The Samuel and Ronnie Heyman Family Foundation concentrates its philanthropy on major cultural institutions—primarily contemporary and modern art museums—while also making significant, targeted gifts to a prominent Jewish congregation and to major medical centers. The foundation makes a small number of very large grants, frequently repeating support for flagship institutions (notably MoMA), suggesting a preference for high-profile, institutional philanthropy over broad-based small-dollar giving.
Highly concentrated: few, very large grants with repeat multi-grant support for flagship cultural institutions; occasional six-figure gifts to major medical centers and a prominent religious institution.
The Samuel and Ronnie Heyman Family Foundation has made The Museum of Modern Art a defining recipient of its recent philanthropy, with repeated general-support grants reaching $2,000,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025. That pattern signals a foundation that favors sustained institutional support over one-time project funding. Its recent giving also reaches other major cultural, religious, and medical institutions, including Fifth Avenue Synagogue, NYU Langone Hospitals, and the Norton Museum of Art. The foundation’s portfolio is built around large unrestricted grants, often to organizations with established public-facing roles in art, faith, health care, education, and civic life. The grant list shows a small number of sizable awards rather than a broad spread of many small checks, with support frequently renewed across multiple years for the same institutions. In addition to flagship art-museum funding, the foundation has backed Jewish congregational life, hospital systems, universities, and research centers through general support. Across the recent record, its giving pattern reflects preference for institutional continuity and operational flexibility.
Contemporary and modern art museums sit at the center of the foundation’s giving. In 2024, it awarded $1,078,200 to The Museum of Modern Art for general support, and it also gave $500,000 to the Norton Museum of Art in 2023 and $200,000 in 2024. Jewish congregational support is another visible thread: Fifth Avenue Synagogue received $1,000,000 in 2024 and another $264,200 in 2025, while Chabad of Gramercy received $250,000 in 2024. Medical institutions also appear in the recent record, including $500,000 to NYU Langone Medical Center in 2025 and $200,000 to the Tisch Multiple Sclerosis Research Center of New York in both 2023 and 2024. The foundation also funded higher education and public-service institutions, including $400,000 to Yale University and $250,000 to the Partnership for Public Service.
The foundation’s grant sizes cluster at a relatively high level: the typical award is $25,000, with a lower quartile of $5,400 and an upper quartile of $75,000. That said, the recent record also includes much larger institutional grants, including repeated seven-figure awards. The same recipients often reappear across multiple years, indicating renewal rather than one-time support. All listed grants are general support, which aligns with a flexible, operating-oriented approach. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments.
$5.4M
$116M
$6.7M
$6.2M
Most grants fall between $5K and $75K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$75K
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Notable grantees: The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Fifth Avenue Synagogue, NYU Langone Medical Center / NYU Langone Hospitals, Norton Museum of Art
Grant recipients are entirely U.S.-based, and 66% of grants go to organizations in the foundation’s headquarters state of New York. New York City dominates the record, with recurring grants to organizations in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Other recipient hubs include West Palm Beach, Durham, New Haven, Cambridge, Washington, and Newark, showing a regional reach beyond New York while remaining concentrated in a small set of major institutional cities.
The recent record centers on general support for major cultural institutions, Jewish congregations, medical centers, universities, and research organizations. Examples in the grant list include art museums, synagogue institutions, hospital systems, and academic centers, all funded as unrestricted support rather than for narrow projects.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including The Museum of Modern Art, Fifth Avenue Synagogue, NYU Langone Hospitals, Norton Museum of Art, and the Tisch Multiple Sclerosis Research Center of New York. The pattern suggests ongoing renewal of support rather than isolated grants.
The median grant is $25,000, with a p25 of $5,400 and a p75 of $75,000. The recent grants list also shows much larger awards, including multiple grants at $500,000 and $2,000,000.
