The Foundation has had a longstanding interest in the arts, reflecting Benjamin Altman’s personal commitment and our belief in the essential role that cultural engagement and the arts play in enriching the lives of New Yorkers and creating new avenues of exploration and opportunity for the city’s young people. Given our particular focus on issues of access and inclusion, the Foundation invests in organizations, programs, and projects that achieve results aligned with the objectives outlined below. As a general rule, the programs that we support take place outside of the public schools. Please note that the "Results Sought" reflect the specific outcomes of interest to us.
Promote access to arts and culture for all New Yorkers, with a special focus on people from underserved communities
Results Sought:
Bronx Children's Museum
$125,000 (over two years)
To help the Bronx Children's Museum achieve institutional readiness, open its permanent home, and successfully operate as a museum “with and without” walls during its first year
The Council on the Arts and Humanities for Staten Island, Inc.
$50,000
To continue the Expanding Audiences initiative, providing Staten Island cultural organizations with professional development to expand their capacity to work with underserved populations; racial equity training; and resources to help implement related projects
Downtown Brooklyn Arts Alliance, Inc.
$50,000 (over two years)
To support member organizations and address issues affecting artist communities and cultural organizations in Downtown Brooklyn
Harlem Stage, Inc. FKA Aaron Davis Hall, Inc.
$100,000 (over two years)
To help support the development and initial implementation of a five-year strategic plan
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
$100,000 (over fifteen months)
To support the Museum's 150th Anniversary activities, with a particular focus on the marketing and communications components and programming that help to ensure the Museum's reach with a broad range of audiences
The Museum of the City of New York, Inc.
$250,000 (over two years)
Divided as follows, $200,000 to help build capacity following a strategic plan and a one-time special contribution of $50,000 to support the exhibition, New York Shopping: Invention and Reinvention
The New York Botanical Garden
$50,000
To help support the expansion of Edible Academy programming, including planning efforts to develop partnerships with afterschool providers
The New York Community Trust (Mosaic Network and Fund)
$150,000 (over three years)
To help support the Mosaic Network and Fund, a funder collaborative created to foster greater racial equity within the NYC arts ecosystem through support to arts groups that are led by, created for, and accountable to African, Latinx, Asian, Arab, and Native American people
New York Hall of Science
$130,000 (over 26 months)
To build capacity to develop and design exhibits that embody its Design, Make, Play approach to STEM learning
The New York Public Library
$85,000
To support NYPL's Early Literacy Initiative
Orchestra of St. Luke's/St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble, Inc.
$80,000 (over two years)
To support the creation and implementation of a comprehensive strategic plan, in advance of OSL’s approaching 50th anniversary, that provides a roadmap for bolstering artistry, increasing organizational capacity, and strengthening the Orchestra’s ability to serve diverse audiences
Queens Council on the Arts, Inc.
$50,000
To help provide capacity building support for marketing and communications initiatives in advance of its move to a new location
Queens Museum of Art New York City Building
$85,000
To renew support for the New New Yorkers arts and literacy initiative for recent adult immigrants
Sphinx Organization, Inc.
$30,000
To support and grow the capacity, sustainability, and impact on its New York partnerships and programming
Visual Arts Research and Resource Center Relating to the Caribbean dba Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute
$50,000 (over fifteen months)
To help support capacity building priorities, including institutional rebranding; business development efforts; board revitalization; and the expansion of school engagement programs
Promote positive youth development among underserved youth through engagement in arts, cultural, and other unique programs that provide sequential opportunities to participate over an extended period of time.
Results Sought:
The ArtsConnection, Inc.
$25,000 (over fourteen months)
To support ArtsConnection’s Teen Reviewers and Critics (TRaC), Take 5, and Teen Advisory Council (TAC) programs
Beam Center Inc.
$50,000
To support the expansion of Beam's out-of-school-time programming for high school youth
Center for Family Life in Sunset Park
$100,000 (over two years)
To support the positive growth and development of underserved youth in Sunset Park through the Life Lines Community Arts Project
CitySquash
$35,000
To support CitySquash's comprehensive youth development program
Harlem Lacrosse and Leadership
$40,000
To support Harlem Lacrosse's High School and Summer Enrichment Programs
Hudson River Community Sailing
$40,000
To strengthen capacity to expand a second youth development program for middle school students in Inwood and to support college-going alumni
Jazz at Lincoln Center, Inc.
$50,000
To help support Jazz at Lincoln Center's Youth Programs: the Middle School Jazz Academy and High School Jazz Academy
New Heights Youth, Inc.
$60,000 (over eighteen months)
To support continued planning, capacity-building, and preparation for an anticipated move to the Brooklyn Bedford-Union Armory in 2021
NYC Salt, Inc.
$60,000
To help support capacity building efforts that advance plans for long-term organizational sustainability and program expansion
Peter Westbrook Foundation, Inc.
$25,000
To provide program support for this youth development program anchored by the sport of fencing
Publicolor, Inc.
$90,000 (over two years)
To support the COLOR Club, Next Steps, and Summer Design Studio programs
Reel Works Teen Filmmaking
$50,000
To support MediaMKRS – a badging credentialing platform and consortium of educators, philanthropy, government, employers and labor unions to create pathways for careers for young New Yorkers to join the city’s growing media industry
Rockaway Waterfront Alliance, Inc. (AKA RISE Rockaway Initiative for Sustainability and Equity)
$70,000 (over two years)
To provide capacity building support for the Rockaway Initiative for Sustainability and Equity’s Shore Corps Youth Development Program
Rocking the Boat, Inc.
$90,000 (over two years)
To provide general operating support for Rocking the Boat's extensive youth development and community programming in the South Bronx
Roundabout Theatre Company, Inc.
$100,000 (over two years)
To help create pathways for young adults into technical theatre training, professional mentorships, and employment
Staten Island Children's Museum
$25,000
To help support the Museum Intern and Ambassador Program