The Viola Fund is a focused, large-dollar supporter of national environmental work and academic research. The foundation concentrates its giving on high-impact environmental advocacy and policy (primarily through repeat, substantial grants to Environmental Defense Fund) while also funding higher-education research or institutional general support (e.g., Yale). Grants are few but large and strategic rather than broad-based or grassroots.
Very concentrated: a small number of large grants, recurring support to a core environmental grantee (EDF), plus one major higher-education grant; favors unrestricted/general support to established national institutions.
Environmental Defense Fund, Yale University
The Viola Fund’s largest recent grant is a $2,000,000 award to Environmental Defense Fund for general support in 2025, and that scale sets the tone for how it gives. The foundation appears to favor concentrated, repeat support for a small number of organizations rather than a broad spread of awards. Environmental Defense Fund also received $1,010,000 in 2023 and $1,000,000 in 2024, showing a multi-year relationship that anchors the funder’s environmental portfolio. Beyond that core, the fund supports university-based environmental research and institutional work. Yale University received a $1,000,000 general grant in 2023, and Columbia University appears again in 2024 and 2025 with general support. The pattern suggests an interest in environmental policy and research translated through established institutions. The recent grants list also includes cultural, health, and social-service organizations, but mostly at much smaller levels than the major environmental awards. That mix points to a funder that is strategic and selective, with a clear emphasis on large operating support for mission-aligned institutions.
Environmental advocacy is the clearest theme in The Viola Fund’s recent grants. In 2025, it gave $2,000,000 to Environmental Defense Fund for general support, following $1,010,000 in 2023 and $1,000,000 in 2024. Higher education is another recurring area. Yale University received $1,000,000 in 2023 for general support, while Columbia University was awarded $10,000 in 2024 and $10,000 in 2025 for general support. The foundation also supports organizations tied to culture and civic life. It gave $30,000 in 2023 and $30,000 in 2024 to Metropolitan Opera, then $25,000 in 2025 for general support, and it awarded $25,000 in 2025 to Whitney Museum of American Art for general support. Smaller grants extend to health and community-serving organizations, including Cornell-weill Hospital, Feeding America, and World Central Kitchen.
The Viola Fund’s typical grant size is modest relative to its largest awards: p25 is $1,000, median is $5,000, and p75 is $10,500. That distribution sits alongside a handful of very large grants, especially in environmental work. The grant list shows repeat recipients across multiple years, which points to ongoing relationships rather than one-off awards. The funder is a private foundation, and the grants are framed largely as general, general support, or unrestricted support, suggesting flexible operating funding rather than project-specific philanthropy.
$2.2M
$19.8M
$1.1M
$2.2M
Most grants fall between $1K and $11K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$1K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$11K
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The grants are concentrated in the United States, with all 55 recent grants going to U.S. recipients. By count, California is the top giving state, even though the foundation’s headquarters are in New York, NY. Recipient locations include New York, NY; Santa Monica, CA; Chicago, IL; Washington, DC; Newton, MA; and Oakhurst, NJ. New York City accounts for a large share of the recent list, including multiple awards to organizations there.
Recent grants show a strong emphasis on environmental advocacy and policy, especially through Environmental Defense Fund, along with support for university-based research and institutional general support at places such as Yale University and Columbia University. The fund also backs cultural, health, and social-service organizations at smaller levels.
Yes. Environmental Defense Fund received grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025, including a $2,000,000 award in 2025. Other recipients also reappear across years, such as Metropolitan Opera and Columbia University.
The typical grant-size distribution is p25 $1,000, median $5,000, and p75 $10,500. The recent grants list also includes much larger awards, including seven-figure grants to Environmental Defense Fund and Yale University.
