Funding pipeline: submitted requests and transparent review
Exodus & Resilience — New York/Venezuela Chapter maintains a transparent funding pipeline that distinguishes submitted applications, letters of inquiry, expressions of interest, funding inquiries, and received interest forms from awarded funding. All amounts shown refer to requested amounts, not awarded or secured funds.
Confirmed amount requested through submitted applications, LOIs, funding inquiries, and received interest forms.
Applications, LOIs, EOIs, funding inquiries, and interest forms are currently under review by foundations and grantmaking organizations.
No pending request is presented as awarded funding. Updates will be published as formal responses are received.
Documented requested amount with known figures: Up to $241,000. This total includes only active submitted applications, LOIs, funding inquiries, and received interest forms with confirmed requested amounts. It excludes closed opportunities — including The New York Community Trust proposal declined on August 13, 2026 — and opportunities whose amounts are pending, undefined, not submitted, reviewed but not pursued, or pending future opening.
Submitted / received / under review
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| Funding opportunity | Amount requested | Status | Review / reference | Program |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vilcek Foundation | $20,000 | Submitted / Under review | To be confirmed | Exodus & Resilience — New York/Venezuela Chapter |
| CitizensNYC Community Leaders Grant | $5,000 | Submitted / Under review | Expected September 2026 | Diaspora Art & Community Conversations |
| Heckscher Foundation — Community Investment Grant | $5,000 | Submitted / Under review | To be confirmed | Diaspora Art & Community Conversations |
| Jean & Louis Dreyfus Foundation | $10,000 | LOI submitted / Under review | To be confirmed | Diaspora Art & Community Conversations |
| Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation | $10,000 | Submitted / Under review | Per foundation review schedule | Diaspora Art & Community Conversations |
| Awesome Foundation — New York ChapterMicrogrant application submitted for a first bilingual youth arts workshop / public-facing pilot activation. | $1,000 | Submitted | To be confirmed by Awesome Foundation NYC chapter | Diaspora Youth Arts & Resilience Lab |
| The Pinkerton FoundationReference: G-2706-25717. The request is framed around arts-based youth development, immigrant and first-generation youth, communication skills, emotional resilience, belonging, civic voice, and culturally responsive enrichment for young people in New York City. | $25,000 | LOI submitted / Received / Awaiting review | G-2706-25717 | Diaspora Youth Arts & Resilience Lab |
| Dudley T. Dougherty FoundationSubmission received and confirmed by foundation email. | $5,000 | Submitted / Under review | Early January 2027 | Diaspora Youth Arts & Resilience Lab |
| Genesis Inspiration FoundationReception of documentation confirmed by email. | $5,000 | Grant consideration form submitted / Received | To be confirmed | Diaspora Youth Arts & Resilience Lab |
| Mellon Foundation — Humanities in PlaceFocus: Public humanities, migration memory, diaspora storytelling, living archive, cultural mapping, public conversations, community knowledge, and public access. Reception confirmed by Mellon Foundation email. | $100,000 | Funding inquiry submitted / Received / Under review | Three-month review period | Exodus & Resilience — New York/Venezuela Living Archive of Migration Memory |
| FourLeaf Federal Credit Union — FourLeaf Charitable Giving ProgramSubmission received and confirmed by email. | $5,000 | Submitted / Received | Submission received and confirmed by email | Diaspora Youth Arts & Resilience Lab |
| Goldman Sachs Community Development Champions Grant — Change Makers InitiativeApplication submitted through the Goldman Sachs / Qualtrics form. On August 5, 2026, Goldman Sachs confirmed that a record number of applications had been received and that submissions were being reviewed carefully. Decisions are expected in the fall. | $50,000 | Submitted / Under review | Update received August 5, 2026 · Decisions expected in fall | Diaspora Youth Arts & Resilience Lab |
Goldman Sachs Community Development Champions Program
Status: Application under review — Decisions expected in fall
Program: Diaspora Youth Arts & Resilience Lab
Amount requested: USD 50,000
Application submitted: July 8, 2026
Update received: August 5, 2026
Goldman Sachs confirmed that it received a record number of applications and that each submission is being reviewed carefully.
The application remains active and under review. This update is not an award, finalist notice, or invitation to another stage.
Next step: Await the formal decision expected in the fall and respond if additional information is requested.
The New York Community Trust
Status: Proposal declined — No specific reason stated in the notice
Program: Arts education and cultural access through diasporic art
Amount requested: Not confirmed in the public record
Proposal submitted: June 16, 2026
Response received: August 13, 2026
The New York Community Trust informed the applicant that it would not be able to support the proposal and encouraged the pursuit of funding from other sources.
The notice also reiterated that The Trust does not make grants for general operating support, endowments, capital, replacement of government funds, or religious activities. It did not state that any of those exclusions was the specific reason for this decision.
Next step: File closed for this request. Future submissions will be considered only where there is a clear fit with The Trust’s published grantmaking priorities.
Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF)
Status: Not selected — Limited funding capacity and current priorities
Program: Exodus & Resilience — New York/Venezuela Chapter
Amount requested: USD 50,000
Application submitted: June 22, 2026
Response received: July 31, 2026
Following its assessment of VAEA’s request, SNF informed the organization that it could not provide support at this time. The foundation noted that it receives thousands of grant requests each year and can support only a limited number within finite resources and current priorities.
SNF also stated that the decision does not reflect on the quality of VAEA’s work or the people behind it.
Next step: File closed for this request and retained as part of the program’s documentary record.
