The Harkness Foundation for Dance Inc
The Harkness Foundation for Dance Inc is a private grant-making foundation dedicated to invigorating and supporting the dance art form, predominantly in New York City. Established in 1936 as the William Hale Harkness Foundation, it evolved through the creation of the Harkness Ballet Foundation in 1959 and adopted its current name in 1973. The foundation is classified as a private non-operating foundation and holds unconditional tax-exempt status granted by the IRS in March 1979.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$6.4M
-6.0% YoY
Annual Giving
$884K
+7.4% YoY
Grant Count
127
+5.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$7K
+2.3% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The Harkness Foundation for Dance is dedicated to invigorating and supporting the dance art form, predominantly in New York City. Since its inception, the foundation has contributed significantly to the dance field, extending grants to over 670 organizations and fiscally-sponsored artists.
The foundation supports four major areas:
- Dance creation — support for choreographic development and artistic production
- Dance presentation — funding for performance venues and presenting organizations
- Dance education — grants for instructional and training programs
- Dance medicine and other services to the dance field — support for health, wellness, and ancillary services
The foundation supports dance companies, dance presenting organizations, dance education organizations, dance service organizations, and fiscally-sponsored independent choreographers. The foundation stands in solidarity with social and racial justice work in the dance field and is committed to ongoing evaluation of equitable practices in its grantmaking.
Grantmaking
The foundation currently offers two types of grants:
Review Cycle
- **April 1** — for consideration at the Spring meeting
Grant Types
How to Apply
Applicants may submit one request per calendar year; multiple proposals for support within one calendar year are not accepted. Proposals must be submitted at least six months in advance of when the program or project is scheduled to begin.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Harkness Foundation for Dance funds organizations and projects predominantly in New York City. All applicants and fiscal sponsors must be based in New York City to be eligible for funding.
Grant Distribution by State
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets and Income
As of December 2023:
- Total Assets: $6,834,552
- Total Revenues: $488,304
- Total Expenses: $882,230
Historical asset and income data shows fluctuation over the past decade:
| Year | Assets | Income |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | $11,989,910 | $5,365,916 |
| 2015 | $10,816,330 | $5,956,884 |
| 2018 | $8,938,151 | $5,186,036 |
| 2020 | $9,287,654 | $3,850,446 |
| 2023 | $6,834,552 | $3,894,305 |
The foundation operates with zero employees and maintains its office at 145 E 48th St Apt 26c, New York, NY 10017-1259.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $6,425,358 | $6,834,552 | $6,779,155 |
| Revenue | $706,341 | $488,304 | $578,357 |
| Expenses | $991,451 | $882,230 | $868,382 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $1,136,038 | $1,069,198 | $1,049,846 |
| Net Investment Income | $582,687 | $370,929 | $433,579 |
| Distributable Amount | $357,170 | $365,023 | $404,247 |
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
250 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from The Harkness Foundation for Dance Inc
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Joan Finkelstein is listed as the in-care-of contact for the foundation.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jody Gottfried Arnhold | Director & President | 1 | — |
| Etta Brandman | Director & VICE PRESIDENT | 1 | — |
| Joan Finkelstein | EXEC. DIR., SECY & COO | 40 | $175,000 |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
The foundation meets three times annually to consider proposals. In 2025, the foundation announced Harkness Promise Awards, recognizing emerging artists and organizations in the dance field.
2025 Dance Magazine / Harkness Promise Awards \u2013 Harkness Foundation\Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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