The Gilbert and Ildiko Butler Family Foundation concentrates its philanthropy on arts, cultural institutions, and historic preservation in New York State, with several sizeable gifts to major museums and libraries. Grants are focused and mission-driven toward sustaining collections, facilities, and preservation work, with an occasional outlier in health-related support (hospice/palliative care). The foundation favors established cultural institutions in the New York metropolitan area and shows repeat support for select favorites.
The Gilbert and Ildiko Butler Family Foundation Inc. has built a clear record of support for New York cultural institutions, with repeated grants to major museums, libraries, and preservation groups. Its largest recent award in the data is $51,650 to the Preservation League of New York State for cultural preservation work, and the foundation has also returned to The Frick Collection, The Morgan Library & Museum, and The New York Society Library across multiple years. That pattern points to a funder that favors established institutions and ongoing stewardship rather than one-time, experimental giving. Arts and historic preservation dominate the portfolio, especially in New York City and Albany, but the foundation’s giving is not limited to marquee museums. It also supports library operations, historic districts, and organizations tied to collections care, conservation, and preservation advocacy. A smaller set of grants reaches health-related organizations, including hospice and cancer care, which appear as occasional exceptions rather than the core of the portfolio. The foundation’s grant history suggests steady, mission-specific support for organizations with public-facing cultural or preservation roles.
Historic preservation is one of the foundation’s clearest priorities. In 2025, it gave $51,650 to the Preservation League of New York State for cultural preservation work, and it also backed Friends of Upper East Side Historic Districts with $7,500 in 2025. These grants show attention to both statewide advocacy and neighborhood-level preservation. Museums and art collections are another major thread. The Morgan Library & Museum received $43,300 in 2024 and $5,815 in 2023, while The Frick Collection received $28,915 in 2024, $28,862 in 2025, and $20,000 in 2023. The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Metropolitan Opera also appear in the recent-gift list, reinforcing the foundation’s support for long-standing cultural institutions. Libraries and scholarly institutions are part of the portfolio as well. The New York Society Library received $35,500 in 2025, and New York University’s Institute for the Study of the Ancient World received $5,000 in 2023.
Typical grants are modest, with a p25 of $500, a median of $1,000, and a p75 of $4,500, even though the top awards are much larger. The recent record shows repeat support for several organizations across multiple years, including The Frick Collection, The Morgan Library & Museum, Preservation League of New York State, Vns Health, and Metropolitan Opera. That pattern suggests a mix of ongoing relationship grants and smaller, routine awards. The foundation is a family foundation, funds individuals: false, and makes no program-related investments.
$211K
$12M
$473K
$339K
Most grants fall between $500 and $5K, with a median of $1K.
25th Percentile
$500
Median
$1K
75th Percentile
$5K
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeFree Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeSign up free to see how well your nonprofit fits this funder, get an AI-generated pitch, and unlock similar foundations.
Concentrated, relatively small number of mid-to-large grants concentrated in arts and cultural preservation; favors established institutions and repeats support to flagship grantees rather than broad, diffuse giving.
Notable grantees: The Frick Collection, Preservation League of New York State, The Morgan Library & Museum, The New York Society Library, Hospice & Palliative Care
Giving is strongly concentrated in New York: 65% of grants go to recipients in the foundation’s headquarters state, and New York is also the top state by grant count. Recent grants land mostly in New York City, with additional awards in Albany, Utica, New Hartford, and other in-state locations. Outside New York, the recent list includes recipients in Mount Desert and Bar Harbor, Maine. All grants in the country distribution are to U.S. recipients.
The recent grant record is centered on arts and cultural institutions, historic preservation, and libraries. Examples in the data include museums, historic-district groups, a statewide preservation league, and a New York library institution. Health-related grants appear too, but they are a smaller part of the pattern.
Yes. The recent grants list shows repeat awards to The Frick Collection in 2023, 2024, and 2025; The Morgan Library & Museum in 2023 and 2024; Preservation League of New York State in 2023 and 2025; Vns Health in 2023, 2024, and 2025; and Metropolitan Opera in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
The distribution is relatively small for most grants: p25 is $500, median is $1,000, and p75 is $4,500. Larger awards do appear, including a $51,650 grant and several grants in the $20,000 to $40,000 range.
