The Alson Foundation concentrates its giving on arts and culture in New York alongside a targeted set of civic- and media-oriented organizations. The foundation makes sizable general operating grants to art institutions—most prominently the Studio Museum in Harlem—while also supporting criminal justice journalism, public-interest litigation, and cultural journalism. Grants are typically unrestricted/general support and appear aimed at organizations that shape public conversation and cultural life.
The Alson Foundation Fka the Neil Barsky and Joan S Davidson Foundation has built a clear pattern of repeat support for the Studio Museum in Harlem, including grants of $70,000 in both 2024 and 2025 and $45,000 in 2023. That recurring commitment sits at the center of a broader portfolio that ties contemporary Black arts institutions to journalism, legal reform, and cultural organizations. In recent grants, the foundation also backed The World Around with $25,000 for general support and gave $25,000 to the Marshall Project, showing interest in institutions that shape public understanding through art and reporting. Its giving is concentrated in New York organizations, but the recent list also includes museums, advocacy groups, and media organizations in other U.S. cities. The pattern points to a funder that uses general operating grants rather than tightly restricted project awards, with most grants written at levels that allow established organizations to cover core needs. Across the record provided, the foundation appears to favor institutions with a public-facing role in culture, civic discourse, and reform.
In contemporary Black arts, the foundation’s most visible support goes to the Studio Museum in Harlem, which received $70,000 in 2025 and $70,000 in 2024. That same arts focus extends to the American Folk Art Museum, which received $25,000 in 2023, and New York Live Arts, which received $7,500 in 2025. The foundation also backs cultural production and criticism: The World Around received $25,000 in 2025 for general support. On the civic side, it gave $25,000 to the Marshall Project in 2023 and $25,000 to Free and Fair Litigation Group in 2023, along with $5,000 to Impact Justice in 2023. These grants show a mix of arts institutions, journalism, and legal advocacy groups.
Typical grant size clusters around $2,500 at the 25th percentile, $5,000 at the median, and $10,000 at the 75th percentile. The recent list also shows a smaller number of larger awards, including repeated $70,000 support and multiple $25,000 and $15,000 grants. Grants are overwhelmingly general support. The record shows repeat recipients across years, including the Studio Museum in Harlem, Wdn, J Street Education Fund, New Roots Foundation, and The Abraham Initiatives. The foundation is structured as a private foundation and does not fund individuals or make program-related investments.
$155K
$2.1M
$183K
$177K
Most grants fall between $3K and $10K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$3K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$10K
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Concentrated giving with a few relatively large general operating grants; repeat funding to flagship arts organizations (Studio Museum) combined with single-year gifts to media and legal reform groups. Overall a small number of medium-to-large grants rather than many small awards.
Notable grantees: Studio Museum in Harlem, Marshall Project, Free and Fair Litigation Group, American Folk Art Museum, The World Around
Giving is heavily concentrated in New York, which accounts for 70% of grants in the data. New York City recipients include the Studio Museum in Harlem, The World Around in Brooklyn, and Alliance of Families for Justice in New York. Other New York locations include the Bronx and Staten Island. Outside New York, grants reach Washington, DC; San Francisco; Oakland; Marfa, Texas; Bennington, Vermont; Burlington, Vermont; Delray Beach, Florida; and one recipient in no country outside the US, since all 61 grants went to US organizations.
Its grants cluster around contemporary Black arts institutions, cultural heritage and folk art museums, criminal justice journalism, public-interest litigation, and long-form cultural journalism. Recent recipients include the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Marshall Project, Free and Fair Litigation Group, and The World Around.
The recent grants list is almost entirely marked GENERAL, indicating broad operating support rather than narrowly defined project awards. That includes the largest recurring grants to the Studio Museum in Harlem and multiple smaller grants to arts, journalism, and legal organizations.
Yes. The Studio Museum in Harlem appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Other repeat recipients include Wdn, J Street Education Fund, New Roots Foundation, and The Abraham Initiatives, which each received more than one grant in the data provided.
The grant-size distribution centers on $2,500 at the 25th percentile, $5,000 at the median, and $10,000 at the 75th percentile. Larger awards also appear, including $25,000 and $70,000 grants.
