
The Paul & Daisy Soros Foundation (Daisy Soros) concentrates giving on flagship performing arts institutions in New York City, providing large unrestricted/general operating support to sustain major cultural organizations. The portfolio is highly focused and high-dollar, favoring established classical music and opera institutions rather than many small or geographically diverse grantees.
Concentrated, high-value grants to a very small number of established NYC performing arts organizations, including repeat support to the Metropolitan Opera; funds are large and likely multi-year or unrestricted.
Paul & Daisy Soros Foundation Daisy Soros centers much of its recent grantmaking on New York City’s flagship opera and symphony institutions, with repeated general support to the New York Philharmonic and Metropolitan Opera Association. That pattern shows a funder focused on sustaining established cultural organizations rather than distributing many small awards across a broad field. Recent grants also extend to other major New York arts and education institutions, including Lincoln Center Theater, Museum of Contemporary Art, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The foundation’s portfolio includes both institutional support and fellowship funding for individuals, which broadens its profile beyond arts philanthropy. Within that mix, fellowship awards stand out as a second major track. The foundation gave named fellowship grants to individual recipients such as Harold Ekeh, Andrea Deleon Cruz, and Christeebella Akpala, indicating direct support to people alongside organizations. The grant record also includes support for Film Independent Inc and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, showing that its giving reaches beyond classical music and opera while remaining tightly centered in New York. Across the recent list, the foundation’s work reads as concentrated, relationship-based, and oriented toward sustaining a small set of institutions and fellows over time.
In performing arts, the foundation supports large New York institutions with substantial unrestricted grants. It gave $1,200,000 to the New York Philharmonic for general support and $600,000 to the Metropolitan Opera Association for general support, alongside additional support to The Philharmonic-symphony and Lincoln Center Theater. Its fellowship work is a separate lane. The foundation awarded $67,500 to Harold Ekeh and $65,007 to Andrea Deleon Cruz as fellowship grants, showing direct investment in individual recipients rather than only institutions. The recent record also reaches into museums, film, and education. It gave $160,000 to Museum of Contemporary Art for general support, $65,000 to Film Independent Inc for general support, and $218,550 to Yale University Development for general support. Those grants place cultural institutions and higher education alongside the performing arts in the foundation’s support pattern.
$3.9M
$55.3M
$3.7M
$7.1M
Most grants fall between $13K and $35K, with a median of $23K.
25th Percentile
$13K
Median
$23K
75th Percentile
$35K
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Notable grantees: Metropolitan Opera Association, New York Philharmonic
Typical awards cluster in the mid-five-figure range, with a p25 of $12,500, median of $22,500, and p75 of $35,000. The recent list also shows a smaller number of very large grants, indicating a mix of modest fellowship-style awards and major institutional support. Repeat funding is visible: the Metropolitan Opera Association appears in both 2023 and 2025, and the New York Philharmonic appears in 2023. The foundation is classified as a regular funder and makes grants directly, not program-related investments. It also funds individuals through fellowship awards and accepts unsolicited applications for the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans.
Grantmaking is fully concentrated in the United States, with 100% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state, New York. New York City dominates the recipient map, including New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera Association, Lincoln Center Theater, Museum of Contemporary Art, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The recent grant list also includes recipients beyond the arts, such as Yale University Development and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, but they are still in New York as listed in the data. The foundation’s giving pattern is local and highly centralized.
The recent grants focus on major New York cultural institutions, especially opera and symphony organizations such as the New York Philharmonic and Metropolitan Opera Association. The foundation also funds museums, theater, film organizations, higher education, and fellowship recipients.
Yes. The data shows fellowship grants to individuals, including Harold Ekeh, Andrea Deleon Cruz, Christeebella Akpala, and others. It also lists the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans, a merit-based fellowship for graduate and professional study.
The foundation’s typical grant size is relatively modest compared with its largest awards: p25 is $12,500, median is $22,500, and p75 is $35,000. The recent list also includes several much larger institutional grants, such as $1,200,000 to the New York Philharmonic and $600,000 to the Metropolitan Opera Association.
Yes for the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans, which accepts unsolicited applications and provides up to $90,000 over two years. The Public Voices Fellowship is listed as not accepting unsolicited applications.
