The Kravis Foundation concentrates large, unrestricted gifts to elite research universities, graduate business programs, and major medical research centers — especially in New York — with an emphasis on strengthening institutional capacity rather than project-specific funding. Their grants are typically multi-million-dollar general purpose awards to well-known institutions, often issued repeatedly to the same beneficiaries.
Highly concentrated portfolio of very large grants (multi-million to multi-tens of millions), frequent repeat funding to a small set of flagship institutions, and preference for unrestricted/general-purpose awards over project-specific grants.
The Marie-josee and Henry R Kravis Foundation gives large general-purpose awards to a small set of major institutions, with repeated support for Columbia Business School, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer, and The Rockefeller University. The largest recent grant in the data is $17,968,750 to Columbia Business School in 2023, and the pattern around it is consistent: multi-million-dollar unrestricted gifts to universities, medical research centers, and related institutions rather than project-restricted awards. New York organizations appear frequently in the grant list, including Columbia University, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer, and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The foundation also supports elite higher-education institutions outside New York, such as Claremont McKenna College in California, showing that its giving is national even while the strongest concentration is in New York. Recent awards also include support for The Museum of Modern Art, Sponsors for Educational Opportunity, and Friends of Notre-dame De Paris. Across the recent grants provided, the foundation’s approach is defined by flexible general-purpose funding and repeated awards to the same organizations over multiple years. That makes it a funder focused on institutional strength, especially in higher education, biomedical research, and selected cultural or educational organizations.
In biomedical and cancer research, the foundation gave $14,000,000 to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer in 2024 and $5,000,000 to Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in 2024. Those grants sit alongside additional large awards to the same research institutions in other years, reinforcing a pattern of sustained support for medical centers. In higher education, the foundation backed Columbia University with $7,562,500 in 2024 and supported Columbia Business School with $17,968,750 in 2023. It also made repeated general-purpose grants to Claremont Mckenna College, including $11,500,000 in 2023 and 2024 and another $5,000,000 in 2025. The grant list also includes cultural and educational organizations such as The Museum of Modern Art, Sponsors for Educational Opportunity, and Friends of Notre-dame De Paris. Those awards indicate that the foundation’s giving extends beyond universities and medicine to selected institutions in culture and access to education.
$45.2M
$68.2M
$67.6M
$46.3M
Most grants fall between $21K and $200K, with a median of $50K.
25th Percentile
$21K
Median
$50K
75th Percentile
$200K
About 8% of grants go to recipients in NY.
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Notable grantees: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Claremont McKenna College, The Rockefeller University, Columbia Business School, Columbia University
Typical grant size sits at a p25 of $21,255, a median of $50,000, and a p75 of $200,000, even though the recent grant list includes much larger institutional awards. The data also shows repeated support to the same recipients across multiple years, especially large universities and medical centers. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. Its grants are described as general purpose rather than project-restricted.
Giving is national, and the recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based: 237 grants to U.S. organizations. New York, NY is the most common recipient city in the recent grants list, with other recurring locations including Claremont, CA; Washington, DC; and Lexington, KY. The foundation gives most often in New York state, while 9% of grants go to recipients in Florida.
The recent grants show a strong emphasis on universities, medical research centers, and a smaller set of cultural or educational organizations. Examples include Columbia University, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer, The Rockefeller University, Claremont Mckenna College, The Museum of Modern Art, and Sponsors for Educational Opportunity, usually with general-purpose support.
The distribution provided is p25 $21,255, median $50,000, and p75 $200,000. The recent grant list also includes far larger multi-million-dollar awards, which suggests a mix of smaller grants and very large institutional gifts.
Yes. While New York is where it gives most often, the recent grants also include Claremont Mckenna College in Claremont, CA; Friends of Notre-dame De Paris in Washington, DC; and Entitlements How Inc in Lexington, KY. The overall recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based.
The recent grants are labeled general purpose, and the existing summary describes the foundation as favoring unrestricted, flexible support. That pattern appears across large awards to universities and medical centers, including Columbia Business School, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer, and The Rockefeller University.