New York is the main recipient state, with 65% of grants going to organizations in that state. Recent recipient cities include New York, Albany, Utica, and New Hartford in New York, plus Mount Desert and Bar Harbor in Maine.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRESERVATION LEAGUE OF NEW YORK STATE | ALBANY, NY | $51,650 | 2025 | CULTURAL |
| THE NEW YORK SOCIETY LIBRARY | NEW YORK, NY | $35,500 | 2025 | CULTURAL |
| THE FRICK COLLECTION | NEW YORK, NY | $28,862 | 2025 | CULTURAL |
| AMERICAN ACADEMY IN ROME | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | CULTURAL |
| CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY OF UTICA | UTICA, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | CULTURAL |
| BEATRIX FARRAND SOCIETY | MOUNT DESERT, ME | $10,000 | 2025 | CULTURAL |
| FRIENDS OF UPPER EAST SIDE HISTORIC DISTRICTS | NEW YORK, NY | $7,500 | 2025 | CULTURAL |
| METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART | NEW YORK, NY | $6,000 | 2025 | CULTURAL |
| METROPOLITAN OPERA | NEW YORK, NY | $5,500 | 2025 | CULTURAL |
| MEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING CANCER CENTER | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL |
| MOUNT DESERT ISLAND HOSPITAL | BAR HARBOR, ME | $5,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL |
| VNS HEALTH | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL |
| THE INSTITUTE FOR BLADDER AND PROSTRATE RESEARCH | NEW YORK, NY | $4,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL |
| HOSPITAL FOR SPECIAL SURGERY | NEW YORK, NY | $3,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL |
| CENTRAL PARK CONSERVANCY | NEW YORK, NY | $2,500 | 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL |
| PIARIST ALUMNI ASSOCIATION | NEW YORK, NY | $2,500 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| MASTER DRAWINGS ASSOCIATION INC | NEW YORK, NY | $2,100 | 2025 | CULTURAL |
| AFHLE HUNGARIAN HOUSE | NEW YORK, NY | $2,000 | 2025 | CULTURAL |
| MILTON ACADEMY | MILTON, MA | $1,000 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| LAND AND GARDEN PRESERVE | SEAL HARBOR, ME | $1,000 | 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL |
| MUNSON | UTICA, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | CULTURAL |
| BOONVILLE FIRE COMPANY INC | BOONVILLE, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL WELFARE |
| NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE | NORTHEAST HARBOR, ME | $1,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL PROGRAM |
| BLUE HILL TROUPE | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | CULTURAL |
| FORESTPORT FIRE FIGHTERS INC | FORESTPORT, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL WELFARE |
| MOUNT DESERT ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY | MOUNT DESERT, ME | $500 | 2025 | CULTURAL |
| BREAKTHROUGH TD1 (FORMERLY JDRF) | HAGERSTOWN, MD | $500 | 2025 | MEDICAL |
| IRISH GEORGIAN SOCIETY | CHICAGO, IL | $500 | 2025 | CULTURAL |
| ST AGNES CEMETERY OF UTICA | UTICA, NY | $500 | 2025 | SOCIAL WELFARE |
| WOMEN IN NEED INC | NEW YORK, NY | $500 | 2025 | SOCIAL PROGRAM |
| ABBE MUSEUM | BAR HARBOR, ME | $500 | 2025 | CULTURAL |
| THE COMMUNITY LIBRARY OF SUN VALLEY | KETCHUM, ID | $500 | 2025 | SOCIAL WELFARE |
| THE MENIL COLLECTION | HOUSTON, TX | $500 | 2025 | CULTURAL |
