The Eric and Barbara Carle Foundation directs essentially all of its philanthropy to supporting the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, funding museum operations and mission-driven activities tied to picture book art and children's literature. Its giving is tightly focused and institutionally centered, reflecting founders' legacy support for preserving, exhibiting, and educating about illustrated children’s books.
Highly concentrated: very large, repeated grants to a single core institution (the Eric Carle Museum), indicating primary focus on sustaining one legacy organization rather than broad or diversified grantmaking.
The Eric and Barbara Carle Foundation Inc centers its philanthropy on the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, with repeated general funding for museum operations and mission-driven work. The largest recent grant in the file was $2,925,499 in 2025 to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art Inc in Amherst, followed by $2,415,000 in 2024 and $2,003,000 in 2023. That three-year pattern shows a foundation that sustains a core institution over time rather than spreading gifts widely. Beyond the museum, the foundation made smaller grants to organizations connected to arts, literacy, and public programming, including National Sawdust in Brooklyn and GLSEN in New York. It also appears in grants to groups such as Cypress Hills Local Development Corp, Bushwick Book Club, The Ashley Bryan Center, Island Dolphin Care, Fractured Atlas, and Epiphany Magazine. Taken together, the record points to a donor family foundation built around picture book art, children’s literature, and related educational and cultural work, with the museum remaining the clear anchor of giving.
A primary thread in the foundation’s giving is museum support. In 2025, it gave $2,925,499 to Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art Inc for general funding, continuing a multi-year pattern of institutional support. Arts and literary programming also appear in the record. The foundation awarded $60,000 to Original Music Workshop Dba National Sawdust in Brooklyn for general funding, and $15,000 to Bushwick Book Club in New York for general funding, alongside a $10,000 grant to Fractured Atlas Inc in New York. Its grants also reach youth and community-serving organizations. GLSEN Inc received $50,000 in 2025 for general funding, and Cypress Hills Local Development Corp received $15,000 in 2024 and $10,000 in 2023. The Ashley Bryan Center also received $15,000 in both 2024 and 2025.
Typical grants are modest relative to the foundation’s largest museum awards: the 25th percentile is $10,000, the median is $12,500, and the 75th percentile is $18,750. The file shows a strong repeat-recipient pattern, especially for the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art Inc across 2023, 2024, and 2025, as well as multiple-year support for Cypress Hills Local Development Corp, Bushwick Book Club, Island Dolphin Care Inc, Epiphany Magazine Inc, and The Ashley Bryan Center. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. The grants shown are all general or unrestricted-style support.
$3.4M
$78M
$22.2M
$5.4M
Most grants fall between $10K and $19K, with a median of $13K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$13K
75th Percentile
$19K
About 22% of grants go to recipients in NY.
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Notable grantees: ERIC CARLE MUSEUM OF PICTURE BOOK ART INC
Grant recipients are entirely in the United States. New York is the top state by grant count, with Brooklyn and New York appearing multiple times; Amherst, Northampton, and other Massachusetts locations also recur. The foundation’s HQ is in Florence, MA, and 21% of grants go to recipients in Massachusetts. Other recipient cities in the record include Key Largo, Washington, DC, and Islesford, showing a mostly regional U.S. footprint with a concentration in the Northeast.
Its giving is centered on the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, with repeated general funding for museum operations and mission-driven activity tied to picture book art and children’s literature. The largest grants in the file are three consecutive awards to the museum from 2023 through 2025.
Yes. The record includes grants to National Sawdust in Brooklyn, GLSEN Inc in New York, Cypress Hills Local Development Corp, Bushwick Book Club, The Ashley Bryan Center, Island Dolphin Care Inc, Fractured Atlas Inc, Epiphany Magazine Inc, World Central Kitchen Inc, and Mass General Brigham.
The grant-size distribution is fairly compact: the 25th percentile is $10,000, the median is $12,500, and the 75th percentile is $18,750. Several grants cluster at $10,000 and $15,000, with much larger awards reserved for the museum.
Recurring support is evident. The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art Inc appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and several other recipients also recur across multiple years, including Cypress Hills Local Development Corp, Bushwick Book Club, Island Dolphin Care Inc, Epiphany Magazine Inc, and The Ashley Bryan Center.
