The AMNH Collections form the core of its activities in scientific research, education, and exhibition.
A defining thread in American Museum of Natural History grantmaking is support for the museum’s own planetarium operations and for Urban Advantage, the New York City science-education partnership it funds repeatedly. One of the largest recent grants went to American Museum of Natural History PA in New York for "MAINTAIN PLANETARIUM," while repeated Urban Advantage awards have gone to the Wildlife Conservation Society-Bronx Zoo, New York Hall of Science, Staten Island Zoo, New York Botanical Garden, and Brooklyn Botanic Garden Corp. These grants show a funder that concentrates on museum-based science education, informal STEM learning, and institutional capacity tied to its collections and outreach work. The foundation also backs collaborative research connected to education and science programming, with awards to universities and research institutions including New York University, the University of Utah, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Temple University, Cornell University, and the Research Foundation of SUNY. Its grantmaking aligns with the museum’s scientific research, biodiversity, conservation, education, and exhibition activities, and it supports both internal operations and partner organizations that deliver STEM learning to urban students and educators.
Urban science education is a major theme. The foundation gave $582,026 in 2024, $566,042 in 2023, and $433,906 in 2025 to Wildlife Conservation Society-Bronx Zoo for Urban Advantage, and also supported New York Hall of Science, Staten Island Zoo, New York Botanical Garden, and Brooklyn Botanic Garden Corp under the same program. Collaborative research is another clear lane: New York University received $343,064 in 2025 and $254,182 in 2024 for Collab Research, while the University of Utah received $370,704 in 2025 and $231,172 in 2023. Museum and planetarium operations also appear in the grant list through support for maintaining the planetarium at American Museum of Natural History PA. The funded work is tied to informal STEM learning, science outreach, and research partnerships rather than individual awards.
Typical grant size sits at a median of $44,872, with a lower quartile of $19,850 and an upper quartile of $111,889. The recent grants list shows repeated awards to the same organizations across multiple years, especially for Urban Advantage and Collab Research, which points to ongoing partnership-based funding rather than isolated one-off grants. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. Recent awards also include both large operational support and smaller project grants, suggesting a mixed pattern of institutional support and program-specific funding.
$2.4M
$1.6B
$237.1M
$258.2M
Most grants fall between $20K and $112K, with a median of $45K.
25th Percentile
$20K
Median
$45K
75th Percentile
$112K
About 46% of grants go to recipients in NY.
SEAN M DECATUR
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Grantmaking is heavily concentrated in New York, which accounts for 46% of grants and is the top state by grant count. Recent recipients in New York include New York, NY; Bronx, NY; Corona, NY; Staten Island, NY; Ithaca, NY; Albany, NY; and Brooklyn, NY. The work also reaches other U.S. locations such as Salt Lake City, UT; Cambridge, MA; Philadelphia, PA; Norman, OK; San Fran, CA; and Whiteville, NC. All grants in the provided recent list go to U.S. recipients.
Its recent grants go to museums, botanical gardens, zoos, universities, and research foundations. Examples in the list include New York Hall of Science, Staten Island Zoo, New York University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Temple University, and the Research Foundation of SUNY.
The listed grants center on natural history research, biodiversity and conservation, science education, museum exhibitions, and collections management. Program labels also show planetarium operations, Urban Advantage, K-12 informal science learning, collaborative research, and museum capacity for science outreach.
Yes. Several organizations appear in multiple years, including Wildlife Conservation Society-Bronx Zoo for Urban Advantage, New York University for Collab Research, the University of Utah for Collab Research, and New York Hall of Science for Urban Advantage.
