The Charles And Joan Gross Family
The Charles and Joan Gross Family Foundation supports creative activity in the arts, with particular emphasis on dance and music, commissioning original music for choreographers and awarding the Gross Family Prize. The site publishes mission and grant guidelines and highlights recent commissions and prize winners.
Source: Website · Mar 2026
Ideal Applicant
Small-to-mid sized 501(c)(3) arts organizations (especially in dance and music) seeking commissioning support for new music or related performance projects with a clear premiere plan.
Good Fit
- • Is a tax-exempt arts organization producing dance or music with a firm premiere date.
- • Seeks funding specifically for an artist commission or new score and can submit a commissioning budget and composer/choreographer bios.
- • Can provide performance documentation (video/DVD) and permissions for review.
- • Has a track record or regional presence that aligns with the foundation’s past grantees (New York and a few other states).
Geography
Grants in the latest year went to organizations in four states with a strong concentration in New York (about 52% of dollars), and prior years showed giving across up to six states; the footprint is multi-state but regionally concentrated.
Recipient Variety
The foundation funded 11 distinct recipients in the latest year (and 17 the prior year), supporting multiple independent arts organizations rather than a single beneficiary, with a modest set of repeat grantees across years.
New Applicants
Direct evidence shows numerous new recipients in recent years (six new in the latest year, eleven the year before), but the foundation’s public materials and default application note that grants are typically to preselected applicants, so unsolicited entry is possible but selective.
Source: Zeffy Agent · Mar 2026