The grant record is entirely U.S.-based. New York is the top state by grant count, while Massachusetts receives 21% of grants. Recipient cities include Amherst, Brooklyn, New York, Northampton, Key Largo, Washington, DC, and Islesford.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ERIC CARLE MUSEUM OF PICTURE BOOK ART INC | AMHERST, MA | $3,155,405 | 2026 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| ORIGINAL MUSIC WORKSHOP DBA NATIONAL SAWDUST | BROOKLYN, NY | $87,215 | 2026 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| GLSEN INC | NEW YORK, NY | $60,000 | 2026 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $50,000 | 2026 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| VISION INTO ART PRESENTS INC | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2026 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| BUSHWICK BOOK CLUB | NEW YORK, NY | $15,000 | 2026 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| NORTH BROOLYN PARKS ALLIANCE | BROOKLYN, NY | $15,000 | 2026 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| THE ASHLEY BRYAN CENTER | ISLESFORD, ME | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| TRI-STATE TRANSPORTATION CAMPAIGN | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| HOUSE OF SPEAKEASY FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $8,000 | 2026 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| THE PERFORMANCE ZONE INC DBA THE FIELD | NEW YORK, NY | $6,250 | 2026 | SPONSORED ARTIST |
| BLOWING ROCK CHARITY HORSE SHOW FOUNDATION | BLOWING ROCK, NC | $2,500 | 2026 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| ART STUDENTS LEAGUE OF NEW YORK | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000 | 2026 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| ERIC CARLE MUSEUM OF PICTURE BOOK ART INC | AMHERST, MA | $2,925,499 | 2025 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| ORIGINAL MUSIC WORKSHOP DBA NATIONAL SAWDUST | BROOKLYN, NY | $60,000 | 2025 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| GLSEN INC | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| THE ASHLEY BRYAN CENTER | ISLESFORD, ME | $15,000 | 2025 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| ERIC CARLE MUSEUM OF PICTURE BOOK ART INC | AMHERST, MA | $2,415,000 | 2024 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| THE ASHLEY BRYAN CENTER | ISLESFORD, ME | $15,000 | 2024 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| CYPRESS HILLS LOCAL DEVELOPMENT CORP | BROOKLYN, NY | $15,000 | 2024 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| BUSHWICK BOOK CLUB | NEW YORK, NY | $15,000 | 2024 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| EPIPHANY MAGAZINE INC | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| ISLAND DOLPHIN CARE INC | KEY LARGO, FL | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| ERIC CARLE MUSEUM OF PICTURE BOOK ART INC | AMHERST, MA | $2,003,000 | 2023 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $20,000 | 2023 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| MASS GENERAL BRIGHAM | NORTHAMPTON, MA | $20,000 | 2023 | COOLEY DICKINSON HOSPITAL |
| CYPRESS HILLS LOCAL DEVELOPMENT CORP | BROOKLYN, NY | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| EPIPHANY MAGAZINE INC | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| FRACTURED ATLAS INC | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| BUSHWICK BOOK CLUB | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| ISLAND DOLPHIN CARE INC | KEY LARGO, FL | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL FUNDING |
BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY
$50,000GENERAL FUNDING
VISION INTO ART PRESENTS INC
$25,000GENERAL FUNDING
BUSHWICK BOOK CLUB
GENERAL FUNDING
NORTH BROOLYN PARKS ALLIANCE
$15,000GENERAL FUNDING
THE ASHLEY BRYAN CENTER
$10,000GENERAL FUNDING
HOUSE OF SPEAKEASY FOUNDATION
$8,000GENERAL FUNDING
BLOWING ROCK CHARITY HORSE SHOW FOUNDATION
$2,500GENERAL FUNDING
GLSEN INC
$50,000GENERAL FUNDING
THE ASHLEY BRYAN CENTER
$15,000GENERAL FUNDING
THE ASHLEY BRYAN CENTER
$15,000GENERAL FUNDING
BUSHWICK BOOK CLUB
$15,000GENERAL FUNDING
EPIPHANY MAGAZINE INC
$10,000GENERAL FUNDING
MASS GENERAL BRIGHAM
$20,000COOLEY DICKINSON HOSPITAL
EPIPHANY MAGAZINE INC
$10,000GENERAL FUNDING
BUSHWICK BOOK CLUB
$10,000GENERAL FUNDING