The typical grant size is $44,872 at the median, with $19,850 at the 25th percentile and $111,889 at the 75th percentile. The recent grants list also includes larger awards for operating and partnership support, such as planetarium maintenance and Urban Advantage.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildlife Conservation Society-Bronx Zoo | Bronx, NY | $433,906 | 2025 | Urban Advantage |
| University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT | $370,704 | 2025 | Collab Research |
| NEW YORK UNIVERSITY | NEW YORK, NY | $343,064 | 2025 | COLLAB RESEARCH |
| American Museum of Natural History PA | New York, NY | $202,172 | 2025 | MAINTAIN PLANETARIUM |
| New York Hall of Science | CORONA, NY | $142,626 | 2025 | URBAN ADVANTAGE |
| Temple University | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $129,464 | 2025 | Collab Research |
| University of Oklahoma | Norman, OK | $119,991 | 2025 | Collab Research |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge, MA | $106,694 | 2025 | Collab Research |
| Staten Island Zoo | STATEN ISLAND, NY | $84,255 | 2025 | URBAN ADVANTAGE |
| Research Foundation of SUNY | Albany, NY | $62,112 | 2025 | COLLAB RESEARCH |
| Brooklyn Botanic Garden Corp | Brooklyn, NY | $49,613 | 2025 | URBAN ADVANTAGE |
| Cornell University | ITHACA, NY | $47,802 | 2025 | Collab Research |
| New York Botanical Garden | BRONX, NY | $39,711 | 2025 | URBAN ADVANTAGE |
| Adler Planetarium | Chicago, IL | $35,042 | 2025 | Collab Research |
| Houston Museum of Natural Science | Houston, TX | $31,060 | 2025 | Collab Research |
| Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond, VA | $28,820 | 2025 | Collab Research |
| Trustees of Dartmouth College | HANOVER, NH | $26,962 | 2025 | Collab Research |
| Friends of the North Carolina Museum | Whiteville, NC | $21,815 | 2025 | Collab Research |
| Denver Museum of Nature and Science | Denver, CO | $21,521 | 2025 | Collab Research |
| Queens Botanical Gardens | FLUSHING, NY | $18,974 | 2025 | URBAN ADVANTAGE |
| Biodiversity Outreach Network | Mesa, AZ | $17,083 | 2025 | Collab Research |
| AURA INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $12,180 | 2025 | COLLAB RESEARCH |
| California Academy of Sciences | San Fran, CA | $10,797 | 2025 | COLLAB RESEARCH |
| American Museum of Natural History PA | New York, NY | $805,657 | 2024 | MAINTAIN PLANETARIUM |
| Wildlife Conservation Society-Bronx Zoo | Bronx, NY | $582,026 | 2024 | Urban Advantage |
| NEW YORK UNIVERSITY | NEW YORK, NY | $254,182 | 2024 | COLLAB RESEARCH |
| New York Hall of Science | CORONA, NY | $196,950 | 2024 | URBAN ADVANTAGE |
| University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT | $191,544 | 2024 | Collab Research |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge, MA | $117,084 | 2024 | Collab Research |
| Staten Island Zoo | STATEN ISLAND, NY | $81,644 | 2024 | URBAN ADVANTAGE |
| Cornell University | ITHACA, NY | $63,370 | 2024 | Collab Research |
| Temple University | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $63,160 | 2024 | Collab Research |
| California Academy of Sciences | San Fran, CA | $57,535 | 2024 | COLLAB RESEARCH |
| New York Botanical Garden | BRONX, NY | $57,294 | 2024 | URBAN ADVANTAGE |
| Brooklyn Botanic Garden Corp | Brooklyn, NY | $56,021 | 2024 | URBAN ADVANTAGE |
| Research Foundation of CUNY | New York, NY | $46,982 | 2024 | Collab Research |
| Adler Planetarium | Chicago, IL | $44,872 | 2024 | Collab Research |
| Houston Museum of Natural Science | Houston, TX | $44,067 | 2024 | Collab Research |
| Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond, VA | $22,884 | 2024 | Collab Research |
