What kinds of organizations does Robert Lehman Foundation Inc fund?

The foundation funds museums, arts organizations, educational institutions, and other cultural organizations. Recent grants include support for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Portland Art Museum, Morgan Library & Museum, National Gallery of Art, and Brooks School, all under general educational and charitable purposes.

What is the typical grant size?

Typical grants are modest relative to the foundation’s largest awards. The distribution shows a p25 of $7,500, a median of $10,000, and a p75 of $25,000.

Does the foundation accept unsolicited proposals?

Yes. Multiple active program descriptions say the foundation accepts unsolicited applications, including its general grants, art education grants, capital projects, and lectureship-related programs.

What areas of the arts does the foundation support?

Its stated program areas include museum exhibitions, art education for underserved communities, scholarly publications, art history lectureships, and occasional capital projects. The grant descriptions also emphasize visual arts access and scholarship.

Are grants concentrated in one region?

Yes. All documented recipient grants are in the United States, and New York accounts for 53% of grants by recipient location. The recent grants list includes recipients in New York City, Portland, Cleveland, Washington, Philadelphia, Sarasota, Seattle, and New Haven.

Robert Lehman Foundation

Name: Robert Lehman Foundation — grants, 990 financials & funding data
Creator: Kindora

ActiveMutual & Membership Benefit

NEW YORK, NYWebsite2126611967

About Robert Lehman Foundation

The Robert Lehman Foundation is a highly concentrated arts donor whose documented giving is exclusively to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Its support appears to be large-scale and unrestricted or general-purpose, aimed at sustaining a major New York cultural institution rather than funding a diversity of programs or organizations. The pattern suggests a philanthropic focus on preserving and enhancing a flagship museum's capacity and public offerings in the visual arts.

Focus Areas

Major metropolitan art museum support (Metropolitan Museum of Art)General operating and endowment-style support for cultural institutionsPreservation, presentation, and public access to visual arts collectionsNew York City cultural infrastructure and flagship museums

Who They Fund

general publicnonprofit organizationsunderserved or unspecified communities

Giving Approach

Highly concentrated: repeated, large grants to a single flagship institution (Metropolitan Museum of Art), focused on general/charitable purposes rather than many small or diverse beneficiaries.

About Robert Lehman Foundation

Robert Lehman Foundation Inc has documented grantmaking that centers on a single institution: the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Across recent years, the foundation’s largest grants have all gone to the Met, including $1,042,500 in 2025, $1,142,454 in 2024, and $1,138,453 in 2023, signaling sustained support rather than isolated awards. That pattern sits alongside a broader visual-arts portfolio that reaches museums, art schools, and cultural institutions through grants for exhibitions, education, scholarly publications, lectureships, and occasional capital projects. The foundation’s recent awards show a clear preference for established arts organizations. In addition to the Met, recipients include the Portland Art Museum, the Morgan Library & Museum, the National Gallery of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Frick Collection, and the Studio Museum in Harlem. The purposes attached to these grants are broad and generally framed as general educational and charitable purposes, which aligns with the foundation’s emphasis on institutional support for visual-arts access, scholarship, and public programming. Its grantmaking is also tied to the Robert Lehman Collection through program descriptions that reference work complementary to that collection.

What Robert Lehman Foundation Funds

A central theme in the Robert Lehman Foundation Inc portfolio is museum and exhibition support. The foundation gave $100,000 in 2025 to the Portland Art Museum and $50,000 in 2023 to The Cleveland Museum of Art, both recorded for general educational and charitable purposes. It also backed the National Gallery of Art with $35,000 in 2025 and The Brooklyn Museum with $33,000 in 2025. Education in the visual arts is another recurring thread. Grants are structured to support art education programs, with emphasis on underserved communities, and the recent grants list includes $50,000 to Brooks School in both 2024 and 2025. The foundation also supports art-historical scholarship and public learning. Recent awards include $30,000 to New York Studio School of Drawing Painting & Sculpture in 2025, and the program descriptions reference lectureships and scholarly publications as part of the grantmaking mix.

How Robert Lehman Foundation Gives

Typical grants cluster around five figures, with a p25 of $7,500, a median of $10,000, and a p75 of $25,000. The recent grants list also shows a small number of much larger awards, especially to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which sits far above the foundation’s usual grant band. This is a regular funder rather than a donor advised fund, and it does not fund individuals or program-related investments. The pattern is steady across years, with repeated awards to the same organizations appearing in consecutive or nearby years, including the Met and Brooks School. Application access is broad: active program descriptions indicate that several grant programs accept unsolicited proposals.

