The Betty Wold Johnson Foundation makes relatively few, high-dollar grants focused on elite education, urban green space and environmental work, and select cultural institutions. They favor established national and New York–area organizations (and some international relief/health nonprofits) and concentrate funding into large, strategic gifts—often endowment-level or named-support commitments—rather than many small awards. Recurrent support for a handful of institutions (notably Harvard Business School) and multi-million-dollar gifts to schools and conservancies characterize their portfolio.
A $20 million professorship at Harvard Business School sets the tone for Betty Wold Johnson Foundation’s giving: they make a small number of very large grants, often tied to named academic, institutional, or long-term support commitments. In the recent record, Harvard Business School appears twice, first for the Professorship of Administration, Climate and Environment and then for general support, showing a continuing relationship with one institution across different purposes. The foundation also backs elite schools and major civic institutions, including Success Academy, Deerfield Academy, and Central Park Conservancy, each at multi-million-dollar levels. That mix points to a portfolio built around established organizations rather than broad, open grantmaking. Their grants also extend to selected cultural and humanitarian groups such as Grounds for Sculpture, Aspen Music Festival, UNICEF USA, and the International Rescue Committee, alongside environmental advocacy through NRDC and ClientEarth. The pattern is consistent with strategic support for institutions that operate at scale, whether in education, public space stewardship, the arts, or climate-related work.
Education is a clear throughline. Betty Wold Johnson Foundation gave $10 million to Success Academy for general support and $5 million to Deerfield Academy for general support, while Yonkers Partners in Education received $50,000. In higher education, Harvard Business School received $20 million for the Professorship of Administration, Climate and Environment and an additional $100,000 for the same professorship line in a prior year. Public space and environmental stewardship are another strand: the foundation gave $5 million to Central Park Conservancy for general support and $830,000 to NRDC for general support. The portfolio also includes arts and cultural institutions, with $2 million to Grounds for Sculpture, $200,000 to Aspen Music Festival, and $200,000 to Mount Vernon, each for general support.
Typical grant sizes are large: the 25th percentile is $153,000, the median is $206,000, and the 75th percentile is $10,103,000. That spread shows a portfolio with many six-figure awards and a few very large commitments at the multi-million-dollar level. The foundation’s recent record also shows repeat funding to the same recipient across years, including Harvard Business School in 2023 and 2024. The structure appears to be grant-based rather than individual-focused, and the grants shown are mostly general support or named project support, with some professorship funding. No application process is shown in the provided data.
$28.9M
$874.8M
$129.2M
$29.5M
Most grants fall between $153K and $10.1M, with a median of $206K.
25th Percentile
$153K
Median
$206K
75th Percentile
$10.1M
About 0% of grants go to recipients in NY.
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeFree Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeSign up free to see how well your nonprofit fits this funder, get an AI-generated pitch, and unlock similar foundations.
Concentrated, high-value grants with several multi-million dollar commitments and repeat funding to flagship institutions; portfolio is donor-driven and strategic rather than broad-based, with emphasis on endowment/named support and place-based cultural and environmental projects (not many small discretionary grants).
Notable grantees: Harvard Business School, Success Academy, Central Park Conservancy, Deerfield Academy, Grounds for Sculpture
Grants are concentrated in the United States, with all 22 recent grants going to U.S. recipients. By recipient location, New York, NY appears repeatedly, including awards to Success Academy, Central Park Conservancy, UNICEF USA, and The Doe Fund. New Jersey is another visible cluster, with grants to Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, The Friends of Foundation Academies and The Children’s Home Society of New Jersey in Trenton, and National Philanthropic Trust in Princeton. Other recipient cities include Cambridge, MA; Deerfield, MA; Aspen, CO; and Mount Vernon, VA. The top state by grant count is Pennsylvania.
The recent distribution is heavily weighted toward large awards: the 25th percentile is $153,000, the median is $206,000, and the 75th percentile is $10,103,000. That means six-figure grants are common, with several multi-million-dollar gifts at the top end.
Yes. Harvard Business School appears in multiple years, including a $20 million grant in 2023 for the Professorship of Administration, Climate and Environment and a $100,000 grant in 2024 for the same professorship line. That suggests recurring support rather than one-time-only giving.
The recent grants show support for education, public space and environmental work, arts and culture, and select humanitarian organizations. Examples include Success Academy and Deerfield Academy in education, Central Park Conservancy and NRDC in environmental/public-space work, Grounds for Sculpture and Aspen Music Festival in the arts, and UNICEF USA and the International Rescue Committee in humanitarian work.
All 22 recent grants in the data went to recipients in the United States. New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts appear frequently among recipient locations, while the top state by grant count is Pennsylvania.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUCCESS ACADEMY | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| DEERFIELD ACADEMY | DEERFIELD, MA | $5,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CENTRAL PARK CONSERVANCY | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TRUST | PRINCETON, NJ | $2,525,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| GROUNDS FOR SCULPTURE | HAMILTON, NJ | $2,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MKE 2024 HOST COMMITTEE | MILWAUKEE, WI | $1,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NRDC | NEW YORK, NY | $830,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| JOHNSON CENTER FOR CHILD HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT | AUSTIN, TX | $800,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CYSTIC FIBROSIS FOUNDATION | BETHESDA, MD | $300,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| UNICEF USA | NEW YORK, NY | $300,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE FRIENDS OF FOUNDATION ACADEMIES | TRENTON, NJ | $250,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE | ALBERT LEA, MN | $250,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MOUNT VERNON | MOUNT VERNON, VA | $200,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ASPEN MUSIC FESTIVAL | ASPEN, CO | $200,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| YONKERS PARTNERS IN EDUCATION | YONKERS, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CLIENT EARTH | SANTA MONICA, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE DOE FUND | NEW YORK, NY | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE CHILDREN'S HOME SOCIETY OF NEW JERSEY | TRENTON, NJ | $11,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| AMIGOS OF COSTA RICA | WEST CHESTER, PA | $206,000 | 2024 | FOR THE NOSARA CIVIC ASSOCIATION IN SUPPORT OF THE CALLE MODELOPROJECT |
| HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $100,000 | 2024 | PROFESSORSHIP OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRITATION, &CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT |
| HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $20,000,000 | 2023 | PROFESSORSHIP OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRITATION, &CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT |
SUCCESS ACADEMY
$10,000,000GENERAL SUPPORT
NATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TRUST
$2,525,000GENERAL SUPPORT
MKE 2024 HOST COMMITTEE
$1,000,000GENERAL SUPPORT
JOHNSON CENTER FOR CHILD HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT
$800,000GENERAL SUPPORT
UNICEF USA
$300,000GENERAL SUPPORT
THE FRIENDS OF FOUNDATION ACADEMIES
$250,000GENERAL SUPPORT
INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE
$250,000GENERAL SUPPORT
MOUNT VERNON
$200,000GENERAL SUPPORT
ASPEN MUSIC FESTIVAL
$200,000GENERAL SUPPORT
HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL
$100,000GENERAL SUPPORT
CLIENT EARTH
$50,000GENERAL SUPPORT
FOR THE NOSARA CIVIC ASSOCIATION IN SUPPORT OF THE CALLE MODELOPROJECT
PROFESSORSHIP OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRITATION, &CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT
PROFESSORSHIP OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRITATION, &CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT