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New York · Private foundation

The Jane Henson Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$773k
Granted FY2025(still arriving)
27
Grants FY2025
28
Organizations funded FY2024
11%
First-time grantees FY2024
Read the full brief
Median grant, FY2025
$5,000
Largest grant, FY2025
$500,000
Organizations funded a year
28 to 51
FY2018 to FY2024
States reached, FY2025
15
Total assets, FY2025
$5.7M
Applications
Preselected organizations only
Per its most recent filing; check its own site

How open it is to new grantees

In FY2024, 11% of the organizations The Jane Henson Foundation funded were first-time grantees, receiving 2% of its grant dollars.

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 98% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $15k went to new ones.

50%100%’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
Arts & CultureEnvironmentEducationFood & NutritionCommunity ImprovementHuman ServicesOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.
The numbers by year
Fiscal yearOrganizations fundedTo those organizationsFirst-time grantees
FY2025still arriving26$768k0%
FY202428$750k11%
FY202335$365k3%
FY202241$570k7%
FY202142$395k50%
FY202029$332k28%
FY201939$326k33%
FY201851$365k55%
99% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Arts & Culture$3.7MEducation$293kReligion$66kEnvironment$37kPhilanthropy$35kFood & Nutrition$14kAnimals$13kCivil Rights$13kOther$0

Where its grants go

Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.

Which US states its grants reach

ME
VT
WA
MN
IL
WI
MI
NY
MA
PA
CT
CA
CO
NE
VA
MD
AZ
NM
NC
SC
DC
OK
MS
AL
GA
FL

Top grantees

Largest recipients by total granted, FY2017 to FY2025, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.

Show all 76 grantees
All grantees of The Jane Henson Foundation by total granted
GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
American Museum of the Moving Image$1,380,00096%
Center for Puppetry Artsinc$515,00092%
The Jim Henson Foundation$285,000811%
Eugene O'Neill Memorial Theater Center Inc$220,00091%
The Puppeteers of America Inc$144,000917%
The Jim Henson Legacy Inc$125,0008100%
The University of Connecticut Foundation Inc$120,00060%
Unima USA Inc$107,000928%
University of Maryland College Park Foundation Inc$70,00070%
Sesame Workshop$39,00090%
Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum$30,00090%
The Mead School for Human Development Inc$28,00060%
St Paul the Apostle$27,0009n/a
Artsconnection Inc$26,00060%
Academy Foundation$25,00050%
Great Arizona Puppet Theater Inc$24,00052%
Open Eye Theatre$24,00052%
Puppet Showplace Inc$24,00051%
Automata Arts$24,000515%
Wnet$22,00060%
Bob Baker Marionette Theater$21,00050%
Smithsonian Institution$20,00010%
Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Parish Corporation$17,0006n/a
The National Museum of Women in the Arts$16,00050%
Black Cherry Inc$15,00038%
Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival$15,00020%
Museum of Wisconsin Art Inc$15,00030%
Puppetry in Practice Inc$15,00032%
The New 42nd Street Inc$14,00020%
Society of the Educational Arts Inc$12,00030%
Art Start$12,00031%
National Wildlife Federation$12,00040%
Studio in a School Association Inc$12,00030%
The Cedars of Marin$12,00030%
Franklin County Historical Society- Kittochtinny$10,00015%
The Contemporary Jewish Museum$10,00010%
Open Channels New York Inc dba Dixon Place$10,00031%
The Edison Institute Inc$10,00010%
Greenwich Historical Society Inc$10,00020%
Maryland Historical Society Inc$10,00010%
Grand Rapids Art Museum$10,00010%
The Durham Museum$10,00010%
Puppet Celebration Inc$10,0002n/a
Albuquerque Museum Foundation Incorporated$10,00011%
Skirball Cultural Center$10,00010%
Cornwall Conservation Trust Inc$9,00031%
Drama of Works Inc$9,0003n/a
Mayo Street Arts$9,00021%
Michelee Puppets Inc$8,00022%
American Banjo Museum Inc$8,00021%
God's Love We Deliver Inc$7,00020%
City Harvest Inc$7,00020%
Central Park Conservancy Inc$6,00020%
Southern Poverty Law Center Inc$5,00010%
Saint's Place$5,0001n/a
California Institute of the Arts$5,00010%
Green's Farms Church$5,0001n/a
Ocean Conservancy$4,00010%
The Coral Reef Alliance$4,00010%
St Thomas Episcopal Church$4,0002n/a
Home for Contemporary Theatre and Art Ltd dba HERE Art Center$4,00010%
Center for the Study of Young People in Groups$4,00011%
Queens Historical Society$4,00022%
Goldsboro Front Porch Council Inc$3,00013%
The Rhine Research Center Inc$3,00012%
Prairie Plains Resource Inst$3,00010%
Hyattsville Community Development Corporation$3,0001n/a
New York City Fire Museum$3,0001n/a
National Lawyers Guild Foundation Inc$2,50010%
Wachiska Audubon Society Inc$2,00011%
Friends of Bucks Rock Inc$2,0001n/a
National Parks Conservation Association$1,00010%
Wildlife Conservation Society$1,00010%
City Parks Foundation Inc$1,00010%
American Craft Council$1,00010%
Historical Society of Washington DC dba DC History Center$1,0001n/a

What it could do for these grantees

Plus 35 recipients with no EIN on record ($436k), not named here.

