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Howard Gilman Foundation Inc

Annual Giving
$40.8M
Grant Range
$10K - $0.3M
Decision Time
6mo
Success Rate
10%

Howard Gilman Foundation Inc

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $40,809,510 (2023)
  • Total Assets: $592.7 million (2023)
  • Success Rate: Highly competitive - only a small number of new organizations added annually
  • Decision Time: 6-8 months for new applicants; 3 months for renewals
  • Grant Range: $10,000 - $300,000 (first-time grants typically $10,000-$30,000)
  • Geographic Focus: New York City (five boroughs only)
  • Total Awards: 730 grants in 2023

Contact Details

Address: 24 West 40th Street, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10018
Phone: 212-408-0400
Email: grants@howardgilmanfoundation.org
Website: https://howardgilmanfoundation.org
Grants Portal: Available on website (powered by Fluxx)

Overview

The Howard Gilman Foundation was established to honor the legacy of Howard Gilman (1924-1998), an industrialist, philanthropist, and passionate arts patron who led the Gilman Paper Company. After remaining dormant for a decade following Gilman's death, the foundation was strategically revived in 2014 under the leadership of President & CEO Laura Aden. The board narrowed focus from Gilman's many global interests to a single program area: supporting NYC-based performing arts organizations. With assets of $592.7 million and annual giving exceeding $40 million, the foundation now provides flexible, trust-based funding to hundreds of performing arts organizations annually. The foundation prioritizes organizations led by communities of color and those serving underserved NYC neighborhoods (Staten Island, the Bronx, Eastern/Southern Brooklyn, Queens). Their approach emphasizes long-term partnerships through general operating support rather than project-based funding, with staff comprised of former and current practicing artists and arts workers.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Direct Grants to Organizations

  • General Operating Support: Primary funding mechanism providing flexible, multi-year support
  • First-Time Grants: $10,000 - $30,000 (typical range for new grantees)
  • Established Grantee Renewals: Up to $300,000 annually or over multiple years
  • Specialized Support: Leadership transition funding, change capital, debt relief, cash reserves, artistic risk funds, working capital, commissioning support
  • Application Method: Annual Interest Form (March 31 - May 20 for 2026), followed by invitation to full application

Regranting Programs (for smaller organizations/artists below $250,000 budget threshold)

  • Bronx Cultural Visions Fund: $10,000 grants for Bronx-based emerging and mid-career artists and small organizations (administered by Bronx Council on the Arts)
  • Creative Engagement: $7,000 average grants, up to $20,000 maximum, supporting 200+ arts projects annually in Manhattan (administered by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council)

Priority Areas

Discipline Focus:

  • Dance companies
  • Music ensembles
  • Theater companies
  • Performance art
  • Multidisciplinary performing arts
  • Performing arts presenters

Organizational Priorities:

  • Organizations led by communities of color
  • Groups serving underserved NYC neighborhoods (Staten Island, Bronx, Eastern/Southern Brooklyn, Queens)
  • Organizations with budgets over $250,000 (for direct grants)
  • Fiscally sponsored organizations welcome

Funding Philosophy:

  • Financial capitalization and organizational fiscal health
  • Trust-based, flexible grantmaking
  • Long-term partnership building
  • Breaking down power dynamics between funders and grantees

What They Don't Fund

  • Visual arts institutions
  • Botanical gardens
  • Tuition-based schools
  • In-school arts education programs
  • Youth productions
  • Film organizations
  • Literary organizations
  • Social service providers
  • Organizations currently receiving Gilman-funded regranting program support (for direct grants)
  • Organizations outside NYC's five boroughs
  • Organizations with budgets under $250,000 (must apply through regranting programs)

Governance and Leadership

Board of Directors

  • Mary C. Farrell - Board Chair
  • Joseph M. Samulski - Board Vice Chair
  • Daniel L. Kurtz - Board Secretary
  • Marvin S. Rosen - Board Treasurer

Senior Leadership & Staff

  • Laura Aden - President & CEO
  • Anna Campbell - Senior Director of Programs and Planning
  • Kimberleigh Costanzo - Senior Director of Grants and Operations
  • Mary F. Slaughter - Administrative Director
  • Emily Sproch - Senior Program Officer
  • James Hirschfeld - Program Officer
  • Kristal Pacific - Program Officer
  • Miabi Chatterji - Grants Manager
  • Jesse Pringle - Grants Associate

Leadership Philosophy

Laura Aden emphasizes the foundation's grantee-centered approach: "Relationships between funders and grantseekers are fraught with all kinds of power dynamics, and at the Gilman Foundation, we try to do everything that we possibly can to break that down and say, 'What is it that you need, and how can we help you get there?'"

She adds: "The performing arts community in New York City is why we exist. We exist to serve them."

