Philanthropy New York

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Philanthropy New York is a membership association serving grantmakers and philanthropic institutions in the New York metropolitan area. It operates as a hub for foundations, corporate giving programs, family offices, and philanthropic advisors tied to organizations such as the Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Rockefeller Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The organization convenes leaders from institutions including the Brookings Institution, Robin Hood Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Wallace Foundation, and Heising-Simons Foundation to coordinate strategy, research, and collective action.

History

Founded in 1976, the organization emerged amid activity involving the Carnegie Corporation of New York, John D. Rockefeller Jr., and local philanthropic efforts associated with New York City civic renewal projects. Early members included trustees and staff from the Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Charles H. Revson Foundation, and Emma Lazarus Fund alongside leaders from Columbia University and the New York Community Trust. During the 1980s and 1990s it collaborated with national networks such as the Council on Foundations, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, and Philanthropy Australia counterparts to share best practices, while convening dialogues influenced by policy developments connected to the Tax Reform Act of 1986 and debates around the Charitable Choice provisions. In the 2000s the association expanded programming in response to crises involving actors like Hurricane Katrina, coordinating with foundations such as the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Annie E. Casey Foundation and municipal bodies like the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The 2010s and 2020s saw partnerships with digital infrastructure initiatives tied to Mozilla Foundation, equity-centered funders including Ford Foundation and Open Society Foundations, and collaborations with regional philanthropy groups like Philanthropy Northwest and Southern Partners Fund.

The association’s mission emphasizes capacity building, convening, and field-building across philanthropy, aligning funders such as Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, Kresge Foundation, and Surdna Foundation around shared priorities. Core programs address grantmaking strategy, research partnerships with institutions like New York University and The New School, leadership development with cohorts drawn from the Rockefeller Foundation and MacArthur Foundation, and practice resources influenced by standards from Grantmakers for Effective Organizations and National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy. The organization supports thematic tracks—education initiatives linked to the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Graham Windham; health equity efforts involving Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and New York Presbyterian Hospital; arts philanthropy connected to Metropolitan Museum of Art and Lincoln Center; and climate resilience programming in concert with Bloomberg Philanthropies and Natural Resources Defense Council.

Membership comprises private foundations, corporate foundations, public charities, and philanthropic advisors from entities like the JP Morgan Chase Foundation, Goldman Sachs Foundation, Citi Foundation, Koch Foundation affiliates, and family offices associated with names such as the Rockefeller family, Sackler family, and Walton family. Governance is overseen by a board of trustees and executive leadership drawn from peers at Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, New York Community Trust, Robin Hood Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Graham Windham, and university-affiliated grant offices at Columbia University and New York University. Committees engage experts linked to United Nations Development Programme, World Bank, International Rescue Committee, and local agencies such as the New York City Council to guide ethics, audit, and membership standards.

The association engages in policy analysis and advocacy around tax, regulation, and philanthropic practice, collaborating with national and local stakeholders including Council on Foundations, Independent Sector, New York State Attorney General, Internal Revenue Service, Senate Finance Committee, House Ways and Means Committee, and legal scholars from Harvard Law School and NYU School of Law. Policy priorities have intersected with debates on charitable deduction tied to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, regulatory guidance from the Internal Revenue Service, philanthropic transparency influenced by ProPublica investigations, and civic engagement frameworks connected to Everytown for Gun Safety and ACLU. The organization also facilitates rapid responses to emergencies in partnership with funders like MacArthur Foundation, Gates Foundation, and disaster-response NGOs such as American Red Cross and International Rescue Committee.

Regular convenings include annual conferences, policy briefings, peer-learning seminars, and issue-focused roundtables that attract leaders from Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Barclays, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, and nonprofit partners like United Way of New York City, Robin Hood Foundation, City Harvest, Mildred and David Jacobs Foundation, and arts institutions such as Museum of Modern Art and Brooklyn Academy of Music. The organization hosts workshops featuring academics from Columbia University, New York University, Yale University, Harvard University, and practitioners from Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, and Center for Effective Philanthropy to explore topics including racial equity, climate philanthropy, civic participation, and data standards.

Initiatives produce practice guidance, pooled funds, and collaborative grants involving partners like Bloomberg Philanthropies, Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Annie E. Casey Foundation. Impact work has targeted housing policy with stakeholders such as New York City Housing Authority and Local Initiatives Support Corporation, criminal justice reform in tandem with Vera Institute of Justice and ACLU, public health collaborations with New York Presbyterian Hospital and NYC Health + Hospitals, and cultural equity projects alongside Metropolitan Museum of Art and National Endowment for the Arts. Evaluations have drawn on research from Urban Institute, RAND Corporation, Brookings Institution, Aspen Institute, and measurement frameworks from Center for Effective Philanthropy and Grantmakers for Effective Organizations to document outcomes, inform strategy, and support peer learning across the philanthropic sector.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in New York City