Field-Hall Foundation

Field-Hall Foundation operates as a deeply focused, place-based funder with an unwavering commitment to low-income and vulnerable older adults (60+) and their family caregivers in Dutchess, Putnam, and Westchester Counties, NY. The foundation's giving philosophy is rooted in direct-service impact — funding programs that put essential services in the hands of seniors who need them most, rather than advocacy, research, or systems-level reform work.

With $23.7 million in assets (FY2023) generating approximately $1.5 million in annual giving, Field-Hall is a mid-sized private foundation with a deliberately lean staff. CEO John R. Ahearn and Director of Finance Rosanna Nardone handle administration; Program Officer Patti Lavan Horvath manages the grant pipeline and serves as the primary applicant contact. This intimate structure means applicants deal with decision-makers who read every LOI personally — a meaningful advantage for well-prepared applicants who invest in relationship-building before submitting.

The relationship progression typically follows a clear path: pre-submission phone consultation → LOI submission by cycle deadline → 4-6 week review period → invited full application → board decision → award announcement. Three annual cycles (Winter, Spring, Fall) create predictable windows, but LOIs are accepted on a rolling basis, meaning organizations can begin conversations at any time and target the most advantageous cycle for their program timeline.

Multi-year grantee relationships are common and reveal the foundation's true preferences alongside its stated priority for new projects. Hudson River Housing Inc. received $120,000 across three grants; Open Door Family Medical Center secured $100,000 across two grants; numerous organizations appear as repeat recipients across multiple cycles. This pattern suggests that while new applicants get priority consideration, demonstrated performance consistently unlocks ongoing support.

First-time applicants should lead with what is new: a pilot program, a geographic expansion into an underserved community, or a formal multi-organizational collaboration. Established organizations seeking continued funding should lead with measurable outcomes from prior grant periods. In all cases, geographic specificity (naming the exact communities in Dutchess, Putnam, or Westchester being served) and population specificity (quantifying how many low-income seniors will benefit and at what service level) are essential framing elements that distinguish competitive LOIs from generic requests.

Field-Hall Foundation has distributed approximately $3.99 million across 232 tracked grants in the IRS database, yielding an average of $17,181 per grant. However, the foundation's own typical grant size data shows a median of $5,000 (range: $1,000 to $50,000), and grants above $50,000 are considered only in exceptional circumstances — indicating that the average is pulled upward by a handful of larger multi-year awards.

In practice, two tiers dominate the active portfolio. Small grants (up to $15,000) go primarily to community food organizations — neighborhood food pantries, farm-to-senior produce programs, and church-based meal programs — typically at $7,500-$15,000 per award. 2025 examples include Mount Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry ($15,000), Gramatan Village ($15,000 for social work services), Stonewood Community Project ($4,905), and Hyde Park Food Pantry ($2,295). Large grants ($15,001 to $50,000, with exceptional cases above) go to established health and social service organizations delivering case management, telehealth, transportation, elder abuse intervention, and home-based care. Top recent examples: Westchester P3 for Aging Services ($60,000 for telehealth), God's Love We Deliver ($50,000 for meal delivery), Family Services of Westchester ($44,720 for transportation), VISIONS ($40,000 for vision rehabilitation), and Community Resource Center ($40,000 for case management).

Annual giving has tracked investment performance closely. FY2021 was the peak at $1.74 million total giving ($1.09 million in direct grants paid), driven by $2.57 million in net investment income. FY2020 shows an anomaly — only $315,000 in grants paid despite $781,000 in investment income — likely reflecting COVID-year cycle delays and emergency pivot logistics. FY2022 and FY2023 stabilized at $892,565 and $796,651 in direct grants paid respectively, with total giving (including program-related expenses) running approximately $1.5 million per year.

By program area, food insecurity grants appear in every cycle and represent the highest grant count. Transportation generates the highest per-grantee dollar concentration ($44,720-$81,000). Healthcare case management and telehealth claim $25,000-$60,000 per award. Elder abuse prevention and legal services cluster at $25,000-$50,000. Caregiver respite programs run $10,000-$25,000 per cycle. Organizations serving underrepresented senior sub-populations — immigrant elders, formerly incarcerated older adults, seniors with specific disabilities — have successfully competed for above-average awards.

Field-Hall Foundation occupies a unique niche as the lower Hudson Valley's only private foundation exclusively dedicated to senior services. Comparable regional and thematic funders operate at materially different scale, geography, and specificity, making Field-Hall the clearest first call for the tri-county area's senior-serving nonprofits.

