New York · Nonprofit
Research Foundation of the City University of New York
Research Foundation of the City University of New York (New York) receives grants from 348 organizations whose IRS filings report $309,731,378 to it, the largest being THE FOUNDATION FOR CITY COLLEGE ($36,328,132). 194 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2025
- $668M
- Funders on record
- 348
- Grants received
- $310M
- Net assets
- $174M
What Research Foundation of the City University of New York does
Mission
The Research Foundation of the City University of New York (the foundation) is a private, not-for-profit educational corporation chartered by the state of new york in 1963. Although the foundation performs a variety of services for the city university of new york (the university), it is a separate legal entity governed by its own board of directors and operated by its own management team pursuant to the foundation's bylaws, policies and procedures. The foundation receives, holds and administers gifts, grants and contracts; acts as trustee of educational or charitable trusts; finances the conduct of studies and research in all fields of intellectual inquiry; assists in developing and increasing facilities; and performs other tasks in support of the educational and community service objectives of the university. The foundation employs staff; enters into contractual relationships; and acquires such facilities, goods and services as are appropriate to its purpose.
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Programs
Organized research - includes all externally funded research activities, both basic and applied, and all development activities. A systematic, intensive study intended to increase knowledge or understanding of the subject studied, specifically directed toward applying a new knowledge to meet a recognized need, or a systematic application of knowledge to the production of useful materials, devises, and systems or methods, including design, development, and improvement of prototypes and new processes to meet specific requirements. It also includes activities related to training of individuals in research techniques (commonly called research training) where such activities utilize the same facilities as other research development activities.
$233,724,003 spentof which $36,624,271 as grants$13,446,381 earned by the program38% of program spendingOther sponsored activity - programs and projects funded by federal and non-federal agencies and organizations that involve the performance of work or activities that are not considered instruction and organized research that benefit the general public or sectors of the community. Osa typically include community outreach or development of public education programs.
$174,824,074 spentof which $25,887,090 as grants$9,168,604 earned by the program28% of program spendingInstruction/training - includes all sponsored teaching and training activities, except for research training, of an institution whether offered for credit toward a degree or certificate, on a non-credit basis, or through regular academic departments or by separate divisions, such as summer session.
$159,861,708 spentof which $15,003,885 as grants$8,943,682 earned by the program26% of program spendingOther institutional activity - when activities are undertaken by the institution without outside support, they may be classified as other institutional activities. Oia typically includes auxiliary enterprises in support of activities which include: student unions, dining halls, athletics, residence halls, theatres, etc.
$53,227,596 spentof which $515,978 as grants$10,833,604 earned by the program9% of program spending
The 4 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $621,637,381.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2021 to 2022, from $439M to $513M (+17%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2017 57% · 2019 68% · 2020 68% · 2021 68% · 2022 67% · 2023 66% · 2024 66% · 2025 64%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
93% of Research Foundation of the City University of New York’s revenue is contributions — more reliant on donations than three-quarters of its peers (14% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 0 of the last 8 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Board chair
Felix Matos Rodriguez
Chairperson
As listed on its FY2025 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 85 funders to 121 funders, grant income rose $19M → $41M.
34 of 348 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 13% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
From the IRS filings of Research Foundation of the City University of New York’s funders (the co-funder graph). Top 30 of 348 funders by total. Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
Research Foundation of the City University of New York has a broad base — no single funder exceeds 12% of grant income, and it takes 7 funders to reach half.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 7 funders to its left
60% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund Research Foundation of the City University of New York.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 18% · 2018 21% · 2019 19% · 2020 16% · 2021 17% · 2022 16% · 2023 26% — growing more concentrated.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How long its funders stay
39% of Research Foundation of the City University of New York's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 56% give in more than one year at all.
Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.
Where its funders are
63% of Research Foundation of the City University of New York's grant income comes from New York funders.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $40M arriving through sponsors registered in 16 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
Research Foundation of the City University of New York holds deeper cash reserves than three-quarters of the 684 education nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 684 education nonprofits over $100M, FY2025
Government funding Research Foundation of the City University of New York receives
Grants and contracts to this organization from federal (USASpending) and state checkbooks, reconciled to its EIN. $1.5B on record.
- Department of Health and Human Services$537.6M
- National Science Foundation$314.5M
- Department of Education$308.7M
- Department of Energy$113.9M
- Department of Defense$73.0M
- Department of Commerce$45.9M
Federal grants vs contracts are distinguished; state line items keep their reported category. Matched by name + geography (the BMF), so coverage is partial and precision-first.
Organizations like Research Foundation of the City University of New York
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In New York
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
93% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
96%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 4 states
Part of a family of 2 related entities
- 230 West 41st Street LLC · disregarded
- Grants Plus Inc · exempt
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for Research Foundation of the City University of New York: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds Research Foundation of the City University of New York?
- Research Foundation of the City University of New York (New York) receives grants from 348 organizations whose IRS filings report $309,731,378 to it, the largest being THE FOUNDATION FOR CITY COLLEGE ($36,328,132). 194 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does Research Foundation of the City University of New York have?
- IRS filings report 348 organizations giving $309,731,378 in grants to Research Foundation of the City University of New York, 194 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of Research Foundation of the City University of New York?
- THE FOUNDATION FOR CITY COLLEGE is the largest funder on record, with $36,328,132 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like Research Foundation of the City University of New York find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in New York. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2025 (financials across 2017–2025), and the filings of 348 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 22, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing