NEW YORK, NY — 1/15/2026 —The Revson Foundation is pleased to share the organizations and initiatives supported through its 2025 grantmaking. This year’s grants advance a vibrant civic society through the Foundation’s core program areas: Education, Jewish Life, Biomedical Research, and Urban Affairs, reflecting Revson’s ongoing commitment to expand knowledge, advance democratic values, and pursue the public good.
The Education and Urban Affairs Programs invest in the future of New York City and the institutions and infrastructure that promote an informed and engaged citizenry. In this funding cycle, the Foundation supported a range of initiatives that strengthen independent journalism, improve New York City’s public spaces and civic squares, and advance the ideas and new efforts of the next generation of civic leaders. Grants also addressed critical citywide challenges, including housing and homelessness, workforce shortages, and community-based cultural and artistic efforts that contribute to vibrant, inclusive neighborhoods across New York City.
The Jewish Life Program supports organizations in Israel and North America helping to meet social and spiritual needs of diverse communities, particularly in multi-faith, multi-ethnic, and public settings. In Israel, grants in this funding cycle supported urban planning in the Arab sector, with a focus on developing green, open space in Arab towns, and also worked to strengthen independent media. In North America, they advanced support for local Jewish media, Jewish life on CUNY campuses, and community chaplaincy.
The Biomedical Research Program is dedicated to strengthening experimental basic research in the biomedical sciences and expanding inclusivity within the field. In 2025, the Foundation continued its long-standing commitment to early-career scientists through the Charles H. Revson Senior Fellowship in Biomedical Science, awarding two-year fellowships to outstanding third- and fourth-year postdoctoral researchers at eight institutions across the tri-state area. Additional support was provided in partnership with the Burroughs Wellcome Fund to advance the Postdoctoral Enrichment Program, supporting underrepresented postdoctoral fellows conducting research in the New York metropolitan region.
Below is the complete list of grants awarded in 2025:
Urban Affairs
Cornell University—$600,000—To support pro bono legal services to local news outlets in the NYC metro area.
Fund for the City of New York—$200,000—To support the Open Hearts Initiative and their work to build support for housing and services for New Yorkers experiencing homelessness.
Fund for the City of New York—$300,000—To support Vital City and their efforts to advance new thinking and strategies that build thriving cities.
Supportive Housing Network of New York—$75,000—To provide general operating support to the Supportive Housing Network of New York.
THE CITY—$300,000—To provide general operating support to THE CITY.
Urban Design Forum—$200,000—To support The Local Center and its transformation of neighborhood public space.
YMCA of Greater New York—$400,000—To support the YMCA of Greater New York in addressing New York City’s lifeguard shortage.
Renaissance Philanthropy Fund—$25,000—To support Pilot Pitchfest.
Manhattan Institute for Policy Research—$25,000—To support an update of the report “Systems Under Strain.”
ArtBridge Projects—$50,000—To support Art on the Ave.
Urban Design Forum—$50,000—To support the first census of New York City’s public spaces.
JustFund—$32,500—To support the Haven Fund.
THE CITY—$25,000—To support FAQ NYC.
The Bridge, Inc.—$10,000—To support artists living with serious mental illness.
Greater NY Foundation Inc—$30,000—To support Greater New York’s BIPOC Leadership Initiative.
Jewish Life
UJA Federation of New York—$250,000—To support UJA-Federation of New York in its work with the Hillels at the City University of New York.
El Bayader for Socio-Economic Development, Ltd.—$350,000—To support MASAHA: Advancing Public Open Space in Arab Towns.
70 Faces Media—$250,000—To support professional development that will help build digital and reporting capacity of local Jewish media.
Sikkuy-Aufoq: For a Shared and Equal Society—$75,000—To provide general support for urban planning in Arab society.
Center for Media and Democracy in Israel—$160,000—To support the Center for Media and Democracy’s investigative journalism with a focus on reporters from communities underrepresented in Israel’s media, including Arab society.
Footsteps—$110,000—To provide general operating support to Footsteps.
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Inc.—$15,000—To support the Rabbinic Intern Pilot Program of the Task Force on Arab Citizens of Israel.
Jewish Book Council—$12,500—To support Jewish Book Month 100.
The Movement for Freedom of Information in Israel—$35,000—To support development of philanthropic strategies to strengthen independent media in Israel.
BAMAH—$30,000—To support the Cultural Bridge Initiative bringing Israeli artists to HBCUs.
EretzIr—$25,000—To support the multi-sector Round Table Promoting Sustainable Social and Communal Urban Renewal.
Northeastern Hillel—$35,000—To support Advancing Community Chaplaincy on Campus (AC3).
Biomedical Research
The Charles H. Revson Senior Fellowship in Biomedical Science—$1,972,786—To support eight biomedical science postdoctoral students with two-year fellowships at eight metro-area institutions.
Burroughs Wellcome Fund Postdoctoral Diversity Enrichment Program Revson Scholars—$300,000—To support the career development and success of five underrepresented postdoctoral students in biomedical and medical research at metro-area institutions.