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Ira W. DeCamp Foundation

Annual Giving
$4.5M
Grant Range
$25K - $0.3M
Decision Time
4mo

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $4,530,100 (2024)
  • Grant Range: $25,000 - $250,000
  • Decision Time: 3-4 months (July deadline, October decisions, early November notifications)
  • Total Assets: $74.3 million
  • Geographic Focus: New York metropolitan area exclusively
  • Number of Grants: 63 awards (2023)

Contact Details

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

Program-Specific Email Contacts:

Address: 10 S Dearborn IL1-0111, Chicago, IL 60603-2300

Trustee: JPMorgan Chase Bank NA (serves as Sole Trustee)

Overview

The Ira W. DeCamp Foundation was established in 1970 by Elizabeth DeCamp McInerny in memory of her late husband Ira W. DeCamp. With assets of $74.3 million and annual giving of approximately $4.5 million, the foundation focuses exclusively on supporting work in the New York metropolitan area across three core program areas: community-based health, foster care, and workforce development. In 2001, following the merger between J.P. Morgan and Chase Manhattan Bank, grantmaking responsibility shifted to JPMorgan's Global Foundations Group (GFG), which continues to serve as the sole trustee. The foundation prioritizes organizations serving historically underserved populations and offers capacity-building, project, and capital grants. Over the past 20 years, the foundation has supported a wide array of organizations working to enhance healthcare access, strengthen foster care systems, and provide job training for populations facing employment barriers.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Community-Based Health Care ($25,000 - $250,000) The Community Health Grants Program enhances the quality and accessibility of healthcare services in New York City through support of community health centers (primarily federally qualified health centers/FQHCs) and select primary care providers. Funding supports capacity building, organizational improvement activities, and capital projects (renovations, new space acquisition and development, information technology, and infrastructure enhancements). Priority is placed on applicants serving populations that have historically been medically underserved.

Foster Care ($25,000 - $250,000) Supports initiatives including:

  • Training and strategies to recruit and retain qualified caseworkers and front-line staff at foster care agencies
  • Recruitment, training, and support for caregivers, including foster parents and kinship caregivers
  • Services for older and transition-age youth, including education, job training, and independent living skills, with a focus on innovative and youth-driven programming

Workforce Development ($25,000 - $250,000) Preference given to job training organizations that offer hard skills and life skills training; have support services available to trainees; focus on placing adults in full-time, competitive employment; provide post-placement support; and collect data about graduation, placement, starting salaries, and retention.

Priority Areas

  • Community health centers serving underserved populations
  • Healthcare capacity building and capital improvements
  • Foster care workforce development and caregiver support
  • Transition-age youth services (education, job training, independent living)
  • Job training programs with comprehensive support services and measurable outcomes
  • Organizational capacity-building that enables expansion, sustainability, and effective service delivery

What They Don't Fund

  • Individuals
  • Private foundations
  • Matching gifts or loans
  • Endowments
  • Scholarships or fellowships
  • Work outside the New York metropolitan area

Governance and Leadership

Trustee: JPMorgan Chase Bank NA serves as the Sole Trustee of the foundation. In 2001, as a result of the merger between J.P. Morgan and Chase Manhattan Bank, grantmaking responsibility for the DeCamp Foundation was shifted to JPMorgan's Global Foundations Group (GFG), which manages the foundation's operations and grant decisions.

The foundation operates with program-specific contacts for each of its three focus areas, with dedicated email addresses for applicants to reach the appropriate program staff.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

All applications to the Ira W. DeCamp Foundation must be submitted online through their website at jpmorgan.com/private-bank/foundations/decamp. The foundation accepts unsolicited applications and will consider multi-year requests.

Required Application Materials:

  1. 3-page proposal (12-point font, normal margins)
  2. Project budget including all income and expenses related to the project—not just what the Foundation would support
  3. Current fiscal year board-approved organizational budget
  4. List of foundation, corporate, and other support applied to the budget, including pending request to the Foundation
  5. Most recently completed audited financial statements (or most recent IRS Form 990 if organization does not conduct audits)
  6. Board member list with professional affiliations

What to Include in Your Proposal:

  • Description of what success looks like for the project
  • If requesting capacity-building support, detail what capacity will be developed through the grant
  • All income and expenses related to the project

Decision Timeline

  • Application Deadline: July 15 (annual deadline for all program areas)
  • Decision Period: October
  • Notification: Early November
  • Total Timeline: 3-4 months from application submission to notification

Success Rates

The foundation made 63 awards in 2023, 59 awards in 2022, and 54 awards in 2021. Specific acceptance rates are not publicly disclosed, and the total number of applications received is not published.

Reapplication Policy

Organizations receiving two or more consecutive years of funding in the Workforce Development program are required to take at least one year off before reapplying. This restriction applies only to Workforce Development applicants; Community Health and Foster Care applicants are not subject to this waiting period.

Application Success Factors

Demonstrate Clear Capacity Building: The foundation specifically supports "activities that help an organization better deliver on its mission (e.g. infrastructure investments that enable the organization to expand, sustain and manage its services more effectively)." Applications should clearly articulate how the grant will strengthen organizational capacity.

Focus on Underserved Populations: Priority is placed on organizations serving historically medically-underserved populations in healthcare, and populations facing employment barriers in workforce development.

Provide Measurable Outcomes: For workforce development grants, the foundation values organizations that "collect data about graduation, placement, starting salaries and retention." Include concrete metrics and evaluation plans.

Comprehensive Support Services: Successful workforce development applicants offer "hard skills and life skills training; have support services available to trainees; focus on placing adults in full-time, competitive employment; [and] provide post-placement support."

Recent Grant Examples:

  • Callen-Lorde Community Health Center: $100,000 for Bronx Capital Expansion
  • Goodwill Industries of Greater NY and Northern NJ: $125,000 to hire a VP of Employer and Corporate Partnerships
  • Hot Bread Kitchen: $75,000 for culinary workforce development for women of color
  • Fund for the City of New York: $85,000 for NYC Employment and Training Coalition's Workforce Impact Tracking Initiative
  • Grace Institute: $80,000 for Social Work Support for Career-Ready Training

Complete Financial Documentation: Include comprehensive budget information showing all funding sources and expenses, not just the foundation's potential contribution. Provide audited financial statements or Form 990.

Innovation in Youth Services: For foster care grants, the foundation emphasizes "innovative and youth-driven programming" for transition-age youth.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Geographic Requirement is Absolute: Only organizations working in the New York metropolitan area are eligible—this is a strict requirement
  • July 15 is the Only Deadline: Plan ahead as there is one annual deadline for all programs; late applications will not be considered until the following year
  • Multi-Year Funding is Available: The foundation will consider multi-year requests, which can provide valuable funding stability
  • Capacity-Building is Valued: Infrastructure investments, organizational improvements, and capital projects are explicitly supported across all program areas
  • Data-Driven Approach Matters: Especially for workforce development, demonstrate your ability to collect and report on meaningful outcome metrics
  • FQHC Priority: Community health centers, particularly FQHCs, are prioritized in the health program
  • Be Concise: The proposal is limited to 3 pages, so focus on impact, capacity building, and measurable outcomes

References

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