Geoffrey Beene Foundation

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: $1,500,000 (approximately)
• Success Rate: Not publicly available
• Decision Time: Not applicable (no public application process)
• Grant Range: $5,000 - $30,000 (for smaller grants outside major initiatives)
• Geographic Focus: National, with emphasis on New York
• Total Assets: $22.1 million

Contact Details

Address: 47 East 64th Street, Unit 5B, New York, NY 10065

Phone: (212) 213-1668

Fax: (212) 472-7711

Email: mara@geoffreybeenefoundation.com

Website: www.geoffreybeenefoundation.com

Social Media:

• Twitter: @G_B_FOUNDATION
• Instagram: @geoffrey_beene_foundation
• Facebook: Geoffrey Beene Foundation

Key Contacts:

• G. Thompson Hutton, Trustee & CEO
• Mara Hutton, Executive Vice-President

Overview

The Geoffrey Beene Foundation was established in 2006 by G. Thompson ("Tom") Hutton under his discretionary authority as Executor of the Estate of Geoffrey Beene, who died in 2004. With total assets of approximately $22.1 million, the foundation has provided over $175 million in value through its affiliates, funding approximately 160 revolutionary research initiatives across all cancers. The foundation's primary focus is the Geoffrey Beene Cancer Research Center at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, established in partnership with Nobel Laureate Harold Varmus. Beyond cancer research, the foundation has funded over $40 million for educational scholarships, veterans support, protection of women and children, animal welfare, Alzheimer's research, heart disease research, scientific awards, and fashion industry initiatives. The foundation operates under the motto "Hope Is Where The Science Is" and follows a strategic approach of identifying and funding innovative projects that may not qualify for traditional funding sources.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Cancer Research (Primary Focus)

• Operates through the Geoffrey Beene Cancer Research Center at Memorial Sloan Kettering
• Annual Request for Applications within Memorial Sloan Kettering community only
• Geoffrey Beene Grant Awards: Support for innovative projects in human oncology, cancer pathogenesis, cancer biology, and cancer genetics
• Geoffrey Beene Shared Resources Awards: Funding for purchase of shared laboratory technologies
• Two-year funding structure: Initial grant with potential renewal based on first-year progress
• Total of 160 grants awarded and 18 shared resources funded since 2006
• Generates significant follow-up funding: $1.67 in external funding for every $1 of direct support

Fashion Design Scholarships

• YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund: Four annual Geoffrey Beene National Scholarship Awards at $30,000 each
• CFDA Scholarships: The Geoffrey Beene Award ($50,000) for outstanding MFA fashion design students whose work challenges traditional codes through shape, form, and size inclusivity
• Application deadline: Varies by program (typically May for CFDA, November for YMA FSF)
• Method: Competitive application through partner organizations

Research America's Geoffrey Beene Builders of Science Award

• Annual award recognizing leaders who have built science institutions
• Recent recipients include Dr. Helene Gayle (2023), Dr. France A. Córdova (2022), Dr. Paul A. Offit (2020)

Other Grant Areas (No Public Application)

• Typical grant range: $5,000 - $25,000
• Fewer than 10 grants awarded annually outside major programs
• Average grant size: $161,600 across all programs

Priority Areas

Cancer Research: Revolutionary research approaches across all cancer types, translational research, early-stage innovative projects that lack traditional funding sources

Veterans Support: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) awareness and treatment, educational scholarships for veterans' spouses and children, housing and services for families of wounded veterans, service dog training programs. Primary partner: One Mind's Gemini Program (3,000-patient study)

Animal Welfare: Primarily supports ASPCA and Animal Medical Center for projects including adoption center renovations, free spaying and neutering initiatives, animal cruelty investigation and prosecution, animal poisoning awareness and reduction

Alzheimer's Research: Innovative projects advancing awareness, diagnosis, and research, particularly "big data" analysis and digital technology applications, awards-based open-source challenges

Fashion Industry: Student scholarships, lifetime achievement recognition (CFDA Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award recipients include Bob Mackie, Narciso Rodriguez, Rick Owens, Norma Kamali)

Women, Children, and Families Protection: General support for protective services and programs

Heart Disease Research: Medical research initiatives

What They Don't Fund

The foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals for most of its grant programs. They work primarily with established partner organizations and initiatives that align with the founder's vision and the foundation's strategic priorities.

