The Ring Foundation Inc
The Ring Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in New York, NY. It reports making grants to qualified religious, cultural, and public exempt institutions to carry out their exempt functions, and states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations.
The Ring Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: The Ring Foundation Inc gave $113K across 12 grants in 2026 (avg $9K), mostly in New York. 8% of 2026 grantees were new. Source: 2026 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2026)
- $113,155
- -67.9% vs 2025
- Grants made (2026)
- 12
- +9.1% vs 2025
- Average grant
- $9,430
- -70.6% vs 2025
- Median grant
- $375
- Total assets
- $5,134,471
- -3.0% vs 2025
- New grantees (estimate)
- 8% first-time grantees (1 of 12, 2026; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (100% of itemized 2026 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2026 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2026; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Ring Foundation Inc
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds; it states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 437 Madison Avenue - 3301, New York, NY 10022
Phone: (212) 765-1655
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Ring Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2026
The largest 2026 recipient was Lighthouse Guild ($100K). Together the top 10 received $113K.
Grant Size Distribution
52 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 49 grants of 52 (94%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All reported grant dollars in filing year 2026 went to recipients in New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2026 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Ring Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
8%
first-time grantees, 2026
In 2026, 1 of 12 grantees (8%) were first-time recipients. With only 12 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $100K; repeat grants $1K. How we count
Medians: $100K first-time, $250 repeat.
- 83% of 2026 grantees were also funded in 2025. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2023 to 2026 (−13%). Method
- In 2026 it paid out 54% 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 (2021–2026). 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 2021 to 2026, annual grant giving ranged from $2K (2024) to $353K (2025). In 2026 it made 12 grants totaling $113K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Lighthouse Guild New York, NY | Any Exempt Purpose | $100,000 |
| Jewish Museum New York, NY | Any Exempt Purpose | $10,000 |
| Frick Museum New York, NY | Any Exempt Purpose | $630 |
| Museum of Modern Art New York, NY | Any Exempt Purpose | $550 |
| Guggenheim Museum New York, NY | Any Exempt Purpose | $500 |
| Neue Gallerie New York New York, NY | Any Exempt Purpose | $500 |
| Museum of Natural History New York, NY | Any Exempt Purpose | $250 |
| Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, NY | Any Exempt Purpose | $220 |
| New York Historical Society New York, NY | Any Exempt Purpose | $150 |
| Central Park Conservancy New York, NY | Any Exempt Purpose | $125 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $5,134,471 | $-32,832 | $124,765 | $113,155 | 12 | $113,155 | $436,668 | $211,470 |
| 2025 | $5,292,067 | $368,387 | $362,876 | $353,055 | 11 | $353,055 | $363,137 | $193,958 |
| 2024 | $5,286,556 | $113,800 | $8,720 | $1,880 | 7 | $1,880 | $285,651 | $180,114 |
| 2023 | $5,181,476 | $209,887 | $137,294 | $129,670 | 10 | $129,670 | $242,312 | $268,325 |
| 2022 | $5,008,883 | $-326,886 | $8,565 | $3,315 | 12 | $3,315 | $191,180 | $193,947 |
| 2021 | $5,344,334 | $169,649 | $307,952 | $297,180 | 14 | — | $169,597 | $176,114 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Ring Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $211K for 2026 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s 2025 filing describes its direct charitable activity as grants to qualified religious, cultural, and public exempt institutions for their exempt functions. Its 2026 grants included cultural institutions such as museums and historical organizations. The Museum of Modern Art describes its mission as fostering public awareness of modern and contemporary art; the Metropolitan Museum of Art says it connects people to creativity, knowledge, and ideas through art; and the New York Historical Society describes its mission as collecting, preserving, and interpreting material relevant to U.S. and New York history.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2026, the foundation reported 12 grants totaling $113,155. Grant amounts ranged from $110 to $100,000, with a median of $375. The largest grants were $100,000 to Lighthouse Guild and $10,000 to the Jewish Museum. Other reported grants included $630 to the Frick Museum, $550 to the Museum of Modern Art, and $500 each to the Guggenheim Museum and Neue Galerie New York.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2026 filing lists Frank Ring as President and Louise Ring as Treasurer.
The Ring Foundation Inc is led by Frank Ring, President on every filing since 2021; none of the 2 officers listed in 2026 report compensation.
Officers on the 2026 filing
Frank Ring
President
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Louise Ring
Treasurer
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2026. "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 Ring Foundation Inc
How much does The Ring Foundation Inc give each year?
The Ring Foundation Inc gave $113K across 12 grants in 2026, according to its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2025 it gave $353K across 11 grants.
What is The Ring Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
The Ring Foundation Inc's median grant in 2026 was $375, and its average grant was $9,430, across 12 grants on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Ring Foundation Inc that year got $100K on average.
Where does The Ring Foundation Inc give grants?
The Ring Foundation Inc gives mostly in New York: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (12 grants).
Who are The Ring Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
The Ring Foundation Inc's largest 2026 grantees include Lighthouse Guild ($100,000), Jewish Museum ($10,000) and Frick Museum ($630), according to its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 98% of its itemized 2026 grant dollars.
How large is The Ring Foundation Inc?
The Ring Foundation Inc reported $5.1M in total assets on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $113K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $211K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does The Ring Foundation Inc fund?
The foundation’s 2025 filing describes its direct charitable activity as grants to qualified religious, cultural, and public exempt institutions for their exempt functions. Its 2026 grants included cultural institutions such as museums and historical organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Ring Foundation Inc?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds; it states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Ring Foundation Inc's EIN?
The Ring Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-3015418. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2026.
Does The Ring Foundation Inc 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 September 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2026 (received by the IRS July 30, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Ring Foundation Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Ring Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-ring-foundation-inc-morg_efd76349e91d44498d08bce2eed9a669
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_133015418_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Ring Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-ring-foundation-inc-morg_efd76349e91d44498d08bce2eed9a669},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Ring Foundation Inc'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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