The O'grady Foundation Incorporated
The O'Grady Foundation is an independent private foundation (est. 1994 by Thomas and Kathleen O'Grady) based in New York that supports arts and educational organizations. The official site lists the foundation address (140 East 81st Street, New York), contact email ([email protected]), and a Grants Paid section and states unsolicited proposals are no longer accepted.
Source: Website · Mar 2026
Ideal Applicant
An arts or education nonprofit (often New York-based) seeking general operating or project support and able to submit a concise two-page letter of inquiry plus IRS determination and a recent Form 990.
Good Fit
- • Organization is an arts, museum, theater, or education institution.
- • Organization operates in New York or has strong New York programming or presence.
- • Request is for general operating support or a defined project and fits the foundation’s typical grant size range (mostly small-to-mid grants).
- • Applicant can provide a two-page letter of inquiry, IRS determination letter, and most recent 990.
- • Organization is comfortable with a rolling, discretionary review process rather than a competitive online application.
Geography
Giving is heavily New York–focused: the latest year shows funds and counts concentrated in NY (about 81% of dollars) despite gifts to a handful of other states.
Recipient Variety
The foundation funded a large and diverse set of organizations in the latest year (56 distinct recipients) and regularly adds many new grantees, so the observed recipient set is broad for the foundation's size.
New Applicants
Direct evidence supports newcomer access: roughly half of 2024 recipients were new, the foundation posts letter-of-inquiry instructions and a named contact with a rolling submission approach, though the website also contains a statement saying unsolicited proposals are no longer accepted, introducing some ambiguity.
Source: Zeffy Agent · Mar 2026
