W. P. Carey Foundation

Private foundation · EIN 13-3597510 · since 1991wpcareyfoundation.org·Arizona, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$24.6M

Annual giving, 2024 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$260 to $30,500

Grant range

From grants in the 990-PF filings

$5,000

Typical grant (median)

141 grants in the latest filing

Invitation only

Unsolicited applications are not accepted

This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.

Key takeaways

The W. P. Carey Foundation funds business and legal education, primary and secondary education, and community support, with giving directed mainly to organisations with longstanding ties to the Carey family and to results-driven institutions with proven leadership and demonstrable success, so a nonprofit without a fit to these themes is unlikely to be a match.
The foundation states it does not accept unsolicited requests and operates by invitation only, so applying cold is not the way in; only invited organisations should approach it.
Most grants are modest: about 8 in 10 of its 433 grants fall between $260 and $30,500, and the median grant is $5,000, so a modest request in that range is realistic, even though the largest grant was around $10,000,000.
Giving looks highly relationship-led, with 99% of grant dollars going to organisations the foundation had also funded in its two prior filings, so this is not a channel geared to first-time approaches.
No geographic focus is stated, though its grants are seen mainly in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Arizona and New York.

Overview

W. P. Carey Foundation is a US private foundation based in New York, NY.

What they fund

Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.

Priority Areas

The W. P. Carey Foundation’s primary mission is to support educational institutions, with the larger goal of improving America’s competitiveness. Its giving is primarily directed to organisations with longstanding ties to the Carey family and to results-driven institutions with records of demonstrable success and exceptional leadership; it makes transformative gifts intended to have measurable impact. In business and legal education, it invests in student and faculty recruitment, interdisciplinary degrees and career guidance. For primary and secondary schools, the emphasis is admissions and college guidance. Community support ranges across hospitals, cultural institutions and organisations rooted in geographic areas significant to its founder. Its giving therefore combines education-focused support with broader community institutions, favouring proven leadership and capacity to deliver results.

Themes

Business and legal education
Primary and secondary education
Community support

Geographic Focus

No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Arizona and New York.

How to apply

The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests.

Application success factors

Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 99% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 433 grants to organisations were $5,000 or less.

What the foundation says:

It directs most giving to organisations with longstanding ties to the Carey family.
It supports organisations whose work matches its giving priorities and which have proven capacity to steward funds and get results.
It favours results-driven institutions with demonstrable success and exceptional leadership.

Where grants go

From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.

Grant dollars by state

Pennsylvania35%

Maryland24%

Arizona22%

New York15%

Connecticut<1%

California<1%

6 other states: 2%

The largest single recipient received 34% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2024, 99% of grant dollars went to organisations W. P. Carey 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

141 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $5,000

How much do they typically give?

Share of 141 grants in tax year 2024 by size

Under $1k18%

$1k–$2.5k11%

$2.5k–$5k18%

$5k–$10k21%

$10k–$25k16%

$25k–$50k8%

$50k–$100k3%

$100k–$250k0%

$250k–$500k1%

$500k–$1M1%

$1M and over4%

Median $5,000 (tax year 2024)

The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:

University of Pennsylvania · Charitable
$7,500,0002024 tax year
New York-Presbyterian Hospital · Charitable
$5,107,5002024 tax year
Arizona State University · Charitable
$5,000,0002024 tax year
Johns Hopkins University · Charitable
$3,500,0002024 tax year
Zoological Society of Philadelphia · Charitable
$1,002,5002024 tax year
Gilman School · Charitable
$527,0952024 tax year
Calvert School · Charitable
$526,6502024 tax year
Pomfret School · Charitable
$250,0002024 tax year

Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.

Officers and directors

A Patterson Pendleton III — Trustee
John J Park — Trustee
Michael H Carpenter — Trustee
Jason E Fox — Trustee
Gwendolen G Bond — Trustee
John Samuel Armstrong IV — Trustee
Ryan Willsmore — Treasurer
Juliana K Harris — Secretary / Executive Director / Assistant Treasurer
John D Miller — Director
Zachary J Pack — Chief Operating Officer / Director
William P Carey II — President / Chairman / Trustee
Ricardo A Vasquez — Director
Marjorie B Tompkins — Director
Justin B Patterson — Director
Douglas S Parvis — Director
Donald F Macmaster Jr — Director
Frances W Macmaster — Director
Susan C Hyde — Director
Laura G Carey — Director
J Meade Carey — Director

and 4 more

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

3 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$29,611,174	$27,525,761	$541,040,202	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$27,296,298	$25,170,367	$527,928,410	Filing for 2023 tax year
2024 tax year	$26,877,635	$24,564,331	$513,685,071	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.