Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation
ActiveArts, Culture & Humanities
About Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation
The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation focuses on large-scale support for arts, culture and performing-arts institutions, with a secondary emphasis on higher-education arts facilities. Grants are directed to major performing-arts producers and cultural media outlets (notably opera and public broadcasting) as well as to university arts infrastructure, indicating an interest in sustaining both national cultural institutions and local university arts capacity.
Focus Areas
Major performing arts organizations (opera companies and large venues)Public media and cultural broadcasting (public television/radio arts programming)University performing-arts centers and campus arts infrastructureGeneral institutional support for arts programming at higher-education institutions
Who They Fund
unspecified — beneficiary population not stateddepends on donee's mission
Giving Approach
Concentrated, high-dollar grants to a small number of established institutions; several repeat large grants to the same national cultural organizations and to the University of Virginia, indicating preference for flagship arts grantees rather than many small awards.
About Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation
THE JOSEPH AND ROBERT CORNELL MEMORIAL FOUNDATION is based in Charlottesville, VA, and reported $14,600,000 in annual grants with $64,538,806 in total assets on the latest 990 year on file, 2025. Its grantmaking centers on arts, culture, and performing-arts institutions, with additional support for higher-education arts facilities and related campus programming. The foundation’s recent grants show recurring support for major cultural institutions and university-based arts infrastructure. Among the largest recent awards were $1,000,000 to UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA ARTS (ADER PERFORMING ARTS CENTER), $700,000 to METROPOLITAN OPERA ASSOCIATION, and $635,000 to UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA. Other large grants included $550,000 to WNET NEW YORK PUBLIC MEDIA and $250,000 to CHARLOTTESVILLE OPERA. The foundation funds nonprofit organizations in the United States and does not fund individuals. Its recent record includes repeated support for opera, public media, museum programs, and university arts initiatives, with a substantial share of grants directed to recipients in Virginia and New York. The typical grant size is $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $30,000 at the median, and $100,000 at the 75th percentile, indicating a wide range from smaller institutional awards to large program and capital-style grants.
What Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation Funds
Recent grantmaking spans performing arts, public media, visual arts and museum programming, and university arts infrastructure. Notable grants include $700,000 to METROPOLITAN OPERA ASSOCIATION, $550,000 to WNET NEW YORK PUBLIC MEDIA, and $1,000,000 to UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA ARTS (ADER PERFORMING ARTS CENTER). The foundation also granted $250,000 to FRALIN MUSEUM OF ART AT UVA and $250,000 to CHARLOTTESVILLE OPERA, while $200,000 went to UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA FILM FESTIVAL. These awards show support for both cultural institutions and higher-education arts activities.
How Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation Gives
THE JOSEPH AND ROBERT CORNELL MEMORIAL FOUNDATION makes grants to nonprofit organizations, and its active program language emphasizes arts and related cultural activities. It does not accept unsolicited applications. Typical grant size is $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $30,000 at the median, and $100,000 at the 75th percentile, suggesting frequent mid-sized awards alongside larger grants. Recent grants are for donee’s exempt purpose, and the recipient base consists of nonprofit arts organizations, universities, museums, opera companies, and public media institutions.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$4.6M
Total Assets
$64.5M
Total Revenue
$10.4M
Total Expenses
$5.5M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $100K, with a median of $30K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$30K
75th Percentile
$100K
Geographic Reach
Regional11 states funded
About 74% of grants go to recipients in NY.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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