The Bok Family Foundation concentrates philanthropic support on major educational and cultural institutions, environmental conservation, and leadership/educational pipelines. They favor large, strategic gifts to well-established organizations — particularly research universities and flagship cultural institutions in the Northeast — while also funding K–12 innovation and international relief. Their giving tilts toward repeat, sizable awards to a small set of high-profile grantees rather than many small grants.
The Bok Family Foundation’s giving pattern centers on repeat, sizable awards to a small set of institutions. Two grants to the University of Pennsylvania, each at $1,070,000 in 2023 and 2024, show that the foundation makes multi-year commitments rather than one-off gifts. That same pattern appears across cultural and education grantees in New York and Connecticut, where support often returns to the same organization over several years. The foundation funds a mix of major research universities, museums, libraries, schools, conservation groups, and service organizations. Recent grants include $675,000 to the American Museum of Natural History in 2025, $500,000 to Care in 2025, and $450,000 to Success Academy in 2025. Other recurring recipients include the New York Public Library, The Nature Conservancy Gift, Wildlife Conservation Society, and Roundabout Theatre Company. Its portfolio also reaches into K–12 education, leadership development, food rescue, animal welfare, and victim-survivor advocacy. The presence of both large institutional grants and targeted program support suggests a foundation that favors established organizations with defined missions and durable operating needs.
Higher education is a clear anchor of the foundation’s grantmaking. The University of Pennsylvania received $1,070,000 in 2023 and again in 2024, while Hotchkiss School received $100,000 in 2023 and $100,000 in 2024 for college-preparatory boarding school support. In cultural giving, the foundation backed major New York institutions and theater organizations. The American Museum of Natural History received $500,000 in 2023, $625,000 in 2024, and $675,000 in 2025. Roundabout Theatre Company received $125,000 in 2023, $150,000 in 2024, and $175,000 in 2025, and the Public Theater received $75,000 in 2025. Education and youth pipeline work appears through groups such as Care, which received $200,000 in 2023 and 2024 and $500,000 in 2025, and Prep for Prep, which received $300,000 in 2023. The foundation also supported environmental work through Scenic Hudson with a $100,000 grant in 2025.
Typical grants are large: the 25th percentile is $27,500, the median is $100,000, and the 75th percentile is $275,000. Recent activity shows repeated grants to the same organizations across multiple years, including multi-year support for universities, museums, education groups, and theaters. The foundation is a family foundation and does not fund individuals. Its recent grants also show program-specific support across institutional, education, conservation, and advocacy categories rather than a single-purpose grantmaking model.
$3.9M
$45.6M
$6.8M
$5M
Most grants fall between $28K and $275K, with a median of $100K.
25th Percentile
$28K
Median
$100K
75th Percentile
$275K
About 28% of grants go to recipients in NY.
Top 2 recipient countries by grant volume for Bok Family Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 64 | $10.7M | 98.5% |
| 2 | United Kingdom |
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Concentrated, high-dollar grants to a small number of repeat, flagship organizations (multiple grants to the same institutions), with emphasis on institutional strengthening rather than many small community grants.
Notable grantees: University of Pennsylvania, American Museum of Natural History, The Nature Conservancy, New York Public Library, Success Academy
Grantmaking is regional, with the heaviest concentration in Connecticut and New York. Connecticut accounts for 26% of grants to recipients in the HQ state, and the top giving state by count is CT. Many awards also go to New York City organizations, including recipients in New York, NY; Brooklyn, NY; and the Bronx, NY. Outside the United States, the recipient distribution includes 1 grant in the UK.
Recent grants show support for universities, museums, libraries, schools, conservation groups, theaters, food rescue, animal welfare, and victim-survivor advocacy. Examples include the University of Pennsylvania, the American Museum of Natural History, Care, The Nature Conservancy Gift, and City Harvest.
Yes. Several recipients appear across multiple years, including the University of Pennsylvania in 2023 and 2024, the American Museum of Natural History in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and Care in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
The foundation’s grant-size distribution is centered on larger awards: the 25th percentile is $27,500, the median is $100,000, and the 75th percentile is $275,000. Recent grants also include seven-figure gifts, such as $1,070,000 to the University of Pennsylvania in both 2023 and 2024.
