Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation
At a glance
Key takeaways
- If your organisation is a museum, gallery or art school working in visual arts, exhibitions, public art, art scholarships, high school outreach or studio space, your work fits the foundation's stated focus.
- Organisations that mainly serve individual, commercial, dance, film or crafts artists, or that run children's programming or historical exhibitions or societies, should not apply, as the foundation does not fund these.
- Most of its grants are small: half of its grants to organisations were $25,000 or less, so a request around that size is realistic, though the typical range of $10,000 to $100,000 is not a ceiling, as its largest grant was $200,000.
- No formal application is needed, so send a general letter of request; the filing gives no submission deadline.
- Repeat giving is significant, with 48% of its grant dollars to organisations going to groups it had also funded in the previous filing, but no geographic focus is stated, so location alone is no bar.
Overview
Jacques and Natasha Gelman 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 (TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The Foundation supports living, emerging and under-represented artists of any age, of exceptional merit, through outreach, exhibitions and acquisition assistance. Its mission is to support emerging visual artists and the arts; its stated work includes support for museums, exhibitions, art scholarships, inner city outreach programmes for high school students, studio space and public art. It does not award grants to individual artists, so its assistance is channelled through organisations and projects. The filings show grants to museums, galleries and art schools, for exhibitions, public art, outreach and arts education. Organisations can seek support with a general letter of request rather than a formal application.
Themes
- Visual arts
- Exhibitions
- Public art
- Art scholarships
- High school outreach
- Studio space
- Acquisition assistance
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in New York, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
What They Don't Fund
- Individual artists
- Historical exhibitions
- Historical societies
- Children’s programming
- Commercial artists
- Dancers
- Filmmakers
- Crafts-makers
- Any artist whose work primarily falls into these categories
How to apply
No formal application is necessary; organisations send a general letter of request. The filing gives no submission deadline.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2023 filing, 48% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022 and TY2023 filings, half of its 56 grants to organisations were $25,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- The Foundation prioritises living, emerging and under-represented artists of any age, whose work is of exceptional merit.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2023.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: 5%
- The largest single recipient received 9% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2023, 48% of grant dollars went to organisations Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 29 grants in tax year 2023 by size
Median $25,000 (tax year 2023)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Maryland Institute College of Art · Grant for outreach program in art$200,0002023 tax year
- Cooper Union · Grant for outreach program in art$170,0002023 tax year
- New Museum of Contemporary Art · Grant for capital contribution for contruction of new building$150,0002023 tax year
- Amigos del Museo del Barrio · Grant for exhibition of art$100,0002023 tax year
- Madison Square Park Conservancy · Grant for public art$100,0002023 tax year
- Temple University · Grant for outreach program in art$75,0002023 tax year
- Nelson-Atkins Museum · Grant for exhibitions of art$75,0002023 tax year
- P.S. 1 Contemporary Arts Center · Grant for art installation$50,0002023 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Alison Diamond — Vice-President
- Barbara Campisi — Grants Manager
- Janet C Neschis — President
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
2 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $1,867,461 | $1,046,500 | $36,854,312 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $2,261,315 | $1,378,500 | $40,801,137 | Filing for 2023 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
Registers and filings
Other sources
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At a glance
Applying to Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (212) 448-1100
- New York, NY
- jngf.org
Applying to Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (212) 448-1100
- New York, NY
- jngf.org