What We Fund

Mertz Gilmore Foundation invests in organizations supporting the New York dance community as well as organizations working to build and maintain strong, vibrant communities across the country and in New York. The Foundation only funds organizations based in and working in the United States. We do not fund individuals, endowments or religious concerns. We do not accept unsolicited proposals.

A New Chapter Shaped by a Financial Turning Point

Since the creation of the Mertz Gilmore Foundation, we have been powered not only by our endowment, but also by income from trusts established by the family through the business they created: Publishers Clearing House (PCH). SSince the foundation was established, all income received from trusts supported grantmaking, in accordance with trust laws. In 2023, the Foundation learned it would no longer be receiving income from these trusts associated with PCH. In 2025, PCH filed for bankruptcy, formally closing a financial chapter that allowed the Mertz Gilmore Foundation to resource grantee partners with these additional resources.

Because of this loss of income, Mertz Gilmore had to scale back grantmaking from approximately $12 million in 2023 to $7 million in 2024 and 2025, with additional cuts anticipated in the future. Grantmaking is one essential part of a wider range of tools to catalyze change. Given these financial realities, Mertz Gilmore is continuing to deepen the understanding of what additional levers for impact are, including work to become fully mission-aligned through our endowment.

Invited Applicants

You can access your application form by logging on to the portal here. Please note the form will only be visible on the homepage of your organization's primary contact.

REMOVING UNNECCESSARY BARRIERS: UPDATES TO OUR GRANTMAKING APPLICATION

In 2025, Mertz Gilmore streamlined our grantmaking application process to ease the burden on our grantees. After talking to grantees to understand the biggest pain points they were experiencing, and with additional insights from legal counsel, staff, and board, we eliminated narrative proposals and budgets from our application requirements for general operating support grants, with narrative and financial reports no longer required at the end of the grant period for general operating support grants. We know there are better ways to deepen our understanding of and connection to grantees than through lengthy and burdensome grant application requirements, and are excited for our partners to be able to focus their brilliance and energy on the work rather than reporting about it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Mertz Gilmore making changes to the application requirements?

Since 2023, we have been reviewing our grant making and other internal systems.

What are the changes to Mertz Gilmore’s application requirements?

The application requirements were updated with the intent to reduce the burden on grant applicants and to streamline the process. The new application includes a questionnaire seeking targeted information, and eliminates sections formerly requiring lengthy writing, reporting requirements, and supporting documents we previously requested.

Do the updated application requirements indicate any programmatic changes at the Foundation? 

There are no current changes to the Foundation’s programs. (You can find FAQs about changes to past grantmaking budgets here.)

Do the streamlined requirements apply retroactively? 

The new requirements will become effective starting with the spring 2025 grant cycle. They cannot be applied for past grants or grants that are currently active.

Do they apply to grants in all program areas?

Yes, the streamlined requirements apply across all the foundation’s grantmaking.

 How do the updated application requirements apply to fiscally sponsored work? 

The updated application requirements apply to all applications, including those organizations and projects that are fiscally sponsored. Organizations and projects that are fiscally sponsored may be invited to apply for a project grant. Applicants will be required to share: mission statement of fiscally sponsored organization or project; brief description of fiscally sponsored organizations or project’s proposed activities to be funded (approx. 100 words); current budget of fiscally sponsored organization or project; most recent audited financial statements of the fiscal sponsor organization; and fiscal sponsorship agreement or Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).