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:

  1. Increase sustained engagement and participation of underserved populations in high-quality programming at established arts and cultural organizations
  2. Strengthen the arts infrastructure in the city and build capacity at critical junctures for organizations providing high-quality arts and cultural programming
Grants 2022

American Composers Orchestra, Inc.
$150,000 (over two years)
For capacity building in support of its composer advancement initiatives

ArtsPool, a project of Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York, Inc.
$100,000 (over two years)
To provide capacity building support for ArtsPool's efforts to develop and implement strategic improvements to its business plan, financial model, and accountability procedures

The Billie Holiday Theatre, Inc.
$150,000 (over two years)
To support critical investments in marketing, audience development, and its community engagement capacity

The Council on the Arts and Humanities for Staten Island, Inc.
$50,000
To provide capacity building support for implementation a new strategic plan

Dancing Classrooms
$40,000
To provide capacity building for the organization's out-of-school time programming

DreamYard Project, Inc.
$50,000
To provide professional development training and coaching to help NYC educators and school administrators use the arts to center racial equity in their curricula, school procedures, policies and practices

Gina Gibney Dance
$140,000 (over two years)
To provide flexible organizational development support during a transitional period for Gibney and the dance sector

Groundswell Community Mural Project, Inc.
$80,000 (over two years)
To provide organizational capacity building support during a leadership transition

Jazz at Lincoln Center, Inc.
$50,000
To support the Middle School Jazz Academy and High School Jazz Academy

New York City Arts in Education Roundtable
$100,000 (over two years)
To provide capacity building support to help advance its strategic plan

New York Foundation for the Arts, Inc.
$50,000
To provide capacity building support for the Incubator for Executive Leaders of Color leadership development program

Queens Council on the Arts, Inc.
$50,000
To provide capacity building support

Queens Museum of Art New York City Building
$75,000 (over eighteen months)
To provide capacity building support in preparation for opening the new Children’s Museum at the Queens Museum

Sphinx Organization, Inc.
$100,000 (over two years)
To support its field-building work to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion within the classical music and performing arts fields

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:

  1. Significantly increase mastery of program-specific competencies and developmentally appropriate life skills
  2. Prepare participants to transition successfully to post-secondary and/or professional opportunities, including employment in the creative economy
Grants 2022

The ArtsConnection, Inc.
$50,000
To support the Teen Reviewers and Critics (TRaC) program and the implementation of ArtsConnection’s new strategic plan

Beam Center Inc.
$50,000
To support the expansion of the Project Leaders Enterprise Program

Brooklyn Conservatory of Music
$35,000
To support the launch of the Community Music Center Initiative

CitySquash
$35,000
To support its comprehensive youth development program

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
$100,000 (over two years)
To support an arts intensive, college-preparatory program for New York City high school students from underserved communities

Harlem Lacrosse and Leadership
$40,000
For the development of the Leadership Expanded Access Program for 8th and 9th grade students

Legal Outreach, Inc.
$40,000
To support the Civic Engagement and Social Justice Program

Mama Foundation for the Arts, Inc.
$40,000
To provide capacity building support for the Mama Music Matters arts education and youth development program

Mind-Builders Creative Arts Company, Inc.
$100,000 (over two years)
To provide instructional classes, youth leadership activities, and arts-based crisis intervention programs for children and youth in the Bronx

New York State Youth Leadership Council
$40,000
For general support

The Noel Pointer Foundation
$50,000
To support the On-Campus Strings Program

NYC Salt, Inc.
$130,000 (over two years)
To help support the implementation of strategic plan priorities for  organizational infrastructure, including staffing and revenue strategy development

Peter Westbrook Foundation, Inc.
$50,000 (over two years)
To provide program support for this youth development program anchored by the sport of fencing

Queens Council on the Arts, Inc.
$25,000
For the High School to Art School portfolio development program

Reel Works Teen Filmmaking
$50,000
To support MediaMKRS, a coalition effort to create sustainable career pathways for underrepresented young New Yorkers in the city's growing media and film industries

Roundabout Theatre Company, Inc.
$100,000 (over two years)
To support the Theatrical Workforce Development Program

Row New York, Inc.
$120,000 (over two years)
For general operating support

STEM From Dance
$35,000
To support program expansion in New York City

Teens Take Charge
$35,000
For general operating support

Urban Arts Partnership
$50,000
For the continued growth of the School of Interactive Arts, including post-secondary and career pathways programs to prepare young people for jobs in the creative economy

?>