The Jane Henson Foundation
The Jane Henson Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, NY. Its 2025 grants supported the Jim Henson Collection and related programming, puppetry organizations and events, and other arts and cultural organizations.
The Jane Henson Foundation at a glance
In short: The Jane Henson Foundation gave $773K across 27 grants in 2025 (avg $29K), mostly in New York. 0% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $773,000
- +2.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 27
- -6.9% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $28,630
- +10.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $5,696,282
- +6.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 0% first-time grantees (0 of 27, 2025)
- Primary geography
- New York (68% 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 Jane Henson 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: Co Eag - 733 Third Ave, New York, NY 10017
Phone: (212) 794-2400
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Jane Henson Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was American Museum of the Moving Image ($500K). Together the top 10 received $700K.
Grant Size Distribution
177 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 166 grants of 177 (94%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s 2025 grants went to organizations in multiple states. New York accounted for 68% of grant dollars, Georgia 13%, Connecticut 7%, and Minnesota and Maryland 2% each.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 27 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Jane Henson Foundation open to new grantees?
0%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 0 of 27 grantees (0%) were first-time recipients. How we count
- 100% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 34% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 215% 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.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $340K (2020) to $773K (2025). In 2025 it made 27 grants totaling $773K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| American Museum of the Moving Image Astoria, NY | To support the jim henson collection & related programming | $500,000 |
| Center for Puppetry Arts Atlanta, GA | To support the jim henson collection & related programming | $85,000 |
| Eugene O'Neill Theater Center Waterford, CT | National Puppetry Conference at the O'Neill | $25,000 |
| University of Connecticut Foundation Inc Storrs, CT | $10,000 ballard institute and museum of puppetry (fund 0020262), $10,000 dramatic arts - puppetry (fund 0021546) | $20,000 |
| The Puppeteers of America Inc Minneapolis, MN | General Operating Expenses | $15,000 |
| Unima-USA Inc Atlanta, GA | General Operating Expenses | $15,000 |
| Blair Thomas & Company Chicago, IL | To Support of Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival | $10,000 |
| Jim Henson Legacy Hoosick Falls, NY | General Operating Expenses | $10,000 |
| National Museum of American History Washington, DC | To support the jim henson collection & related programming | $10,000 |
| University of Maryland College Park Foundation Inc College Park, MD | Jim Henson Artist-in-Residency Fund | $10,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $5,696,282 | $1,199,643 | $843,007 | $773,000 | 27 | $790,311 | $657,016 | $366,776 |
| 2024 | $5,339,646 | $350,981 | $818,984 | $755,000 | 29 | $771,896 | $305,393 | $367,742 |
| 2023 | $5,807,649 | $211,797 | $435,332 | $370,000 | 36 | $388,460 | $164,925 | $351,776 |
| 2022 | $6,026,027 | $462,910 | $642,077 | $575,000 | 42 | $588,387 | $221,803 | $367,950 |
| 2021 | $6,205,194 | $869,187 | $462,673 | $400,000 | 43 | $416,529 | $823,043 | $407,178 |
| 2020 | $5,798,680 | $327,974 | $412,954 | $340,000 | 32 | — | $285,958 | $348,797 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Jane Henson Foundation reported a distributable amount of $367K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for the Jim Henson Collection and related programming, puppetry, and arts and cultural activities.
Among its grantees, the Center for Puppetry Arts describes its mission as inspiring imagination, education, and community through the global art of puppetry. The Puppeteers of America says it works to further the growth and development of puppetry. The American Museum of the Moving Image describes its work as exploring film, television, video games, and other forms of digital media through exhibitions and screenings. These are grantees’ descriptions, not statements of the foundation’s mission.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 27 grants totaling $773,000. Grants ranged from $3,000 to $500,000, with a median grant of $5,000.
The largest grants included $500,000 to the American Museum of the Moving Image for the Jim Henson Collection and related programming, and $85,000 to the Center for Puppetry Arts for the same purpose. Other grants included $25,000 to the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center for the National Puppetry Conference, $20,000 to the University of Connecticut Foundation for two puppetry-related funds, and $15,000 each to the Puppeteers of America and UNIMA-USA for general operating expenses.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Heather Henson as president.
The Jane Henson Foundation is led by Heather Henson, President on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Heather Henson
President
On filings since 2020
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.
Frequently asked questions about The Jane Henson Foundation
How much does The Jane Henson Foundation give each year?
The Jane Henson Foundation gave $773K across 27 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $755K across 29 grants.
What is The Jane Henson Foundation's typical grant size?
The Jane Henson Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $28,630, across 27 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Jane Henson Foundation give grants?
The Jane Henson Foundation gives mostly in New York: 68% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Georgia (13%) and Connecticut (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (3 grants), Atlanta, GA (2 grants), Minneapolis, MN (2 grants) and New York, NY (2 grants).
Does The Jane Henson Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 11% of The Jane Henson Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (3 of 27) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "To Support American Puppet Theater" (8 grants) and "To Support the Jim Henson Collection & Related Programming" (4 grants).
Who are The Jane Henson Foundation's largest grantees?
The Jane Henson Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include American Museum of the Moving Image ($500,000), Center for Puppetry Arts ($85,000) and Eugene O'Neill Theater Center ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 79% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Jane Henson Foundation?
The Jane Henson Foundation reported $5.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $790K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $367K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Jane Henson Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for the Jim Henson Collection and related programming, puppetry, and arts and cultural activities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Jane Henson 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 Jane Henson Foundation's EIN?
The Jane Henson Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 06-1573700. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Jane Henson 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 9, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 8, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 15, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 1, 2026)
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Jane Henson Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Jane Henson Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-jane-henson-foundation-morg_f30621affbd646f48d3b16fd13c7effb
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_061573700_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Jane Henson Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-jane-henson-foundation-morg_f30621affbd646f48d3b16fd13c7effb},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Jane Henson 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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