Booth Ferris Foundation

The Booth Ferris Foundation operates with a singularly focused mandate: one-time capacity-building investments for established New York City nonprofits. Founded in 1957 under the wills of Willis H. Booth and Chancie Ferris Booth, with JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. as sole trustee, the foundation has distributed over $425 million in its history and currently holds approximately $203 million in assets. Its annual giving of $10–12 million is remarkably consistent across economic cycles, making it one of the most reliable mid-size funders in New York philanthropy.

The defining constraint is the "capacity building only" mandate. This is not a funder you approach for general operating support, program expansion, or ongoing costs. Every dollar must fund a one-time investment — a new staff position, a technology system, a strategic planning process, a capital project — that leaves the organization structurally stronger after the grant ends. The foundation explicitly frames this as increasing organizational efficiency and effectiveness, not growth for its own sake.

Geographic focus narrows the eligible pool significantly. Arts, culture, K-12 education, parks, and nonprofit sector strengthening grants require New York City presence and operations. Higher education grants extend to New York State institutions, with national organizations eligible only if they demonstrate major leadership and governance presence in NYC.

First-time applicants face a meaningful size threshold: organizations must maintain an annual operating budget exceeding $1 million for at least three consecutive years, excluding in-kind contributions. This screens out emerging organizations and keeps the grantee community concentrated among mid-size and larger established institutions. The grantee data confirms this — top recipients include Columbia University ($172,500), Marymount Manhattan College ($150,000), and Bard College ($150,000) alongside civic organizations like City Parks Foundation ($275,000 across two grants) and Partnership for After School Education ($225,000).

Relationship progression matters. The foundation allocates a narrow pre-proposal conversation window (October 15–November 15) specifically to help applicants assess fit before the February 1 deadline. Requesting this conversation signals seriousness and can surface staff feedback that dramatically sharpens a proposal. Multiple grantees received multi-installment grants — the foundation is willing to extend relationships across multiple years for strong partners.

Booth Ferris's financial profile shows exceptional stability: assets have held between $186 million and $208 million across a decade (2012–2024), and annual grants paid have ranged from $9 million to $11.9 million with no year deviating dramatically. The FY2023 990 shows $10.4 million in grants paid and $11.7 million in total giving; FY2022 shows $10.6 million paid and $12.1 million giving; FY2021 shows $10.7 million paid and $12.2 million giving. The consistency is a hallmark of trustee-administered foundations that operate from endowment income rather than donor campaigns.

From the 264-grant dataset in the IRS 990 records, the average grant is $80,564 and the median grant size is approximately $130,741 — a gap explained by a significant number of smaller first-year installments pulling the average down. Grant sizes observed range from under $1,000 (likely final accounting adjustments) to $400,000, but the operative "typical grant range" confirmed on the foundation's own website is $50,000–$200,000 per year. The $200,000 threshold appears to function as a soft ceiling for single-year awards, with multi-year grants potentially reaching higher cumulative totals.

New York State dominates geographic distribution: 251 of 264 grants (95%) flow to NY-based recipients. Oregon receives 2 grants, Maryland 2, New Jersey 2, with Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, California, and Washington DC each receiving 1. This tracks directly with the foundation's stated NYC and NY State geographic focus.

Program area breakdown from the grantee list suggests arts and culture organizations constitute the largest cohort, followed by education and nonprofit sector strengthening. City Parks Foundation ($275,000 total), National Dance Institute ($160,000), Dance Service New York City ($200,000), Urban Arts Partnership ($200,000), New York Foundation for the Arts ($200,000), Soho Repertory Theatre ($160,000), Visual Arts Research and Resource Center ($160,000), and The New 42nd Street ($185,000) represent a sustained arts-sector commitment. Education grantees include The Urban Assembly ($200,000), Partnership for After School Education ($225,000), and Complete College America ($200,000), pointing toward college access and K-12 reform as active priorities.

