How the Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Charitable Foundation Supports New York City

New York City is among the top philanthropic cities in the world, with plenty of locally-focused grantmakers beyond the largest and most prominent donors. Many smaller and lesser-known foundations, such as the Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Charitable Foundation, provide citywide grants.

Here’s what NYC organizations should know about the Adams Charitable Foundation and how to contact it with a funding request.

The founders

Alice Adams created the foundation to support her charitable interests and those of her husband. Arthur Adams managed the Gary Group of telephone interests, was CEO and president of the Strowger Automatic Electric Company, and helped develop and patent the dial telephone. Alice Adams was from Istanbul, Turkey and after growing up in Egypt and Switzerland, she mastered 11 foreign languages. Arthur lived until 1958, and Alice until 1987. They maintained several homes and supported a number of philanthropic causes during their lifetimes.

Topics of interest

The Adams Charitable Foundation is interested in supporting the arts, culture, humanities and education. Geographically, it focuses on New York City, Memphis and Miami. Typically, all grantmaking is restricted to the states of New York, Tennessee and Florida. The foundation often supports opera organizations like the Metropolitan Opera Association in New York.

Project support only

This foundation only considers requests for project sponsorships and specific projects. It does not fund general operating support, capital campaigns or endowment support. The Adams Charitable Fund invites proposals for performances, publications and programs in the areas of music, arts, culture and education. It usually keeps grants under $50,000 and is most likely to fund single-year grants rather than multi-year requests.

Applying for a grant

Wells Fargo Trust Philanthropic Services is a co-trustee for the Adams Charitable Foundation and manages its grantmaking process. Arete S. Warren is another co-trustee, and four committee members also help make grantmaking decisions.

The annual application deadline is February 15, and the foundation team reviews applications in the spring. Grantees must wait for at least a year after receiving a grant before applying for a new one. The application process is online, and applicants receive automated emails confirming their submissions. Grantseekers can contact a vice president at Wells Fargo Bank with grant-related questions via email, phone, fax or mail.

Learn more about this funder in IP’s full profile of the Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Charitable Foundation, part of our New York grantmaking guide.

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