It is entirely concentrated in New York in the recent data: 100% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state, New York, and the recipient country distribution is 100% U.S. The recent grants are centered in New York City institutions and fellows.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| METROPOLITAN OPERA ASSOCIATION | NEW YORK, NY | $600,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| PRESERVATION FOUNDATION OF PALM BEACH INC | NEW YORK, NY | $350,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| YALE UNIVERSITY DEVELOPMENT | NEW YORK, NY | $218,550 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| THE PHILHARMONIC-SYMPHONY | NEW YORK, NY | $200,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART | NEW YORK, NY | $160,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| LINCOLN CENTER THEATER | NEW YORK, NY | $112,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART | NEW YORK, NY | $70,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| FILM INDEPENDENT INC | NEW YORK, NY | $65,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| SCONSET TRUST INC | NEW YORK, NY | $58,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| KATHRIN KAJDEROWICZ | NEW YORK, NY | $56,741 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| STEVEN TRUONG | NEW YORK, NY | $55,832 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| ASHRI ANURUDRAN | NEW YORK, NY | $45,000 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| NATHAN MALLIPEDDI | NEW YORK, NY | $45,000 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| PHILSAN ISAAK | NEW YORK, NY | $45,000 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| SARA BOBOK | NEW YORK, NY | $45,000 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| FOREIGN POLICY ASSOCIATION | NEW YORK, NY | $45,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| YEHIMI CAMBRON | NEW YORK, NY | $45,000 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| HANNAH KEZIAH AGUSTIN | NEW YORK, NY | $44,537 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| LESLIE PONCE-DIAZ | NEW YORK, NY | $43,946 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| GERONIMO BEJARANO CARDENAS | NEW YORK, NY | $42,500 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| ADRIANA PAOLA ECHEVERRIA GONZALEZ L | NEW YORK, NY | $41,000 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| JULIET NWAGWU UME-EZEOKE | NEW YORK, NY | $40,000 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| FREJA EKMAN | NEW YORK, NY | $39,998 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| DESMOND EDWARDS | NEW YORK, NY | $39,063 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| MICHAEL YUSOV | NEW YORK, NY | $35,834 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| OMAIR KHAN | NEW YORK, NY | $35,230 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| HOSPITAL FOR SPECIAL SURGERY | NEW YORK, NY | $33,500 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| MICHAEL XIE | NY, NY | $33,388 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| CINTHIA ZAVALA RAMOS | NEW YORK, NY | $33,036 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| ABIGAIL JIANG | NEW YORK, NY | $32,500 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| KIDIST ASHAMI | NEW YORK, NY | $31,147 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| HAMMER MUSEUM | NEW YORK, NY | $30,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| RICARDO GUAJARDO | NEW YORK, NY | $29,435 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| SHARON LOA | NEW YORK, NY | $29,167 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| JANEL PINEDA | NEW YORK, NY | $27,419 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| ESTHER ELONGA | NEW YORK, NY | $25,833 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| INTERNATIONAL HOUSE | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| PALM BEACH OPERA | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| LAWRENCE WANG | NEW YORK, NY | $24,760 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| MINJUNG KIM | NEW YORK, NY | $23,202 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| WENJIE GONG | NEW YORK, NY | $23,194 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| ANANYA AGUSTIN MALHOTRA | NEW YORK, NY | $22,500 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| SHUBHAYU BHATTACHARYAY | NEW YORK, NY | $22,500 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| OSAREMEN OKOLO | NEW YORK, NY | $22,500 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| LAILA UJAYLI | NEW YORK, NY | $22,500 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| CELINE CALPO | NEW YORK, NY | $22,500 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| HARI SRINIVASAN | NEW YORK, NY | $22,500 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| SAIDU TEJAN-THOMAS | NEW YORK, NY | $22,500 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| SAI S RAJAGOPAL | NEW YORK, NY | $22,500 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
| ZHANLIN CHEN | NEW YORK, NY | $22,500 | 2025 | FELLOWSHIP |
METROPOLITAN OPERA ASSOCIATION
$600,000GENERAL
PRESERVATION FOUNDATION OF PALM BEACH INC
$350,000GENERAL
YALE UNIVERSITY DEVELOPMENT
$218,550GENERAL
THE PHILHARMONIC-SYMPHONY
$200,000GENERAL
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART
$160,000GENERAL
LINCOLN CENTER THEATER
$112,000GENERAL
THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
GENERAL
FILM INDEPENDENT INC
$65,000GENERAL
SCONSET TRUST INC
$58,000GENERAL
KATHRIN KAJDEROWICZ
$56,741FELLOWSHIP
STEVEN TRUONG
$55,832FELLOWSHIP
ASHRI ANURUDRAN
$45,000FELLOWSHIP
NATHAN MALLIPEDDI
$45,000FELLOWSHIP
PHILSAN ISAAK
$45,000FELLOWSHIP
SARA BOBOK
$45,000FELLOWSHIP
FOREIGN POLICY ASSOCIATION
$45,000GENERAL
YEHIMI CAMBRON
$45,000FELLOWSHIP
HANNAH KEZIAH AGUSTIN
$44,537FELLOWSHIP
LESLIE PONCE-DIAZ
$43,946FELLOWSHIP
GERONIMO BEJARANO CARDENAS
$42,500FELLOWSHIP
ADRIANA PAOLA ECHEVERRIA GONZALEZ L
$41,000FELLOWSHIP
JULIET NWAGWU UME-EZEOKE
$40,000FELLOWSHIP
FREJA EKMAN
$39,998FELLOWSHIP
DESMOND EDWARDS
$39,063FELLOWSHIP
MICHAEL YUSOV
$35,834FELLOWSHIP
OMAIR KHAN
$35,230FELLOWSHIP
HOSPITAL FOR SPECIAL SURGERY
$33,500GENERAL
MICHAEL XIE
$33,388FELLOWSHIP
CINTHIA ZAVALA RAMOS
$33,036FELLOWSHIP
ABIGAIL JIANG
$32,500FELLOWSHIP
KIDIST ASHAMI
$31,147FELLOWSHIP
HAMMER MUSEUM
$30,000GENERAL
RICARDO GUAJARDO
$29,435FELLOWSHIP
SHARON LOA
$29,167FELLOWSHIP
JANEL PINEDA
$27,419FELLOWSHIP
ESTHER ELONGA
$25,833FELLOWSHIP
INTERNATIONAL HOUSE
$25,000GENERAL
PALM BEACH OPERA
$25,000GENERAL
LAWRENCE WANG
$24,760FELLOWSHIP
MINJUNG KIM
$23,202FELLOWSHIP
WENJIE GONG
$23,194FELLOWSHIP
ANANYA AGUSTIN MALHOTRA
$22,500FELLOWSHIP
SHUBHAYU BHATTACHARYAY
$22,500FELLOWSHIP
OSAREMEN OKOLO
$22,500FELLOWSHIP
LAILA UJAYLI
$22,500FELLOWSHIP
CELINE CALPO
$22,500FELLOWSHIP
HARI SRINIVASAN
$22,500FELLOWSHIP
SAIDU TEJAN-THOMAS
$22,500FELLOWSHIP
SAI S RAJAGOPAL
$22,500FELLOWSHIP
ZHANLIN CHEN
$22,500FELLOWSHIP