The Jim Henson Foundation
The Jim Henson Foundation is a private foundation based in Long Island City, New York. Founded in 1982 by Jim Henson to promote and develop puppetry in the United States, it supports the creation and presentation of innovative new works of live contemporary puppet theater by American artists.
Key facts about The Jim Henson Foundation
In short: The Jim Henson Foundation gave $227K across 50 grants in 2025 (avg $5K), mostly in New York. 32% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 13-3133702
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $227,250
- Grants made (2025)
- 50
- Average grant
- $4,545
- Median grant
- $4,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 32% first-time grantees (9 of 28, 2025)
- Total assets
- $6,673,580
- Primary geography
- New York (73% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to apply
- Submit an Artist Grant Letter of Intent online. Full details ↓
- Deadline
- For the 2027 granting cycle, the Letter of Intent deadline is March 3, 2026; the full application deadline for invited…
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 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
$6.7M
+0.7% YoY
Annual Giving
$227K
-12.9% YoY
Grant Count
50
+11.1% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$5K
-21.6% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Jim Henson Foundation reported a distributable amount of $359K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is The Jim Henson Foundation open to new grantees?
32%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 9 of 28 grantees (32%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $10K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $7K repeat.
- 50% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−10%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 110% 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.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Foundation’s stated purpose is to promote and develop the art of puppetry in the United States. Artist Grants support puppetry-related work, including building and performing puppets and integrating them into a piece. The Foundation defines a puppet as an object given the appearance of life through direct or indirect manipulation by the human hand.
The Foundation’s 2025 grants included theater and puppet organizations, as well as grants made through Fractured Atlas. Fractured Atlas describes its work as providing fiscal sponsorship and other tools that help artists and creative groups access grants and nonprofit benefits. Great Small Works says it creates and presents theater, explores popular theater forms, and fosters community; The Brick Theater describes its work as producing original theater in Brooklyn. These are the grantees’ own descriptions, not the Foundation’s stated mission.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the Foundation made 50 grants totaling $227,250. Grants ranged from $500 to $10,000, with a median of $4,000. The largest listed grants were $10,000 each to Dixon Place, HERE Arts Center, New Victory Theater, and La MaMa, all for “puppet production.” Other listed grants included $7,000 to Automata, Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, Great Small Works, Skysaver Productions, and The Brick Theater, also for puppet production. Fractured Atlas received multiple grants, including two listed at $7,000 and one at $5,000.
Review Cycle
For the 2027 granting cycle, the Letter of Intent deadline is March 3, 2026; the full application deadline for invited applicants is September 9, 2026.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from The Jim Henson Foundation
Ready to take the next step with The Jim Henson Foundation?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 73% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York, 12% to Minnesota, 5% to Illinois, 3% to California, and 2% to Connecticut. The Foundation describes its Artist Grants as supporting new works of contemporary puppet theater by American artists.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 50 itemized 2025 grant dollars.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $227K (2025) to $288K (2023). In 2025 it made 50 grants totaling $227K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Puppeteers of America Inc ($28K across 8 grants). Together the top 10 received $158K.
Grant Size Distribution
241 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 240 grants of 241 (100%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Dixon Place New York, NY | Puppet Production | $10,000 |
| Here Arts Center New York, NY | Puppet Production | $10,000 |
| New Victory Theater New York, NY | Puppet Production | $10,000 |
| La Mama New York, NY | Puppet Production | $10,000 |
| Automata Los Angeles, CA | Puppet Production | $7,000 |
| Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival Chicago, IL | Puppet Production | $7,000 |
| Fractured Atlas New York, NY | Puppet Production | $7,000 |
| Fractured Atlas New York, NY | Puppet Production | $7,000 |
| Great Small Works New York, NY | Puppet Production | $7,000 |
| Here Arts Center New York, NY | Puppet Production | $7,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The Foundation is listed as a private foundation on Form 990-PF.
| Filing year | Grant total | Number of grants |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $227,250 | 50 |
| 2024 | $261,000 | 45 |
| 2023 | $288,000 | 53 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $6,673,580 | $6,629,579 | $4,169,876 |
| Revenue | $525,718 | $2,967,828 | $668,615 |
| Expenses | $478,287 | $499,284 | $534,180 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $394,514 | $452,762 | $499,592 |
| Net Investment Income | $428,075 | $1,722,314 | $814,556 |
| Distributable Amount | $358,666 | $215,353 | $197,841 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 5, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 12, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS June 11, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 5, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 11, 2026)
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Cheryl Henson as president, Richard Termine as vice president, Hanne Tierney as secretary, and Louis Borodinsky as treasurer. It lists Bruce Cannon, Sean Cawelti, Kristin Haverty, Maiko Kikuchi, Rowan Magee, and Preston Whiteway as directors. The Foundation’s website states that Cheryl Henson has been president since 1992.
The Jim Henson Foundation is led by Cheryl Henson, President on every filing since 2020; 1 of 10 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Cheryl Henson
President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$5K (2025)
Bruce Cannon
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kristin Haverty
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Maiko Kikuchi
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Preston Whiteway
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rowan Magee
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sean Cawelti
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Hanne Tierney
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2022
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Louis Borodinsky
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Richard Termine
Vice President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (12)
- Former: Chris Green (2023–2024) — Director
- Former: Janie Geiser (2023–2024) — Director
- Former: Tarish Jeghetto Pipkins (2023–2024) — Director
- Former: Pam Arciero (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Blair Thomas (2022–2023) — Director
- Former: Chamindika Wanduragala (2022–2023) — Director
- Former: Leslie Strongwater (2022–2023) — Director
- Former: Dan Hurlin (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Raymond Carr (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Kurt Hunter (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Leslee Asch (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Ping Chong (2020–2021) — Director
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $5K, to Cheryl Henson (President).
Contact
Application contact: Cheryl Henson
Mailing address: 37-18 Northern Blvd Suite 400, Long Island City, NY 11101
Phone: (212) 439-7504
Email: info@hensonfoundation.org
Website: https://hensonfoundation.org
Frequently asked questions about The Jim Henson Foundation
How much does The Jim Henson Foundation give each year?
The Jim Henson Foundation gave $227K across 50 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $261K across 45 grants.
What is The Jim Henson Foundation's typical grant size?
The Jim Henson Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $4,000, and its average grant was $4,545, across 50 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Jim Henson Foundation that year got $4K on average.
Where does The Jim Henson Foundation give grants?
The Jim Henson Foundation gives mostly in New York: 73% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Minnesota (12%) and Illinois (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (29 grants), Minneapolis, MN (8 grants), Brooklyn, NY (3 grants) and Silver Lake, NY (3 grants).
Does The Jim Henson Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 50 grants with a stated purpose on The Jim Henson Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Puppet Production" (40 grants), "Patch (Puppetry at the Carriage House)" (4 grants) and "Allelu Award" (3 grants).
Who are The Jim Henson Foundation's largest grantees?
The Jim Henson Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Puppeteers of America Inc ($28,000 across 8 grants), Fractured Atlas ($26,000 across 5 grants) and Here Arts Center ($25,000 across 4 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 35% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Jim Henson Foundation?
The Jim Henson Foundation reported $6.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $395K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $359K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Jim Henson Foundation fund?
The Foundation’s stated purpose is to promote and develop the art of puppetry in the United States. Artist Grants support puppetry-related work, including building and performing puppets and integrating them into a piece. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Jim Henson Foundation?
Submit an Artist Grant Letter of Intent online. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Jim Henson Foundation's EIN?
The Jim Henson Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-3133702. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Jim Henson Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
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