The Carlos and Elizabeth Heath Foundation appears to concentrate its philanthropy on private secondary education, making a single large grant to a well-established independent girls' school. Their giving is highly targeted rather than broad-based, suggesting a strong, possibly personal or mission-driven connection to this specific institution. The foundation does not show diversified funding across causes or geographies in the available record.
Highly concentrated: a single large grant (100% of documented giving) to one grantee, indicating one-off or targeted support rather than distributed, recurring grants.
A single 2025 grant of $636,704 to Emma Willard School in Troy anchors the Carlos and Elizabeth Heath Foundation’s recent record and shows how concentrated its giving is. The foundation’s public grant list centers on independent secondary education in New York, with that school receiving the largest share by far and all reported grants staying within the United States. Beyond that flagship award, the foundation also made a $50,801 general grant to the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in 2025, indicating that its support is not limited entirely to education, even though education remains the defining pattern in the available data. Smaller grants in the record point to general support for local cultural and community institutions as well. The overall picture is of a foundation that makes selective, place-based grants rather than a broad, multi-state portfolio. Its available history suggests a preference for established organizations and unrestricted support, with the clearest emphasis on New York-based institutions and a distinct interest in private secondary schooling for girls.
In secondary education, the foundation’s clearest commitment is the 2025 general grant of $636,704 to Emma Willard School in Troy, a private girls’ secondary school. That award aligns with its focus on independent girls’ boarding and day schools and on capital or general support for established secondary schools in New York State. The arts also appear in the record. In 2025, the foundation gave $50,801 in general support to the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in Buffalo, alongside a smaller 2024 general grant of $5,000 to Irish Classical Theatre Co, also in Buffalo. Community and civic institutions show up as well: the foundation made a 2025 general grant of $726 to Mulroy Family Foundation, and earlier grants include $4,000 to Westminister Presbyterian Church and $2,000 to United Way of Buffalo & Erie Co.
The typical grant size is modest relative to the year’s largest award: p25 is $4,250, the median is $5,000, and p75 is $8,750. The distribution is highly concentrated, with one six-figure grant accounting for most of the recent giving while the rest cluster at much smaller levels. The record also shows repeated support for some recipients across years, including Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and Irish Classical Theatre Co, which indicates follow-on giving rather than one-off awards only. Grants in the available data are general-purpose, and the foundation does not fund individuals or make program-related investments.
$724K
$0
$2K
$698K
Most grants fall between $4K and $9K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$4K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$9K
About 90% of grants go to recipients in NY.
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Notable grantees: Emma Willard School
Grantmaking is overwhelmingly New York-centered: 90% of grants go to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state, and the top state by grant count is also New York. Buffalo appears repeatedly in the recipient list, including Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Irish Classical Theatre Co, Buffalo History Museum, Westminister Presbyterian Church, and United Way of Buffalo & Erie Co. Troy is another recipient city in the state, through Emma Willard School. Outside New York, the only recipient location in the recent list is Sarasota, Florida.
The clearest pattern is support for independent girls’ secondary boarding and day schools, especially established private secondary schools in New York State. The recent record also includes arts, historic, civic, and religious organizations, all through general grants rather than restricted program awards.
The foundation’s typical awards are in the low-thousands: p25 is $4,250, the median grant is $5,000, and p75 is $8,750. That sits alongside one much larger 2025 grant of $636,704, showing a highly uneven distribution.
Yes. The record includes repeat support for Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in 2023 and 2025, and for Irish Classical Theatre Co in 2023 and 2024. That pattern suggests at least some ongoing relationships rather than only one-time gifts.
Most grants go to New York recipients. The dataset says 90% of grants are in the HQ state, and the recipient list is concentrated in Buffalo and Troy, with only one non-New York recipient in Sarasota, Florida.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EMMA WILLARD SCHOOL | TROY, NY | $636,704 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA | BUFFALO, NY | $50,801 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| ASOLO THEATRE INC | SARASOTA, FL | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| MULROY FAMILY FOUNDATION | BUFFALO, NY | $726 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| IRISH CLASSICAL THEATRE CO | BUFFALO, NY | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA | BUFFALO, NY | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| BUFFALO HISTORY MUSEUM | BUFFALO, NY | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| IRISH CLASSICAL THEATRE CO | BUFFALO, NY | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| WESTMINISTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH | BUFFALO, NY | $4,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| UNITED WAY OF BUFFALO & ERIE CO | BUFFALO, NY | $2,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
EMMA WILLARD SCHOOL
$636,704GENERAL
BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
$50,801GENERAL
ASOLO THEATRE INC
$5,000GENERAL
MULROY FAMILY FOUNDATION
$726GENERAL
IRISH CLASSICAL THEATRE CO
$5,000GENERAL
BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
$10,000GENERAL
BUFFALO HISTORY MUSEUM
GENERAL
IRISH CLASSICAL THEATRE CO
$5,000GENERAL
WESTMINISTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
$4,000GENERAL
UNITED WAY OF BUFFALO & ERIE CO
$2,000GENERAL