Halvorsen Family Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- Halvorsen Family Foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests, so an organisation without an invitation should not send it a cold application.
- Its grants have gone mainly to educational and medical support, so work in those areas is the clearest fit; the filings show grants mainly in California, New York and Massachusetts, but no geographic focus is stated, so that pattern should not be read as a limit.
- About 8 in 10 of its 57 grants to organisations fall between $9,800 and $1,500,000, and half are about $26,500 or less, so a modest request is more realistic than a large one, though its largest grant was $20,000,000.
- In its latest filing, 41% of grant dollars went to organisations it had also funded in an earlier filing, so the foundation returns to existing grantees, which makes an invitation-led approach the more likely route.
Overview
Halvorsen Family Foundation is a US private foundation based in Stamford, CT.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2022) and web pages about the foundation (robertsonfoundation.org), with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 12 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The foundation supports education, medical work and artistic initiatives, alongside athletic opportunities, wildlife conservation, environmental work, preservation, libraries and community activity. Its grantmaking goes to schools and universities, medical institutions, arts organisations, sports bodies and local community and conservation organisations. The largest stated grant-purpose group is educational support, followed by medical support and artistic initiatives. The foundation has historically sent the bulk of its grantmaking dollars to schools the Halvorsens attended. It makes contributions to other organisations exempt under section 501(c)(3), rather than carrying out direct charitable activities itself.
Themes
From its grants, not stated by the foundation:
- Educational support
- Medical support
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in California, New York and Massachusetts.
How to apply
The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 41% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022 and TY2024 filings, half of its 57 grants to organisations were about $26,500 or less.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
2 other states: <1%
- The largest single recipient received 41% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 41% of grant dollars went to organisations Halvorsen Family Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- <1% of grant dollars went directly to organisations outside the US (Norway).
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 33 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $20,000 (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Stanford Medical Development · Educational support$20,000,0002024 tax year
- Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute · Artistic initiatives$5,125,0002024 tax year
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center · Medical support$5,000,0002024 tax year
- Green Mountain Valley School · Educational support$1,500,0002024 tax year
- Weill Cornell Medicine · Medical support$1,000,0002024 tax year
- Us Ski & Snowboard · Athletic opportunities$500,0002024 tax year
- Wildlife Conservation Society · Wildlife conservation$350,0002024 tax year
- Rockefeller University · Educational support$275,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Diane K Halvorsen — Trustee
- Ole Andreas Halvorsen — Trustee
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
2 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $14,608,500 | $14,595,000 | $265,562,093 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $34,534,700 | $34,502,270 | $365,424,634 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
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At a glance
Applying to Halvorsen Family Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Stamford, CT
Applying to Halvorsen Family Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Stamford, CT