Governance and Leadership

G. Thompson ("Tom") Hutton, Trustee & CEO ($62,822 compensation)

• Founded the foundation in 2006 under his discretionary authority as Executor of the Estate of Geoffrey Beene
• Former President and CEO of Geoffrey Beene, LLC (until 2018)
• Initiated and orchestrated creation of the Geoffrey Beene Cancer Research Center with Harold Varmus

Mara Hutton, Executive Vice-President and COO ($84,857 compensation)

• Primary contact for foundation inquiries
• Manages day-to-day operations

Max Eisikovic, CFO ($15,802 compensation)

Key Partnership Leadership

Harold Varmus, M.D., Nobel Laureate

• Co-founder of the Geoffrey Beene Cancer Research Center
• Former CEO of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
• Former Director of National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute

Varmus stated: "The hallmark of the Geoffrey Beene Cancer Research Center at MSK is its focus on revolutionary new research approaches across a variety of cancers, strategies that will lead to prevention through improved diagnostics and enhanced quality of life treatments toward the ultimate goal of making cancer a more manageable and perhaps one day, a curable disease."

He also noted: "The Geoffrey Beene Cancer Research Center has helped galvanize our efforts to gain new insights into cancer and to apply that knowledge to the development of more effective strategies for patient care. We are especially grateful to Tom Hutton and his colleagues at Geoffrey Beene for recognizing the significance of the work being done here."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process for most of its grant programs.

The Geoffrey Beene Foundation operates primarily through invitation-only grants and established partnerships. According to Inside Philanthropy, "Geoffrey Beene does not accept unsolicited proposals, except when it announces its research 'challenges,' which appear only once every few years. This funder looks for its own grantees to fund."

Exceptions with Public Application Processes:

1. Cancer Research Grants: Only available to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center faculty members through internal Request for Applications process

2. Fashion Design Scholarships:

   • YMA FSF Geoffrey Beene National Scholarships: Apply through YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund website (deadline typically November 1)
   • CFDA Geoffrey Beene Award: Apply through CFDA Scholarship Fund online portal (deadline typically May; only top two junior students from participating schools may submit portfolios)

3. Occasional Research Challenges: The foundation periodically issues open-source challenges for specific research areas, particularly in Alzheimer's research focusing on "big data" analysis and digital technology applications

Getting on Their Radar

Alignment with Established Partners: The foundation primarily works through major institutional partners including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, ASPCA, Animal Medical Center, One Mind (Gemini Program), YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund, and Council of Fashion Designers of America. Organizations seeking funding should consider whether they complement or could partner with these existing initiatives.

Focus on Innovation: The foundation specifically seeks to fund "revolutionary new research approaches" and projects "that may not qualify for other sources of funding." Work that demonstrates truly innovative approaches to cancer, Alzheimer's, veterans' issues, or animal welfare that cannot secure traditional funding may be of interest.

Contact the Foundation: Organizations with genuinely innovative projects aligned with the foundation's mission areas may contact Executive Vice-President Mara Hutton at mara@geoffreybeenefoundation.com or (212) 472-7711. However, applicants should understand that unsolicited proposals are rarely funded, and the foundation actively seeks its own grantees.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable for most grants, as the foundation identifies and invites grantees rather than reviewing applications on a set schedule.

For fashion scholarships administered through partner organizations, finalists are typically selected over the summer with awards announced in September.

Success Rates

Not publicly available. The foundation awards fewer than 10 grants annually outside its major programs, indicating highly selective discretionary grantmaking.

For Memorial Sloan Kettering's internal cancer research competition, the foundation funds "the top research proposals submitted" annually, but specific success rates are not disclosed.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable, as the foundation does not maintain an open application process. Organizations that have been declined or not selected in the past are unlikely to receive funding unless they are specifically invited to apply for a new challenge or initiative.

