Foundations That Fund Recreation & Sports in New York

2,591 foundations reported 11,260 grants worth $432.7M to recreation & sports organizations in New York on their most recent tax filings. Here is who they are — and which ones actually accept applications.

22%accept unsolicited requests (570 of 2,591)
$2Kmedian grant
2,591funders
$432.7Mtotal granted
67%of grantees funded again next year
Why the first number matters. Most private foundations state on their tax return that they give only to organizations they select themselves. Applying to those is wasted effort. The figure above counts only the foundations in this group that did not check that box.

Repeat funding in recreation & sports, New York

Across 318 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 recreation & sports in New York 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.

FoundationBased inTypical grantGrants madeGranted here
The Bank of America CharitableCharlotte, NC$500255$971K
American Express FoundationNew York, NY$85106$41K
Dick's Sporting Goods FoundationCoraopolis, PA$5K94$878K
Pinkerton FoundationNew York, NY$75K52$5.1M
Ge FoundationNorwalk, CT$27548$45K
The Hyde and Watson FoundationWarren Township, NJ$10K46$459K
The Ford FoundationNew York, NY$75043$271K
Altman FoundationNew York, NY$50K38$2.2M
The Allstate FoundationNorthbrook, IL$1K38$480K
Pioneer Bank Charitable FoundationAlbany, NY$82531$50K
560 more foundations in New York fund recreation & sports and accept requests. The weekly email includes the full ranked list, each funder's recent grantees, and an alert when a new filing matches your profile.

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.

FoundationTypical grantGranted hereApplications
Druckenmiller Foundation$25.0M$50.0MPreselected only
The Rob Walton Foundation$9.8M$48.7MPreselected only
Paul Simons Foundation Inc$10.7M$42.4MPreselected only
Shelby Cullom Davis Charitable Fund Inc$125K$25.8MPreselected only
Thomas L Kempner JR Foundation$5.3M$16.4MPreselected only

Get the full New York recreation & sports funder list

Join nonprofit leaders getting new New York 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 New York

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.

New York
$306.5M
Stony Brook
$42.5M
Bronx
$16.1M
Brooklyn
$11.1M
White Plains
$9.8M
Ny
$7.4M

How to use this list

  1. Start with the foundations that accept requests. The rest almost never respond to unsolicited approaches.
  2. Check whether they fund organizations your size. The median grant here is $2K — a funder writing $2K checks is unlikely to write you a six-figure one.
  3. Look for a local connection. Foundations concentrate their giving geographically, and repeat the same grantees year after year.
  4. Read their recent grants before writing. Past giving tells you what they actually fund, which is often narrower than their stated mission.
What this data can and cannot tell you. These figures come from foundations' own IRS filings, which are published about a year after the tax year ends. This is a record of who each foundation has funded, not a list of open application deadlines. It is a strong predictor — most foundations repeat most of their grantees — but it is history, not a live feed. Full methodology.