The Mitchell and Deborah Rechler Foundation concentrates its philanthropic support on visual arts and museum institutions, primarily in the New York area. Nearly all recorded giving is to museums and contemporary art organizations, with multi-thousand-dollar awards focused on sustaining exhibitions, programs, and institutional capacity. Their pattern suggests targeted, high-dollar support rather than broad-based small grants.
Highly concentrated: a very small number of large grants directed to arts/museum organizations, with repeat funding to the same institutions rather than widely distributed small awards.
Notable grantees: THE NEW CONTEMPORARY COUNCIL MUSEUM, BROOKLYN MUSEUM, Regional New York area museums and cultural councils
The Mitchell and Deborah Rechler Foundation’s largest recent grants go to New York cultural institutions, led by a $60,000 unrestricted grant to Brooklyn Museum in 2023 and a $40,250 unrestricted grant to The New Contemporary Council Museum in New York in 2024. That pattern points to a funder that concentrates on visual arts and museum support rather than broad, diversified philanthropy. Recent awards also show repeat support for the same institutions, with Brooklyn Museum and The New Contemporary Council Museum appearing multiple times across 2023 to 2025. The grants are typically unrestricted, which indicates flexible institutional support rather than project-only funding. The foundation’s recorded giving is in the multi-thousand-dollar range, with grants often structured at levels that can contribute to exhibitions, operations, or general museum capacity. Alongside museum support, the foundation also makes smaller awards to select civic and community organizations, but the strongest signal in the record is sustained backing for contemporary art and museum organizations in the New York area.
Contemporary art museums and councils are the clearest focus in the recent record. The foundation gave $35,290 in 2025 to The New Contemporary Council Museum in New York, continuing a prior pattern that included $40,250 in 2024 and $22,500 in 2023, all unrestricted. Brooklyn museum support is another major thread: Brooklyn Museum received $35,000 in 2025 and $10,000 in 2024, after a $60,000 grant in 2023. The foundation also supports other New York cultural and community organizations, including a $5,000 grant to Art21 in New York in 2025 and a $5,000 grant to Ma's House in Southampton in 2023. Outside the arts, the recent list includes unrestricted support for J Street Education Fund and US Soccer Foundation.
Typical grant size sits at $5,000 at the 25th percentile, $10,000 at the median, and $31,875 at the 75th percentile, showing a mix of smaller awards and larger institutional gifts. The recent record also shows repeat support: Brooklyn Museum, The New Contemporary Council Museum, J Street Education Fund, and US Soccer Foundation each appear in multiple years. Grants are consistently unrestricted, which aligns with flexible general support. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments.
$253K
$11K
$97K
$96K
Most grants fall between $5K and $32K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$32K
About 64% of grants go to recipients in NY.
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Grantmaking is regional and heavily centered in New York. Sixty-four percent of grants go to recipients in the HQ state, and New York City and Brooklyn appear repeatedly in the recent grants list. Other New York recipients include Oyster Bay and Southampton. The remaining grants in the sample go to Washington, DC organizations, and all recorded grants in the latest data are to US recipients.
The recent record centers on visual arts and museum institutions. Brooklyn Museum received grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025, while The New Contemporary Council Museum received grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Art21, Ma's House, and other New York cultural organizations also appear in the list.
The recent grants are consistently labeled unrestricted. That includes the $60,000 grant to Brooklyn Museum in 2023, the $40,250 grant to The New Contemporary Council Museum in 2024, and the $35,290 grant to the same museum in 2025.
The foundation’s grant-size distribution is centered at $5,000 for the 25th percentile, $10,000 at the median, and $31,875 at the 75th percentile. The recent list includes both $5,000 awards and larger multi-thousand-dollar institutional grants.
Yes. New York is the top state by grant count, and 64% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state. Recent recipients include organizations in Brooklyn, New York City, Oyster Bay, and Southampton.
Yes. Brooklyn Museum appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and The New Contemporary Council Museum appears in the same three years. J Street Education Fund and US Soccer Foundation also each appear more than once in the recent grants list.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE NEW CONTEMPORARY COUNCIL MUSEUM | NEW YORK, NY | $35,290 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| BROOKLYN MUSEUM | BROOKLYN, NY | $35,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| J STREET EDUCATION FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| CONGREGATION L'DOR V'DOR | OYSTER BAY, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ART21 | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THE NEW CONTEMPORARY COUNCIL MUSEUM | NEW YORK, NY | $40,250 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| BROOKLYN MUSEUM | BROOKLYN, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| J STREET EDUCATION FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $5,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| US SOCCER FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $5,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| BROOKLYN MUSEUM | BROOKLYN, NY | $60,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THE NEW CONTEMPORARY COUNCIL MUSEUM | NEW YORK, NY | $22,500 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| J STREET EDUCATION FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| US SOCCER FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $5,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| MA'S HOUSE | SOUTHAMPTON, NY | $5,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
THE NEW CONTEMPORARY COUNCIL MUSEUM
$35,290UNRESTRICTED
BROOKLYN MUSEUM
$35,000UNRESTRICTED
J STREET EDUCATION FUND
$10,000UNRESTRICTED
CONGREGATION L'DOR V'DOR
$5,000UNRESTRICTED
ART21
$5,000UNRESTRICTED
THE NEW CONTEMPORARY COUNCIL MUSEUM
$40,250UNRESTRICTED
BROOKLYN MUSEUM
UNRESTRICTED
J STREET EDUCATION FUND
$5,000UNRESTRICTED
US SOCCER FOUNDATION
$5,000UNRESTRICTED
BROOKLYN MUSEUM
$60,000UNRESTRICTED
THE NEW CONTEMPORARY COUNCIL MUSEUM
$22,500UNRESTRICTED
J STREET EDUCATION FUND
$10,000UNRESTRICTED
US SOCCER FOUNDATION
$5,000UNRESTRICTED
MA'S HOUSE
$5,000UNRESTRICTED