Its giving is regional and heavily centered in New York. The data shows 70% of grants went to recipients in New York, with additional grants in Washington, DC; California; Texas; Vermont; and Florida.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM | NEW YORK, NY | $70,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| THE WORLD AROUND | BROOKLYN, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| ALLIANCE OF FAMILIES FOR JUSTICE | NEW YORK, NY | $15,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| FUTURE NOW ACTION | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| THE ABRAHAM INITIATIVES | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| NEW YORK LIVE ARTS | NEW YORK, NY | $7,500 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| J STREET EDUCATION FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| ARTYARD | FRENCHTOWN, NJ | $3,732 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| OSBORNE ASSOCIATION | BRONX, NY | $2,500 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| SAMARITAN DAYTOP FOUNDATION | BRIARWOOD, NY | $2,500 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| NEW YORK PUBLIC RADIO | NEW YORK, NY | $1,500 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| CITIZENS COMMITTEE FOR CHILDREN | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| PRISON BOOK PROGRAM | QUINCY, MA | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| THE MET CLOISTERS | NEW YORK, NY | $210 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART | NEW YORK, NY | $200 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| PARRISH ART MUSEUM | WATER MILL, NY | $200 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM | NEW YORK, NY | $70,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| BENNINGTON COLLEGE | BENNINGTON, VT | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| CITIZENS UNION | STATEN ISLAND, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| WDN | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| CENTER AT WEST PARK | NEW YORK, NY | $6,505 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| NEW ROOTS FOUNDATION | DELRAY BEACH, FL | $6,500 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| NATIONAL FUND FOR INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| BALLROOM MARFA BALLROOM | MARFA, TX | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| THE ABRAHAM INITIATIVES | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| REPRIEVE US | NEW ORLEANS, LA | $5,000 | 2024 | GERERAL |
| ISAMU NOGUCHI FOUNDATION | LONG ISLAND CITY, NY | $3,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ARCHITECTURE | NEW YORK, NY | $3,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| AUBURN SEMINARY | NEW YORK, NY | $2,500 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| STORM KING ART CENTER | NEW WINDSOR, NY | $2,500 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| NEW YORK PUBLIC RADIO | NEW YORK, NY | $2,500 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| THE FRICK COLLECTION | NEW YORK, NY | $130 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| SOLITUDE HERITAGE ASSOCIATION | HIGH BRIDGE, NJ | $100 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM | NEW YORK, NY | $45,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| MARSHALL PROJECT | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| FREE AND FAIR LITIGATION GROUP | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| NEW ROOTS FOUNDATION | DELRAY BEACH, FL | $20,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| WDN | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $15,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| CONEY ISLAND PREP | BROOKLYN, NY | $15,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| J STREET EDUCATION FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $12,500 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| SUNFLOWER NETWORK | NEW YORK, NY | $12,500 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| OSBORNE ASSOCIATION | BRONX, NY | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| NEW ISRAEL FUND | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| THE ABRAHAM INITIATIVES | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| VIA QUADRONNO | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| IMPACT JUSTICE | OAKLAND, CA | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| HAITI CARDIAC ALLIANCE | BURLINGTON, VT | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ARCHITECTURE | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| ART 21 | NEW YORK, NY | $2,500 | 2023 | GENERAL |
STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM
$70,000GENERAL
THE WORLD AROUND
$25,000GENERAL
ALLIANCE OF FAMILIES FOR JUSTICE
$15,000GENERAL
FUTURE NOW ACTION
$10,000GENERAL
THE ABRAHAM INITIATIVES
$10,000GENERAL
NEW YORK LIVE ARTS
$7,500GENERAL
J STREET EDUCATION FUND
GENERAL
ARTYARD
$3,732GENERAL
OSBORNE ASSOCIATION
$2,500GENERAL
SAMARITAN DAYTOP FOUNDATION
$2,500GENERAL
NEW YORK PUBLIC RADIO
$1,500GENERAL
CITIZENS COMMITTEE FOR CHILDREN
$1,000GENERAL
PRISON BOOK PROGRAM
$1,000GENERAL
THE MET CLOISTERS
$210GENERAL
THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART
$200GENERAL
PARRISH ART MUSEUM
$200GENERAL
STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM
$70,000GENERAL
BENNINGTON COLLEGE
$10,000GENERAL
CITIZENS UNION
$10,000GENERAL
WDN
$10,000GENERAL
CENTER AT WEST PARK
$6,505GENERAL
NEW ROOTS FOUNDATION
$6,500GENERAL
NATIONAL FUND FOR INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM
$5,000GENERAL
BALLROOM MARFA BALLROOM
$5,000GENERAL
THE ABRAHAM INITIATIVES
$5,000GENERAL
REPRIEVE US
$5,000GERERAL
ISAMU NOGUCHI FOUNDATION
$3,000GENERAL
INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ARCHITECTURE
$3,000GENERAL
AUBURN SEMINARY
$2,500GENERAL
STORM KING ART CENTER
$2,500GENERAL
NEW YORK PUBLIC RADIO
$2,500GENERAL
THE FRICK COLLECTION
$130GENERAL
SOLITUDE HERITAGE ASSOCIATION
$100GENERAL
STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM
$45,000GENERAL
AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM
$25,000GENERAL
MARSHALL PROJECT
$25,000GENERAL
FREE AND FAIR LITIGATION GROUP
$25,000GENERAL
NEW ROOTS FOUNDATION
$20,000GENERAL
WDN
$15,000GENERAL
CONEY ISLAND PREP
$15,000GENERAL
J STREET EDUCATION FUND
$12,500GENERAL
SUNFLOWER NETWORK
$12,500GENERAL
OSBORNE ASSOCIATION
$10,000GENERAL
NEW ISRAEL FUND
$10,000GENERAL
THE ABRAHAM INITIATIVES
$10,000GENERAL
VIA QUADRONNO
$10,000GENERAL
IMPACT JUSTICE
$5,000GENERAL
HAITI CARDIAC ALLIANCE
$5,000GENERAL
INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ARCHITECTURE
$5,000GENERAL
ART 21
$2,500GENERAL