Bay and Paul Foundations
OVERVIEW: The Bay & Paul Foundations support transformative pre-K-12 learning, arts and humanities education, indigenous communities, research for ecosystem integrity and civil society and human rights. The foundations are active in New York and New Jersey but fund projects in other areas of the United States as well.
IP TAKE: The Bay & Paul Foundations do not accept unsolicited inquiries or proposals. Regardless of the funding area, these foundations frame their funding as support for social movements and expect grant seekers’ proposals to demonstrate both program rigor and a vision for “contributing to civil society.” Grantseekers who are new to this foundation may wish to reach out to members of the foundations’ board of directors, whose names are located on the organization’s website.
PROFILE: The Bay & Paul Foundations are the result of a 2005 merger of the Bay Foundation (established 1950) and the Josephine Bay Paul and C. Michael Paul Foundation (established 1962), both of which were established by Josephine Bay Paul, a former president of the A. M. Kidder securities company. Based in New York City, these funders previously operated as sister foundations, but now operate as a single entity to “support organizations that prepare agents of change working to strengthen our social compact and develop authentic solutions to the problems of this pivotal century.” The foundations’ five main areas of focus are Transformative Pre-K-12 Learning, Arts and Humanities Education, Support for Indigenous Communities, Research for Ecosystem Integrity and Civil Society and Human Rights.
Across all funding areas, other key words reinforcing this foundation’s view of its grantmaking as a social movement are found in its values statement: Courage, patience, humility, listening, understanding, collaboration, opportunities.
Grants for Early Childhood and K-12 Education
Funding for K-12 education stems from the foundations’ transformative pre-K-12 learning and arts and humanities education programs. The transformative learning initiative supports projects in which students and educators collaborate in the development of “environments that contribute to strengthening civil society” with an emphasis on youth voice and agency. Through its arts and humanities education program the foundations support projects that move beyond the academic study of the arts to involve communities in the development of cultural literacy. While the Bay & Paul Foundations do not restrict their funding geographically, many of their grantees operate in the greater New York-New Jersey area. Past grantees include Up for Learning, which uses researched based methods to improve the working relationships of teachers and students, and the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, which connects a diverse body of students to musical traditions from around the world through a rigorous after school program.
Grants for Arts Education
Through their Arts & Humanities Education focus area, the Bay & Paul Foundations support efforts to “engage the broader community to help youth and adults acquire powerful expressive literacies and cross-cultural intelligences.” The foundation distinguishes itself from other arts education funders by stressing its interest in adults as well as youth. In fact, The Bay & Paul Foundations emphasize that while a program can take place in a classroom setting, it is more interesting to them if it does not. The foundation encourages outside the box thinking and favors “initiatives that engage the broader community to help youth and adults acquire powerful expressive literacies and cross-cultural intelligences.” Past visual arts grantees include the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA, and the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, VT, through the Educational Applications of Cultural Collections funding stream. Through Arts & Humanities Education, past visual arts grantees include The Millay Colony for the Arts in Austerlitz, and BRIC Arts in Brooklyn, NY.
Grants for Global Security, Human Rights, Civic and Democracy, Indigenous Rights, and Journalism
The Bay & Paul Foundations’ Civil Society and Human Rights focus area supports organizations committed to the rule of law in the United States and globally, especially those that target “government corruption and kleptocracy” as threats to democracy. It funds programs such as those that “demand government accountability, expose abuses, protect legal rights and enable access to justice and legal remedies.” These grants have funded the Global Investigative Journalism Network and the Journalism Development Network.
The foundation also supports human and civil rights through its Support for Indigenous Communities focus area. It broadly funds efforts to support indigenous peoples in “strengthening self-governance and control over their assets,” “developing land stewardship via traditional knowledge, culture, and sustainable development,” and “advocating for Indigenous Peoples’ rights within local, national and international forums.” Historically, the Bay & Paul Foundations have primarily funded this field through First Peoples Worldwide’s regranting program, the Keepers of the Earth Fund.
Grants for Environmental Conservation, Animals and Wildlife
The Bay & Paul Foundations funds conservation work through its Research & Initiatives for Ecosystem Integrity focus area, with an additional aim to “preserve or repair biodiversity” by supporting work “often emphasizing culturally significant natural heritage conservation.” The foundation also suggests environmental work should address “economic and social sustainability goals.” Past grantees include the Wildlife Conservation Society, the Sea Turtle Conservancy, and the Virginia Horse Center Foundation (Lexington, Virginia).
Grants for Marine and Freshwater Conservation
The foundation conducts marine programming through its Research & Initiatives for Ecosystem Integrity focus area. As evidenced by its name, the program prioritizes scientific research and community-based initiatives to “preserve or repair biodiversity and ecosystem integrity, often emphasizing culturally significant natural heritage conservation with economic and social sustainability goals.” Past grantees include the Marine Biological Laboratory and the Ocean Foundation among others. Unfortunately, the foundation does not offer further grantee information.
Important Grant Details:
This funder made over $7 million in grants in a recent year. Grants range from $5,000 to $75,000, but a select few grantees per year may receive over $100,000. While foundations fund projects across the United States, they may show some preference for organizations in the New York and New Jersey area. For additional information about past grantmaking, see the foundation’s recent tax filings.
The Bay & Paul Foundations conduct their grantmaking by invitation only. They will not respond to unsolicited inquiries or requests for funding.
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