J.M. Kaplan Fund
/OVERVIEW: The J.M. Kaplan Fund supports organizations that advocate for climate change mitigation, marine conservation, youth justice reform, immigrant rights and historic preservation in the United States and around the world.
IP TAKE: Kaplan typically funds large nonprofits and those with which it has an established relationship. It’s not particularly approachable or accessible for grantseekers.
PROFILE: Established in 1945, the J.M. Kaplan Fund was founded by Jacob M. Kaplan. Much of its endowment derived from the r1950s sale of the Welch’s Grape Juice company. It aims to “champion transformative social, environmental, and cultural causes through inventive grant-making.” Originally founded to support the arts, civil society and historic preservation, the foundation is now led by the third generation of Kaplans and has expanded into human rights and environmental giving. In addition to its work in New York City, Kaplan’s main giving areas are heritage conservation, environment and social justice. It also makes discretionary grants to organizations and causes in which its trustees maintain interest and involvement. A separate funding program, Furthermore, provides grants to support the “publication of nonfiction books that concern the arts, history, and the natural and built environment.” Kaplan also awards the annual J.M.K. Innovation Prize to ten “innovators who are spearheading transformative, early-stage projects in the fields of the environment, heritage conservation, and social justice.”
Grants for Climate Change
Kaplan’s environment program centers on climate change, but also seeks to “champion the protection of threatened natural resources.” Its grantmaking for climate change seeks to “address global climate through advocacy and awareness raising.” Kaplan supports organizations that promote lower greenhouse gas emissions, reduce coal-generating activities in countries with high emissions rates, and advocate for carbon pricing. Past grantees include the Center for Patagonia Ecosystems Research and the Conservation Land Trust.
Grants for Marine Conservation
Kaplan’s environment program’s marine conservation efforts address deep seabed protection, conserving Chilean Patagonia, global climate change and New York City. The fund is particularly interested in protecting the world’s deep sea beds from “destructive mining activities, while working to limit such areas from mining and minimize the adverse impacts of mining where it does occur.” Recent grantees include the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, UCSD’s Scripp’s Institute of Oceanography and the Pew Charitable Trusts, which received funding for their efforts to place limitations on future mining operations on deep-sea beds.
Grants for Criminal Justice Reform, Immigrants and Refugees
The Kaplan Fund’s social justice program supports “just alternatives and reforms to the current criminal justice and immigration enforcement systems, enabling our grantees to build power in communities that are directly impacted by criminalization.” Its grants for youth justice work to reduce rates of youth incarceration, address systemic discrimination, and create system-wide reforms. It primarily supports community-based reform efforts and leadership development. Grantees include the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, the Family Action Network and the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition.
The Kaplan Fund’s grants for immigration work to “strengthen social, civic and economic opportunities for immigrant youth and families, and build power in immigrant communities to shift policy.” It particularly invests in programs that help people affected by immigration enforcement and criminal justice systems. Grantees include the Florida Immigrant Rights Coalition, Living for Change in Arizona, the New Florida Majority and Voces de la Frontera.
Grants for Arts and Culture
The Kaplan Fund’s heritage conservation program is committed to “preserving and conserving cultural heritage.” One of its earliest projects was the restoration of Carnegie Hall when it was scheduled to be demolished in 1957. Today, the fund supports the preservation of cultural heritage throughout the United States, as well as Greco-Roman archaeological sites in the Mediterranean and other historic locations that are threatened by conflict throughout the world. Grantees include Tuskegee University, International Committee for the Conservation of Mosaics, Balkan Heritage Foundation, and Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.
The Kaplan Fund also supports arts and culture via Furthermore, a grant and award program that provides funding toward the publication of nonfiction books “having to do with art, architecture, and design; cultural history, the city, and related public issues; and conservation and preservation.” Grants are intended for books “to which a university press, nonprofit or trade publisher is already committed and for which there is a feasible distribution plan” and those which are intended for an “informed general audience.” See the programs previous grantees page for examples of funded projects.
Other Grantmaking Opportunities
The Kaplan Fund’s J.M.K. Innovation Prize supports innovative individuals or, in some cases, small groups, working on “transformative” projects and initiatives across all of the fund’s grantmaking areas. The theme of the prize changes each year. The themes of recent cycles include “Building Pathways to Collective Power,” “Growing Grassroots Resilience” and “Community-Based Change Agents Rise Up.” Each of ten annual recipients receives $150,000, plus $25,000 for “technical assistance.” The award offers and open application/nomination program, posting procedures and rules early in the year. Interested parties may also sign up for email updates at the program’s webpage.
Important Grant Details:
The majority of the J.M. Kaplan Fund’s grants range from $25,000 to $50,000. While most of its grants go to organizations based in the U.S., international NGOs and organizations operating in other countries do received funding from Kaplan on occasion. Learn about the kind of work the fund supports by exploring its lists of past and current grantees that are linked to its individual program pages.
The J.M. Kaplan Fund does not accept unsolicited grant applications or requests for its regular grantmaking, but Furthermore and the J.M.K. Innovation Prize offer open application/nomination programs. Furthermore accepts applications for its publishing grants. Furthermore grants are awarded in amounts ranging from $1,500 to $15,000 through two annual grant cycles. Application due dates are on the first of March and September. For general inquiries, contact the foundation via telephone at (212) 767-0630.
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