Cheswatyr Foundation Inc.

Cheswatyr is a closed, invitation-only family foundation — its own website states flatly that it "does not accept applications or solicitations." This is the single most important fact for any grant seeker: the standard LOI-to-full-proposal pipeline does not apply here, and there is no portal, deadline, or published guidelines to work from. The foundation is run by five family members with zero paid staff and zero officer compensation across every filed year: Emily Wasserman (President), Wendy Wasserman (Vice President/Secretary-Treasurer), Stephanie/Stefanie Wasserman (Director), James Browne (Treasurer), and Norian Caporal Berkowitz (Secretary). Decisions are personal and relationship-driven rather than committee-reviewed against written criteria, which is consistent with its small, stable board and closed process.

The foundation's name itself signals its origin story: "Cheswatyr" combines the initials of family members (Cece, Herb, Emily, Stefanie, Wendy) with "Tyringham," the Berkshires, Massachusetts town where it was founded in 1997. Its grantee list shows three clear constituencies: (1) New York City contemporary-music and jazz organizations (60 of 109 tracked grants), (2) a Washington, DC cluster (17 grants) and Massachusetts/Berkshires cluster (12 grants), and (3) a scattering of national touring ensembles and diversity-in-classical-music organizations (Sphinx Foundation, Afro Latin Jazz Alliance). First-time applicants should understand that Cheswatyr does not fund through open competition — it funds through loyalty to a fairly stable, recurring roster of grantees (Jazz Gallery, New Music USA, International Contemporary Ensemble, Alarm Will Sound) and through one named, publicly administered vehicle: the Cheswatyr Commission, run by Composers Now, which has funded a living woman composer every year since at least 2022. For an organization with no existing relationship to the family or to a current grantee, the only realistic approach is to build visibility with Composers Now or another current Cheswatyr partner, or to develop a personal, specific introduction — not a cold proposal.

Cheswatyr's own typical-grant-size data shows a median grant of just $2,000, ranging from $50 to $35,000 across 47 recently tracked awards (average $5,166) — a pattern of many small, relationship-sustaining gifts rather than a few large bets. Across the full 109-grant, $748,216 historical dataset, the average award is $6,864. The largest cumulative relationships are Composers Now Fund for NYC ($115,000 across 3 payments — the vehicle for the annual Cheswatyr Commission), Afro Latin Jazz Alliance ($89,500/5 grants), The Jazz Gallery ($66,800 plus a separate $35,000 grant, roughly $101,800 combined across listing variants), New Music USA ($60,000/3 grants), Luna Composition Lab ($40,000/2 grants — a mentorship program for young women composers that directly mirrors the foundation's stated mission), Alarm Will Sound ($35,000/3 grants), and Sphinx Foundation ($30,000/4 grants). Below that tier, dozens of grants cluster between $900 and $8,000 to smaller ensembles, community theaters, and Berkshires-area nonprofits (Great Barrington Land Conservancy, IS183 Art School of the Berkshires, Avalon Theatre).

Geographically, by grant count: New York (60), DC (17), Massachusetts (12), California (5), Michigan (4), Pennsylvania (4), Texas (4), Georgia (2), Louisiana (1) — consistent with the foundation's self-declared geographic focus of NY, DC, and MA. Financially, the foundation underwent a step-change in 2020: total assets jumped from $620,062 (FY2019) to $3,651,552 (FY2020) on a $3,051,039 contribution that year, and annual grants_paid rose from $87,480 (2019) to $107,500 (2020), then to $242,806-$252,705 (2021-2022), before settling at $203,650 in FY2023 — the most recent year with a full grants breakdown filed. Total assets stood at $3,381,682 as of FY2024 (revenue $418,940, with no detailed giving figure yet filed for that year). Net investment income has been volatile, from $2,017 (2012) to $251,055 (2021), reflecting a small, market-exposed endowment rather than active fundraising — contributions received were $0 in five of the last six filed years.

