The Ralph E Ogden Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- The Ralph E Ogden Foundation, based in Mountainville, NY, lists arts, education, community welfare, social justice, human rights, and food and agriculture as its themes, and no geographic focus is stated, so check whether your work sits in one of these fields.
- The filing says it is by invitation only and does not accept unsolicited requests, so a cold application is unlikely to be considered; a relationship or introduction should come first, and the filing gives no further instructions on how to approach it.
- About 8 in 10 of its grants fall between $5,000 and $27,500, and half of its grants to organisations were $10,000 or less, so a modest request in that region is a realistic size, though its largest grant was about $1,600,000, so that band is not a ceiling.
- Its giving looks relationship-led, since 94% of its grant dollars to organisations went to groups it had also funded in earlier filings.
Overview
The Ralph E Ogden Foundation is a US private foundation based in Mountainville, NY.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and web pages about the foundation (civileats.com), with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The foundation makes monetary grants to not-for-profit organisations that promote the furtherance of the arts and support educational institutions and community welfare. A published account describes its support for social justice and human rights causes in the area and records its interest in food and agriculture. Its grant record includes arts organisations, educational institutions and community-welfare groups, alongside organisations whose work concerns justice and food or farming. Its giving combines support for these charitable fields with attention to food and agriculture issues.
Themes
- Arts
- Education
- Community welfare
- Social justice
- Human rights
- Food and agriculture
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in New York.
How to apply
The filing marks the preselected-only option as ticked and says unsolicited requests are not accepted; it gives no further application instructions.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 94% 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 138 grants to organisations were $10,000 or less.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: 3%
- The largest single recipient received 44% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 94% of grant dollars went to organisations The Ralph E Ogden Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 5% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 37 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $10,000 (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Storm King Art Center · General operating$450,0002024 tax year
- Chester Agricultural Center · General operating$365,0002024 tax year
- Fair Tide · General operating$70,0002024 tax year
- Grassroots International · Board discretionary$55,0002024 tax year
- Black Belt Justice Center · Acres of ancestry / black agrarian fund$27,5002024 tax year
- Innocence Project New Orleans · Joan o. stern legacy grant$25,2752024 tax year
- Correctional Association of New York · Re-entry initiatives$25,0002024 tax year
- Bard College · General operating$25,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Lucy Cohan — Director
- Joan O Stern — Director
- Peter Lamb — Director
- Peter Erwin — Director
- John Peter Stern — Director
- Elisabeth Ellen Stern — Vice President
- Beatrice Stern — President & Treasurer
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $3,337,533 | $2,093,636 | $33,100,015 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $3,721,146 | $2,487,950 | $34,573,583 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $2,655,572 | $1,329,975 | $33,415,446 | 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.
Sources
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At a glance
Applying to The Ralph E Ogden Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Mountainville, NY
Applying to The Ralph E Ogden Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Mountainville, NY