The following table compares Booth Ferris to four comparable New York-focused capacity-building foundations:

Booth Ferris occupies a distinctive position among NYC-focused private foundations: it is larger than most peers by assets and annual giving, operates on a single annual deadline (February 1) rather than rolling or quarterly cycles, and enforces a strict 3-year reapplication waiting period that peers do not uniformly impose. Its capacity-building-only mandate is more restrictive than Achelis and Bodman or Fan Fox (both of which fund programs and general support), making competition somewhat self-selected among organizations with specific infrastructure projects. The JPMorgan trustee structure means there are no donor-advised priorities that shift year to year — giving patterns are more predictable and less susceptible to board turnover dynamics that affect peer foundations.

The 2024–2025 grant cycle saw $10.557 million distributed across 95 organizations — a slight decrease from the 2021–2022 peak of $12.2 million but consistent with the foundation's long-term average. Arts and culture remained the dominant category.

Notable 2025 awards include: Alvin Ailey Dance ($150,000 for artistic leadership transition support), National Black Theatre Workshop ($200,000 for capital campaign), Gowanus Canal Conservancy ($150,000 for strategic leadership expansion), and American-Scandinavian Foundation ($125,000 for Scandinavia House renewal. In education, Beam Center ($150,000 for Chief Program Officer hire), Breakthrough New York ($150,000 for Chief Program Officer hire), and Manhattan School of Music ($75,000 for online BFA program development) received grants. The Strengthening NYC track funded HELP USA Fund ($200,000 for financial capability improvement for homeless services clients), Good Shepherd Services ($176,904 for Director of Legal Affairs hire), and Care for the Homeless ($150,000 for healthcare workforce development).

The foundation does not announce leadership changes publicly through press releases; JPMorgan Chase's private bank trust team manages administration with program contacts Lindsey Crane, Carolyn Winter, and Maya Sheridan listed for 2025–2026 cycles. No major structural changes to grant programs or eligibility criteria have been announced. The February 1 annual deadline and July award announcement schedule remain unchanged from prior years.

Know the hard eligibility filters before writing a word. Your organization must be a 501(c)(3) public charity (not a private foundation), maintain an operating budget exceeding $1 million for at least three consecutive years excluding in-kind contributions, and must not have received a Booth Ferris grant that concluded within the last three years. These are automatic disqualifiers — there is no waiver process.

Request the pre-proposal conversation. Between October 15 and November 15, program staff accept conversations on a case-by-case basis. Email the relevant program officer directly: Lindsey Crane (lindsey.s.crane@jpmorgan.com) for Arts/Culture/Parks; Carolyn Winter (carolyn.r.winter@jpmorgan.com) for Education and Strengthening NYC; Maya Sheridan (maya.sheridan@jpmorgan.com) for Parks and Strengthening NYC. This conversation is your only opportunity to get informal feedback before submitting — use it to confirm your project qualifies as capacity building and to understand any current program priorities.

Lead with the capacity gap, not the mission. The foundation funds infrastructure, not programs. Your proposal must identify a specific organizational weakness (absent data systems, no development director, inadequate financial controls) and explain precisely how this grant closes that gap permanently. Avoid language like "expand services," "reach more clients," or "sustain our program" — these signal operating support, not capacity building.

Respect the 3-page limit absolutely. The proposal maximum is 3 pages at 12-point font. Every sentence must earn its place. Structure: (1) organization overview and the specific capacity gap, (2) project description with timeline and readiness evidence, (3) sustainability plan demonstrating how the new capacity is maintained after the grant ends.

The separate project budget is non-negotiable. Applications without a project budget distinct from the organizational budget are rejected without review. Show all project costs, other funding sources committed or pending, and your specific ask from Booth Ferris.

For capital projects, show 50%+ already raised. The foundation strongly prefers projects where you are completing the funding picture, not launching a campaign. A capital request with $300,000 of a $500,000 goal already secured is far more competitive than a request for the first dollars.

Align with the language of the program track you're applying to. The Strengthening NYC track uses equity and vibrant communities language; Arts & Culture emphasizes artistic excellence and diverse audiences; Education frames around NYC public school impact or higher education capacity specifically in NY State.

Prepare for a July announcement. The foundation does not provide feedback on declined proposals. If rejected, you may reapply the following February — but because of the 3-year post-grant waiting period, your strategy should be to make each application as strong as possible rather than plan on iterative refinement.