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Countess Moira Charitable Foundation

Annual Giving
$2.0M
Grant Range
$10K - $0.3M

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $2,000,000 (2024)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available
  • Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
  • Grant Range: $10,000 - $250,000
  • Geographic Focus: Primarily NYC metro area, but supports organizations operating locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally

Contact Details

Website: https://www.countessmoirafdn.org/

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 907 Remsenburg, NY 11960

Preferred Communication: Email (sent to appropriate Trustee)

Note: The foundation does not accept unsolicited grant requests and only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations.

Overview

Founded in August 2000 by Edward W. T. Gray III, the Countess Moira Charitable Foundation is a private family foundation named after Countess Moira, who matched the initial funding and was important to the founder's career for twenty years. The foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) non-operating foundation run entirely by volunteer trustees—all related to the founder and spanning multiple generations. With assets of approximately $34 million (as of June 2022), the foundation has distributed over $26 million in cumulative grants since 2001. The foundation's mission focuses on "aiding the well-being of youth" through annual grants supporting children individually and collectively. The foundation emphasizes long-term relationships with grantees, with ten relationships spanning 10+ years and another twenty spanning 5-10 years through FYE 2019.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation offers several types of grants to preselected organizations:

  • Annual Support Grants: Ongoing funding for established programs
  • Multi-Year Grants: Extended commitments where appropriate for both parties
  • Seed Grants: Support for small startup entities
  • Challenge or Matching Grants: Incentive-based funding
  • Endowment Funding: Long-term institutional support

Priority Areas

The foundation focuses exclusively on youth well-being, supporting organizations that work on:

  • Youth development and betterment programs
  • Educational initiatives for young people
  • Services for underserved and disadvantaged youth
  • Programs serving children in poverty
  • Arts and educational programming for students
  • Health and wellness services for youth
  • Community-based youth services

Recent grant recipients (2023) include organizations such as 914 CARES, Asian Americans for Equality, The Foundry (behavioral health and educational services), Camp Abnaki (residential summer camp for underserved Vermont kids), Creative Arts Team, Nazareth Regional High School (scholarships), Good360 (serving people in poverty), and High School for Arts, Imagination and Inquiry.

What They Don't Fund

While not explicitly stated, the foundation's focus on youth well-being suggests they do not fund:

  • Programs not serving youth populations
  • Individual scholarships or grants
  • Organizations outside their preselected network

Governance and Leadership

Leadership Structure

  • Founder: Edward W. T. Gray III (1934-2010)
  • Namesake: Countess Moira (died May 2004 at age 94)
  • Current Trustees: Family members related to the founder, spanning multiple generations (specific names not publicly disclosed)

The foundation operates as an all-volunteer organization with no paid staff. Trustees are committed to "stewarding the legacies entrusted upon us" and operate with a strong sense of fiduciary duty. The foundation has a sister foundation in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process. The foundation makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations only and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.

For organizations already in relationship with the foundation (invited grantees):

  • Must use the foundation's specific "Grant Template" document
  • Submit materials electronically (PDF format) to the appropriate Trustee
  • Encouraged to submit a "Charting Impact" report
  • For repeat grants, must provide:
    • Brief summary of prior year activities
    • Accounting of previous grant expenditures
  • Must verify 501(c)(3) status via IRS exemption check
  • Encouraged to obtain GuideStar Seal of Transparency

Getting on Their Radar

The foundation emphasizes long-term relationships, with many grantees maintaining funding relationships for 5-10+ years. While they do not accept unsolicited applications, the foundation's website and public 990-PF forms demonstrate transparency in their operations. Organizations working on youth well-being in the NYC metro area that operate with strong governance and transparency (evidenced by the foundation's emphasis on GuideStar Seals and Charting Impact) may be more likely to align with the foundation's values if trustees become aware of their work through their networks.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly disclosed. As an all-volunteer family foundation, decision timelines likely depend on trustee meeting schedules.

Success Rates

The foundation made 18 grants in 2024 and 2023, 15 in 2022, and 21 in both 2021 and 2020. Of the 76 entities funded through FYE 2019, ten relationships spanned 10+ years and twenty spanned 5-10 years, indicating strong grantee retention and relationship building.

Reapplication Policy

For invited grantees, multi-year grants are available where appropriate. Repeat grants are supported with proper reporting on prior year activities and expenditures.

Application Success Factors

For organizations fortunate enough to be invited to apply, the foundation values:

  1. Transparency and Good Governance: The foundation emphasizes obtaining GuideStar Seal of Transparency and using Charting Impact reporting, indicating they value organizations with strong operational transparency.

  2. Youth-Focused Mission: All grants must clearly serve the well-being of youth, either individually or collectively.

  3. Accountability: Repeat grantees must provide detailed accounting of how previous grants were spent and summaries of activities undertaken.

  4. Long-Term Relationships: The foundation prefers building sustained partnerships, with many relationships lasting 5-10+ years.

  5. Strong Organizational Foundation: The emphasis on verified 501(c)(3) status and governance suggests they prefer well-established organizations with solid infrastructure.

  6. Geographic Connection: While not restricted to NYC metro, the foundation "generally" works with entities based in this area, even if they operate more broadly.

  7. Diverse Grant Needs: The foundation has supported various funding types including seed grants for startups, endowments, matching grants, and ongoing operational support, showing flexibility in how they support organizations.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Invitation-Only: This foundation does not accept unsolicited applications—all grantees are preselected by trustees
  • Family Foundation: Operated by volunteer family members across generations, emphasizing personal relationships and long-term commitment
  • Youth-Exclusive: Mission is narrowly focused on youth well-being; programs must serve children or young people
  • Relationship-Driven: Over 30 of 76 grantees (through FYE 2019) maintained relationships for 5+ years, indicating preference for sustained partnerships
  • Flexibility in Grant Types: Offers various grant structures including seed grants ($10K range), multi-year commitments, and larger grants (up to $250K)
  • Transparency Expected: Strong emphasis on reporting, governance, and public transparency (GuideStar Seals, Charting Impact, verified 501(c)(3) status)
  • NYC Metro Focus: Generally works with organizations based in the NYC metropolitan area, though they support work that extends regionally, nationally, or internationally

References

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