The Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Foundation

Quick Stats

Annual Giving: $54,974,186 (2023)
Total Assets: $46.9 million (approximately)
Grant Range: $10,000 - $100,000,000+
Number of Awards: 59 (2023)
Average Grant Size: $931,766
Geographic Focus: National (primarily Northeast U.S., especially New York City)
Application Process: Invitation only - does not accept unsolicited applications

Contact Details

Location: West Palm Beach, FL

Note: The foundation does not maintain a public website and has limited web presence.

Overview

Established in 1985 by Henry R. Kravis, co-founder of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR), and his wife Marie-Josée Kravis, this private foundation has become one of the most significant philanthropic entities supporting elite institutions in education, healthcare, and the arts. With approximately $46.9 million in assets and annual giving exceeding $54 million in 2023, the foundation is known for making transformational gifts to preselected institutions. The Kravises have personally made numerous nine-figure commitments beyond the foundation's grantmaking. In 2022, Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis received recognition for their philanthropic leadership, with Marie-Josée Kravis honored by Carnegie Corporation for her contributions to the arts and culture. The foundation's strategic approach emphasizes sustained relationships with major institutions where the Kravises maintain active board involvement, ensuring their philanthropy extends beyond financial support to include strategic leadership.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation does not operate formal grant programs with published guidelines. Grants are awarded at the discretion of the trustees to preselected organizations.

Major Grant Categories:

Transformational Gifts: $100,000,000 (to select universities and medical centers)
- Recent examples: Columbia Business School ($100M, 2010), Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center ($100M, 2014; $100M, 2022), Rockefeller University ($100M, 2015), Loomis Chaffee School ($100M, 2024)
Significant Institutional Support: $10,000,000 - $75,000,000 (for major capital projects and research initiatives)
- Recent examples: Claremont McKenna College Kravis Center ($75M, 2008), Notre Dame Cathedral restoration ($10M, 2019), Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Marie-Josée Kravis Center for Cancer Immunobiology ($40M, 2023)
Ongoing Support Grants: $10,000 - $100,000 (for established arts, education, and healthcare organizations)

Priority Areas

Education:

Elite private secondary schools (particularly in the Northeast)
Higher education institutions with focus on business schools and leadership programs
Educational opportunity programs for low-income youth
Leadership development initiatives

Healthcare & Medical Research:

Major medical centers and research hospitals
Cancer research and treatment (particularly Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)
Cardiovascular health programs
Women's and children's health centers

Arts & Culture:

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Lincoln Center for Performing Arts
New York Philharmonic-Symphony Society
Metropolitan Opera
New York City Ballet
Other prominent New York City cultural institutions

Social Services:

Robin Hood Foundation
Sponsors for Educational Opportunity
Community development initiatives

What They Don't Fund

As the foundation only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited applications, they do not fund:

Organizations without pre-existing relationships to the trustees
Small or grassroots organizations
Organizations outside their established areas of interest
General operating support for organizations they haven't previously supported

Governance and Leadership

Henry R. Kravis - Chairman/Trustee

Co-founder of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR)
Alumnus of Loomis Chaffee School (Class of 1963) and Claremont McKenna College
Board member at Columbia Business School, Rockefeller University, and other institutions
Chairman of Sponsors for Educational Opportunity
Nearly three decades of service on the Museum of Modern Art board of trustees

Marie-Josée Kravis - President

Chair of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
Former senior fellow and vice-chair of the Hudson Institute
Recipient of Carnegie Corporation recognition for contributions to arts and culture (2022)
Active board member at numerous cultural institutions

Philanthropic Philosophy:

Henry Kravis has stated: "If you don't have integrity, you have nothing. You can't buy it. You can have all the money in the world, but if you are not a moral and ethical person, you really…" This emphasis on integrity extends to their strategic approach to philanthropy, which prioritizes sustained engagement with institutions where they maintain active governance roles.

