The Grayson Foundation
The Grayson Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, New York. In its 2024 filing, it reported 12 grants totaling $153,902 to charitable, educational, and medical recipients.
The Grayson Foundation at a glance
In short: The Grayson Foundation gave $154K across 12 grants in 2024 (avg $13K), mostly in New York. 17% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $153,902
- +8.4% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 12
- -14.3% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $12,825
- +26.4% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $15,000
- Total assets
- $1,119,522
- -6.1% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 17% first-time grantees (2 of 12, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (57% 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 Grayson 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: 164 E 72Nd Street, New York, NY 10021-4373
Phone: (212) 223-4747
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Grayson Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Himalayan Cataract Project ($25K). Together the top 10 received $152K.
Grant Size Distribution
61 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 60 grants of 61 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 57% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York, 19% to Massachusetts, 16% to Vermont, 6% to California, and 1% to Florida.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Grayson Foundation open to new grantees?
17%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 2 of 12 grantees (17%) 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 $3K; repeat grants $15K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $15K repeat.
- 75% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+13%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 163% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $101K (2020) to $154K (2024). In 2024 it made 12 grants totaling $154K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Himalayan Cataract Project Waterbury, VT | Charitable | $25,000 |
| Orbis International New York, NY | Charitable | $25,000 |
| Columbia University BHF New York, NY | Educational | $25,000 |
| McLean Hospital Belmont, MA | Medical | $15,000 |
| Hand in Hand New York, NY | Educational | $15,000 |
| Castle Hill Truro, MA | Medical | $15,000 |
| Department of Surgery Nyph New York, NY | Medical | $15,000 |
| My Armenian Forest San Francisco, CA | Medical | $10,000 |
| Race Against Dimentia New York, NY | Medical | $6,402 |
| Association of Israel Decorative Arts Palm Beach, FL | Charitable | $1,000 |
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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 | $1,119,522 | $113,887 | $187,205 | $153,902 | 12 | $163,052 | $88,515 | $99,902 |
| 2023 | $1,192,840 | $-6,193 | $162,584 | $142,000 | 14 | $146,509 | $5,828 | $87,799 |
| 2022 | $1,361,617 | $40,455 | $145,600 | $115,500 | 13 | $130,550 | $49,638 | $108,317 |
| 2021 | $1,466,762 | $252,954 | $167,000 | $136,500 | 12 | — | $237,704 | $111,851 |
| 2020 | $1,380,808 | $244,430 | $121,806 | $101,000 | 10 | — | $232,533 | $93,318 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Grayson Foundation reported a distributable amount of $100K 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 grants included support for organizations working in areas such as eye care, music, education, and medical care. For example, Himalayan Cataract Project describes its mission as enabling countries to address avoidable blindness by developing eye care in underserved areas. 88 International Corp says it uses music to bring together people from diverse backgrounds through education, engagement, and entrepreneurship. Let’s Get Ready says it provides college-preparation and support services to students from underrepresented communities.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 12 grants totaling $153,902. Grants ranged from $500 to $25,000, with a median of $15,000. Among the listed grants were $25,000 each to Himalayan Cataract Project, Orbis International, and Columbia University BHF; and $15,000 each to McLean Hospital, Hand in Hand, Castle Hill, and the Department of Surgery NYPH.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
David S Grayson was listed as trustee on the 2024 filing.
The Grayson Foundation is led by David S. Grayson, Trustee on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
David S. Grayson
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Lois Grayson (2020–2023) — Trustee
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 Grayson Foundation
How much does The Grayson Foundation give each year?
The Grayson Foundation gave $154K across 12 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $142K across 14 grants.
What is The Grayson Foundation's typical grant size?
The Grayson Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $15,000, and its average grant was $12,825, across 12 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Grayson Foundation that year got $3K on average.
Where does The Grayson Foundation give grants?
The Grayson Foundation gives mostly in New York: 57% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Massachusetts (19%) and Vermont (16%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (6 grants).
Does The Grayson Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 12 grants with a stated purpose on The Grayson Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Medical" (5 grants), "Educational" (4 grants) and "Charitable" (3 grants).
Who are The Grayson Foundation's largest grantees?
The Grayson Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Himalayan Cataract Project ($25,000), Orbis International ($25,000) and Columbia University BHF ($25,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 49% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Grayson Foundation?
The Grayson Foundation reported $1.1M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $163K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $100K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Grayson Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations working in areas such as eye care, music, education, and medical care. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Grayson 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 Grayson Foundation's EIN?
The Grayson Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 51-0167527. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Grayson 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 Grayson Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-grayson-foundation-morg_1a4e8db64b464ba3a7be3ea351ef6f0a
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_510167527_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Grayson Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-grayson-foundation-morg_1a4e8db64b464ba3a7be3ea351ef6f0a},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. 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 Grayson 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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