About W P Carey Foundation
The W P Carey Foundation concentrates very large, multi-million dollar gifts to a small set of major research universities and academic medical centers. Their funding pattern emphasizes institutional philanthropy—capital, program, or endowment-level support—rather than many small community grants, with repeat multi-year awards to flagship universities and hospitals across several states.
Focus Areas
Major university research centers and endowments (e.g., University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins)Public university partnerships and capacity-building at Arizona State UniversityAcademic medical centers and hospital-based research/care (e.g., New York–Presbyterian)Capital projects and institutional program support at elite higher-education institutions
Who They Fund
elite/private research universities (e.g., University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins)public flagship universities (e.g., Arizona State University)academic medical centers and teaching hospitals (e.g., New York–Presbyterian)
About W P Carey Foundation
W P Carey Foundation Inc. stands out for concentrated, multi-million dollar support to a small circle of universities and medical institutions, with repeat awards reaching the same flagship recipients across multiple years. Recent grants include $10,009,999 to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and repeated nine-figure-scale commitments to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and Arizona State University in Tempe. The pattern points to institutional philanthropy rather than a broad portfolio of many small awards. The foundation also backs academic medical and teaching-hospital work through New York Presbyterian Hospital and Johns Hopkins-affiliated programs, alongside higher-education capacity building at schools such as Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. In parallel, it makes smaller but still recurring gifts to K-12 independent schools and select community institutions tied to places significant to the founder, including Baltimore and Philadelphia. Across the record, the same organizations often appear in multiple years, which suggests sustained relationships rather than one-time project support.
What W P Carey Foundation Funds
Higher education is a central theme. W P Carey Foundation Inc. gave $9,347,927 in 2024 and another $9,347,927 in 2025 to University of Pennsylvania, following a $9,042,000 grant in 2023, showing repeated support for the same institution. It also gave $1,500,000 in 2025 to Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. Academic medicine is another clear lane. The foundation awarded $5,123,500 in 2024 and the same amount in 2025 to New York Presbyterian Hospital, then added another $5,107,500 in 2025, indicating a sustained funding relationship. Its community-oriented giving also reaches cultural and civic institutions: in 2025, it gave $1,002,500 to Zoological Society of Philadelphia and $310,000 to Maine Coast Heritage Trust.
How W P Carey Foundation Gives
The typical grant size is relatively small compared with the foundation’s largest awards: p25 is $1,000, median is $5,000, and p75 is $14,250. That distribution sits alongside a separate pattern of very large institutional gifts, including repeated support to the same recipients across multiple years. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. Its grantmaking record shows recurrence rather than one-off activity, with several recipients appearing in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$24.6M
Total Assets
$513.7M
Total Revenue
$18.2M
Total Expenses
$26.9M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $1K and $14K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$1K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$14K
Geographic Reach
National30 states funded
About 32% of grants go to recipients in NY.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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