The foundation's approach combines financial support with strategic leadership, with both Henry and Marie-Josée serving as trustees and board members at recipient organizations to ensure their involvement extends beyond monetary contributions.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

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

Grants are awarded through trustee discretion to institutions with which Henry and Marie-Josée Kravis have established relationships, typically organizations where they serve or have served on boards or advisory committees.

Getting on Their Radar

The Kravises' giving is highly strategic and relationship-based. Organizations that have received support share these characteristics:

Board Connections: Many recipient organizations have Henry or Marie-Josée Kravis serving as trustees or board members. Examples include Museum of Modern Art (Marie-Josée serves as Chair), Columbia Business School, Rockefeller University, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Elite Institutional Status: The foundation primarily supports prestigious institutions in New York City and the Northeast, including Ivy League universities, major medical research centers, and internationally recognized cultural institutions.

Personal Connections: Henry Kravis's alma mater institutions have received major support, including Loomis Chaffee School ($100M in 2024) and Claremont McKenna College (which houses the Kravis Leadership Institute).

Aligned Strategic Priorities: Organizations working in the foundation's core areas of education (particularly leadership development), cancer research, cardiovascular health, and prestigious arts institutions align with the Kravises' documented philanthropic interests.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable - grants are made through trustee discretion rather than formal application cycles.

Success Rates

Not applicable as the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable as the foundation does not accept applications.

Application Success Factors

Since this foundation operates exclusively through trustee discretion and preselected relationships, there is no traditional application process. However, understanding their giving patterns reveals these success factors:

Institutional Prestige and Impact: The foundation gravitates toward institutions with significant reach and reputation. Recent $100 million gifts have gone to Columbia Business School, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Rockefeller University, and Loomis Chaffee School - all recognized leaders in their fields.

Board-Level Relationships: Organizations where Henry or Marie-Josée Kravis serve in governance roles receive the most significant support. This includes transformational gifts to institutions where they are actively engaged as trustees.

Focus on Leadership: The Kravis Leadership Institute at Claremont McKenna College, the Kravis Prize for Nonprofit Leadership (which awards $250,000 annually), and support for Sponsors for Educational Opportunity all demonstrate a priority on developing future leaders.

Cancer Research Excellence: Multiple major gifts to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center ($100M in 2014, $100M in 2022 for the Cancer Ecosystems Project, $40M in 2023 for the Marie-Josée Kravis Center for Cancer Immunobiology) indicate deep commitment to advancing cancer research and treatment.

Cultural Institutions of International Significance: Support for MoMA, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lincoln Center, New York Philharmonic, and Metropolitan Opera reflects focus on premier cultural institutions that shape global arts discourse.

Geographic Concentration: While the foundation has national scope, giving is centered in New York City, with additional support for institutions in the Northeast and organizations connected to the Kravises' personal history.

Capacity for Transformational Change: The foundation prefers making significant gifts that enable major initiatives - new buildings, research centers, endowed programs - rather than dispersing smaller grants widely.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

This is not a foundation to which you can apply. They explicitly do not accept unsolicited applications and only support preselected organizations.
Board relationships are essential. Organizations with the strongest track record of support have Henry or Marie-Josée Kravis serving in governance roles.
Scale matters. With an average grant size of nearly $1 million and multiple nine-figure gifts, the foundation focuses on institutions that can absorb and deploy significant capital for transformational projects.
Geographic focus is predominantly New York City and the Northeast, particularly for arts and culture funding, though education and healthcare grants have somewhat broader reach.
Long-term relationships over transactional giving. The foundation maintains sustained engagement with recipient organizations through board service and repeated grants over many years.
Emphasis on elite institutions in education (Columbia, Rockefeller University, Loomis Chaffee), healthcare (Memorial Sloan Kettering, Mount Sinai), and arts (MoMA, Metropolitan Museum, Lincoln Center).
Leadership development is a cross-cutting priority, evidenced by the Kravis Leadership Institute, Kravis Prize, and support for educational opportunity programs.

References

Research accessed December 2025