Studio in a School Association
City-funded organization
Studio in a School Association is a visual-arts education nonprofit founded in 1977 by philanthropist Agnes Gund, which places professional artists in New York City public school classrooms and says it serves nearly 30,000 students a year, per its own website. In city funding it works mainly with the Department of Education, which has awarded $26 million across 41 registered contracts since 2007 (including a current $480,000 professional-learning-services renewal), and the Department of Cultural Affairs; it has also received $4.7 million in City Council discretionary funding across 170 awards, funded every fiscal year since FY2009. Citywide, 27% of the contract value it has won, $7.1 million across 21 contracts, was awarded without a fresh competitive bid; its top-paid officer in FY2023, per its IRS Form 990 via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, was Thomas Cahill (listed as President, Studio Institute) at $367,082.
- Industry (per city contracts)
- Professional Services
- City contracts (active)
- $480,000 · 1 contract
- Awarded all-time
- $26,373,445 · 41 since 2007, incl. expired
- Paid to date
- $27,183,344
- Won without a fresh bid
- 27% of contract value · $7,073,445 · 21 contracts
- Discretionary funding (FY2009-FY2027)
- $4,676,863 · 170 awards
- Funding history
- Funded every year since FY2009 (19 years running)
- Top officer pay (FY2023)
- $367,082 · Thomas Cahill, President - Studio Institute
Holds contracts at
- Department of Cultural Affairs City agency
- Department of Education City agency
City contracts
Registered city contracts, largest first by current contract value (not amount spent): running now, then registered to start later, then ended. Totals count every registered contract. Each line shows its Checkbook contract ID. The tag on each row is how it was awarded (“no-bid” = non-competitive).
- Professional Learning Services for Arts Education Department of Education · MA104020259577475 $480,000
- Arts Education Services Department of Education · MA104020139372337 · ended 2018 $5,900,000
- ARTS EDUCATION SERVICES Department of Education · MA104020099975108 · ended 2012 $5,900,000
- Arts Education Services Department of Education · MA104020189873626 · ended 2023 $5,000,000
- Arts Education Services Department of Education · MA104020239378390 · ended 2026 $3,000,000
- Professional Development for Arts Education Services Department of Education · MA104020109075011 · ended 2013 $1,500,000
- PD Services in Arts Education Department of Education · MA104020199978166 · ended 2023 $500,000
- SUPPORT GRANTEES MISSION AND CULTURAL EVENTS Department of Cultural Affairs · CT112620191415755 · ended 2019 $399,950
- SUPPORT GRANTEES MISSION AND CULTURAL EVENTS Department of Cultural Affairs · CT112620201417603 · ended 2020 $395,350
- SUPPORT GRANTEES MISSION AND CULTURAL EVENTS Department of Cultural Affairs · CT112620181414165 · ended 2018 $357,500
Discretionary funding received
City Council discretionary (member-item) awards, largest first. Covers FY2009-FY2027.
- Speaker's Initiative Speaker's Initiative · DCLA · FY2018 $200,000
- Speaker's Initiative Speaker's Initiative · DCLA · FY2019 $200,000
- Speaker's Initiative Speaker's Initiative · DCLA · FY2020 $200,000
- Local DOE · FY2011 $150,000
- Local DOE · FY2012 $150,000
- Local DOE · FY2013 $150,000
- Local DOE · FY2014 $150,000
- Local DCLA · FY2015 $150,000
- Speaker's Initiative Speaker's Initiative · DCLA · FY2016 $150,000
- Speaker's Initiative Speaker's Initiative · DCLA · FY2017 $150,000
- Multilingual Learners Visual Arts Residency Program CM Speaker · Speaker's Initiative · DCLA · FY2027 $75,000
- Speaker's Initiative Speaker's Initiative · DCLA · FY2021 $50,000
- Multilingual Learners Visual Arts Residency Program Speaker's Initiative · DCLA · FY2022 $50,000
- Multilingual Learners Visual Arts Residency Program CM Speaker · Speaker's Initiative · DCLA · FY2023 $50,000
- Multilingual Learners Visual Arts Residency Program CM Speaker · Speaker's Initiative · DCLA · FY2024 $50,000
- Multilingual Learners Visual Arts Residency Program CM Speaker · Speaker's Initiative · DCLA · FY2025 $50,000
- Multilingual Learners Visual Arts Residency Program CM Speaker · Speaker's Initiative · DCLA · FY2026 $50,000
- PS205Q & PS18Q Cultural Immigrant Initiative · DCLA · FY2019 $30,000
- Public School 19M Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCA · FY2010 $20,000
- Public School 375M Emily Dickinson School Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCA · FY2010 $20,000
Funded by these council members
City Council members who steered discretionary (member-item) money to this organization, largest first (FY2020 and later, where the sponsoring member is disclosed). Sitting members link to their page.
- Julie Won FY2022-2027 · 18 awards $360,000
- Inna Vernikov FY2022-2027 · 9 awards $180,000
- Gale A. Brewer FY2022-2027 · 7 awards $140,000
- Holden FY2020-2025 · 7 awards $130,000
- Jimmy Van Bramer FY2020-2021 · 5 awards $100,000
- Lincoln Restler FY2023-2027 · 5 awards $100,000
- Amanda C. Farías FY2023-2027 · 5 awards $100,000
- Rivera FY2020-2025 · 9 awards $90,000
- Deutsch FY2020-2021 · 4 awards $80,000
- Linda Lee FY2025-2027 · 4 awards $50,000
- Crystal Hudson FY2024-2025 · 3 awards $42,500
- Rosenthal FY2020-2021 · 2 awards $40,000
- Phil Wong FY2026-2027 · 2 awards $40,000
- Perkins FY2020 · 1 award $20,000
- Barron FY2020 · 1 award $20,000
- Ampry-Samuel FY2020-2021 · 4 awards $20,000
- Darlene Mealy FY2022-2024 · 3 awards $20,000
- Kalman Yeger FY2024 · 1 award $20,000
- Harvey D. Epstein FY2026 · 1 award $5,000
Officer & key-staff pay
Reportable compensation from this organization's IRS Form 990 (Part VII), latest available filing (FY2023). Includes pay from related organizations where reported; an annual figure, not a running total. Source: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
- Thomas Cahill President - Studio Institute $367,082
- Alison Scott-Williams President - Studio Nyc $309,201
- Gregory Pierson Director Of Finance $199,139
- Tricia Blanchard Director Of Development $166,303
- Lin Wang Director Of HR $114,910
Officer pay over time
Total officer pay changed -17% from FY2020 to FY2023. Top-officer reportable compensation by year (org-paid only), with each year's share of total revenue. Source: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer 990 filings.
- FY2020 Thomas Cahill · 22.43% of revenue $910,239
- FY2021 Thomas Cahill · 8.08% of revenue $343,294
- FY2022 Thomas Cahill · 13.01% of revenue $356,510
- FY2023 Thomas Cahill · 9.68% of revenue $367,082
Federal awards
Federal awards made directly to this organization in fiscal years 2023 through 2026. Each amount is what the federal government has OBLIGATED on that award as recorded on USAspending.gov as of 2026-08-31 — money committed, not money paid out. These are prime awards only: federal money this
- National Endowment for the Arts 45.024 Promotion of the Arts Grants to Organizations and Individuals · National Endowment for the Arts · Grant $45,000
- National Endowment for the Arts 45.024 Promotion of the Arts Grants to Organizations and Individuals · National Endowment for the Arts · Grant $20,000