New York Health Foundation (NYHealth)

Private foundation · EIN 30-0127892 · since 2005nyhealthfoundation.org·New York·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$10.7M

Annual giving, 2025 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$2,800 to $160k

Grant range

From grants in the 990-PF filings

$30,000

Typical grant (median)

165 grants in the latest filing

Open to applications

Fixed application deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

NYHealth is based in New York, NY, and its geographic focus names New York State as a priority, so work carried out there fits the stated focus.
Most grants are modest: about eight in ten of its 515 grants fell between $2,800 and $160,000, with a median of $38,000, so a mid-range request is realistic, though a few larger grants exist, such as $1,000,000 to GiveDirectly, an organisation that regrants to others.
The Special Projects Fund supports timely, evidence-based projects on emerging health challenges outside the Foundation's strategic priority areas (Healthy Food, Healthy Lives; Primary Care; Veterans' Health), with regional or statewide impact and a focus on historically marginalised people, but it will not fund proposals that focus on one of those strategic priority areas, health education or awareness campaigns, medical, biomedical or clinical research, lobbying, capital expenses, general operations/core support or funding of existing ongoing services, or backfilling of lost federal or State funding.
Applicants submit a letter of inquiry first, with selected applicants invited to a full proposal, through fixed deadlines and an open call held at least once a year, and are encouraged to contact Foundation staff early with programmatic questions.
The process is panel-reviewed by staff and community leaders from across the State, and the most competitive proposals show strong potential for replication, scaling or statewide policy and systems change, a plan for continuing after the one-time grant, and an evaluation plan; just over half of recent grant dollars went to previously funded organisations, suggesting some continuity but room for new applicants.

Overview

New York Health Foundation (NYHealth) is a US private foundation based in New York, NY.

What they fund

Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2025, TY2024, TY2023) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.

Priority Areas

NYHealth supports projects that improve the health of New Yorkers, especially people of colour and others who have been historically marginalised. Its strategic grantmaking focuses on Healthy Food, Healthy Lives; Primary Care; and Veterans’ Health. In food, it supports healthy food systems planning and capacity-building, nutrition benefit programmes, healthier food in public institutions, and Food Is Medicine. Its primary-care work expands access and capacity, advances racial health equity, and strengthens the workforce. Veterans’ Health addresses health care, mental health and social services as public and community health issues. Through the Special Projects Fund, it supports timely, evidence-based projects addressing important and emerging health challenges beyond its targeted priority areas. It seeks projects with regional or statewide impact and particularly supports historically marginalised people. Its responsive fund supports a wide range of organisations and community-informed solutions at organisational, community or statewide level.

Themes

Healthy food systems
Primary care
Veterans’ health
Racial health equity

Geographic Focus

Priority: New York State.

What They Don't Fund

Special Projects Fund only: proposals that focus on one of the Foundation’s strategic priority areas; health education and awareness campaigns; medical, biomedical, or clinical research; Lobbying; Capital expenses (e.g., construction/renovation, furniture, vehicles, health care equipment); General operations/core support or projects that involve funding existing ongoing services undertaken by an organization; funding to backfill lost federal or State funding

How to apply

For the Special Projects Fund, applicants submit a letter of inquiry (LOI); NYHealth reviews the LOIs and invites selected applicants to submit a full proposal.

Deadlines: The Special Projects Fund holds an open call for funding at least once a year.

Application success factors

Repeat giving: In its TY2025 filing, 53% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2023 or TY2024 filing.
Grant size: Across its TY2023, TY2024 and TY2025 filings, half of its 515 grants to organisations were $38,000 or less.

What the foundation says:

The most competitive applications are for projects with strong potential for replication, scaling, or statewide policy and systems change.
Applicants should explain how their organisation will continue the project after the one-time grant period concludes.
Most successful proposals include an evaluation plan to measure whether project goals are achieved and assess impact.
Applicants are encouraged to contact Foundation staff early with programmatic questions.
Proposals are evaluated by staff and a panel of community leaders from across the State.

Where grants go

From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2023–2025.

Grant dollars by state

New York86%

California3%

Massachusetts2%

Virginia1%

District of Columbia1%

Michigan<1%

6 other states: 4%

The largest single recipient received 5% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2025, 53% of grant dollars went to organisations New York Health Foundation (NYHealth) had funded in earlier filings.
No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
4% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.

Grants

165 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $30,000

How much do they typically give?

Share of 165 grants in tax year 2025 by size

Under $1k1%

$1k–$2.5k8%

$2.5k–$5k18%

$5k–$10k4%

$10k–$25k13%

$25k–$50k18%

$50k–$100k8%

$100k–$250k28%

$250k–$500k1%

$500k–$1M0%

$1M and over1%

Median $30,000 (tax year 2025)

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

GiveDirectly · Emergency cash relief to snap families
$1,000,0002025 tax year
Hispanic Federation · Activating new yorks consumer advocates on primary care policies, phase 2
$280,0002025 tax year
Community Health Care Association of New York State · Increasing operational and financial capacity for nys community health centers
$240,0002025 tax year
Cornell University · Farm to institution in new york: leveraging the food hub collaborative for statewide impact
$228,0002025 tax year
Milliman · Linking commercial payer primary care spending to health, quality, and cost outcomes
$220,0002025 tax year
Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute · Establishing a universal direct care workforce model outcomes for long-term care clients
$200,0002025 tax year
Hunger Free America · Monitoring and responding to federal policy changes affecting new yorks food safety net
$200,0002025 tax year
American Public Human Services Association · Supporting new york to improve snap administration
$200,0002025 tax year

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

Officers and directors

Kenyani Davis — Board Member
Robert G Smith — Board Member
Michelle A Koury — Board Member
Mary E Craig — Board Member
Kathleen Preston — Board Member
Francis J McDonough — Board Member
Courtney Burke — Board Member
Ellen Rautenberg — Board Chair
David Sandman — President & CEO

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

3 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2023 tax year	$15,270,735	$10,374,508	$326,037,412	Filing for 2023 tax year
2024 tax year	$17,490,888	$11,036,127	$360,607,673	Filing for 2024 tax year
2025 tax year	$18,021,359	$10,686,843	$392,848,909	Filing for 2025 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.