Connecticut is the top state by grant count, and 26% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state of Connecticut. Recent Connecticut recipients include Hotchkiss School in Interlaken Road, CT, and Project Sage in Laveville, CT.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
| 1 |
| $5K |
1.5% |
Recipient country reflects the grantee's headquarters per IRS 990-PF and Schedule F filings, not the program's implementation country.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY | NEW YORK, NY | $675,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - HISTORICAL |
| CARE | NEW YORK, NY | $500,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - EDUCATION |
| SUCCESS ACADEMY | NEW YORK, NY | $450,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - EDUCATION |
| THE NATURE CONSERVANCY GIFT | NEW YORK, NY | $400,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - ENVIRONMENTAL |
| NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY | NEW YORK, NY | $334,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - EDUCATION |
| WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY | BRONX, NY | $250,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - NATIONAL CONSERVATION PROJECTS, RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PORGRAMS |
| ROUNDABOUT THEATRE COMPANY | NEW YORK, NY | $175,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - NY THEATRE |
| CITY HARVEST | BROOKLYN, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - RESCUE AND DISTRIBUTE FOOD |
| BARRINGTON STAGE | PITTSFIELD, MA | $100,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - THEATRE |
| PROJECT SAGE | LAVEVILLE, CT | $100,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - ADVOCATING FOR VICTIMS AND SURVIVORS |
| ASPCA | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - PREVENT CRUELTY TO ANIMALS |
| SCENIC HUDSON | POUGHKEEPSIE, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - CONSERVATION |
| PUBLIC THEATER | NEW YORK, NY | $75,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - ADVANCE PUBLIC THEATRE ARTS |
| SHAKESPEARE & COMPANY | LENOX, MA | $60,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - PRODUCTIONS AND CLASSICAL TRAINING |
| ANIMAL DEFENSE FUND | COTATI, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - PROTECT ANIMALS BY LAW |
| STUDENT SPONSOR PARTNERS | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - EDUCATE UNDERSERVED YOUTH |
| BEDLAM INC | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - THEATRE |
| JOYFUL NOISE | TORRINGTON, CT | $30,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - EARLY CHILDCARE PROGRAMS |
| NOURISH BRIDGEPORT INC | BRIDGEPORT, CT | $30,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - POVERTY |
| SALISBURY HOUSING COMMITTEE | SALISBURY, CT | $25,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - LOW INCOME HOUSING |
| HOUSATONIC VALLEY ASSOCIATION INC | CORNWALL BRIDGE, CT | $25,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - CONSERVATION |
| BERKSHIRE THEATER GROUP | PITTSFIELD, MA | $25,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - PROMOTE PERFORMING ARTS EDUCATION |
| CENTRAL PARK CONSERVANCY | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - CONSERVATION |
| WARNER THEATRE | TORRINGTON, CT | $25,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - PERFORMING ARTS |
| SHARON HOSPITAL | SHARON, CT | $25,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - PROVIDE COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE SERVICES |
| THE SHARON PLAYHOUSE | SHARON, CT | $25,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - PROMOTE REGIONAL THEATER EDUCATION |
| UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $20,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - PRIVATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY LOCATED IN PHILADELPHIA, PA |
| FOUNDATION FOR ACCOUNTABILITY & CIVIC TRUST (FACT) | WASHINGTON, DC | $15,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - PROMOTE GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY |
| HOTCHKISS SCHOOL | LAKEVILLE, CT | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - EDUCATE FUTURE COMMUNITY LEADERS |
| HARLEM CHILDRENS ZONE | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - EDUCATION |
| ELS FOR AUTISM | JUPITER, FL | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - SUPPORT INDIVIDUALS WITH AUTISM |
| COOKE SCHOOL AND INSTITUTE | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - EDUCATION |
| THE HOTCHKISS SCHOOL | LAKEVILLE, CT | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - EDUCATE FUTURE COMMUNITY LEADERS |
| CAMFED | CAMBRIDGE | $5,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - EDUCATE GIRLS, EMPOWER WOMEN |
| UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $1,070,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - PRIVATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY LOCATED IN PHILADELPHIA, PA |
| AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY | NEW YORK, NY | $625,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - HISTORICAL |
