Eisner Foundation - New York City Grants

The Eisner Foundation in New York City supports innovative intergenerational programs that address societal challenges. They offer various grants, including general operating, project support, capacity-building, capital project, and opportunity grants, aimed at both small and large organizations. Eligible applicants are tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations based in New York City. The foundation focuses on efficiency, effectiveness, and strong leadership when evaluating potential partners, fostering growth and collaboration across generations.

Mission: The Eisner Foundation identifies, advocates for, and invests in high-quality and innovative programs that unite multiple generations for the betterment of our communities.
Vision: Our goal is to ally with organizations that use an intergenerational lens to combat structural challenges in today’s society, not merely alleviate the symptoms. A clear vision, combined with a deep understanding of the challenges an organization wants to solve, should inspire a mission with measurable goals and outcomes that lead to success.
The Eisner Foundation supports organizations offering intergenerational solutions to society’s greatest challenges.
Intergenerational solutions...
include more than one generation actively involvedare beneficial to all partiesmake communities stronger
Types of Support
General Operating Grants - Unrestricted funds that support the general operations of an organization.Project Support Grants - Funds that are designated to a specific project carried out by the organization.Capacity-Building Grants - Funds that are for board and staff development, technological assistance and upgrades, and strategic planning.Capital Project Grants - Funds specifically for the purpose of purchasing, renovating, or construction of facilities.Opportunity Grants - smaller organizations or larger organizations launching new intergenerational initiatives, grants up to $25,000.
Opportunity Grants
This program aims to help smaller organizations grow and gain credibility, and to encourage organizations to be innovative and entrepreneurial in developing new intergenerational solutions. These grants are available for one-year terms, and are renewable for small organizations. Large organizations with successful initiatives may apply for additional grant funds after one year, but cannot renew an Opportunity Grants.
Criteria
When evaluating organizations as potential philanthropic partners, we focus on the following criteria:
Efficiency: We generally fund organizations that allocate at least 75% of their operating expenses directly to their programs, whatever they may be. Recognizing that different types of organizations have different expenses, we benchmark organizations against their peers, and compare the efficiencies of nonprofits with similar missions and geographical locations.
Effectiveness: The Eisner Foundation seeks organizations that have demonstrated success, and have measurable patterns of achievement that can be used to benchmark future accomplishments
Leadership: In a crowded sector with many redundant nonprofits, good leadership gives rise to success. We seek organizations with leadership teams that actively empower their staff and the next generation of leaders.
Vision: Our goal is to ally with organizations that use an intergenerational lens to combat structural challenges in today’s society, not merely alleviate the symptoms. A clear vision, combined with a deep understanding of the challenges an organization wants to solve, should inspire a mission with measurable goals and outcomes that lead to success.
For Opportunity Grant applicant organizations that have been in existence less than three years, our review will focus on leadership and expertise or special understanding of issues related to the sector in which the program operates. For those Opportunity Grant applicants that are established organizations starting new programs, we will evaluate the achievements of the organization.

Eligibility

Tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations based in New York City or doing work that benefits populations in New York City are eligible to apply.Organizations that are declined must wait one full year before reapplying to the Foundation.Organization that received a past grant from The Eisner Foundation are still eligible to apply for a grant, but must wait until the period for which you received funding has passed.

Ineligibility

No grant is approved without a site visit, even if the organization has received funding from The Eisner Foundation previously.Organizations unable to show proven past results are less likely to garner Eisner Foundation support.Opportunity Grants are non-renewable.