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Booth Ferris Foundation

Annual Giving
$10.6M
Grant Range
$50K - $0.2M
Decision Time
6mo

Booth Ferris Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $10,557,844 (2024)
  • Total Assets: $203.2 million (2024)
  • Decision Time: Applications reviewed in spring; announcements by end of July
  • Grant Range: $50,000 - $200,000 per year (typical); $25,000 - $500,000 (full range)
  • Geographic Focus: New York City (Arts, Culture, Parks, Strengthening NYC); New York State (Higher Education)
  • Number of Grants: 95 grants awarded in 2024

Contact Details

Website: https://www.jpmorgan.com/private-bank/foundations/boothferris

Online Application Portal: Application System

Grant Reports Email: Grants.reports@jpmorgan.com

Pre-Application Conversations: Available October 15 - November 15 (or January 15 for Arts & Culture) on a case-by-case basis

Overview

The Booth Ferris Foundation was established in 1957 under the wills of Willis H. Booth and his wife, Chancie Ferris Booth. Since its inception, the foundation has contributed over $425 million to charitable organizations. JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. serves as trustee, managing assets totaling $203.2 million as of 2024. The foundation distributed $10.5 million through 95 grants in 2024, with grants ranging from 91 awards in 2023 to 77 awards in 2021. The foundation's primary interest is in the field of education, including smaller colleges and public education initiatives in New York City, and it also makes grants to strengthen the nonprofit sector and support cultural institutions in New York City. All grants focus on capacity building rather than general operating support, viewing such investments as one-time opportunities to help organizations increase efficiency and effectiveness.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Arts and Culture ($50,000 - $200,000 annually) Supports performances, exhibitions, arts education, advocacy, and organizational capacity building for NYC-based arts and cultural organizations. Priority given to organizations demonstrating artistic excellence, diverse audience engagement, and fiscal health. Applications accepted through online portal on annual deadline.

Education - K-12 and Early Childhood ($50,000 - $200,000 annually) Provides capacity building support for organizations working directly with or on behalf of schools in the NYC public school system or advancing early childhood education in NYC. Does NOT fund individual schools, private institutions, after-school programs, or endowments.

Higher Education ($50,000 - $200,000 annually) Provides capacity building support for institutions of higher education in New York State, with limited support for capital projects. Does NOT fund capital campaigns, arts facilities, scholarships, or endowments.

Parks and Outdoor Spaces ($50,000 - $200,000 annually) Supports capacity building for NYC-based organizations managing parks and outdoor spaces.

Strengthening New York ($50,000 - $200,000 annually) Organizations building the capacity and infrastructure of NYC's nonprofit sector, addressing issues of systemic inequity, or promoting equity for underserved NYC populations through community building.

Grant Duration: Single-year or multi-year commitments available; the foundation will consider up to three years of support for competitive projects.

Priority Areas

  • Capacity Building Focus: Infrastructure improvements, business model adaptations, new staff positions demonstrating clear capacity gains, and transformative growth periods
  • Measurable Outcomes: Projects with clear benchmarks for success and plans for measuring outcomes
  • Sustainability Plans: Long-term sustainability beyond the grant period
  • Financial Health: Organizations with annual operating budgets exceeding $1 million for at least three years
  • Capital Projects: Projects for which more than 50% of funds have been raised (for capital requests)

What They Don't Fund

  • Ongoing general operating support
  • Membership-restricted projects
  • Benefit events or galas
  • Scholarships or unrestricted endowments
  • Individual research efforts
  • Organizations conducting primary work outside the U.S.
  • Organizations with budgets under $1 million
  • Individual schools or private educational institutions
  • After-school programs
  • Strategic planning without clear capacity-building justification
  • Additional development staff without clear justification
  • Consultant engagements without clear justification

Governance and Leadership

The Booth Ferris Foundation operates as a private foundation with JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. serving as Trustee. The foundation was established through trusts created in 1957 and 1958 in New York, which merged in 1964.