On staffing: "I was looking for people who were working artists or had worked at nonprofit arts organizations" - reflecting the foundation's commitment to hiring staff with lived nonprofit arts experience.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

For New Applicants (Organizations with budgets over $250,000):

Stage 1 - Interest Form (Simplified Initial Assessment)

  • Submission Period: March 31 - May 20 (for 2026 funding)
  • Portal Access: Create account at howardgilmanfoundation.org; registration processed within two business days
  • Purpose: Short form assessing organizational fit within Gilman's vision, mission, and current priorities
  • Review: Staff determines which organizations advance to Full Review stage
  • Notification: June 30 (advance/decline status)

Stage 2 - Full Review (By Invitation Only)

  • Application Due: July 29 (for 2026)
  • Components: Detailed written application, budgets, financial statements (audit, CPA review, or 990), proposal meeting with Program Officer, performance review
  • Review Period: August - October
  • Final Decisions: Early December

For Organizations Under $250,000 Budget:

  • Apply through Bronx Cultural Visions Fund (Bronx-based organizations/artists)
  • Apply through Creative Engagement (Manhattan-based projects)
  • Contact respective administering organizations for deadlines and guidelines

For Current Grantees:

  • Renewal applications submitted through grants portal in designated cycle
  • Three annual cycles with staggered deadlines
  • No separate reporting requirement - renewal application serves as report

Decision Timeline

New Applicants: 6-8 months total

  • Interest Form to notification: 2 months
  • Full application to decision: 4-5 months

Current Grantees (Renewals): Approximately 3 months from application to decision

Notification Method: Email through grants portal to Grant Contact and Executive Leader Contact designated in application

Success Rates

  • The foundation "adds a small number of new organizations to their roster of annual grantees each year"
  • Highly competitive given 730 total awards in 2023 across both new and renewal grants
  • Foundation describes the selection process as based on "field-wide circumstances, the overall application pool, unique organizational needs, and Gilman's current priorities"
  • Specific percentage success rates not publicly disclosed

Reapplication Policy

  • Declined applicants may reapply in the next annual funding cycle
  • No waiting period beyond the next year's application window
  • Organizations should demonstrate how they've addressed any feedback received or how circumstances have changed

Application Success Factors

What the Foundation Explicitly Values

Organizational Characteristics:

  • Organizations demonstrating clear alignment with mission to support NYC performing arts
  • Groups serving communities or neighborhoods historically underfunded by private philanthropy
  • Organizations with budgets over $250,000 and at least three years of operations at that scale
  • Strong fiscal health documentation (audit, CPA review, or 990)

Application Approach: Laura Aden on their streamlined process: "I wanted to only ask questions that we really needed the answer to… we knew that we didn't need to have everything in the world in this application."

The foundation values organizations that can clearly articulate their needs. As Aden states: "What is it that you need, and how can we help you get there?" This suggests successful applicants demonstrate specific, well-justified funding needs rather than generic requests.

Recent Funding Examples

Organizations recently funded include:

  • Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: $150,000 for leadership transition support
  • American Ballet Theatre: $300,000 over two years for general operating support
  • Bang on a Can: $200,000 general operating support plus $100,000 for change capital
  • Breaking the Binary Theatre: $150,000 over three years plus $20,000 for artist safety protocols
  • Abrons Arts Center: $195,000 over three years for general operating support

These examples show the foundation supports varied disciplines, budget sizes, and funding purposes beyond basic operating support (leadership transitions, change capital, artist safety, etc.).

Foundation's Stated Approach

Trust-Based Grantmaking: The foundation rejects "traditional models of data collection or budget size" in favor of direct dialogue about organizational needs. They emphasize that "no two organizations are alike, and no two grants are alike either."

Relationship Over Bureaucracy: Staff meet with grantees at least annually. As Aden notes: "We're not as formal, maybe, as some other organizations might be… we're pretty informal in the way that we behave or try to behave."

Financial Capitalization Focus: Beyond operating support, the foundation has prioritized financial capitalization "since 2014," funding debt relief, cash reserves, artistic risk funds, and working capital to build long-term organizational stability.

Guiding Question: The foundation's strategic decisions are shaped by asking "What's best for the applicants?" - suggesting successful applicants help the foundation understand how proposed funding serves both organizational and broader community needs.

Strategic Positioning Tips

  1. Emphasize fiscal health and capitalization needs - the foundation explicitly focuses on "organizations' overall mission and fiscal health" and has made financial capitalization a core priority
  2. Demonstrate community impact - particularly if serving underserved NYC neighborhoods or communities of color
  3. Be specific about needs - the foundation's approach centers on understanding "what you need" rather than fitting predetermined formulas
  4. Show readiness for relationship - the foundation emphasizes long-term partnerships; demonstrate capacity for ongoing dialogue and engagement
  5. Articulate use of flexible funding - since general operating support is their primary mechanism, show how unrestricted funds strengthen overall organizational capacity

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Geography is non-negotiable: Only NYC-based (five boroughs) performing arts organizations qualify; no exceptions
  • Budget threshold matters: Organizations must demonstrate three consecutive years with budgets exceeding $250,000; smaller organizations should pursue regranting programs
  • General operating support is the goal: The foundation strongly prefers flexible funding over project-based grants; frame requests around organizational needs, not specific projects
  • New applicant slots are extremely limited: With 730 total grants but only "a small number" of new organizations added annually, competition is intense; strong first impressions through the Interest Form are critical
  • Trust-based approach requires authenticity: The foundation values honest dialogue about needs over polished applications; be specific and genuine about challenges and opportunities
  • Financial health is central: Beyond operating expenses, demonstrate understanding of capitalization needs (debt, reserves, working capital); the foundation has prioritized this since 2014
  • Relationship-building matters: Staff attend performances and meet with organizations; if selected for Full Review, the proposal meeting with Program Officers is crucial for demonstrating organizational culture and communication style
  • Timeline requires patience: 6-8 months from Interest Form to final decision for new applicants; plan fundraising timelines accordingly

References

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