By recipient count, California is the top state in the foundation’s giving, even though its headquarters are in New York, NY. Recent grants also go to organizations in New York, Illinois, Washington, DC, Massachusetts, and New Jersey.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND | NEW YORK, NY | $2,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| METROPOLITAN OPERA | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CORNELL-WEILL HOSPITAL | NEW YORK, NY | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SOKA GAKKAI INTERNATIONAL | SANTA MONICA, CA | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| OPEN STAGE PROJECT | NEW YORK, NY | $15,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| HOSPITAL FOR SPECIAL SURGERY FUND INC | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WE ACT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE FEMINIST INSTITUTE TGI DIGITAL | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MAGAZZINO ITALIAN ART FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| DIEU DONNE PAPERMILL | BROOKLYN, NY | $6,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| RISING TREETOPS AT OAKHURST | OAKHURST, NJ | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BOFFO ART | NEW YORK, NY | $1,500 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ARTOLUTION INC | BROOKLYN, NY | $1,500 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CITIZEN UNION FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MUSEUM OF CHINESE IN THE AMERICA | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST | LAGUNA HILLS, CA | $650 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| METROPOLITAN OPERA | NEW YORK, NY | $30,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| SGI USA | LONG ISLAND, NY | $20,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| OPEN STAGE PROJECT | NEW YORK, NY | $15,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| FEEDING AMERICA | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| THE FEMINIST INSTITUTE TGI DIGITAL | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| RISING TREETOPS AT OAKHURST | OAKHURST, NJ | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| BOFFO ART | NEW YORK, NY | $1,500 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| MARLENE MYERSON JCC | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| CITIZENS COMMITMENT FOR CHILDREN | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST | LAGUNA HILLS, CA | $1,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| STONY BROOK FOUNDATION | STONY BROOK, NY | $1,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| ASCPA | WASHINGTON, DC | $720 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| HUMANE SOCIETY | NEW YORK, NY | $500 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| SUNDAY IN THE PARK | SHERMAN OAKS, CA | $322 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| THE INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR ANIMAL WELFARE | WASHINGTON, DC | $100 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| CARINGBRIDGE | ALBERTA LEA, MN | $50 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND | NEW YORK, NY | $1,010,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| YALE UNIVERSITY | NEW HAVEN, CT | $1,000,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| METROPOLITAN OPERA | NEW YORK, NY | $30,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| SOKA GAKKAI INTERNATIONAL | SANTA MONICA, CA | $20,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART | NEW YORK, NY | $15,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,500 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| OPEN STAGE PROJECT | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| SUNFLOWER OF PEACE | NEWTON, MA | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| CORNELL-WEILL HOSPITAL | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| PLAN A HEALTH | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2023 | GGENERAL |
| DIEU DONNE PAPERMILL | BROOKLYN, NY | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| RISING TREETOPS AT OAKHURST | OAKHURST, NJ | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| THE FEMINIST INSTITUTE TGI DIGITAL | NEW YORK, NY | $4,500 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| NATIONAL PARKS OF NY HARBOR CONSERVANCY | NEW YORK, NY | $2,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
METROPOLITAN OPERA
$25,000GENERAL SUPPORT
WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART
$25,000GENERAL SUPPORT
CORNELL-WEILL HOSPITAL
$20,000GENERAL SUPPORT
SOKA GAKKAI INTERNATIONAL
$20,000GENERAL SUPPORT
OPEN STAGE PROJECT
$15,000GENERAL SUPPORT
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
WE ACT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
THE FEMINIST INSTITUTE TGI DIGITAL
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
MAGAZZINO ITALIAN ART FOUNDATION
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
BOFFO ART
$1,500GENERAL SUPPORT
ARTOLUTION INC
$1,500GENERAL SUPPORT
CITIZEN UNION FOUNDATION
$1,000GENERAL SUPPORT
MUSEUM OF CHINESE IN THE AMERICA
$1,000GENERAL SUPPORT
SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST
$650GENERAL SUPPORT
METROPOLITAN OPERA
$30,000GENERAL
SGI USA
$20,000GENERAL
OPEN STAGE PROJECT
$15,000GENERAL
THE FEMINIST INSTITUTE TGI DIGITAL
$10,000GENERAL
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
$10,000GENERAL
BOFFO ART
$1,500GENERAL
CITIZENS COMMITMENT FOR CHILDREN
$1,000GENERAL
SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST
$1,000GENERAL
ASCPA
$720GENERAL
HUMANE SOCIETY
$500GENERAL
SUNDAY IN THE PARK
$322GENERAL
METROPOLITAN OPERA
$30,000GENERAL
SOKA GAKKAI INTERNATIONAL
$20,000GENERAL
WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART
$15,000GENERAL
OPEN STAGE PROJECT
$10,000GENERAL
CORNELL-WEILL HOSPITAL
$10,000GENERAL
THE FEMINIST INSTITUTE TGI DIGITAL
$4,500GENERAL
NATIONAL PARKS OF NY HARBOR CONSERVANCY
$2,000GENERAL