The foundation does not publicly disclose specific advisory committee members or individual trustees beyond JPMorgan's role as institutional trustee. All grant decisions and strategic direction are managed through JPMorgan's Private Bank foundations division.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Application Method: Online portal only - no paper applications accepted

Annual Deadline: February 1 (or next business day if February 1 falls on a weekend)

Required Submissions:

  1. Proposal (maximum 3 pages, 12-point font minimum) including:
    • Organizational overview
    • Project description
    • Needs assessment
    • Capacity-building details
    • Population served
    • Timeline
    • Sustainability plan
  2. Organization chart showing roles and any vacant positions
  3. Project budget (separate from organizational budget)
  4. Current fiscal year organizational budget
  5. List of foundation and corporate supporters (current and prior fiscal year)
  6. Most recent audited financial statement or Form 990
  7. Board member list with affiliations and tenure

Eligibility Requirements:

  • 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status as public charity
  • Annual operating budget exceeding $1 million for at least three years
  • For Arts/Culture/Parks/Strengthening NYC: Based in NYC
  • For Higher Education: Based in New York State
  • For National Education Organizations: Leadership and governance structure in NYC demonstrating major priority footprint

Decision Timeline

  • February 1: Application deadline
  • Spring: Applications reviewed
  • End of July: Announcements made and grants awarded
  • Total Timeline: Approximately 5-6 months from submission to decision

Success Rates

The foundation does not publicly disclose its acceptance rate or how many applications it receives annually. However, with 91-95 grants awarded per year in recent years, competition is significant. The foundation notes: "Due to the volume of applicants, we do not offer feedback on declined proposals."

Reapplication Policy

Minimum 3-year waiting period between grant awards. Organizations that have received a grant must wait at least three years before applying again, regardless of whether previous grants were single-year or multi-year commitments.

Application Success Factors

The foundation has clearly articulated what makes applications more or less competitive:

More Competitive Requests:

  • "Requests that lay out clear benchmarks for success and a plan for measuring project outcomes"
  • Organizations demonstrating transformative growth periods with outcome benchmarks
  • Capital projects showing 50%+ of funding already secured
  • Infrastructure improvements showing clear capacity increases
  • Business model adaptations with measurable efficiency gains
  • New staff positions demonstrating clear capacity gains
  • Projects with detailed sustainability plans beyond the grant period

Less Competitive Requests:

  • Strategic planning initiatives without clear capacity-building outcomes
  • Additional development staff without clear justification
  • Consultant engagements without clear justification for capacity building
  • Projects lacking measurable outcomes or benchmarks

Program-Specific Factors:

Arts and Culture: "Priority given to organizations demonstrating artistic excellence, diverse audience engagement, fiscal health, and measurable outcomes. Preference for requests showing capacity increases, sustainability plans, transformative growth periods, and outcome benchmarks."

All Programs: The foundation emphasizes that "the Foundation does not consider organizational growth or scale a requirement for a successful capacity-building project" - indicating they value efficiency and effectiveness improvements regardless of organizational size.

Recent Grant Examples:

  • Riverside Park Conservancy received $200,000 for park management technology
  • Past recipients include City Year New York, La MaMa Experimental Theater Club, John Jay College, the Bronx Defenders, Flushing Town Hall, and the Staten Island Children's Museum

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Capacity building is king: Focus proposals exclusively on one-time investments that increase organizational efficiency and effectiveness, not ongoing operational needs
  • Budget threshold is non-negotiable: Organizations must have $1 million+ annual budgets for at least three consecutive years before applying
  • Measurable outcomes are essential: Applications must include clear benchmarks for success and detailed measurement plans - competitive applications demonstrate how capacity will be measured
  • Geographic restrictions are strict: Ensure your organization falls within the correct geographic boundaries for your program area (NYC for most programs, NY State for higher education)
  • Pre-application conversations are valuable: Use the October 15 - November 15 window (or January 15 for Arts & Culture) strategically to test your concept before investing in a full application
  • Capital projects need momentum: If requesting capital support, have at least 50% of total funding secured before applying
  • Three-year wait period: Plan strategically around the mandatory 3-year waiting period between grants - make your request count
  • No feedback on rejections: With no feedback provided on declined proposals, pre-application conversations and careful alignment with stated priorities are critical

References

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