Jay Defeo Foundation

The Jay DeFeo Foundation is an artist legacy foundation established under the will of Jay DeFeo (1929–1989), one of the most significant figures in postwar American art and a central figure in the San Francisco Beat-era scene best known for her monumental painting *The Rose*. Its mission is narrow and specific: preserve DeFeo's works, further their public exposure, and encourage the arts in DeFeo's tradition. This is not a general-purpose arts funder.

All grants are made on an invitational basis only. There is no application portal, no open RFP cycle, and no published deadline. The foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. This makes conventional grant-seeking strategies inapplicable — the only viable path to funding is through a cultivated relationship with Executive Director Leah Levy, who runs day-to-day operations as the foundation's sole paid staff member at approximately $210,000 annually.

The foundation's grantmaking falls into two distinct categories. First and highest-value are non-cash artwork donations — the placement of DeFeo artworks from the estate into museum permanent collections, valued at $14,000 to $220,000 per work. These represent the bulk of the foundation's total giving in any year (e.g., $860,566 in 2023, $957,634 in 2022) but are relationship-driven estate-management transactions, not competitive grants.

Second are cash grants, comparatively modest but accessible to aligned organizations: typically $1,000–$14,000 for catalogue and operating support, with multi-year partners occasionally reaching $21,000–$90,000. Cash grants go primarily to catalogue support for museum exhibitions, operating support for Bay Area arts nonprofits, artist support organizations, and alternative art spaces.

First-time applicants should understand that this is effectively a closed network. The most productive approach is to pursue a relationship before a request: exhibit DeFeo's work, publish scholarship about her, cite her influence in your programming, or connect through Paula Cooper Gallery (New York) or Marc Selwyn Fine Art (Los Angeles), the foundation's representing galleries. Cold outreach requesting funding with no prior relationship will almost certainly go unanswered.

The Jay DeFeo Foundation's financial profile can be misleading at first glance because IRS 990 filings combine two very different types of giving. Understanding this distinction is essential for realistic grant-seeking.

Total assets: $22.5M (FY2023), grown from $9.8M in 2011, reflecting strong investment returns and appreciated DeFeo artwork valuations. Net investment income was $1.78M in FY2022 and $697K in FY2023.

Total giving vs. cash grants (critical distinction): - FY2023: Total giving $860,566 — cash grants paid only $30,250 - FY2022: Total giving $957,634 — cash grants paid $235,200 - FY2021: Total giving $563,132 — cash grants paid $43,250 - FY2020: Total giving $570,526 — cash grants paid $39,620 - FY2019: Total giving $639,190 — cash grants paid $60,250

The gap between total giving and cash grants represents non-cash artwork donations to museums (e.g., two DeFeo works to Paestum valued at $220,000; one work to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston at $110,000; one work to the Getty at $14,000). Cash grantmaking is the smaller, more accessible pool for grant seekers.

Cash grant size: Median $5,000, average $5,660 per recent IRS data. Range: $1,000–$14,000 for typical catalogue/operating grants. Notable outliers: Creative Growth ($21,000 across 5 grants, a longtime partner); SFMOMA ($90,000 across 2 grants, the highest cash figure in the grantee record).

Geography: 60% California (24 of 40 grants in the grantee record), 25% New York (10 grants), with minor activity in DC (3), Texas (2), and Illinois (1).

Program areas by grant count: General operating support to arts nonprofits (~40%), catalogue support for museum exhibitions (~30%), artist support organizations (~15%), educational institutions (~10%), alternative art spaces and publications (~5%).

Grant longevity: Most recipients receive 2–5 grants over the observable period, confirming that the foundation values ongoing relationships over one-time support.

The five foundations below are the Jay DeFeo Foundation's closest asset-comparable peers identified in the IRS Philanthropy & Grantmaking category at the ~$22M asset tier. Note that while these share an asset-size peer group, they differ substantially in mission from the Jay DeFeo Foundation, which is purpose-built as an artist legacy foundation rather than a general philanthropy.