Where it is load-bearing

The Jane Henson Foundation supplied at least a quarter of the budget for 2 of its grantees at some point. The chart plots its 65 largest grantees; load-bearing ones sit top left.

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetAmerican Museum of the Moving Image: $1,380,000 over 9y, 6.2% of budgetCenter for Puppetry Artsinc: $515,000 over 9y, 2.3% of budgetThe Jim Henson Foundation: $285,000 over 8y, 11% of budgetEugene O'Neill Memorial Theater Center Inc: $220,000 over 9y, 0.8% of budgetThe Puppeteers of America Inc: $144,000 over 9y, 17% of budgetThe Jim Henson Legacy Inc: $125,000 over 8y, 100% of budgetThe University of Connecticut Foundation Inc: $120,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetUnima USA Inc: $107,000 over 9y, 28% of budgetUniversity of Maryland College Park Foundation Inc: $70,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetSesame Workshop: $39,000 over 9y, 0.0% of budgetMargaret Woodbury Strong Museum: $30,000 over 9y, 0.0% of budgetThe Mead School for Human Development Inc: $28,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetArtsconnection Inc: $26,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetAcademy Foundation: $25,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetGreat Arizona Puppet Theater Inc: $24,000 over 5y, 1.8% of budgetOpen Eye Theatre: $24,000 over 5y, 1.6% of budgetPuppet Showplace Inc: $24,000 over 5y, 1.1% of budgetAutomata Arts: $24,000 over 5y, 15% of budgetWnet: $22,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetBob Baker Marionette Theater: $21,000 over 5y, 0.4% of budgetSmithsonian Institution: $20,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetThe National Museum of Women in the Arts: $16,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetBlack Cherry Inc: $15,000 over 3y, 7.9% of budgetChicago International Puppet Theater Festival: $15,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetMuseum of Wisconsin Art Inc: $15,000 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetPuppetry in Practice Inc: $15,000 over 3y, 1.6% of budgetThe New 42nd Street Inc: $14,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetSociety of the Educational Arts Inc: $12,000 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetArt Start: $12,000 over 3y, 1.3% of budgetNational Wildlife Federation: $12,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetStudio in a School Association Inc: $12,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetThe Cedars of Marin: $12,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetFranklin County Historical Society- Kittochtinny: $10,000 over 1y, 4.7% of budgetThe Contemporary Jewish Museum: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetOpen Channels New York Inc dba Dixon Place: $10,000 over 3y, 0.8% of budgetThe Edison Institute Inc: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGreenwich Historical Society Inc: $10,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetMaryland Historical Society Inc: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetGrand Rapids Art Museum: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetThe Durham Museum: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetAlbuquerque Museum Foundation Incorporated: $10,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetSkirball Cultural Center: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCornwall Conservation Trust Inc: $9,000 over 3y, 1.3% of budgetMayo Street Arts: $9,000 over 2y, 1.1% of budgetMichelee Puppets Inc: $8,000 over 2y, 1.7% of budgetAmerican Banjo Museum Inc: $8,000 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetGod's Love We Deliver Inc: $7,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCity Harvest Inc: $7,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budget

Tap a dot to name the grantee.

How this is measured
Share of budget is the funder’s grant in a year over the grantee’s total revenue that year, at its highest across the years we hold; revenue is from all sources. Only grantees confirmed against their own filings, whose grants do not exceed their revenue, are plotted: the largest 65.

Nonprofits that may fit its grantmaking

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

The Jim Henson FoundationNY30.4× affinity12 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Jim Henson Foundation · New England Foundation for the Arts Incorporated · The Marc Dunworth Foundation for the Performing Arts · The Ford Foundation · Jerome Foundation Inc · The Howard Gilman Foundation Inc · Ibm International Foundation · The Shubert Foundation Inc · California Community Foundation · National Philanthropic Trust · Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

Compare The Jane Henson Foundation with peer funders

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to The Jane Henson Foundation?

Find your warmest path to The Jane Henson Foundation through trustees and officers whose names appear on both boards. Search for your organization and Plinth traces the shortest route it can evidence.

Each link is a name appearing on two organizations’ public IRS 990 filings, matched on that name and, where the filings support it, on location. A same-state match has geographic support, which is a second matching feature rather than confirmation that the two are one person; a cross-state one is the likeliest to be two people who share a name. Every hop shows its tier, low-confidence and distant paths are held back rather than guessed, and it is worth confirming the person before you use the introduction.

About The Jane Henson Foundation

How much does The Jane Henson Foundation give?
The Jane Henson Foundation reported 27 grants totaling $773,000 in its FY2025 IRS filing. It funded between 28 and 51 organizations a year over FY2018 to FY2024.
What does The Jane Henson Foundation fund?
By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2025, its largest causes are Arts & Culture (87%), Education (7%), Religion (2%).
Who are The Jane Henson Foundation's largest grantees?
By total granted over FY2017 to FY2025: American Museum of the Moving Image ($1.4M), Center for Puppetry Artsinc ($515k), The Jim Henson Foundation ($285k).
Does The Jane Henson Foundation fund new organizations?
In FY2024, 11% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
Does The Jane Henson Foundation accept unsolicited applications?
Its most recent filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and does not take unsolicited requests. Check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.
Which funders back the same organizations as The Jane Henson Foundation?
Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include The Jim Henson Foundation, New England Foundation for the Arts Incorporated, The Marc Dunworth Foundation for the Performing Arts.
Where is The Jane Henson Foundation based?
The Jane Henson Foundation is based in NY.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 114 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

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