The Riggio Foundation
The Riggio Foundation is a private foundation established in 1994 and based in New York City. The foundation was created by Leonard Riggio, an entrepreneur and major shareholder in the Barnes & Noble booksellers chain, and his wife Louise Riggio. The foundation operates as a family foundation with a focus on philanthropic giving across multiple sectors.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$68.0M
-21.9% YoY
Annual Giving
$3.9M
+33.2% YoY
Grant Count
38
-7.3% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$103K
+43.7% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Riggio Foundation reported a distributable amount of $3.3M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation's primary giving focuses on the arts and culture. According to tax filings, the foundation also funds human services, higher education, hospitals and health associations, and children's services.
Specific areas of grantmaking include:
- Arts and Culture: The foundation has a strong commitment to arts and culture organizations, with particular emphasis on contemporary art initiatives and public art projects
- Performing Arts and Museums: Support for performing arts institutions and art museums
- Education: Including higher education and arts education initiatives
- Health: In-patient medical care, hospital care, and disease-related funding
- Public Safety and Disaster Management: Support for disaster relief and emergency management
- Human Services: Family services and child welfare
- Environmental Conservation and Wildlife Protection: Including elephant habitat protection
Grantmaking
The foundation does not maintain a public website and does not accept unsolicited proposals. The foundation prefers to select its own grantees. However, organizations are encouraged to contact the foundation directly to introduce their work.
Grant Range
s and Activity:**
How to Apply
**
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation supports various cities and regions across the United States, including:
- New York
- Brooklyn
- Washington
- California
- Florida
- Arizona
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Virginia
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Most Recent Filing (2024):
- Total Assets: $68,043,670
- Total Annual Expenses: $4,000,907
- Total Revenue: -$14,470,970
- Total Giving: $3,969,021
Previous Filing (2022):
- Total Assets: $87,075,421
- Annual Expenses: $3,100,039
- Revenue: $395,005
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $68,043,670 | $87,075,421 | $89,208,551 |
| Revenue | $-14,470,970 | $395,005 | $7,433,617 |
| Expenses | $4,000,907 | $3,100,039 | $1,517,153 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $3,969,021 | $3,027,030 | $1,411,531 |
| Net Investment Income | $3,484,766 | $1,517,470 | $565,804 |
| Distributable Amount | $3,306,123 | $4,000,553 | $3,929,897 |
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
224 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Weill Cornell ($1,000,000), Dia Art Foundation ($1,000,000), HAYGROUND SCHOOL and Camp ($750,000).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Weill Cornell NEW YORK, NY | To provide exemplary and individualized clinical care, making groundbreaking biomedical discoveries, and educating generations of exceptional doctors and scientists. | $1,000,000 |
| DIA ART FOUNDATION NEW YORK, NY | To plan, realize and maintain public projects which cannot be easily produced, financed or owned by individual collectors because of their cost and magnitude. | $1,000,000 |
| HAYGROUND SCHOOL and Camp Bridgehampton, NY | To continue to work at fulfilling our promise of generating opportunities for East end children and their mentors to do things they love and discover new passions on a safe, structured environment. | $750,000 |
| GREEN IS THE NEW BLUE NEW YORK, NY | TO PROMOTE THE PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND TO EVALUATE AND INSPIRE INDIVIDUALS PARTICIPATING IN SPORTS TO REEVALUATE THE SUBSTAINABILITY AND ECOLOGICAL FRIENDLINESS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE TEAMS AND EVENTS. | $375,000 |
| PECONIC LAND TRUST Southampton, NY | To work with landowners, communities and all levels of government to conserve land while respecting the rights of the individual and the interests of the public. | $250,000 |
