Fox Aarons Foundation
The Fox Aarons Foundation is a private foundation based in Wilmington, Delaware. Its 2025 grants went to organizations in New York, Rhode Island, and New Mexico, including arts and cultural organizations and Brown University.
The Fox Aarons Foundation at a glance
In short: The Fox Aarons Foundation gave $484K across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $28K), mostly in New York. 33% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $484,000
- -26.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- +13.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $28,471
- -34.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $15,000
- Total assets
- $120,391
- -76.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 33% first-time grantees (4 of 12, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (78% 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 The Fox Aarons 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: Foundation Source 501 Silverside Rd, Wilmington, DE 19809-1377
Phone: (800) 839-1754
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Fox Aarons Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was New Museum of Contemporary Art ($112K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $474K.
Grant Size Distribution
85 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 57 grants of 85 (67%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 78% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York, 21% to recipients in Rhode Island, and 1% to recipients in New Mexico.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Fox Aarons Foundation open to new grantees?
33%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 12 grantees (33%) were first-time recipients. With only 12 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $57K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $61K repeat.
- 50% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 47% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $375K (2019) to $920K (2022). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $484K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| New Museum of Contemporary Art New York, NY | General & Unrestricted | $96,500 |
| PS1 Contemporary Art Center Inc Long Is City, NY | General & Unrestricted | $72,500 |
| Brown University Providence, RI | Performing Arts Building Fund | $50,000 |
| Friends of the High Line Inc New York, NY | High Line Art Program | $50,000 |
| Lower East Side Tenement Museum New York, NY | General & Unrestricted | $50,000 |
| Brown University Providence, RI | Orlando Bravo Center for Economic Research | $40,000 |
| Friends of the High Line Inc New York, NY | General & Unrestricted | $22,500 |
| Printed Matter Inc New York, NY | General & Unrestricted | $22,500 |
| New Museum of Contemporary Art New York, NY | Friend of the Triennial | $15,000 |
| Brown University Providence, RI | Chair's Discretionary Fund for the Department of Economics | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Fox Aarons Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The foundation stated in its 2024 filing that it had no plans for dissolution. It reported that distributions from sources other than current income totaled $655,250 during that year and resulted in a substantial contraction of assets.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $120,391 | $114,375 | $501,066 | $484,000 | 17 | $497,766 | $114,375 | $15,811 |
| 2024 | $507,082 | $-52,018 | $668,857 | $655,250 | 15 | $668,857 | $200,609 | $40,129 |
| 2023 | $1,227,957 | $282,397 | $806,437 | $792,790 | 22 | $806,437 | $24,851 | $58,715 |
| 2022 | $1,751,997 | $17,822 | $944,092 | $920,000 | 15 | $935,189 | $38,452 | $92,588 |
| 2021 | $2,678,267 | $431,869 | $738,655 | $720,000 | 16 | $736,611 | $431,869 | $129,876 |
| 2020 | $2,985,053 | $32,176 | $855,154 | $837,500 | 13 | — | $119,727 | $145,772 |
| 2019 | $3,808,031 | $-119,825 | $396,635 | $375,000 | 3 | — | $127,950 | $186,253 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Fox Aarons Foundation reported a distributable amount of $16K 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
No mission statement is provided. The 2025 grants include support for contemporary art, public space, museums, artists’ publications, and university programs. For example, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum describes its mission as sharing immigrant, migrant, and refugee stories to build a more inclusive society. Friends of the High Line says it works to build and maintain a public space and protect the historic structure. Printed Matter describes its mission as fostering appreciation and understanding of artists’ publications.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 17 grants totaling $484,000. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $96,500, with a median of $15,000. The largest awards included $96,500 to the New Museum of Contemporary Art and $72,500 to PS1 Contemporary Art Center, both for general and unrestricted purposes. Other notable grants included $50,000 to Brown University for its Performing Arts Building Fund, $50,000 to Friends of the High Line for its art program, and $50,000 to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum for general and unrestricted purposes.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Philip Aarons as director and treasurer, Shelley Fox Aarons as director and president, and Zachary Aarons as director and secretary.
The Fox Aarons Foundation is led by Shelley Fox Aarons, Director & President on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Shelley Fox Aarons
Director & President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Philip Aarons
Director & Treasurer
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Zachary Aarons
Director & Secretary
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 The Fox Aarons Foundation
How much does The Fox Aarons Foundation give each year?
The Fox Aarons Foundation gave $484K across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $655K across 15 grants.
What is The Fox Aarons Foundation's typical grant size?
The Fox Aarons Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $15,000, and its average grant was $28,471, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Fox Aarons Foundation that year got $6K on average.
Where does The Fox Aarons Foundation give grants?
The Fox Aarons Foundation gives mostly in New York: 78% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Rhode Island (21%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (11 grants) and Providence, RI (3 grants).
Does The Fox Aarons Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 29% of The Fox Aarons Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (5 of 17) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Fox Aarons Foundation's largest grantees?
The Fox Aarons Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include New Museum of Contemporary Art ($111,500 across 2 grants), Brown University ($100,000 across 3 grants) and Friends of the High Line Inc ($72,500 across 2 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 59% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Fox Aarons Foundation?
The Fox Aarons Foundation reported $120K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $498K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $16K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Fox Aarons Foundation fund?
No mission statement is provided. The 2025 grants include support for contemporary art, public space, museums, artists’ publications, and university programs. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Fox Aarons 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 The Fox Aarons Foundation's EIN?
The Fox Aarons Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-4159057. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Fox Aarons 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
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS April 17, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS June 2, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 13, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS June 20, 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 July 21, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 10, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Fox Aarons Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-fox-aarons-foundation-morg_e13b1b5cc4944424801bdfe488dfcd70
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_814159057_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Fox Aarons Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-fox-aarons-foundation-morg_e13b1b5cc4944424801bdfe488dfcd70},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 Fox Aarons 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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