Financial Snapshot

Annual Giving

$2.1M

Total Assets

$38.9M

Total Revenue

$2.2M

Total Expenses

$3.4M

Typical Grant Size

Most grants fall between $8K and $25K, with a median of $10K.

25th Percentile

$8K

Median

$10K

75th Percentile

$25K

Geographic Reach

Regional28 states funded

Funding intensity

Low

High

Headquarters

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Recipient	Location	Amount	Year	Purpose
THE FRICK COLLECTION	NEW YORK, NY	$1,126,954	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART	CLEVELAND, OH	$60,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
BROOKLYN INSTITUTE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES	BROOKLYN, NY	$50,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
THE TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON	PRINCETON, NJ	$50,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
NEWARK MUSEUM OF ART	NEWARK, NJ	$50,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
THE DENVER ART MUSEUM	DENVER, CO	$35,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
BRONX MUSEUM OF THE ARTS	BRONX, NY	$33,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART	NEW YORK, NY	$30,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
THE DRAWING CENTER INC	NEW YORK, NY	$28,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART	SAN FRANCISCO, CA	$25,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER	ROCHESTER, NY	$25,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS BOSTON	BOSTON, MA	$25,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
CORPORATION OF THE FINE ARTS MUSEUMS	SAN FRANCISCO, CA	$25,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART	NEW YORK, NY	$25,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
THE STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM	NEW YORK, NY	$25,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
NEW YORK STUDIO SCHOOL OF DRAWING PAINTING & SCULPTURE	NEW YORK, NY	$20,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
SITE SANTA FE	SANTA FE, NM	$20,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY	NEW YORK, NY	$20,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
STORM KING ART CENTER	NEW WINDSOR, NY	$20,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
ART OMI INC	GHENT, NY	$20,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
PRATT INSTITUTE	BROOKLYN, NY	$15,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
PUBLIC ART FUND INC	NEW YORK, NY	$15,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
SOLOMON R GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM FOUNDATION	NEW YORK, NY	$15,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
PIERPONT MORGAN LIBRARY	NEW YORK, NY	$15,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
CINCINNATI ART MUSEUM	CINCINNATI, OH	$15,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
NXTHVN INC	NEW HAVEN, CT	$15,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS FOUNDATION	AUSTIN, TX	$15,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
SOCRATES SCULPTURE PARK INC	ASTORIA, NY	$15,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
THE QUEENS MUSEUM OF ART	QUEENS, NY	$15,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
SUN VALLEY CENTER FOR THE ARTS INC	KETCHUM, ID	$15,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
THE ALDRICH MUSEUM	RIDGEFIELD, CT	$15,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN	ANN ARBOR, MI	$15,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
TATE AMERICAS FOUNDATION	NEW YORK, NY	$15,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
THE HYDE COLLECTION TRUST	GLENS FALLS, NY	$12,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
POWERHOUSE ARTS INC	BROOKLYN, NY	$10,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
GUILD HALL OF EAST HAMPTON	EAST HAMPTON, NY	$10,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
THE NEW MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART	NEW YORK, NY	$10,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART INC	MEMPHIS, TN	$10,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
LOWER MANHATTAN CULTURAL COUNCIL	NEW YORK, NY	$10,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
STUDIO IN A SCHOOL ASSOCIATION	NEW YORK, NY	$10,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
CARLETON COLLEGE	NORTHFIELD, MN	$10,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
URBANGLASS	BROOKLYN, NY	$10,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART	BOSTON, MA	$10,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
ALLIANCE FOR YOUNG ARTISTS & WRITERS	NEW YORK, NY	$10,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM	NEW YORK, NY	$10,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN	PROVIDENCE, RI	$10,000	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY ART MUSEUM	FAIRFIELD, CT	$7,500	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
ANDERSON RANCH ARTS CENTER	SNOWMASS VILLAGE, CO	$7,500	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
PORTLAND ART MUSEUM	PORTLAND, OR	$7,500	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES
PORTLAND ART MUSEUM	PORTLAND, OR	$7,500	2026	GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES

Recipient

Location

Amount

Year

Purpose

THE FRICK COLLECTION

NEW YORK, NY

$1,126,954

2026