Carnegie Corporation Of New York

Carnegie Corporation of New York does not accept unsolicited proposals, making the approach strategy fundamentally different from most funders. Program staff proactively identify organizations aligned with their goals. To position yourself for funding, organizations should: (1) Build visibility in Carnegie's priority areas — education equity, democracy strengthening, international peace and security, and nuclear threat reduction. (2) Engage in the networks and convenings where Carnegie program officers are active, such as policy conferences, academic symposia, and sector-specific coalitions. (3) Publish policy-relevant research that aligns with Carnegie's theory of change — they prioritize evidence-based approaches that can inform and shape policy at scale. (4) Watch for rare open Calls for Proposals — Carnegie's International Program issued an RFP in late 2025 for Movements of People and Non-State Actors work, and their nuclear security consortium periodically opens competitive rounds. (5) Demonstrate institutional capacity and track record — Carnegie overwhelmingly funds well-established organizations, universities, and policy institutes rather than grassroots or early-stage nonprofits. Under President Dame Louise Richardson (appointed 2023), the foundation has maintained strategic continuity while emphasizing nonpartisan approaches to democracy and conflict prevention.

Carnegie Corporation is one of America's largest private foundations with approximately $4.5 billion in assets. In fiscal year 2024, the Corporation awarded 529 grants totaling $148.9 million. Over the decade ending September 2024, they awarded 3,819 grants totaling $1.56 billion. Grant sizes range from approximately $10,000 to $5.2 million, with many grantees receiving multi-year support. Typical grants fall in the $200,000 to $2,000,000 range. The board meets quarterly to approve grants — for example, at their March 2026 meeting, they approved 50 grants totaling $44.3 million. Annual program allocations are roughly: Education (~$60M), International Peace and Security (~$48M), Democracy (~$20M), with additional funding for Special Projects and the Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program ($200,000 per fellow, ~30 fellows annually). Geographic distribution of grantees concentrates in the District of Columbia, New York, and California domestically, with significant international funding to Sub-Saharan Africa and global policy institutions. The foundation primarily funds established nonprofits, universities, and research institutes rather than community-based organizations.

Carnegie Corporation of New York ranks among the largest U.S. private foundations. Here is how it compares to peer funders operating in overlapping areas:

Carnegie is distinctive for its sharp focus on democracy and nuclear threat reduction — areas where it has century-long institutional expertise. Compared to Ford and Hewlett, Carnegie is more conservative in grant volume but maintains deep expertise in its chosen domains. Like Rockefeller and Mellon, Carnegie operates primarily by invitation, making it less accessible than Ford or MacArthur. Carnegie's International Program is unique in combining migration, conflict prevention, and nuclear security under one umbrella, whereas MacArthur splits these across separate programs. For education, Carnegie emphasizes civics and democratic participation more than Hewlett or Gates, which focus on K-12 outcomes and standards.

In January 2026, Carnegie Corporation announced $8.2 million in grants to reduce nuclear dangers, funding twenty organizations working on preventing nuclear war and crisis escalation. Projects include an accelerator program for nuclear security professionals, simulation platforms for testing deescalation options, media workshops, and policy research on how artificial intelligence and space technologies shape nuclear risks. At the March 5, 2026 board meeting, trustees approved 50 grants totaling $44.3 million across all program areas. In October 2025, the International Program launched a significant new grantmaking strategy titled Advancing Peace in an Evolving World, restructuring around three core areas: Preventing and Managing Conflict, Movements of People, and Non-State Actors, led by Vice President Stephen J. Del Rosso. Carnegie also launched a nuclear security funding consortium in 2025 with partners Founders Pledge and Longview Philanthropy, signaling a collaborative approach to emerging nuclear threats. The 2026 Andrew Carnegie Fellows class will be announced in spring 2026, continuing the signature $200,000 fellowship program for scholars and public intellectuals. Under President Dame Louise Richardson, who took office in 2023, the foundation has maintained its core philanthropic commitments while modernizing its international security work to address evolving global threats including AI-enabled risks.

Since Carnegie Corporation primarily identifies grantees proactively rather than accepting open applications, the most practical advice focuses on making your organization visible and aligned: (1) Align your work with specific Carnegie priority areas — review their Programs page and Grants Database to understand exactly what they fund and at what scale. Generic social good proposals will not work; you need direct alignment with education equity, democratic strengthening, international security, or one of their special initiatives. (2) Watch for the rare open RFPs — Carnegie's International Program periodically issues Calls for Proposals (the 2025 nuclear consortium and Movements of People RFP are recent examples). When these open, respond promptly with proposals that clearly articulate material impact, the specific problem and window of opportunity, how your approach differs from existing efforts, and how you will define and measure impact. (3) Build relationships through field engagement — attend the convenings, publish in the journals, and join the coalitions where Carnegie program officers participate. Staff bios are available on carnegie.org but without direct email addresses, so networking at professional events is essential. (4) Demonstrate institutional strength — Carnegie overwhelmingly funds organizations with proven track records, strong governance, and the capacity to manage large multi-year grants. Early-stage organizations should build their portfolio with other funders first. (5) Consider collaborative approaches — Carnegie has explicitly encouraged collaborative applications, especially for international programming, when partners bring complementary expertise. (6) For the Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program, nominations are accepted but self-nominations are not — build the scholarly profile that would lead to nomination by fellows selection committee members.