Laura B. Vogler Foundation
Status: Application closed — Funder dissolution
Program: Diaspora Art & Community Conversations
Amount requested: USD 10,000
Application submitted: June 20, 2026
Response received: July 17, 2026
VAEA had submitted a USD 10,000 request in support of Diaspora Art & Community Conversations. On July 17, 2026, the foundation informed VAEA that it was in the process of being dissolved.
The opportunity has therefore been closed due to an institutional circumstance affecting the funder, rather than an unfavorable assessment of the program.
Next step: None. The file has been closed and retained as part of the project’s documentary record.
Robin Hood
Status: Not selected — Outside current funding focus
Stage: Expression of interest
Response received: July 15, 2026
Robin Hood’s grants team reviewed VAEA’s inquiry and determined that the work described falls outside its current funding focus.
The response acknowledged the organization’s commitment to its community but did not invite VAEA to proceed to a full application.
Next step: File archived. No further submission is planned unless the funder’s publicly stated priorities materially change.
Harry Chapin Foundation
Status: Not selected — Limited funding capacity
Program: Diaspora Art & Community Conversations
Response received: July 10, 2026
After reviewing VAEA’s request and the additional documentation provided, the Harry Chapin Foundation informed the organization that it was unable to fund the program.
The foundation described the initiative as a worthwhile program and explained that it receives substantially more requests than it is able to support. The decision applies to the current funding cycle and does not constitute a negative assessment of the proposal’s overall quality.
Next step: File closed for the current cycle.
MetLife Foundation
Status: Inquiry acknowledged — Institutional relationship remains open
Stage: Grant inquiry / Relationship development
Response received: July 10, 2026
MetLife Foundation confirmed receipt of VAEA’s institutional inquiry and indicated that it would keep the organization in mind while exploring future partnership opportunities.
VAEA was also added to the foundation’s distribution list for information about future funding opportunities.
The response does not constitute an invitation, active application or funding award.
Next step: Maintain the relationship and review future opportunities communicated by MetLife Foundation.
Transparency note: All figures reflect applications submitted, letters of inquiry submitted, expressions of interest, funding inquiries, or interest forms received. They do not represent awarded funding, confirmed support, or secured commitments. Updates will be published as responses are received and program milestones are formally confirmed.
Responses received / closed opportunities / relationship development
Formal responses that close a request are recorded separately from the active pipeline so pending requests are not confused with awarded funding or with opportunities that have already closed.
| Opportunity | Amount requested | Status | Date / reference | Program |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The New York Community TrustProposal submitted June 16, 2026 for arts education and cultural access through diasporic art. The decline notice did not identify a specific reason for the decision. | Not confirmed | Declined — No specific reason stated | Response received August 13, 2026 | Arts education and cultural access through diasporic art |
| Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF)Application submitted June 22, 2026; SNF correspondence reference 00964442. | $50,000 | Not selected — Limited funding capacity | Response received July 31, 2026 | Exodus & Resilience — New York/Venezuela Chapter |
| Laura B. Vogler FoundationApplication submitted June 20, 2026. | $10,000 | Closed — Funder dissolution | Response received July 17, 2026 | Diaspora Art & Community Conversations |
| Robin HoodExpression of interest reviewed by the grants team. | Not specified | Outside current focus | Response received July 15, 2026 | Diaspora Youth Arts & Resilience Lab |
| Harry Chapin FoundationThe request and additional documentation were reviewed. | Up to $10,000 | Not selected | Response received July 10, 2026 | Diaspora Art & Community Conversations |
| MetLife FoundationInstitutional inquiry acknowledged; VAEA added to the funder distribution list. | Not applicable | Relationship development | Response received July 10, 2026 | Institutional relationship development |
| Heidelberg Materials Community Investment | Not published on this page | Closed / Not supported in this cycle | Response received June 29, 2026; outside current community investment criteria | Diaspora Art & Community Conversations |
Note: Closed opportunities are not included in the active total of requests under review and are not presented as confirmed support. They are documented for institutional traceability without overstating outcomes.
Current stage
The program is in an early but active institutional-building phase. The team has initiated a diversified pipeline of small-grant applications, expressions of interest, letters of inquiry, institutional registrations, and initial foundation portal requests to support the first workshops, bilingual materials, documentation, community outreach, accessibility, coordination, and future public activities.
The immediate goal is not to announce awarded funding, but to transparently document the building of a real support base for the program’s first activations in New York.
Next milestones
- Follow-up on responses from the first small-grant applications.
- Follow-up on the Letter of Inquiry received by The Pinkerton Foundation.
- Monitor the Goldman Sachs Community Development Champions application; decisions are expected in the fall.
- Maintain the relationship with MetLife Foundation and review future opportunities communicated through its distribution list.
- Preparation of additional support materials for foundations and cultural institutions.
- Development of community and educational partnerships in New York.
- Preparation of a first pilot activation for Diaspora Youth Arts & Resilience Lab.
- Consolidation of bilingual materials, visual documentation, and educational resources.
Funding pathways connected to this journal
The pipeline documented on this page connects to six support pathways designed for different donor, foundation, corporate, family, diaspora and cultural-institution audiences.
Support or introduce the program to a funder
If you represent a foundation, cultural institution, community organization, or donor network interested in art, migration, education, immigrant community well-being, or public dialogue, we would be glad to connect.
Contact the programProgram Journal · VAEA / Exodus & Resilience — New York/Venezuela Chapter