Carnegie Reporter, Vol. 1, No. 4 | $10 Million Anonymous Gift Given to Carnegie Corporation of New York to Help Struggling Arts Organizations

On February 11, 2002, Carnegie Corporation of New York announced awards ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 to 137 different cultural and arts organizations throughout the five boroughs of New York City that contribute to the vibrant intellectual, cultural and arts life of the city. The awards, which total $10 million dollars, were made in the name of an anonymous donor who gave the Corporation a gift, after the December 10, 2001 Centennial celebration of the philanthropy of Andrew Carnegie, to be used at the discretion of the president, Vartan Gregorian, to aid New York City’s cultural institutions, which are struggling in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks.

“We are honored and gratified by the trust the donor placed in Carnegie Corporation of New York, its president, and in our record of philanthropy,” said Gregorian in announcing the institutions that were chosen for support. The Corporation consulted broadly and widely in order to choose medium and small-sized organizations that serve the public through dance, theatre, music, poetry, photography and institutions that advance historic and scientific understanding. “Our aim,” said Gregorian, “was to find organizations that reach New York City’s citizens in their neighborhoods and reflect the diversity of cultures, roots, interests, and arts.”