Application Success Factors

Given the foundation's invitation-only approach, traditional application success factors do not apply. However, the following insights emerge from the foundation's documented funding patterns:

Innovation Over Incrementalism: The foundation explicitly seeks "revolutionary new research approaches across a variety of cancers" and projects "that may not qualify for other sources of funding." Harold Varmus emphasized the center's focus on "revolutionary new research approaches" rather than traditional, incremental studies.

Translational Impact: The Geoffrey Beene Cancer Research Center demonstrates strong return on investment, with grant awardees receiving $1.67 in follow-up funding from external sources for every $1 of direct support. This suggests the foundation values projects with potential to attract additional funding and achieve scalable impact.

Early-Stage Research: The foundation specifically targets "initial-stage research" that may lack traditional funding sources, with potential for second-year renewal based on first-year progress and findings.

Institutional Excellence: The foundation's primary partnerships are with world-class institutions (Memorial Sloan Kettering, ASPCA, Animal Medical Center). Organizations seeking funding should demonstrate comparable excellence and reputation in their fields.

Alignment with Founder's Vision: As a foundation established from Geoffrey Beene's estate and directed by Tom Hutton, funding decisions reflect the specific philanthropic interests and strategic vision of the foundation's leadership rather than responding to external requests.

Technology and Big Data: Particularly for Alzheimer's research, the foundation prioritizes "big data" analysis and digital technology applications through awards-based, open-source challenges.

Fashion Industry Merit: For fashion scholarships, selection is "based solely on merit as judged by a prestigious panel of industry experts," with emphasis on work that "challenges traditional codes of dressing through 360 Shape + Form and Size Inclusivity."

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• No public application process: Do not submit unsolicited proposals. The foundation identifies and invites its own grantees, working primarily through established institutional partners.

• Major cancer research funding locked to MSK: The foundation's primary investment—over $175 million supporting 160+ research initiatives—is exclusively channeled through Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center's internal competition.

• Limited small grant opportunities: Outside major programs, the foundation awards fewer than 10 discretionary grants annually ranging from $5,000-$25,000, making competition extremely limited.

• Watch for rare research challenges: The foundation occasionally issues open-source challenges for specific research areas (particularly Alzheimer's and traumatic brain injury), which represent the only public funding opportunities outside fashion scholarships.

• Fashion scholarships are the exception: Students in fashion design and related fields have clear application pathways through YMA FSF (four $30,000 awards) and CFDA ($50,000 Geoffrey Beene Award), with competitive merit-based selection.

• Innovation is paramount: The foundation explicitly seeks "revolutionary" approaches and research "that may not qualify for other sources of funding," making truly groundbreaking work more attractive than incremental improvements.

• Strategic partnerships preferred: The foundation works with major institutions (ASPCA, Animal Medical Center, One Mind) rather than numerous small organizations. Organizations considering outreach should think about how they complement existing partnerships rather than competing with them.

References

• Geoffrey Beene Foundation official website (https://geoffreybeenefoundation.com/), accessed January 2026
• ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer: Geoffrey Beene Foundation Form 990 filings (https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/436936635), accessed January 2026
• Inside Philanthropy: Geoffrey Beene Foundation profile (https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/find-a-grant/grants-b/geoffrey-beene-foundation), accessed January 2026
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center: Geoffrey Beene Cancer Research Center (https://www.mskcc.org/research-programs/geoffrey-beene-research), accessed January 2026
• Candid Foundation Directory: The Geoffrey Beene Foundation (https://fconline.foundationcenter.org/fdo-grantmaker-profile/?key=BEEN004), accessed January 2026
• Charity Navigator: Geoffrey Beene Foundation profile (https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/436936635), accessed January 2026
• Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA): Scholarship programs (https://cfda.com/education/cfdascholarshipfund), accessed January 2026
• YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund: Geoffrey Beene National Scholarship information, accessed January 2026