The Jay DeFeo Foundation is distinctive within this peer group for its highly specific artist-legacy mission: virtually every cash grant and artwork donation ties directly to DeFeo's body of work or to institutions in her historical orbit. Its operational model is also notable — a single paid executive director compensated at $210K+/year manages a $22.5M endowment, a high administrative cost ratio relative to annual cash grants disbursed ($30K–$235K). This reflects a stewardship model that prioritizes estate management and curatorial relationships over volume grantmaking. For grant seekers, the practical implication is that there are very few grant dollars available relative to assets, and those dollars flow through a single decision-maker with deep knowledge of the field.

2026 has seen a notable surge in Jay DeFeo's institutional presence, which correlates directly with the foundation's activity level. On February 9, 2026, the New York Times published "Two Women Who Kept the Art World at Arm's Length" by Max Lakin — a significant critical reassessment of DeFeo's relationship to the mainstream art world that signals renewed scholarly and popular interest in her legacy.

On the exhibition front, DeFeo's work is currently featured in at least four concurrent institutional venues as of June 2026: "The Shape of Thought" at MarinMOCA (San Rafael, CA, through August 30, 2026); "The Expanding Field: MOCA's Collection" at MOCA Los Angeles (through September 20, 2026); "People Make This Place: SFAI Stories" at SFMOMA (through July 5, 2026); and ongoing at the Whitney Museum of American Art ("Untitled" (America)). The foundation's representing gallery, Paula Cooper (New York), featured DeFeo's *Geisha II* (1984/1987) at Art Basel Messe Basel, June 18–21, 2026.

Leah Levy remains Executive Director and primary point of contact, with compensation stable at $200,000–$211,594 from FY2019–FY2023. No leadership changes or trustee additions are evident in recent filings. Trustees Diane Frankel and Jane Green serve without compensation. The foundation maintains active social media on Instagram (@jaydefeofoundation) and Facebook, consistent with ongoing public engagement. The Jay DeFeo MFA Prize at Mills College continues as an ongoing named program.

Given the invitational-only structure, conventional grant application advice does not apply to this funder. The following tips are specific to building the kind of relationship that precedes a Jay DeFeo Foundation grant.

Lead with DeFeo, not with your need. The foundation will fund organizations that are genuinely engaged with DeFeo's work — not organizations seeking arts money who are willing to mention her. Your institution's prior engagement (exhibitions, publications, collection acquisitions, programming) is the credential, not your grant-writing skills.

Catalogue support is the clearest documented entry point. The foundation explicitly names exhibition catalogue support as a grant priority. If your institution is mounting an exhibition that could benefit from a publication, this is the single most documented cash-grant pathway. Successful catalogue grants in the record range from $2,500 (Richmond Art Center) to $6,120 (Laguna Art Museum). Frame the ask specifically: amount needed, publication scope, distribution plan.

Contact Leah Levy directly, briefly, and specifically. Email leahlevy@jaydefeofoundation.org with a 3–4 sentence introduction: your organization, your specific project, its connection to DeFeo's legacy, and your proposed ask. Do not send a full proposal unsolicited. The foundation phone is 510-845-7629.

Do not cold-pitch for general operating support. General support grants — like those to Creative Growth ($21,000 over 5 grants) and SFMOMA ($90,000 over 2 grants) — represent multi-year institutional relationships, not entry-level grants. First-time grantees consistently receive project-specific catalogue or publication support.

Geography matters. 60% of grants go to California recipients. Bay Area institutions with existing DeFeo connections, or the organizational capacity to develop them, have a natural proximity advantage with this funder and with Executive Director Levy, who is based in Berkeley.

Timing: align outreach with exhibition cycles. The foundation's cash grantmaking spikes during major DeFeo exhibition years ($235,200 in FY2022). With multiple exhibitions running through late 2026, the current period may present above-average opportunity for catalogue grant requests tied to active shows.