| Friends of the North Carolina Museum | Whiteville, NC | $20,726 | 2024 | Collab Research |
| Denver Museum of Nature and Science | Denver, CO | $18,159 | 2024 | Collab Research |
| Queens Botanical Gardens | FLUSHING, NY | $17,669 | 2024 | URBAN ADVANTAGE |
| AURA INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $15,129 | 2024 | COLLAB RESEARCH |
| Trustees of Dartmouth College | HANOVER, NH | $12,270 | 2024 | Collab Research |
| Research Foundation of SUNY | ALBANY, NY | $9,139 | 2024 | Collab Research |
| Wildlife Conservation Society-Bronx Zoo | Bronx, NY | $566,042 | 2023 | Urban Advantage |
| University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT | $231,172 | 2023 | Collab Research |
| NEW YORK UNIVERSITY | NEW YORK, NY | $189,977 | 2023 | COLLAB RESEARCH |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge, MA | $136,062 | 2023 | Collab Research |
| American Museum of Natural History PA | New York, NY | $104,373 | 2023 | MAINTAIN PLANETARIUM |
Wildlife Conservation Society-Bronx Zoo
$433,906Urban Advantage
University of Utah
$370,704Collab Research
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
$343,064COLLAB RESEARCH
American Museum of Natural History PA
$202,172MAINTAIN PLANETARIUM
New York Hall of Science
$142,626URBAN ADVANTAGE
Temple University
$129,464Collab Research
University of Oklahoma
$119,991Collab Research
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
$106,694Collab Research
Staten Island Zoo
$84,255URBAN ADVANTAGE
Research Foundation of SUNY
$62,112COLLAB RESEARCH
Brooklyn Botanic Garden Corp
$49,613URBAN ADVANTAGE
Cornell University
$47,802Collab Research
New York Botanical Garden
$39,711URBAN ADVANTAGE
Adler Planetarium
$35,042Collab Research
Houston Museum of Natural Science
$31,060Collab Research
Virginia Commonwealth University
$28,820Collab Research
Trustees of Dartmouth College
$26,962Collab Research
Friends of the North Carolina Museum
$21,815Collab Research
Denver Museum of Nature and Science
$21,521Collab Research
Queens Botanical Gardens
$18,974URBAN ADVANTAGE
Biodiversity Outreach Network
$17,083Collab Research
AURA INC
$12,180COLLAB RESEARCH
California Academy of Sciences
$10,797COLLAB RESEARCH
American Museum of Natural History PA
$805,657MAINTAIN PLANETARIUM
Wildlife Conservation Society-Bronx Zoo
$582,026Urban Advantage
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
$254,182COLLAB RESEARCH
New York Hall of Science
$196,950URBAN ADVANTAGE
University of Utah
$191,544Collab Research
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
$117,084Collab Research
Staten Island Zoo
$81,644URBAN ADVANTAGE
Cornell University
$63,370Collab Research
Temple University
$63,160Collab Research
California Academy of Sciences
$57,535COLLAB RESEARCH
New York Botanical Garden
$57,294URBAN ADVANTAGE
Brooklyn Botanic Garden Corp
$56,021URBAN ADVANTAGE
Research Foundation of CUNY
$46,982Collab Research
Adler Planetarium
$44,872Collab Research
Houston Museum of Natural Science
$44,067Collab Research
Virginia Commonwealth University
$22,884Collab Research
Friends of the North Carolina Museum
$20,726Collab Research
Denver Museum of Nature and Science
$18,159Collab Research
Queens Botanical Gardens
$17,669URBAN ADVANTAGE
AURA INC
$15,129COLLAB RESEARCH
Trustees of Dartmouth College
$12,270Collab Research
Research Foundation of SUNY
$9,139Collab Research
Wildlife Conservation Society-Bronx Zoo
$566,042Urban Advantage
University of Utah
$231,172Collab Research
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
$189,977COLLAB RESEARCH
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
$136,062Collab Research
American Museum of Natural History PA
$104,373MAINTAIN PLANETARIUM