Most grants go to New York recipients: 66% of grants are made to organizations in NY, and New York City appears repeatedly across the grant list. The recipient base is otherwise regional, with additional organizations in Florida, Connecticut, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Washington, DC, and Delaware.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART | NEW YORK, NY | $2,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NYU LANGONE MEDICAL CENTER | NEW YORK, NY | $500,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| YALE UNIVERSITY | NEW HAVEN, CT | $400,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FIFTH AVENUE SYNAGOGUE | NEW YORK, NY | $264,200 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| PARTNERSHIP FOR PUBLIC SERVICE | WASHINGTON, DC | $250,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART | NEW YORK, NY | $150,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| OHR TORAH - THE JEWISH CONVERSATION | NEW YORK, NY | $135,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| PALM BEACH SYNAGOGUE | PALM BEACH, FL | $125,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART | NEW YORK, NY | $125,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CHABAD AT DUKE UG INC | DURHAM, NC | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| DUKE UNIVERSITY | DURHAM, NC | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| TISCH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS RESEARCH CENTER OF NEW YORK INC | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FRIENDS OF THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WORLD JEWISH CONGRESS | NEW YORK, NY | $99,400 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ZICHRON AVOT | BROOKLYN, NY | $54,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE SOCIETY OF THE FOUR ARTS | PALM BEACH, FL | $53,168 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SIXPOINT INC | ST PETERSBURG, FL | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| PALM BEACH SYNAGOGUE | PALM BEACH, FL | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BROWN UNIVERSITY | PROVIDENCE, RI | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART | NEW YORK, NY | $48,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NORTON MUSEUM OF ART | WEST PALM BEACH, FL | $45,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SIXPOINT INC | ST PETERSBURG, FL | $36,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART | NEW YORK, NY | $30,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART | NEW YORK, NY | $30,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART | NEW YORK, NY | $30,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| INDIAN MOUNTAIN SCHOOL | LAKEVILLE, CT | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SCULPTURE CENTER | LONG ISLAND CITY, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE BREAST CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SANITATION FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE ISRAEL MUSEUM | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| UJA FEDERATION OF NEW YORK | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART - PS1 | LONG ISLAND CITY, NY | $23,250 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE SCULPTURE CENTER | LONG ISLAND CITY, NY | $22,520 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NORTON MUSEUM OF ART | WEST PALM BEACH, FL | $22,500 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ARTISTS SPACE | NEW YORK, NY | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FRIENDS OF THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES | NEW YORK, NY | $18,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BOUNDLESS ISRAEL INC | WALTHAM, MA | $18,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE TIKVAH FUND | NEW YORK, NY | $18,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WOMENS INTERNATIONAL ZIONIST ORGANIZATION | NEW YORK, NY | $18,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| PROJECT SUNSHINE INC | NEW YORK, NY | $12,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE SOCIETY OF THE FOUR ARTS | PALM BEACH, NY | $11,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS INC | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FIFTH AVENUE SYNAGOGUE | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE ISRAEL MUSEUM | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SLIFKA CENTER FOR JEWISH LIFE AT YALE | NEW HAVEN, CT | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CENTRAL FUND OF ISRAEL | CEDARHURST, NY | $5,400 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ZICHRON AVOT | BROOKLYN, NY | $5,400 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
NYU LANGONE MEDICAL CENTER
$500,000GENERAL SUPPORT
YALE UNIVERSITY
$400,000GENERAL SUPPORT
FIFTH AVENUE SYNAGOGUE
$264,200GENERAL SUPPORT
GENERAL SUPPORT
OHR TORAH - THE JEWISH CONVERSATION
$135,000GENERAL SUPPORT
PALM BEACH SYNAGOGUE
$125,000GENERAL SUPPORT
CHABAD AT DUKE UG INC
$100,000GENERAL SUPPORT
ZICHRON AVOT
$54,000GENERAL SUPPORT
PALM BEACH SYNAGOGUE
$50,000GENERAL SUPPORT
BROWN UNIVERSITY
$50,000GENERAL SUPPORT
INDIAN MOUNTAIN SCHOOL
$25,000GENERAL SUPPORT
SANITATION FOUNDATION
$25,000GENERAL SUPPORT
THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART - PS1
$23,250GENERAL SUPPORT
THE TIKVAH FUND
$18,000GENERAL SUPPORT
COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS INC
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
FIFTH AVENUE SYNAGOGUE
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
ZICHRON AVOT
$5,400GENERAL SUPPORT