Foundations That Fund Arts & Culture in District of Columbia
3,204 foundations reported 11,764 grants worth $908.2M to arts & culture organizations in District of Columbia on their most recent tax filings. Here is who they are — and which ones actually accept applications.
Repeat funding in arts & culture, District of Columbia
Across 407 funder-year observations in this group, a typical foundation funded 67% of the same organizations again the following year. That is the core reason historical giving data is useful: past grantees are the best available predictor of future ones. It also means a funder with no history in your cause rarely starts with you.
Foundations that fund arts & culture in District of Columbia and accept requests
These are the funders worth your time first: each one granted to this cause in this state, and none of them told the IRS it only funds organizations it picks itself. Ordered by how many grants they made — a foundation writing dozens of cheques is far more approachable than one writing two huge ones. Typical grant is the median, so you can judge whether you are their size.
| Foundation | Based in | Typical grant | Grants made | Granted here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz | Washington, DC | $30K | 179 | $13.5M |
| The Bank of America Charitable | Charlotte, NC | $500 | 114 | $2.4M |
| The Ford Foundation | New York, NY | $150K | 96 | $28.7M |
| Dimick Foundation | Washington, MD | $4K | 82 | $346K |
| The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation | Menlo Park, CA | $125K | 53 | $12.0M |
| The Andrew W Mellon Foundation | New York, NY | $600K | 44 | $49.5M |
| Max & Victoria Dreyfus Foundation Inc | Washington, DC | $8K | 41 | $347K |
| Reinsch Pierce Family Foundation Inc | Arlington, VA | $2K | 36 | $244K |
| The Shubert Foundation Inc | New York, NY | $55K | 33 | $2.9M |
| Eugene M Lang Foundation | New York, NY | $12K | 32 | $1.4M |
The largest funders — for reference
These give the most money to this cause in this state, but most do not accept unsolicited requests, and their grants are usually far larger than a small organization would seek. Useful context, not a target list.
| Foundation | Typical grant | Granted here | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lilly Endowment Inc | $1.8M | $95.4M | Accepts requests |
| Wem Foundation | $15K | $75.2M | Preselected only |
| The Andrew W Mellon Foundation | $600K | $49.5M | Accepts requests |
| Ann B & Thomas L Friedman Family Found | $10K | $37.5M | Preselected only |
| The Ford Foundation | $150K | $28.7M | Accepts requests |
Get the full District of Columbia arts & culture funder list
Join nonprofit leaders getting new District of Columbia funder matches by email each week. Free.
No spam, unsubscribe in one click. We never sell or share your address.
Where the money actually goes in District of Columbia
Total granted to organizations in each city. Funding is usually far more concentrated than people expect, which matters when you are judging your own odds.
How to use this list
- Start with the foundations that accept requests. The rest almost never respond to unsolicited approaches.
- Check whether they fund organizations your size. The median grant here is $5K — a funder writing $5K checks is unlikely to write you a six-figure one.
- Look for a local connection. Foundations concentrate their giving geographically, and repeat the same grantees year after year.
- Read their recent grants before writing. Past giving tells you what they actually fund, which is often narrower than their stated mission.