The Harkness Foundation for Dance Inc
The Harkness Foundation for Dance Inc is a New York, New York–based private grant-making foundation that supports the dance art form, predominantly in New York City. Its filing type is Form 990-PF (a private foundation).
Key facts about The Harkness Foundation for Dance Inc
In short: The Harkness Foundation for Dance Inc gave $933K across 146 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), mostly in New York. 31% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 13-1926551
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $933,285
- Grants made (2025)
- 146
- Average grant
- $6,392
- Median grant
- $5,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 31% first-time grantees (41 of 134, 2025)
- Total assets
- $5,692,096
- Primary geography
- New York (97% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- How to apply
- The foundation says applicants may submit one request per calendar year and does not accept multiple proposals within that year. Full details ↓
- Deadline
- The website lists April 1, August 1, and December 1, with proposals due by 11:59 p.m.
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 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
$5.7M
-11.4% YoY
Annual Giving
$933K
+5.6% YoY
Grant Count
146
+15.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$6K
-8.1% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Harkness Foundation for Dance Inc reported a distributable amount of $316K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is The Harkness Foundation for Dance Inc open to new grantees?
31%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 41 of 134 grantees (31%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $7K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 53% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+16%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 380% of 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.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is to invigorate and support dance. Its four areas of support are dance creation, dance presentation, dance education, and dance medicine or other services to the dance field. It supports dance companies, presenting organizations, dance education and service organizations, and fiscally sponsored independent choreographers. The foundation also says it stands in solidarity with social and racial justice work in dance and is committed to evaluating equity in its grantmaking.
Grantees’ own missions illustrate the range of organizations supported. The Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation describes its work as providing performances, training, education, and community programs, while the José Limón Dance Foundation says it preserves and presents José Limón’s works and teaches Limón principles and technique. The Misty Copeland Foundation describes a focus on community-based dance opportunities, especially for young people in under-resourced communities, and on advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in ballet.
Grantmaking
The foundation offers Program Grants and Project Grants. Program Grants support either an organization’s overall activities or an ongoing core dance program; Project Grants support specific projects, including pilot and collaborative projects. The website lists awards of $1,000–$10,000 per year, with some exceptions. Its 2025 filing reports 146 grants totaling $933,285. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $100,000, with a median of $5,000.
The largest 2025 grants included $100,000 each to 92nd Street Y and the Joyce Theater, and $75,000 to Brooklyn Academy of Music. Other reported grants included $15,000 to Works & Process and $10,000 each to the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, American Friends of Batsheva Dance Company, Ballet Hispanico, Gibney, Jacob’s Pillow, the José Limón Dance Foundation, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and New York City Ballet. Most of the 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in New York State.
The foundation’s website describes a separate Partner Grants commitment made in 2014: $1 million each to five organizations, distributed over the ensuing decade and culminating in 2024. The organizations were Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Joyce Theater, New York City Center, the 92nd Street Y/Harkness Dance Center, and NYU Langone Medical Center/Hospital for Joint Diseases.
Review Cycle
The website lists April 1, August 1, and December 1, with proposals due by 11:59 p.m. on the deadline date. As of October 2, 2026, the April 1 and August 1 deadlines have passed; December 1, 2026 is upcoming. The August deadline is for consideration at the Fall meeting and grants paid in the following calendar year; the website identifies the December deadline with the Winter meeting and the April deadline with the Spring meeting.
How to Apply
The foundation says applicants may submit one request per calendar year and does not accept multiple proposals within that year. The 2025 filing says giving is not restricted to preselected organizations. The filing’s application instructions request an emailed proposal with a cover letter stating the amount and purpose, a program or project narrative, organizational history, program or project and annual budgets, tax-exempt or fiscal-sponsorship documentation, board and key artistic personnel information, a recent financial statement, and relevant support material. The website says requests must relate to dance and that applicants and fiscal sponsors outside New York City are excluded. It also excludes endowment funds, capital projects, private schools below college level, and video, film, or book projects. Proposals should be submitted at least six months before the proposed program or project.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from The Harkness Foundation for Dance Inc
Ready to take the next step with The Harkness Foundation for Dance Inc?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation describes its support as predominantly focused on New York City and excludes applicants and fiscal sponsors outside New York City. In 2025, 97% of grant dollars went to New York recipients; the remaining reported shares went to recipients in Washington, DC, Massachusetts, and North Carolina, at 1% each.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 146 itemized grants.
