NoVo Foundation
OVERVIEW: The NoVo Foundation seeks to transform society from one based on dominance to one based on equality. It recently underwent a comprehensive restructuring, eliminating its distinct grantmaking programs. Areas of giving include women and girls, violence prevention, racial justice and racial and Indigenous rights. It also supports community development and education in select geographic areas.
IP TAKE: This progressive funder and GUTC signatory has made substantial grants toward several important social justice goals, but is driven by the personal interests of its founders. It recently relocated from New York City to Kingston, New York, where it has committed to supporting a range of initiatives in this city for the next ten years. Coinciding with its physical move, the foundation is taking some time to “re-orient” its work, although its mission to promote a “holistic, interconnected and healing vision for humanity” remains the same.
NoVo uses a bottom-up approach in its giving, and likely expects its grantees to do the same. The foundation also prizes holistic thinking, and a program that ties these together is more likely to attract attention than one that just focuses on a single facet. This funder does not accept unsolicited proposals, but organizations working in Kingston may find it worthwhile to reach out with ideas and questions.
PROFILE: The NoVo Foundation was established in 2006 by Peter Buffett, youngest son of Warren Buffett, and his wife Jennifer. NoVo’s initial endowment came from a gift from Warren Buffett of 350,000 shares of Berkshire Hathaway stock, worth approximately $1 billion at the time. NoVo, a GUTC signatory, is committed to “catalyzing a transformation in global society, moving from a culture of domination to one of equality and partnership.” NoVo recently “re-oriented” its work, handing one of its largest initiatives, Adolescent Girls Rights, to the Tides Foundation. In past years, the foundation also ran distinct giving programs supporting work in the areas of gender violence prevention, social and emotional learning, community development and Indigenous communities. Currently, however, NoVo does not articulate “distinct initiative areas” and makes grants to support its vision of “moving toward shared kinship through the slow process of healing trauma that is relational, generational and cultural.” Some grantmaking prioritizes the communities in and near Kingston, New York, where the foundation is currently based.
Grants for Violence Prevention, Women and Girls, and Global Development and Security
NoVo’s Advancing Adolescent Girls’ Rights initiative, which was recently subsumed into the Tides Foundation, aimed to “ensure girls everywhere are able to reach their full potential.” The foundation expanded its work in 2015 to include both the Global South—a geographic focus from 2007 to 2014—and the United States. In the Global South, the foundation focused on investing in organizations deepening the girls movement and those supporting adolescent girls. In the United States, NoVo supported organizations that are solving challenges faced by girls of color within their local communities. While the direction of future grantmaking in these areas is somewhat unclear, the foundation maintains that women and girls will remain a grantmaking priority in the years to come. Past grantees include the Global Fund for Women and the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.
Grants for LGBTQ, Immigrants, Refugees, and Civic Engagement and Democracy
The NoVo Foundation has conducted grantmaking for the LGBTQ community, immigrants and refugees, and democracy and civic engagement through its Radical Hope Fund. This initiative targeted groups “driving systemic social change in communities around the world” and combating the “breakdown of the fundamental pillars of democracy,” such as “independently functioning branches of government, rule of law, and a free press.” Past grantmaking also prioritized projects that promote community organizing among marginalized or disenfranchised groups such as women, ethnic minorities, LGBT individuals, indigenous peoples, immigrants, refugees, and people with disabilities. Past grantees for democracy and civic engagement include African Women’s Development Fund, Allied Media Projects, Black LGBTQ+ Migrant Project, Collaborative Media Advocacy Platform, Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, and Grassroots International. Past LGBTQI grantees include the Global Fund for Women and the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.
Grants for K-12 Education
NoVo responded to the COVID-19 crisis by committing “$1.2 million to six school districts to support their efforts to incorporate equitable design principles into their plans for reopening and recovery.” Additionally, the foundation made almost $3 million in grants to teachers and school districts to support social and emotional learning programs during the pandemic.
Other Grantmaking Opportunities
In 2021, Peter and Jennifer Buffett relocate NoVo to Kingston, New York, which is close to their home. In the midst of its restructuring, NoVo has committed to working to support the Kingston community in the areas of food systems, transportation, education and community development through investments aimed at building “a radically more self-reliant and equitable community that lives in harmony with its environment.” The foundation has supported a sustainable food initiative, Farm Hub, Kingston’s Family Health Center, and has purchased and refurbished several buildings in Kingston’s metro area.
Important Grant Details:
Past grants have ranged from $300,000 to $3 million, but it is unclear what new grant ranges might look like since the foundation’s restructuring. Grantseekers may review the foundation’s tax filings for more information on its grantmaking habits. The NoVo Foundation funds work throughout the United States and Canada, as well as internationally in Africa, Latin America, Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, and Europe. NoVo does not currently accept unsolicited proposals. The foundation may be contacted via a form at the bottom of its webpage or via telephone at (212) 808-5400.
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