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:
Ballet Hispanico of New York, Inc.
$25,000
To help support the Ballet Hispanico Scholarship Fund for talented, low-income youth
City Lights Youth Theatre, Inc.
$20,000
To expand the Core Program of high-quality theater education and provide scholarship assistance to a diverse group of young people
Cool Culture, Inc.
$25,000
To help expand the Literacy Through Culture program
High 5 Tickets to the Arts, Inc.
$25,000
To help support the Take 5 and Teen Reviewers and Critics (TRaC) Programs
Mama Foundation for the Arts, Inc.
$20,000
To help support the Gospel for Teens vocal instruction program
Mark Morris Dance Group/Discalced Inc.
$15,000
To help support the Dance for Parkinson's program and the MMDG/NYCHA Partnership community outreach program
The New York Botanical Garden
$300,000 (over three years)
To help support the Children's Education program
New York Hall of Science
$75,000
To help support and evaluate the Hall's programming and exhibition areas for preschool audiences
The New York Public Library
$1,400,000 (over four years)
To help support the “21st Century Library” campaign and to provide general support
The Queens Borough Public Library
$600,000 (over three years)
To help support the Adult Learner Program and the Youth Workforce Development program
Queens Museum of Art (dba Queens Museum)
$150,000
To help support Literacy and Art with New New Yorkers
Rubin Museum of Art
$35,000
To help support and expand early childhood, after school, and community programs
Young Audiences New York, Inc.
$50,000
To help support the FamilyLink project
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 52nd Street Project, Inc.
$35,000
To help support NEW PLATFORMS, a creative and theatrical arts initiative
Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Inc.
$30,000
To help support the High School Fellowship Program and the Ailey Athletic Boys Scholarship Program
Ballet Tech Foundation, Inc.
$40,000
To help support Ballet Tech's program of preprofessional dance training for underserved youth
Brooklyn Academy of Music, Inc.
$60,000
To help support the BAM Intern Program
Brooklyn Botanic Garden Corporation
$50,000
To help support the Garden Apprentice Program for middle- and high-school youth
Brooklyn Children's Museum
$350,000 (over four years)
To help support PlayNet, a new research, training, implementation, and evaluation initiative focusing on the benefits of play and play facilitation for early childhood development
Center for Family Life in Sunset Park
$50,000
To help support the Center's Life Lines Community Arts Project
The CityKids Foundation, Inc.
$35,000
To help support the CityKids Rep performing arts program for inner-city youth
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
$50,000
To help support the Saturday Outreach Programs
Downtown Community Television Center, Inc.
$40,000
To help support PRO-TV, which provides professional media training to inner-city youth
Educational Video Center
$20,000
To help support the YO-TV (Youth Organizers-TV) pre-professional documentary filmmaking program
Elaine Kaufman Cultural Center/Lucy Moses School for Music & Dance
$80,000 (over two years)
To help support pre-professional music classes for talented, underserved students in the Young People's Division
Figure Skating in Harlem, Inc.
$30,000
To help support the sports and academic program
Groundswell Community Mural Project, Inc.
$10,000
To help support the Teen Empowerment Mural Apprenticeship Program
International Center of Photography
$150,000 (over two years)
To help expand the Teen Academy Program
The InterSchool Orchestras of New York, Inc.
$10,000
To help support the ISO Scholarship, Financial Aid, and Partnership Programs
New York Youth Symphony, Inc.
$50,000
To help support the Symphony's work with young people in New York City over the next two years
Peter Westbrook Foundation, Inc.
$35,000
To help strengthen the Academic Enrichment Program
Pratt Institute
$30,000
To help support the Design Initiative for Community Empowerment (DICE) program, which prepares underserved Brooklyn high school students to pursue career and advanced educational opportunities in design
Publicolor, Inc.
$30,000
To help support the COLOR Club and Next Steps programs
Staten Island Children's Museum
$25,000
To help support the Museum Ambassador Program and the Museum Internship Program
TADA! Theatre and Dance Alliance, Inc.
$40,000
To help support the Resident Youth Ensemble theater training and youth development program
Third Street Music School Settlement
$90,000
To help support the Comprehensive Training in Music program over the next two years
The Young People's Chorus of New York City, Inc.
$25,000
To help support the after school choral music education and performance program