The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation funds a variety of non-profit beneficiaries with an emphasis on the arts, including opera companies, museums, theatres and orchestras, alongside cultural, educational, health and community organisations, so this is primarily a fit for arts-focused work.
- It contributes only to preselected charitable organisations and does not accept unsolicited requests, so a small charity without an existing relationship should not apply speculatively.
- Most grants to organisations fall between $5,000 and $200,000, with a median grant of $30,000, so a modest request in that range is realistic, though the largest grant was about $1,150,000.
- Over half of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in the two previous years' filings, suggesting its giving is relationship-led and skews towards repeat beneficiaries.
- No geographic focus is stated, though its filings show grants mainly in Virginia and New York.
Overview
The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation is a US private foundation based in Charlottesville, VA.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2025, TY2024, TY2023) and its website and other web pages about the foundation (giving.virginia.edu), with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation is a charitable trust created by Joseph Cornell’s will to honour the memory of the artist and his disabled younger brother. It supports a variety of non-profit beneficiaries, with an emphasis on the arts. The foundation distributes a percentage of its assets to support those beneficiaries and to inspire appreciation for the creative arts in all its forms. Its recorded grants include opera companies, museums, theatres and orchestras, alongside cultural, educational, health and community organisations. Its giving combines an arts emphasis with support for a broad range of non-profit beneficiaries.
Themes
- Arts
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in Virginia and New York.
How to apply
The foundation contributes only to preselected charitable organisations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2025 filing, 54% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2023 or TY2024 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2023, TY2024 and TY2025 filings, half of its 173 grants to organisations were $30,000 or less.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2023–2025.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: <1%
- The largest single recipient received 14% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2025, 54% of grant dollars went to organisations The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- <1% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 58 grants in tax year 2025 by size
Median $37,500 (tax year 2025)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- University of Virginia Foundation · Grant is for donee's exempt purpose$1,130,0002025 tax year
- Metropolitan Opera Association · Grant is for donee's exempt purpose$750,0002025 tax year
- WNET Depository · Grant is for donee's exempt purpose$650,0002025 tax year
- Museum of Modern Art · Grant is for donee's exempt purpose$479,0502025 tax year
- Charlottesville Opera · Grant is for donee's exempt purpose$250,0002025 tax year
- Thomas Jefferson Foundation · Grant is for donee's exempt purpose$175,0002025 tax year
- St Bartholomew's Conservancy · Grant is for donee's exempt purpose$150,0002025 tax year
- Charlottesville Symphony Society · Grant is for donee's exempt purpose$125,0002025 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Melissa Young — Trustee
- Joseph Erdman — Trustee
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 tax year | $5,546,466 | $4,800,000 | $108,278,356 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $5,492,641 | $4,600,000 | $119,211,960 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
| 2025 tax year | $6,448,703 | $5,629,050 | $135,693,861 | Filing for 2025 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 The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- americanartcornellstudy@si.edu
- info@arsny.com
- Charlottesville, VA
- cornellmemorialfoundation.org
Applying to The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- americanartcornellstudy@si.edu
- info@arsny.com
- Charlottesville, VA
- cornellmemorialfoundation.org