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The Starr Foundation

Annual Giving
$97.5M
Grant Range
$10K - $50.0M

The Starr Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $95-100 million
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available (invitation-only)
  • Decision Time: Not publicly available (rolling basis)
  • Grant Range: $10,000 - $50,000,000
  • Average Grant: $50,000
  • Geographic Focus: Primarily New York City area, with national and international grants
  • Total Assets: $1.7 billion (2024)
  • Total Grants Awarded: Over $4.1 billion across 14,055 grants since inception

Contact Details

Website: https://starrfoundation.org/

Email: info@starrfoundation.org

Phone: Not publicly listed

Address: New York, NY

Note: The Foundation does not respond to inquiries regarding unsolicited proposals.

Overview

The Starr Foundation was established in 1955 by Cornelius Vander Starr (C.V. Starr), a global entrepreneur and insurance pioneer who founded his first venture in Shanghai in 1919. Following Starr's death in 1968, the Foundation's assets grew from a few million dollars to $1.7 billion under the leadership of longtime Chairman Maurice R. Greenberg (1968-2024). The Foundation has awarded over $4.1 billion to 2,315 organizations through 14,055 grants. In 2023, Courtney O'Malley was appointed President, succeeding the late Florence A. Davis who led the Foundation from 1999 to 2023 and oversaw more than 7,000 grants totaling over $3 billion. The Foundation's mission is centered on building partnerships, creating opportunities, sustaining collaborations, and investing in the future. It supports organizations with strong leadership and the capacity to address complex challenges with durable results, taking a long-term approach bolstered with funding agility.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Starr Foundation operates six major program areas:

Education: $1.14B+ awarded across 3,299 grants to 512 organizations

  • C.V. Starr Scholarship Funds at 140+ colleges, universities, and secondary schools worldwide (individual scholarships range from $4,000-$25,000)
  • Need-based financial aid for secondary and post-secondary schools
  • Debt-free medical education initiatives
  • Asian studies and language acquisition programs
  • International cultural exchange programs
  • Early education through K-12 college access programs

Health & Medicine: $1.66B+ awarded across 4,721 grants to 305 organizations

  • Collaborative research in cancer and stem cell biology
  • Advances in biomedicine, genetic medicine, cardiac care, women's health, and pediatric care
  • Capital grants to hospitals
  • Healthcare provision to underserved communities in New York City and overseas
  • Over $400 million in research grants to uncover new disease-treatment pathways

Human Needs: $310M+ awarded across 2,303 grants to 376 organizations

  • Emergency food programs
  • Job training and literacy programs
  • Programs for the disabled
  • Emergency or transitional housing for the disadvantaged
  • Community-based adult day programs for the elderly
  • Refugee aid and disaster response

Culture: $423M+ awarded across 1,679 grants to 235 organizations

  • Support for large cultural institutions
  • Smaller arts organizations and community-based arts groups
  • Cultural exchange programs furthering international relations and understanding

Public Policy & International Relations: $95M+ awarded across 327 grants to 50 organizations

  • Fellowships and immersive experiences for next-generation global leaders
  • Foreign policy research and analysis
  • Programs advancing freedom, democracy, and cultural exchange
  • Over $30 million for leadership development programs

Environment: $95M+ awarded across 327 grants to 50 organizations

  • Large-scale conservation efforts
  • Cultivation of green spaces in urban areas
  • Scientific research informing practice and policy

Application Method

Invitation only, rolling basis - The Foundation takes a proactive grantmaking approach and does not accept unsolicited proposals.

Priority Areas

  • Education is the Foundation's largest area of giving
  • Primary geographic focus on organizations serving the greater New York City area
  • Within New York City, emphasis on community-based organizations serving as lifelines to residents and city-wide institutions with broad reach
  • Long-term support to large, well-established organizations with proven track records
  • Operating grants that enable enduring progress
  • Responsive funding for urgent needs

Recent Major Grants (2023-2024)

  • $50 million to Rockefeller University for centers in computational science and metabolism (2024)
  • $30 million over 10 years to Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts for the West Project
  • $25 million to Yale School of Medicine for medical student financial aid (2023)
  • $25 million to Harlem Children's Zone to expand their project
  • $15 million to Georgia State University to expand risk education programs (2023)
  • $15 million to St. John's University for campus improvements (2023)
  • $10 million to National Museum of Intelligence and Special Operations (2023)

What They Don't Fund

  • Individuals (including individual scholarship requests)
  • Individual artists
  • Documentaries or film projects (rarely funded)
  • Individual research projects (prefers to focus project funding at New York City hospitals and research centers for medicine/healthcare)
  • Small or grassroots organizations (favors well-established nonprofits with proven track records)
  • Local charities outside of New York City (rarely funded, though may fund national organizations)
  • Unsolicited proposals from any organization

Governance and Leadership

Current Leadership (2024)

President: Courtney O'Malley (appointed September 2023)

  • Brings over 30 years of experience in nonprofit leadership and large-scale grantmaking
  • Previously Executive Director of the Theodore J. Forstmann Charitable Trust
  • Spent over a decade as Vice President at The Starr Foundation where she co-created and led the Foundation's involvement in the award-winning New York City Acquisition Fund

