The Starr Foundation

Private foundation · EIN 13-6151545 · since 1958starrfoundation.org·International, New York·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$73.5M

Annual giving, 2024 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$250 to $3M

Grant range

From grants in the 990-PF filings

$27,500

Typical grant (median)

90 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 Starr Foundation gives around the world, with priority given to New York City, across health & medicine, education, human needs, culture, policy & international relations and the environment, so check your work sits within one of these areas before approaching.
It operates by invitation only and does not accept unsolicited requests, so a direct cold approach is unlikely to work without an existing connection; there are no submission deadlines, and proposals are reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the year.
Grants to organisations ranged from $250 to $3,000,000, with about 8 in 10 falling in this range and a median of $50,000, so a modest request is realistic, though the largest grant was about $12,000,000.
This is a strongly relationship-led funder: 96% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded previously, so repeat support of existing partners dominates its giving.
It does not fund individuals, individual scholarship requests, or organisations that spend more than 25% of their annual expenses on administration and fundraising, and any proposal should include a cover letter describing the organisation and proposed grant terms plus a project budget.

Overview

The Starr 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 Starr Foundation supports organisations with strong leadership and the capacity to address complex challenges with durable results. Its programme areas are health and medicine, education, human needs, culture, public policy and international relations, and the environment. It makes grants to U.S. organisations determined by the IRS to be section 501(c)(3) charities and to equivalent public charities outside the U.S. Its stated work includes advancing medical research, improving access to education, upgrading basic social services and fostering mutual understanding across cultures and fields. Its education support includes tuition assistance, Asian studies and language acquisition, international cultural exchange, early education and secondary school, college access, institutional support and libraries. Its approach combines long-term commitment with funding agility, including operating grants and responses to urgent needs. It is deeply invested in New York City and supports communities and organisations around the world.

Themes

Health & Medicine
Education
Human Needs
Culture
Policy & International Relations
Environment

Geographic Focus

Around the world. Priority: New York City.

What They Don't Fund

Individuals
Individual scholarship requests
Organizations that spend more than 25% of their annual expenses on administration and fundraising

How to apply

There is no application form; proposals are expected to include a cover letter describing the organisation and proposed grant terms, plus a budget for the particular project.

Deadlines: There are no submission deadlines; proposals are reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the year.

Application success factors

Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 96% 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 326 grants to organisations were $50,000 or less.

What the foundation says:

It supports organisations with strong leadership and the capacity to address complex challenges with durable results.

Where grants go

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

Grant dollars by state

New York64%

District of Columbia8%

Massachusetts7%

California7%

Connecticut4%

Georgia3%

6 other states: 2%

Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 4%

The largest single recipient received 15% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2024, 96% of grant dollars went to organisations The Starr Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
4% of grant dollars went directly to organisations outside the US (France, Israel).
3% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.

Grants

90 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $27,500

How much do they typically give?

Share of 90 grants in tax year 2024 by size

Under $1k34%

$1k–$2.5k3%

$2.5k–$5k0%

$5k–$10k1%

$10k–$25k7%

$25k–$50k6%

$50k–$100k6%

$100k–$250k16%

$250k–$500k6%

$500k–$1M6%

$1M and over17%

Median $27,500 (tax year 2024)

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

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center · Capital campaign
$10,000,0002024 tax year
New York-Presbyterian Fund · Capital campaign
$10,000,0002024 tax year
Cornell University (Weill Cornell Medicine) · Tri-institutional stem cell initiative, involving the collaboration of weill cornell, rockfeller univeristy and memorial-sloan kettering
$7,000,0002024 tax year
Yale University · Maurice r. greenberg scholarship fund in support of debt-free education for the yale school of medicine
$5,000,0002024 tax year
Stanford University · Hoover institution on war, revolution and peace center for the revitalization of american institutions
$5,000,0002024 tax year
American Hospital of Paris · Capital campaign
$5,000,0002024 tax year
Rogosin Institute · Saal-greenberg fund
$5,000,0002024 tax year
Hebrew Home for the Aged at Riverdale · 1:1 challenge grant in support of the river's edge continuing care retirement community campaign
$4,900,0002024 tax year

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

Officers and directors

Ms Y Lukonen — Assistant Treasurer & Director Of Finance
Ms M Livingston — Senior Vice President & Corporate Secretary
Ms K Greenberg — Director As Of 03/19/24
Ms Courtney O'Malley — President & Director
Ms A Osei — Assistant Vice President
Mr S Greenberg — Director As Of 03/19/24
Mr JW Greenberg — Board Chairman & Director As Of 03/19/24
Mr Hi Smith — Treasurer & Director
Mr Ee Matthews — Director

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

3 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$101,941,987	$75,621,535	$1,466,218,788	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$125,273,533	$94,991,490	$1,551,557,351	Filing for 2023 tax year
2024 tax year	$102,450,945	$73,539,720	$1,560,811,767	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.