Rubio Butterfield Foundation

The Rubio Butterfield Foundation — formally named the David C. Butterfield and Alfonso D. Rubio Memorial Foundation — is a New York-based private foundation honoring two individuals whose lives and interests appear to have centered on arts, culture, and community investment. Led by Daniel Butterfield (CEO) and Jennifer Butterfield (CFO/Secretary), both serving without compensation, the foundation is a family-driven enterprise that opened its doors in February 2023 and has grown rapidly from a $205M to $215M asset base.

The single most important strategic fact about this foundation: it exclusively funds preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. There is no open grant portal, no application deadline, no LOI process. Grant seekers who send cold proposals to hello@rubiobutterfield.org should not expect a response.

This means the path to funding runs entirely through relationship-building and cultivated introduction. The Butterfield family engages with philanthropy through elite philanthropic infrastructure — demonstrated by their $3 million general support gift to the National Philanthropic Trust and $204,000 to Deed Community Giving Foundation in 2024. Organizations seeking a connection should focus on shared spaces: arts philanthropy roundtables, collector networks, artist foundation boards, and DAF-connected giving circles.

First-time relationship-seekers should target intermediaries: organizations that have already received funding from the foundation (Skystone Foundation, National Philanthropic Trust, Galisteo Art Foundation) represent the best entry points. A warm introduction through these channels carries far more weight than any direct outreach.

Given the foundation's memorial purpose and family leadership, emphasis on personal legacy, transformational cultural investment, and long-term stewardship of a founder's vision will resonate most strongly. The $7 million Roden Crater gift exemplifies this: it is not a programmatic grant but a declaration of belief in an artist's life work. Organizations that can articulate a similarly enduring, irreplaceable mission stand the best chance of earning consideration.

The Rubio Butterfield Foundation's grantmaking is growing swiftly and is concentrated in high-impact, large-denomination gifts. In FY2023 (its first year of substantive operations), the foundation distributed $1,012,189 across 3 awards — an average of roughly $337,400 per grant, with geographic focus on Colorado and New York. By FY2024, grantmaking scaled dramatically to $11,417,146 across 16 awards — a more than 11-fold increase in total giving and more than 5-fold increase in grant count.

FY2024 known grants: - Skystone Foundation: $7,000,000 (General Support) — 61% of total 2024 giving - National Philanthropic Trust: $3,000,000 (General Support) — 26% of total 2024 giving - Deed Community Giving Foundation: $204,000 (General Support) — 1.8% of total 2024 giving - Remaining ~13 grants: approximately $1,213,146 combined, averaging ~$93,000 each

Overall 2024 metrics: - Typical grant range: $1,010 to $7,000,000 - Average grant size (all 16): approximately $713,572 - Median grant likely in the $75,000–$150,000 range given the outsized Skystone gift skews the mean

Program area breakdown (inferred from known grantees): - Arts, Culture & Humanities: ~62% of giving (Skystone Foundation / Roden Crater; Galisteo Art Foundation) - Philanthropic Infrastructure / DAFs: ~28% (National Philanthropic Trust, Deed Community Giving Foundation) - Other Nonprofit Support: ~10% (remaining 13 grants across Human Services, International Affairs, Community)

Geography (2024): New York, Arizona, New Mexico, Illinois, Oklahoma, California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Virginia — a dramatic geographic expansion from the 2-state footprint of 2023. The pattern suggests the foundation is following the personal and professional networks of Daniel and Jennifer Butterfield rather than a defined geographic priority list.

Revenue context: Total revenue of $63.1 million in FY2024 (dominated by investment income and contributions) vastly exceeds the $11.4 million in grants, suggesting the foundation is still deploying a fraction of available capital — and grantmaking may grow significantly in coming years.

