The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music
The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music is a private foundation based in New York City. Chartered in 1962, it preserves and perpetuates the legacies of composer Kurt Weill and singer-actress Lotte Lenya, and has administered Marc Blitzstein’s musical and literary estate since 2012.
Key facts about The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music
In short: The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music gave $521K across 93 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), top state New York. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 13-6139518
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $521,428
- Grants made (2025)
- 93
- Average grant
- $5,607
- Median grant
- $1,250
- Total assets
- $47,068,323
- Primary geography
- New York (13% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- How to apply
- The Foundation accepts online applications. Full details ↓
- Deadline
- The annual deadline is November 1 for projects taking place on or after January 1 of the coming year and before July 1…
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. 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
$47.1M
+12.1% YoY
Annual Giving
$521K
+20.1% YoY
Grant Count
93
+13.4% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$6K
+5.9% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music reported a distributable amount of $2.1M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
How The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music gives
- 0% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+6%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 86% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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 preserve and perpetuate the legacies of Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya. It encourages appreciation of Weill’s music through support for performances, recordings, and scholarship, and supports projects and productions involving the work of Weill and Marc Blitzstein.
Its grant categories include professional performance; college, university, and amateur performance; media; scholarly symposia and conferences; publication assistance; research and travel; and the Kurt Weill Dissertation Fellowship. The Foundation also uses collaborative initiatives to develop partnerships advancing its strategic goals.
Examples of 2025 grantees illustrate the range of organizations it supports. New York City Center received $27,500; the organization describes its mission as making dance and musical theater accessible to broad audiences. Detroit Opera received $14,125; it describes its work as presenting opera, dance, and musical theater, expanding access through community engagement, and cultivating emerging artists and young audiences. Meredith College received $7,000; it describes its mission as educating students through liberal arts and professional preparation. MasterVoices received $6,500; it describes its mission as bringing people together through musical storytelling and professional performances.
Grantmaking
The Foundation’s grants support individuals and not-for-profit organizations with projects related to Weill, Lenya, or Blitzstein. Since 1983, it reports awarding more than $5 million to hundreds of organizations and individuals worldwide.
Review Cycle
The annual deadline is November 1 for projects taking place on or after January 1 of the coming year and before July 1 of the following year. An additional June 1 deadline is primarily intended for college and university performance grants for productions in the following academic year, though applications in all categories are welcome. Major professional productions, festivals, and exhibitions may be considered case by case without an application deadline.
Open Grants
16 open opportunities from The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music
Grant and Collaborative Initiatives: College/University and Amateur Performance
The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music
Amount
Up to US $15,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Grant and Collaborative Initiatives: Kurt Weill Dissertation Fellowship
The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Grant and Collaborative Initiatives: Media
The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Ready to take the next step with The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Foundation’s 2025 grants included recipients in New York, Oklahoma, Arizona, and Minnesota, among other locations. Its reported recipient-state distribution lists New York at 13%, Oklahoma at 6%, Arizona at 5%, and Minnesota at 4%; a further 61% is shown without an identified state. One 2025 university performance grant went to the University of British Columbia.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 93 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 $236K (2020) to $521K (2025). In 2025 it made 93 grants totaling $521K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Opera North 2 ($147K across 3 grants). Together the top 10 received $336K.