| THE NATURE CONSERVANCY GIFT | NEW YORK, NY | $400,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - ENVIRONMENTAL |
| NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY | NEW YORK, NY | $250,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - EDUCATION |
| WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY | BRONX, NY | $250,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - NATIONAL CONSERVATION PROJECTS, RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PORGRAMS |
| CARE | NEW YORK, NY | $200,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - EDUCATION |
| ROUNDABOUT THEATRE COMPANY | NEW YORK, NY | $150,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - NY THEATRE |
| HOTCHKISS SCHOOL | INTERLAKEN ROAD, CT | $100,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - COLLEGE PREPARATORY BOARDING SCHOOL LOCATED IN LAKEVILLE, CT |
| STUDENT SPONSOR PARTNERS | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - PROVIDING LOW INCOME STUDENTS IN NYC WITH HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION; MENTORING PROGRAMS |
| SHAKESPEARE & COMPANY | LENOX, MA | $50,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - PRODUCTIONS AND CLASSICAL TRAINING |
| JOYFUL NOISE | TORRINGTON, CT | $30,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - EARLY CHILDCARE PROGRAMS |
| HOUSATONIC VALLEY ASSOCIATION INC | CORNWALL BRIDGE, CT | $25,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - CONSERVATION |
| PREP FOR PREP | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM |
| MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - CONSERVATION |
| WARNER THEATRE | TORRINGTON, CT | $25,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - PERFORMING ARTS |
| SCENIC HUDSON | POUGHKEEPSIE, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - CONSERVATION |
CARE
$500,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - EDUCATION
SUCCESS ACADEMY
$450,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - EDUCATION
THE NATURE CONSERVANCY GIFT
$400,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - ENVIRONMENTAL
CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - NATIONAL CONSERVATION PROJECTS, RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PORGRAMS
PUBLIC THEATER
$75,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - ADVANCE PUBLIC THEATRE ARTS
SHAKESPEARE & COMPANY
$60,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - PRODUCTIONS AND CLASSICAL TRAINING
ANIMAL DEFENSE FUND
$50,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - PROTECT ANIMALS BY LAW
STUDENT SPONSOR PARTNERS
$50,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - EDUCATE UNDERSERVED YOUTH
BEDLAM INC
$50,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - THEATRE
JOYFUL NOISE
$30,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - EARLY CHILDCARE PROGRAMS
CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - CONSERVATION
BERKSHIRE THEATER GROUP
$25,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - PROMOTE PERFORMING ARTS EDUCATION
WARNER THEATRE
$25,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - PERFORMING ARTS
SHARON HOSPITAL
$25,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - PROVIDE COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE SERVICES
THE SHARON PLAYHOUSE
$25,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - PROMOTE REGIONAL THEATER EDUCATION
CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - PRIVATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY LOCATED IN PHILADELPHIA, PA
FOUNDATION FOR ACCOUNTABILITY & CIVIC TRUST (FACT)
$15,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - PROMOTE GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY
HOTCHKISS SCHOOL
$10,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - EDUCATE FUTURE COMMUNITY LEADERS
THE HOTCHKISS SCHOOL
$10,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - EDUCATE FUTURE COMMUNITY LEADERS
CAMFED
$5,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - EDUCATE GIRLS, EMPOWER WOMEN
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
$1,070,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - PRIVATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY LOCATED IN PHILADELPHIA, PA
THE NATURE CONSERVANCY GIFT
$400,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - ENVIRONMENTAL
CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - NATIONAL CONSERVATION PROJECTS, RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PORGRAMS
HOTCHKISS SCHOOL
$100,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - COLLEGE PREPARATORY BOARDING SCHOOL LOCATED IN LAKEVILLE, CT
CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - PROVIDING LOW INCOME STUDENTS IN NYC WITH HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION; MENTORING PROGRAMS
SHAKESPEARE & COMPANY
$50,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - PRODUCTIONS AND CLASSICAL TRAINING
JOYFUL NOISE
$30,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - EARLY CHILDCARE PROGRAMS
CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - CONSERVATION
WARNER THEATRE
$25,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION - PERFORMING ARTS