Board Chair: Maurice R. Greenberg (1968-2024)

  • Served as Chairman for over 50 years
  • C.V. Starr's successor who combined Starr's companies into what became AIG
  • Under his leadership, Foundation assets grew from a few million dollars to over $1 billion

Former President

Florence A. Davis (President 1999-2023, passed away May 2023)

  • First female General Counsel in AIG's history (1995)
  • Oversaw more than 7,000 grants totaling over $3 billion during her nearly 25-year tenure
  • Also served as trustee of New York Botanical Garden, director of International Rescue Committee, member of Council on Foreign Relations, and vice chair of NYU Law's Board of Trustees

Foundation Philosophy

As expressed through its leadership, the Foundation believes "philanthropy is about building partnerships, creating opportunities, sustaining collaborations, and investing in the future." The Foundation honors C.V. Starr's belief "in the potential of every person, regardless of their background, race, religion, or gender, and he sought to enable opportunities for their growth and development."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process. Grant proposals are by invitation only. The Starr Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals and is not able to respond to inquiries regarding unsolicited proposals.

The Foundation takes a proactive grantmaking approach, identifying organizations and initiatives that align with its strategic priorities. Grants are typically awarded to large, well-established organizations with proven track records of success rather than newer or smaller organizations.

Getting on Their Radar

The Starr Foundation operates on a trustee-discretion model and has established relationships with most of its grantees. Given the invitation-only nature of their grantmaking, there is no formal process for getting on their radar. The Foundation provides ongoing support to organizations they have previously funded and identifies new partners through their board members' networks and the Foundation's strategic research.

Organizations seeking funding from the Starr Foundation should note that the Foundation primarily supports well-established institutions with strong leadership and demonstrated capacity to address complex challenges with durable results.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly available. The Foundation operates on a rolling basis for invitation-only grants.

Success Rates

In 2023, the Foundation awarded 110 grants. Success rates are not publicly available as the Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable given the invitation-only model. The Foundation regularly provides ongoing support to organizations in its portfolio.

Application Success Factors

Since the Starr Foundation operates by invitation only, these factors reflect what the Foundation looks for in the organizations it chooses to support:

Organizational Strength

The Foundation supports "organizations with strong leadership and the capacity to address complex challenges with durable results." Well-established organizations with proven track records are strongly preferred over newer or grassroots efforts.

Alignment with Strategic Priorities

The Foundation's approach is characterized by "long-term commitment bolstered with funding agility." Organizations should align with one or more of the Foundation's six program areas: education, health and medicine, human needs, culture, public policy and international relations, and the environment.

Geographic Connection

While the Foundation funds nationally and internationally, it gives priority to "organizations and institutions serving the greater New York City area." For organizations outside New York, being a national institution with significant reach or having a compelling connection to the Foundation's mission is important.

Capacity for Impact

The Foundation seeks organizations that can demonstrate "durable results" and have the infrastructure to manage significant grants. Grant sizes range from $10,000 to over $50 million, with an average of $50,000, indicating the Foundation tailors grants to organizational capacity and project scope.

Long-term Partnership Potential

The Foundation "regularly provides ongoing support" to organizations in its portfolio. They value building sustained relationships rather than one-time grants, as evidenced by their long-term commitments to institutions like the Tri-Institutional Stem Cell Initiative ($50 million over five years).

Education-Specific Factors

Education is the Foundation's largest area of giving. The Foundation has particular interest in:

  • Need-based financial aid and tuition assistance
  • Asian studies and language acquisition (reflecting C.V. Starr's original priorities)
  • International cultural exchange
  • Debt-free medical education to increase equity and diversify student bodies

Values Alignment

Organizations should reflect C.V. Starr's founding belief "in the potential of every person, regardless of their background, race, religion, or gender" and demonstrate commitment to creating opportunities for growth and development.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Invitation-only grantmaking: The Starr Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. Organizations cannot apply directly; grants are awarded by invitation based on the Foundation's proactive identification of strategic partners.

  • Scale matters: With $1.7 billion in assets and $95-100 million in annual giving, the Foundation favors large, well-established organizations over small or grassroots efforts. The average grant is $50,000, but grants can reach $50 million.

  • New York focus with global reach: While the Foundation funds nationally and internationally, priority goes to organizations serving the greater New York City area. Education is the largest program area by total giving.

  • Long-term relationships: The Foundation values sustained partnerships and regularly provides ongoing support to organizations in its portfolio. They seek organizations with strong leadership and capacity for durable results.

  • Operating support available: Unlike many foundations that only fund specific projects, the Starr Foundation "regularly provides operating grants that enable enduring progress" while remaining "nimble enough to respond to urgent needs."

  • Six distinct program areas: Grants are made in education ($1.14B+), health & medicine ($1.66B+), human needs ($310M+), culture ($423M+), public policy & international relations ($95M+), and environment ($95M+). Organizations should clearly align with one or more of these areas.

  • Exclusions to note: The Foundation does not fund individuals, individual artists, documentaries/films (rarely), individual research projects, or small/grassroots organizations. Local charities outside NYC are rarely funded unless they are national organizations.

References

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