The Hollyhock Foundation

Private foundation · EIN 54-2091336 · since 2003thehollyhockfoundation.org·United States·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$35.7M

Annual giving, 2024 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$25,000 to $1.5M

Grant range

From grants in the 990-PF filings

$242k

Typical grant (median)

53 grants in the latest filing

Invitation only

Unsolicited applications are not accepted

This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.

Key takeaways

The Hollyhock Foundation's work covers education, local and investigative journalism and environmental solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, so it is worth approaching only if your work sits squarely in one of those three areas within the United States.
It operates by invitation only and does not accept unsolicited requests, with no general application route supplied, so a grant writer cannot simply submit a proposal and must be identified or approached by the foundation itself.
A realistic request would be modest: about eight in ten of its 124 grants to organisations fall between $25,000 and $1,500,000, with a median grant of $200,000, and half of its grants were $200,000 or less.
The foundation looks strongly relationship-led rather than open to new applicants, since 87% of its grant dollars went to organisations it had already funded in the previous two years' filings.
Given that it does not accept unsolicited requests, organisations without an existing connection should not approach it through a general application.

Overview

The Hollyhock 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 (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.

Priority Areas

The Hollyhock Foundation describes its work as investments in education, journalism and the environment. In education, it funds schools and organisations seeking to ensure every child in America receives a quality education, becomes a fluent and skilled reader, and explores extracurricular passions. It also supports programmes that deepen instructional expertise, foster subject-specific mastery and connect teachers to dynamic communities of practice. In journalism, it considers strong local and investigative journalism fundamental to sustaining a healthy democracy. Its environmental work supports cost-effective solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at speed and scale. The foundation says its grantmaking is domestic.

Themes

Education
Local and investigative journalism
Environmental solutions

Geographic Focus

Priority: United States.

How to apply

The foundation's general grantmaking is limited to preselected charitable organisations; it does not accept unsolicited requests, and no general application route is supplied.

Application success factors

Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 87% 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 124 grants to organisations were $200,000 or less.

What the foundation says:

It supports programmes that deepen instructional expertise, foster subject-specific mastery and connect teachers to dynamic communities of practice.
It supports cost-effective solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at speed and scale.

Where grants go

From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.

Grant dollars by state

Pennsylvania32%

New York31%

Florida20%

California5%

Ohio4%

District of Columbia3%

6 other states: 4%

The largest single recipient received 31% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2024, 87% of grant dollars went to organisations The Hollyhock Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
56% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.

Grants

53 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $242k

How much do they typically give?

Share of 53 grants in tax year 2024 by size

$5k–$10k2%

$10k–$25k0%

$25k–$50k15%

$50k–$100k9%

$100k–$250k26%

$250k–$500k25%

$500k–$1M11%

$1M and over11%

Median $242k (tax year 2024)

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

JPMorgan Charitable Giving Fund · Contribute to donor advised fund.
$15,700,0002024 tax year
Uncommon Schools · Hs 2.0 and music
$3,802,6542024 tax year
ProPublica · Pnw reporting network
$1,719,7062024 tax year
Robin Hood · General operating support for basic needs
$1,500,0002024 tax year
Mount Saint Joseph University · Reading science doctoral program
$1,254,5282024 tax year
Mount Saint Joseph University · Curriculum project
$1,055,3002024 tax year
Relay Graduate School of Education · Hollyhock humanities fellowship
$770,3942024 tax year
Reel Stories Teen Filmmaking · Afterschool expansion
$750,0002024 tax year

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

Officers and directors

James Karr — Director
Timothy K McManus — Secretary / Treasurer
Suzanne Karr — Vice President
Robert Karr — President

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

3 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$37,273,367	$33,728,286	$782,225,749	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$35,084,597	$32,912,763	$723,006,059	Filing for 2023 tax year
2024 tax year	$37,846,610	$35,705,977	$676,289,414	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.