Field-Hall is the only funder in this comparison group exclusively committed to senior services in the tri-county footprint. For nonprofits serving low-income older adults in Dutchess, Putnam, or Westchester, Field-Hall typically offers the strongest funder alignment available. The Dyson Foundation, while larger and operating in overlapping geography, funds broad economic mobility and arts priorities rather than senior services specifically. The Fan Fox & Samuels Foundation shares a health and aging orientation but concentrates giving in NYC's five boroughs. The Community Foundation of the Hudson Valley offers open competitive grants but without the senior-specific focus and at smaller typical award sizes. Organizations should treat Field-Hall as a primary relationship target — not an afterthought — given its singular position in this regional funding landscape.

Field-Hall Foundation entered 2026 with its most active grant cycle on record. The Spring 2026 cycle distributed $331,164 to 16 nonprofits — the highest single-cycle total in recent years and approximately 18% above the Spring 2025 level of $280,605. This increase may reflect a board-level decision to grow annual distribution as the foundation's $23.7M asset base continues to generate stable investment income.

The Winter 2025/26 cycle (announced approximately January 2026) awarded $292,500 to 14 organizations. Standout awards included $40,000 to VISIONS for in-home vision rehabilitation for seniors' independence; $30,000 each to Westchester Community Health Center (chronic illness case management) and WestCOP (nutrition, hygiene, and emergency financial assistance); $25,000 to Cabrini of Westchester for a wander management system upgrade protecting residents with dementia; and $20,000 each to Community Center of Northern Westchester and Dutchess Outreach for food access.

The Fall 2025 cycle distributed awards ranging from $2,000 to $44,720 across 16 nonprofits. Family Services of Westchester received the cycle's top award of $44,720 for transportation and medical escort services; Community Resource Center received $40,000 for case management and emergency financial relief; and the Alzheimer's Association Hudson Valley Chapter received $20,000 for caregiver respite services.

Operationally, the foundation completed a relocation from 2302 Catherine St., Cortlandt Manor, to 118 N. Bedford Rd., Suite 100, Mount Kisco, NY 10549. CEO John R. Ahearn and Program Officer Patti Lavan Horvath continue in their roles. The 2025 Annual Report has been published. No board leadership changes have been publicly announced in 2025-2026; Chairman Jeffrey Sweet and Vice Chair Kevin Sunkel remain in place.

Call before you submit — this is not optional. Program Officer Patti Lavan Horvath (914-813-9103 / phorvath@fieldhallfdn.org) is the gateway to the foundation. The foundation's own application materials explicitly recommend pre-submission contact for first-time applicants. Experienced grant writers know this call can reveal current board priorities, whether a particular focus area is oversaturated in the current cycle, and how to frame your LOI for maximum alignment. Skip this step and you are applying blind.

Match the six focus areas precisely. Field-Hall's six priority areas — food insecurity, home-based care services, caregiver respite and support, safety and elder abuse prevention, social work and case management, and transportation — define the core funding universe. The guidelines note that 'other proposals may be considered,' but only after advance staff confirmation. If your program spans multiple areas, identify the single dominant one for your opening framing and reference the others as secondary benefits.

Quantify your seniors with specificity. Every Field-Hall public grant description references a defined population: '90 low-income or homeless seniors,' 'reduce hospitalizations by 25%,' '100 seniors served in the Beacon/Fishkill area.' Vague language like 'seniors in need in our community' will not compete. Define your target population by income level, health status, specific geography within the tri-county area, and the exact service dosage they will receive.

Lead with what is new. The foundation explicitly prioritizes new programs, expansions, and collaborations over ongoing program continuation. If you are piloting something, expanding to a county you have not previously served, or partnering formally with another organization, this is your strongest opening argument. Established return applicants must compensate with strong outcome data from prior grant periods.

Choose the correct grant tier and know your number. Small grant LOIs (up to $15,000) and full grant LOIs (over $15,000) use separate forms. Determine your ask before calling staff. Awards above $50,000 have been made — Westchester P3 received $60,000, Westfair Rides received $81,000 across multiple grants — but these require exceptional program rationale and established track records.

Time your LOI to the cycle that fits your program start date. Fall 2026 LOI deadline: May 27, 2026 (awards announced end of September 2026). Winter 2026-27 LOI deadline: September 30, 2026 (awards announced end of January 2027). Spring 2027 LOI deadline will be approximately late January 2027 (awards end of May 2027). Build your program timeline backward from when you need the funds in hand.