Grant Size Distribution
482 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 478 grants of 482 (99%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Opera North 2 | 2025 collaborative initiative - audio and video capture costs of love life | $74,500 |
| Opera North 2 | 2025 Professional Performance and Broadcast Grant: Love Life | $50,000 |
| New York City Center New York, NY | 2025 collaborative initiative - love life audio capture costs | $27,500 |
| George Robarts | 2025 Lenya Competition Prize | $25,000 |
| True Concord Voices & Orchestra Tucson, AZ | 2025 professional performance and broadcast grant: airborne symphony suite | $25,000 |
| Opera North 2 | 2025 collaborative initiative - post-capture costs of love life cd | $22,450 |
| Tamara Bounazou | 2025 Lenya Competition Prize | $20,000 |
| Ensemble Modern | SDS Recording Collaborative Inititative | $15,953 |
| Elenora Hu | 2025 Lenya Competition Prize | $15,000 |
| Oklahoma City University Oklahoma City, OK | 2025 Midyear University Performance Grant: Street Scene | $15,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Grants reported | Number of grants |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $521,428 | 93 |
| 2024 | $434,300 | 82 |
| 2023 | $339,250 | 90 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $47,068,323 | $41,991,782 | $37,654,383 |
| Revenue | $4,167,828 | $4,572,680 | $2,706,277 |
| Expenses | $2,000,685 | $1,847,290 | $3,748,305 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $1,774,603 | $1,588,278 | $3,532,947 |
| Net Investment Income | $3,202,000 | $3,908,951 | $2,544,308 |
| Distributable Amount | $2,069,593 | $1,856,673 | $1,729,624 |
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 July 8, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS August 1, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 18, 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 13, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Kim Kowalke as president; Theodore S. Chapin as board chair; Philip Getter as senior vice chair; and Penelope Boehm as treasurer. Trustees listed include Naomi Andre, Andre Bishop, Victoria Clark, Susan Feder, Corey Field, and James Holmes.
The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music is led by Kim H. Kowalke, President since 2022 (on filings since 2020); 14 of 15 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Kim H. Kowalke
President
President, CEO & Trustee → President, 2022
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$150K (2020) → $165K (2025)
Theodore S. Chapin
Board Chair
Board Chair & Trustee → Board Chair, 2022
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
$500 (2020) → $750 (2025)
Andre Bishop
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
$500 (2020) → $250 (2025)
Corey Field
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
$500 (2020) → $750 (2025)
James Holmes
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
$500 (2020) → $250 (2025)
Jeanine Tesori
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
$500 (2020) → $250 (2025)
Susan Feder
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
$500 (2020) → $500 (2025)
Tazewell Thompson
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
$500 (2020) → $500 (2025)
Victoria Clark
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
$250 (2020) → $0 (2025)
Welz Kauffman
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
$500 (2020) → $250 (2025)
Naomi Andre
Trustee
On filings since 2021
0.3 hrs/week
$500 (2021) → $500 (2025)
Pamela Zilly
Trustee
On filings since 2024
0.3 hrs/week
$250 (2024) → $750 (2025)
Daniel Egan
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
0.3 hrs/week
$250 (2025)
Penelope Boehm
Treasurer
Treasurer & Trustee → Treasurer, 2022
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$4K (2020) → $4K (2025)
Philip Getter Sr.
Senior Vice Chair
Executive Vice Chair & Trustee → Senior Vice Chair, 2022
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
$1K (2020) → $750 (2025)
Former officers (2)
- Former: Joanne Hubbard Cossa (2020–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Guy Stern (2020–2021) — Vice Chair & Trustee
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 $165K, to Kim Kowalke (President). 14 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Contact
Application contact: Brady Sansone Director Of Programs
Mailing address: 7 East 20Th St, New York, NY 10003
Phone: (212) 505-5240
Email: bsansone@kwf.org
Website: https://www.kwf.org
Frequently asked questions about The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music
How much does The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music give each year?
The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music gave $521K across 93 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $434K across 82 grants.
What is The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music's typical grant size?
The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music's median grant in 2025 was $1,250, and its average grant was $5,607, across 93 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music give grants?
The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music's top state is New York, with 13% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest state was Oklahoma (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (6 grants), Howell, NJ (5 grants), Chicago, IL (4 grants) and Evanston, IL (4 grants).
Does The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 93 grants with a stated purpose on The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "2025 Lenya Competition Prize" (43 grants), "2025 Lenya Competition Travel Stipend" (26 grants) and "Kurt Weill Prize" (3 grants).
Who are The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music's largest grantees?
The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music's largest 2025 grantees include Opera North 2 ($146,950 across 3 grants), George Robarts ($28,750 across 4 grants) and New York City Center ($27,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 39% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music?
The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music reported $47.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.8M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $2.1M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music fund?
The Foundation’s stated purpose is to preserve and perpetuate the legacies of Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya. It encourages appreciation of Weill’s music through support for performances, recordings, and scholarship, and supports projects and productions involving the work of Weill and Marc Blitzstein. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music?
The Foundation accepts online applications. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music's EIN?
The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-6139518. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
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