Yes. The data shows multiple years of support to the same organizations, including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer, Claremont Mckenna College, The Rockefeller University, Friends of Notre-dame De Paris, and The Museum of Modern Art. That suggests recurring rather than one-off support for several beneficiaries.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COLUMBIA UNIVERISTY | NEW YORK, NY | $6,562,500 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| THE ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ICHAN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MO | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| CLAREMONT MCKENNA COLLEGE | CLAREMONT, CA | $5,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING CANCER | NEW YORK, NY | $4,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| CLAREMONT MCKENNA COLLEGE | CLAREMONT, CA | $2,500,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ENTITLEMENTS HOW INC | LEXINGTON, KY | $2,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| CLAREMONT MCKENNA COLLEGE | CLAREMONT, CA | $2,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| FRIENDS OF NOTRE-DAME DE PARIS | WASHINGTON, DC | $2,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| LINCOLN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| UCLA FOUNDATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $1,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| CLAREMONT MCKENNA COLLEGE | CLAREMONT, CA | $1,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| THE LOOMIS CHAFFEE SCHOOL | WINDSOR, CT | $947,380 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART | NEW YORK, NY | $735,700 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| CLAREMONT MCKENNA COLLEGE | CLAREMONT, CA | $500,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART | Memphis, TN | $500,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY | WEST PALM BEACH, FL | $500,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| CLAREMONT MCKENNA COLLEGE | CLAREMONT, CA | $500,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING CANCER | NEW YORK, NY | $500,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| CODEORG | SEATTLE, WA | $250,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| TEACH FOR AMERICA | NEW YORK, NY | $250,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| UNITE AMERICA | DENVER, CO | $250,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART | NEW YORK, NY | $200,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART | NEW YORK, NY | $200,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| KENT SCHOOL | KENT, CT | $160,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| PS1 CONTEMPORARY ART CENTER | QUEENS, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| PS1 CONTEMPORARY ART CENTER | QUEENS, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| SPONSORS FOR EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| THE STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM | New York City, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| HOWARD UNIVERSITY | WASHINGTON, DC | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| THE LOOMIS CHAFFEE SCHOOL | WINDSOR, CT | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING CANCER CENTER | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| MEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING CANCER CENTER | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| BABY2BABY | Los Angeles, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| VIEWPOINT SCHOOL | CALABASAS, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| UJA-FEDERATION OF NEW YORK | New York City, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| CN FOUNDATION | KANSAS CITY, MO | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| CAMP NEBAGAMON | Lake Nebagamon, WI | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| THE SHED | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| THE METROPOLITAN OPERA | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS | NEW YORK CITY, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| THE ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| FRIENDS OF NOTRE-DAME DE PARIS | WASHINGTON, DC | $30,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| UCSF BENIOFF CHILDREN'S HOSPITALS FOUNDATION | Oakland, CA | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| LINCOLN CENTER THEATER | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| HUG READING PROGRAM | LOUISVILLE, KY | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| FRIENDS OF THE HIGH LINE | NEW YORK, NY | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
COLUMBIA UNIVERISTY
$6,562,500GENERAL PURPOSE
ICHAN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MO
$5,000,000GENERAL PURPOSE
CLAREMONT MCKENNA COLLEGE
$5,000,000GENERAL PURPOSE
MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING CANCER
$4,000,000GENERAL PURPOSE
CLAREMONT MCKENNA COLLEGE
$2,500,000GENERAL PURPOSE
CLAREMONT MCKENNA COLLEGE
$2,000,000GENERAL PURPOSE
FRIENDS OF NOTRE-DAME DE PARIS
$2,000,000GENERAL PURPOSE
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
$1,000,000GENERAL PURPOSE
CLAREMONT MCKENNA COLLEGE
$1,000,000GENERAL PURPOSE
THE LOOMIS CHAFFEE SCHOOL
$947,380GENERAL PURPOSE
CLAREMONT MCKENNA COLLEGE
$500,000GENERAL PURPOSE
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
$500,000GENERAL PURPOSE
ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY
$500,000GENERAL PURPOSE
CLAREMONT MCKENNA COLLEGE
$500,000GENERAL PURPOSE
MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING CANCER
$500,000GENERAL PURPOSE
KENT SCHOOL
$160,000GENERAL PURPOSE
THE LOOMIS CHAFFEE SCHOOL
$100,000GENERAL PURPOSE
MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING CANCER CENTER
$100,000GENERAL PURPOSE
MEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING CANCER CENTER
$100,000GENERAL PURPOSE
CN FOUNDATION
$50,000GENERAL PURPOSE
THE SHED
$50,000GENERAL PURPOSE
THE METROPOLITAN OPERA
$50,000GENERAL PURPOSE
COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
$50,000GENERAL PURPOSE
COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
$50,000GENERAL PURPOSE
FRIENDS OF NOTRE-DAME DE PARIS
$30,000GENERAL PURPOSE
LINCOLN CENTER THEATER
$25,000GENERAL PURPOSE
HUG READING PROGRAM
$25,000GENERAL PURPOSE