| PENNY'S FLIGHT FOUNDATION INC | LOCUST VALLEY, NY | $500 | 2025 | MEDICAL |
| LANDMARKS SOCIETY OF GREATER UTICA INC | UTICA, NY | $500 | 2025 | CULTURAL |
| NORTHEAST HARBOR LIBRARY | NORTHEAST HARBOR, ME | $500 | 2025 | SOCIAL WELFARE |
| URBAN STAGES | NEW YORK, NY | $500 | 2025 | SOCIAL PROGRAM |
| THE MORGAN LIBRARY & MUSEUM | NEW YORK, NY | $400 | 2025 | CULTURAL |
| MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO | SAINT PAUL, MN | $300 | 2025 | PUBLIC BROADCASTING |
| VIGILANT ENGINE & HOOK & LADDER CO INC | GREAT NECK, NY | $250 | 2025 | SOCIAL WELFARE |
| NORTHEAST HARBOR AMBULANCE SERVICE | NORTHEAST HARBOR, ME | $250 | 2025 | MEDICAL |
| KETCHUM SUN VALLEY VOLUNTEER ASSOCIATION INC | KETCHUM, ID | $250 | 2025 | SOCIAL WELFARE |
| MOUNT DESERT FIRE DEPARTMENT | NORTHEAST HARBOR, ME | $250 | 2025 | SOCIAL WELFARE |
| NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY | NEW YORK, NY | $250 | 2025 | CULTURAL |
| THE MORGAN LIBRARY & MUSEUM | NEW YORK, NY | $43,300 | 2024 | CULTURAL |
| THE FRICK COLLECTION | NEW YORK, NY | $28,915 | 2024 | CULTURAL |
| BEATRIX FARRAND SOCIETY | MOUNT DESERT, ME | $10,000 | 2024 | CULTURAL |
| CARNEGIE HILL NEIGHBORS | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | CULTURAL |
| METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART | NEW YORK, NY | $6,000 | 2024 | CULTURAL |
| MEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING CANCER CENTER | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2024 | MEDICAL |
THE NEW YORK SOCIETY LIBRARY
$35,500CULTURAL
THE FRICK COLLECTION
$28,862CULTURAL
AMERICAN ACADEMY IN ROME
$10,000CULTURAL
CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY OF UTICA
$10,000CULTURAL
BEATRIX FARRAND SOCIETY
$10,000CULTURAL
FRIENDS OF UPPER EAST SIDE HISTORIC DISTRICTS
$7,500CULTURAL
METROPOLITAN OPERA
$5,500CULTURAL
MEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING CANCER CENTER
$5,000MEDICAL
VNS HEALTH
$5,000MEDICAL
THE INSTITUTE FOR BLADDER AND PROSTRATE RESEARCH
$4,000MEDICAL
PIARIST ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
$2,500EDUCATION
MASTER DRAWINGS ASSOCIATION INC
$2,100CULTURAL
AFHLE HUNGARIAN HOUSE
$2,000CULTURAL
LAND AND GARDEN PRESERVE
$1,000ENVIRONMENTAL
MUNSON
$1,000CULTURAL
BOONVILLE FIRE COMPANY INC
$1,000SOCIAL WELFARE
NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE
$1,000SOCIAL PROGRAM
BLUE HILL TROUPE
$1,000CULTURAL
FORESTPORT FIRE FIGHTERS INC
$1,000SOCIAL WELFARE
MOUNT DESERT ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY
$500CULTURAL
BREAKTHROUGH TD1 (FORMERLY JDRF)
$500MEDICAL
IRISH GEORGIAN SOCIETY
$500CULTURAL
ST AGNES CEMETERY OF UTICA
$500SOCIAL WELFARE
ABBE MUSEUM
$500CULTURAL
THE COMMUNITY LIBRARY OF SUN VALLEY
$500SOCIAL WELFARE
THE MENIL COLLECTION
$500CULTURAL
PENNY'S FLIGHT FOUNDATION INC
$500MEDICAL
LANDMARKS SOCIETY OF GREATER UTICA INC
$500CULTURAL
NORTHEAST HARBOR LIBRARY
$500SOCIAL WELFARE
VIGILANT ENGINE & HOOK & LADDER CO INC
$250SOCIAL WELFARE
NORTHEAST HARBOR AMBULANCE SERVICE
$250MEDICAL
KETCHUM SUN VALLEY VOLUNTEER ASSOCIATION INC
$250SOCIAL WELFARE
MOUNT DESERT FIRE DEPARTMENT
$250SOCIAL WELFARE
NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY
$250CULTURAL
THE FRICK COLLECTION
$28,915CULTURAL
BEATRIX FARRAND SOCIETY
$10,000CULTURAL
CARNEGIE HILL NEIGHBORS
$10,000CULTURAL
MEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING CANCER CENTER
$5,000MEDICAL