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $735K (2021) to $940K (2020). In 2025 it made 146 grants totaling $933K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Joyce Theater ($105K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $362K.
Organizations only. It also paid 3 grants to individuals ($12,935), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
613 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 598 grants of 613 (98%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 92nd STREET Y New York, NY | Program Grant | $100,000 |
| Joyce Theater New York, NY | Program Grant | $100,000 |
| Brooklyn Academy of Music (Bam) Brooklyn, NY | Program Grant | $75,000 |
| Works & Process New York, NY | Program Grant | $15,000 |
| Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation New York, NY | Program Grant | $10,000 |
| American Friends of Batsheva Dance Company Forest Hills, NY | Gala Donation | $10,000 |
| Ballet Hispanico Washington, DC | Program Grant | $10,000 |
| Gina Gibney Dance (Gibney) New York, NY | Program Grant | $10,000 |
| Jacob's Pillow Becket, MA | Program Grant | $10,000 |
| Jose Limon Dance Foundation New York, NY | Program Grant | $10,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants | Grant count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $5,692,096 | $864,851 | $1,333,641 | $933,285 | 146 |
| 2024 | $6,425,358 | $706,341 | $991,451 | $883,500 | 127 |
| 2023 | $6,834,552 | $488,304 | $882,230 | $822,650 | 121 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $5,692,096 | $6,425,358 | $6,834,552 |
| Revenue | $864,851 | $706,341 | $488,304 |
| Expenses | $1,333,641 | $991,451 | $882,230 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $1,201,544 | $1,136,038 | $1,069,198 |
| Net Investment Income | $758,272 | $582,687 | $370,929 |
| Distributable Amount | $316,274 | $357,170 | $365,023 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 18, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 30, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Jody Gottfried Arnhold as Director and President, Etta Brandman as Director and Vice President, and Joan Finkelstein as Executive Director, Director, Secretary, and COO. The foundation’s website identifies Finkelstein as its Executive Director.
The Harkness Foundation for Dance Inc is led by Joan Finkelstein, Executive Director, Director, Secretary & COO since 2025 (on filings since 2019); 1 of 3 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Joan Finkelstein
Executive Director, Director, Secretary & COO
Executive Director, Secretary & Treasurer → Executive Director, Secretary & COO, 2024
Executive Director, Secretary & COO → Executive Director, Director, Secretary & COO, 2025
On filings since 2019
35 hrs/week
$173K (2019) → $175K (2025)
Jody Gottfried Arnhold
Director & President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Etta Brandman
Director & Vice President
Director, Vice President & Secretary → Director & Vice President, 2021
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $175K, to Joan Finkelstein (Ex Dir, Dir, Secretary, COO).
Contact
Application contact: Grantmaking Program
Mailing address: 145 East 48Th Street Suite 26C, New York, NY 10017
Phone: (212) 755-5540
Website: https://harknessfoundation.org
Frequently asked questions about The Harkness Foundation for Dance Inc
How much does The Harkness Foundation for Dance Inc give each year?
The Harkness Foundation for Dance Inc gave $933K across 146 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $884K across 127 grants.
What is The Harkness Foundation for Dance Inc's typical grant size?
The Harkness Foundation for Dance Inc's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $6,392, across 146 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Harkness Foundation for Dance Inc that year got $6K on average.
Where does The Harkness Foundation for Dance Inc give grants?
The Harkness Foundation for Dance Inc gives mostly in New York: 97% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (100 grants), Brooklyn, NY (30 grants) and Astoria, NY (2 grants).
Does The Harkness Foundation for Dance Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 146 grants with a stated purpose on The Harkness Foundation for Dance Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Program Grant" (108 grants) and "Project Grant" (17 grants).
Who are The Harkness Foundation for Dance Inc's largest grantees?
The Harkness Foundation for Dance Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Joyce Theater ($105,000 across 2 grants), 92nd STREET Y ($100,000) and Brooklyn Academy of Music (Bam) ($75,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 3 grants to individuals ($12,935), which are not listed by name. Together they received 30% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Harkness Foundation for Dance Inc?
The Harkness Foundation for Dance Inc reported $5.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.2M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $316K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Harkness Foundation for Dance Inc fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to invigorate and support dance. Its four areas of support are dance creation, dance presentation, dance education, and dance medicine or other services to the dance field. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Harkness Foundation for Dance Inc?
The foundation says applicants may submit one request per calendar year and does not accept multiple proposals within that year. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Harkness Foundation for Dance Inc's EIN?
The Harkness Foundation for Dance Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-1926551. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
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