Cheswatyr is by far the smallest and most personally run of this peer set — the only one with zero paid staff, a closed unsolicited-application policy, and a median grant of $2,000 versus the $4,000-$20,000+ medians typical at Copland Fund and Jerome. Its asset base is roughly a fifth of Amphion's and a sixth of Copland Fund's, yet its grantee count (60+ distinct NYC organizations alone) suggests a deliberate strategy of many small, loyal gifts rather than a concentrated few six-figure grants. Where Copland Fund and Jerome publish formal guidelines and deadlines, Cheswatyr operates entirely through direct relationships and one named pass-through vehicle (the Composers Now-administered Cheswatyr Commission).

The most visible recent Cheswatyr activity is the 2025-2026 Cheswatyr Commission, presented by Composers Now on November 17, 2025 at The Forum at Columbia University: a free concert premiering a new ensemble-and-electronics work by North Carolina composer Brittany J. Green, mentored by violinist-composer Jennifer Curtis, alongside works by Allison Loggins-Hull and Akua Dixon. The program explicitly commemorates Cece Wasserman, described by Composers Now as "a devoted arts philanthropist, longtime Composers Now board member" — confirming that the foundation's matriarch has passed and that the commission now functions as a memorial program. For 2026, Composers Now has already named sound artist Bora Yoon as the next Cheswatyr Commission recipient (mentor to be announced), continuing a run that includes Niloufar Nourbakhsh (2022, mentor Suzanne Farrin), Alyssa Regent (2023, mentor Bora Yoon), and Milena Casado (2024, mentor Dalit Warshaw) — every recipient to date has been a woman composer.

Beyond the Composers Now partnership, the foundation maintains no visible press presence, social media, or news cycle of its own; its website (cheswatyr.org) offers only a mission statement, a brief history page, and a contact email (info@cheswatyr.org), with no grants portal or staff directory. The most recent IRS filing on record (FY2024) shows total assets of $3,381,682 and total revenue of $418,940, with grants_paid and total_giving figures not yet publicly itemized for that year; FY2023 remains the last year with a full, itemized grant breakdown ($203,650 paid, $257,284 total giving).

Because Cheswatyr does not accept applications or solicitations, the operative strategy is visibility and relationship-building, not proposal-writing. First, recognize that the foundation funds largely THROUGH intermediaries: the clearest, most concrete entry point for an individual composer — especially an early- or mid-career woman composer — is Composers Now's annual Cheswatyr Commission cycle, which has funded a new woman composer every year since at least 2022 (most recently Brittany J. Green in 2025 and Bora Yoon in 2026). Monitor composersnow.org for nomination or open-call windows tied to that program rather than approaching Cheswatyr directly.

Second, a warm introduction through an existing grantee carries real weight. Current and recent grantees include The Jazz Gallery, New Music USA, International Contemporary Ensemble, Alarm Will Sound, Luna Composition Lab, Sphinx Foundation, Afro Latin Jazz Alliance, and Kaufman Music Center — any organizational or personal tie to one of these is a more productive path than a cold approach.

Third, geography is a real signal: roughly three-quarters of tracked grant dollars go to New York, DC, and Massachusetts-based work, and a consistent thread of small grants (Great Barrington Land Conservancy, IS183 Art School of the Berkshires, Avalon Theatre) reflects the founding family's personal roots in Tyringham, Massachusetts. Berkshires-based organizations — even outside music — may have an unusual opening.

Fourth, expect modest, often-recurring support rather than a single transformative grant: the median tracked award is $2,000, and most relationships (Jazz Gallery, Alarm Will Sound, Afro Latin Jazz Alliance) show multiple smaller gifts accumulated over several years rather than one large check.

Finally, the clearest mistake to avoid is treating Cheswatyr like an open RFP funder. There is no portal, no published deadline, and no formal review committee to submit to — the website explicitly warns against unsolicited requests. If you do reach out directly (info@cheswatyr.org, 151 DeKalb Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217), keep it to a brief, specific note citing the foundation's documented priorities (contemporary music, commissions, community engagement, elevating women composers) and any genuine mutual connection, not a formal proposal packet.