60 Organizations Across New York State Recognized with Grants Totaling $1,760,000 in Inaugural Year of NYSCA Reserve Fund Grants Program
NEW YORK, NY – Arts For All is one of 60 organizations across New York State to be recognized with a NYSCA Reserve Fund Grant from New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) and New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA).
The NYSCA Reserve Fund Grants program was established to help New York State-based nonprofit arts organizations to establish a reserve fund or build on an existing reserve fund. In 2025, the program’s inaugural year, Arts For All was awarded $25,000.
The 60 recipients were selected from 1,255 eligible applications. They represent all regions of New York State as well as artistic disciplines. Eighty-five percent of the organizations will be establishing a reserve fund for the first time. The full list of recipients and panelists can be found here.
The fund recognizes and attempts to mitigate the volatility of the industry, including increased costs, decreased philanthropy, and unpredictable income. The benefits of establishing or adding to a reserve fund include but are not limited to: the ability to weather new challenges, cover unexpected expenses, strengthen balance sheets to leverage new funders, and can be a key factor in strategic planning and capacity building.
“In our work at Arts For All, we are grateful every day to see the impact the arts has in the children we serve – in the way it can bring a shy student out of their shell, create unique opportunities for students to work together, and sometimes even transform a child’s entire worldview,” said Anna Roberts Ostroff, Executive Director of Arts For All. “The NYSCA Reserve Fund Grant allows us to safeguard this impact for years to come, ensuring that students from all backgrounds can access our programming and build important life skills, which are instilled through experiences with the arts.”
“Using our expertise, leadership in the field, and boots on the ground outreach across the state, NYSCA identified the crucial need for reserve funds for arts and cultural organizations to find ways to build resiliency and adapt to grow in a changing sector,” said Erika Mallin, NYSCA Executive Director. “This reserve funding underscores the unwavering support of the Governor and Legislature for this industry at this critical time. We also thank NYFA for their work in administering this vital program.”
This program was open to nonprofit arts organizations based in New York State who received direct funding from NYSCA in the last three years with operating budgets of less than $3 million. Individual grant amounts range from $5,000 to $50,000 in accordance with the organization’s operating budget. Guidelines for the next NYSCA Reserve Fund Grants are expected to be released in Spring 2026.
“Arts organizations have always faced challenges in fulfilling their missions with limited resources, and now, more than ever, we are seeing an urgent and growing need for support and long-term stabilization. We are grateful for Governor Hochul’s leadership in the arts and are thrilled to partner with NYSCA on the Reserve Fund Grants,” said Michael Royce, CEO, NYFA.
In addition to providing support through direct funds, the RFG includes assistance provided by Advance NYC to offer one year of supplementary services focused on organizational sustainability and financial prudence. Advance NYC provides business solutions to non-profits in and around New York and New Jersey. Their services will include a virtual workshop dedicated to organizational reserve funding, one-on-one consulting sessions, and monthly office hours.
About Arts For All
Arts For All’s mission is to offer accessible artistic opportunities to children in the New York City area who face socio-economic, physical, or emotional barriers to exploring the arts. Through Arts For All, professional artists work with youth organizations to build Arts For All’s Core Values: Self-Confidence, Self-Expression, Teamwork, Resilience, and Creativity. Visit www.arts-for-all.org for more information.
The New York Foundation for the Arts
The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) was established in 1971 to empower artists at critical stages in their creative lives. Today, the nonprofit organization’s programs and services are far-reaching and are rooted in a wealth of physical and online resources. Each year, NYFA awards more than $4 million in cash grants to individual visual, performing, and literary artists throughout the United States. NYFA’s Fiscal Sponsorship program, one of the oldest and most reputable in the country, helps national artists and arts organizations raise and manage an average of $4 million annually. NYFA’s Learning programs, including its Artist as Entrepreneur and Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program, provide thousands of artists, creatives, and arts administrators with professional development training and support. NYFA’s website, NYFA.org, is used by more than 1 million people and features more than 20,000 opportunities and resources available to artists in all disciplines.
About the New York State Council on the Arts
The mission of the New York State Council on the Arts is to foster and advance the full breadth of New York State’s arts, culture and creativity for all. For FY 2026, the Council on the Arts will award over $161 million, serving organizations and artists across all 10 of the state’s regions. The Council on the Arts further advances New York’s creative culture by convening leaders in the field and providing organizational and professional development opportunities and informational resources. Created by Governor Nelson Rockefeller in 1960 and continued with the support of Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature, the Council is an agency that is part of the Executive Branch. For more information on NYSCA, please visit arts.ny.gov/SOAfellow, and follow NYSCA’s Facebook page, on X @NYSCArts and Instagram @NYSCouncilontheArts.