The Rubio Butterfield Foundation sits in a cohort of private foundations with roughly $215 million in assets, all classified under NTEE code T (Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking). Comparing across peers reveals important distinctions in deployment rates, application openness, and programmatic identity:

Rubio Butterfield distinguishes itself from this peer cohort in two key ways. First, its giving-to-assets ratio (~5.3% in FY2024) places it near the legally required minimum distribution threshold for private foundations (5%), suggesting it is in compliance mode rather than aggressive spend-down — unlike foundations that voluntarily deploy 8–12% of assets annually. Second, its willingness to make single transformative grants (61% of annual budget to one organization) sets it apart from peers that typically cap any single grant at 10–15% of annual giving. For grant seekers, this means the foundation operates more like a principal investor than a traditional grantmaker — when it commits, it commits at scale.

The Rubio Butterfield Foundation is effectively a 2023-vintage foundation still in its institutional formation phase. No press releases, program announcements, or public-facing communications were found for 2025 or 2026 through web research — consistent with its minimal public profile (the foundation's website at rubiobutterfield.org contains almost no substantive content beyond a contact email).

The most significant documented activity remains the FY2024 grantmaking cycle, captured in the Form 990-PF filed November 14, 2025: - $7,000,000 to Skystone Foundation (Flagstaff, AZ): The Skystone Foundation manages artist James Turrell's Roden Crater, a 40-year earthwork project in an extinct volcanic cinder cone in the Painted Desert. This is one of the most ambitious ongoing art projects in the world, and the foundation's gift represents meaningful backing of a defining cultural landmark. - $3,000,000 to National Philanthropic Trust: A major U.S. donor-advised fund sponsor, suggesting the Butterfields may be routing additional giving through DAF accounts beyond what appears on the foundation's own 990. - $204,000 to Deed Community Giving Foundation: A smaller community philanthropy vehicle.

The foundation's Twitter account (@rbfound) exists but shows minimal activity based on available search results. Leadership (Daniel and Jennifer Butterfield) maintains a very low public profile with no notable press coverage identified for 2025–2026. Given the foundation's rapid growth trajectory ($1M in giving in 2023 → $11.4M in 2024), a continued ramp-up in grantmaking through 2025–2026 is likely, though no public announcements have been made.

Given that the Rubio Butterfield Foundation exclusively funds preselected organizations and does not accept unsolicited applications, the traditional grant-seeking playbook does not apply. The following strategies reflect what sophisticated development professionals pursue when targeting by-invitation private foundations.

1. Map the network before making any contact. The foundation's known grantees — Skystone Foundation (James Turrell / Roden Crater), National Philanthropic Trust, Deed Community Giving Foundation, and Galisteo Art Foundation — are your most important entry points. Board members, major donors, and leadership at these organizations may have personal relationships with Daniel and Jennifer Butterfield. Identify shared board seats, alumni networks, or collector/arts patron circles.

2. Target shared institutional spaces. The Butterfields are likely visible at major arts philanthropy gatherings: museum galas, artist foundation benefit events, and collector forums in New York (Tribeca/downtown art scene) and the American Southwest (New Mexico, Arizona). Presence at these events — as a speaker, honoree, or active participant — builds organic proximity.

3. Pursue DAF intermediaries. The $3M gift to National Philanthropic Trust suggests the foundation uses DAF vehicles to make additional grants outside the 990-reported giving. If your organization is registered with National Philanthropic Trust's grantee database, you may be discoverable to the Butterfields when they direct DAF grants.

4. Lead with legacy and permanence. The Roden Crater gift is a statement about enduring impact. Proposals (if ever invited) should emphasize irreplaceable institutional value, long-term stewardship, and connection to a named legacy rather than program outcomes or short-term metrics.

5. Do not pitch prematurely. The foundation's contact email (hello@rubiobutterfield.org) is not an application portal. Using it for unsolicited grant inquiries risks poisoning a future relationship. Reserve outreach for genuine connection moments, not cold requests.

6. Watch the 990 filings. Annual Form 990-PF filings (available via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer) reveal new grantees each year — identifying emerging organizational relationships that signal evolving priorities.