| AIKEN HORSE PARK FOUNDATION AIKEN, SC | TO PROMOTE AIKEN'S EQUESTRIAN WAY OF LIFE AND TO ENCOURAGE THE COMMUNITY'S CIVIC, EDUCATIONAL, AND CHARITABLE ENDEAVORS. | $117,000 |
| Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai NEW YORK, NY | TO ADVANCE SCIENCE, MEDECINE, AND HEALTH CARE DELIVERY FOR THE BENEFIT OF HUMANITY THROUGH A CULTURE OF EXCELLENCE, INNOVATION, COLLABORATION, AND INCLUSIVE DIVERSITY. | $100,000 |
| TULANE UNIVERSITY New Orleans, LA | TO CREATE, TO COMMUNICATE, AND CONSERVE KNOWLEDGE IN ORDER TO ENRICH THE CAPACITY OF INDIVIDUALS, ORGANIZATIONS, AND COMMUNITIES TO THINK, TO LEARN, AND TO ACT AND LEAD WITH INTEGRITY AND WISDOM. | $50,000 |
| HAMPTON CLASSIC HORSE SHOW INC BRIDGEHAMPTON, NY | A PREMIER DESTINATION FOR HORSE, PEOPLE, AND A MUCH ANTICIPATED STOP ON THE SUMMER TOUR FOR COMPETITORS. | $40,000 |
| The Ellen Hermanson Foundation East Hampton, NY | TO PROVIDE STATE-OF-THE-ART BREAST HEALTH CARE AND SUPPORTING THOSE AFFECTED BY CANCER. | $30,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
- Leonard Riggio: Trustee (10 hours per week)
- Louise Riggio: Trustee (15 hours per week)
- Maria Florez: Chief Financial Officer (0.5 hours per week)
The Riggios are noted as active art collectors who have appeared on ARTNews' top 200 collectors list. Leonard Riggio attended New York University and founded his retail enterprise beginning with a single college bookstore in 1965.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| leonard riggiothru 82724 | trustee | 10 | — |
| louise riggio | trustee | 15 | — |
| MARIA FLOREZ | CFO | 0.5 | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
The foundation has demonstrated sustained commitment to major cultural institutions and emerging initiatives. Recent significant grants include major support for the Dia Art Foundation, which has received millions from the Riggios over time, including support for the launch of Dia:Beacon in the early 2000s. The foundation has also directed millions to organizations including the Korean Cultural Center New York and the Studio Museum. The Riggios have served as benefactors for public art initiatives including Chinati, The Spiral Getty, and Michael Heizer's City Project.
Riggio Foundation Tr - Full Filing - Nonprofit Explorer - ProPublicaFrequently Asked Questions
What does The Riggio Foundation fund?
The foundation's primary giving focuses on the arts and culture. According to tax filings, the foundation also funds human services, higher education, hospitals and health associations, and children's services. Specific areas of grantmaking include: • **Arts and Culture**: The foundation has a strong commitment to arts and culture organizations, with particular emphasis on contemporary art initiatives and public art projects • **Performing Arts and Museums**: Support for performing arts institu…
How do I apply for a grant from The Riggio Foundation?
**Grant Sizes and Activity:** • Grant range: $250 to $1,000,000 • Median grant amount: $10,000 • Recent annual giving: Approximately $3.9 to $4 million • Number of grants awarded: 60-109 grants annually (varies by year) • Giving rate: 5.1% of assets **Recent Grants (2024):** • Dia Arts Foundation: $1,000,000 • Weill Cornell Imaging at NewYork-Presbyterian: $1,000,000 • Various grants to organizations supporting youth education, arts education, STEM education, equestrian activities, and wildlife…
Where does The Riggio Foundation make grants?
The foundation supports various cities and regions across the United States, including: • New York • Brooklyn • Washington • California • Florida • Arizona • Connecticut • Delaware • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maryland • Montana • Nebraska • New Hampshire • Pennsylvania • South Carolina • Virginia
What size grants does The Riggio Foundation award?
In 2024, The Riggio Foundation awarded 38 grants totaling $3.9M — an average of about $103K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
How much is The Riggio Foundation required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, The Riggio Foundation reported a distributable amount of $3.3M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is The Riggio Foundation's EIN?
The Riggio Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-7039631. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Riggio Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Data last updated June 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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