According to tax documents just filed, NoVo Foundation gave over $39 million to Kingston area organizations in 2023. In contrast, the total 2023 budget for the City of Kingston was in the vicinity of $50 million.
Unless you work for a NoVo-funded nonprofit, legally required tax filings are typically the only way to find out exactly who is receiving money and how much they are getting.
Kingston’s NoVo windfall is ultimately sourced from the uppermost echelon of global wealth — famous investor Warren Buffett, one of the wealthiest people on the planet. His son, musician Peter Buffett, is the metaphorical great and powerful Oz behind NoVo’s curtain of multi-million investments.
Each year during tax time, that curtain gets lifted. NoVo’s 2023 tax statement was released a bit early this year, giving us a glimpse into exactly how the foundation funded local organizations. The $39M spent in Kingston was just a fraction of the hundreds of millions NoVo disbursed across the country in 2023.
The real-world impact of these investments remain to be seen. While few would deny the vibrance and progressivism of the city’s culture, Kingston continues to struggle socioeconomically. The city’s poverty rate is 19% compared to the national average of 11%. Homelessness numbers continue to rise amidst an ongoing housing crisis. Employment numbers are down. Opioid overdoses have increased. Despite living in an agriculturally rich area, food insecurity persists. Per capita, injuries and fatalities from vehicles hitting pedestrians and cyclists are well above national averages.
NoVo has been investing millions into Kingston nonprofits for several years and plans to continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
Here’s how NoVo spent in Kingston in 2023, according to their tax documents:
- Hudson Valley Farm Hub – $13,789,050
- Milestone Mill – $2,020,029
- Crop Shop Hudson Valley – $1,509,115
- Novo in Kingston – $1,258.05
- Arm of the Sea Productions – $15,000
- Ashokan Center – $250,000
- Bard College – $1,075,000
- Hand in Hand: NY Caring Majority – $175,000
- Boys and Girls Club – $450,000
- Catholic Charities of Orange, Sullivan & Ulster – $350,000
- Center for Creative Education – $320,000
- Center for Photography at Woodstock – $50,000
- Circle of Friends For the Dying – $100,000
- City of Kingston Government – $495,000
- Beyond the 4 Walls Outreach Program – $36,000
- Circle Creative Collective – $75,000
- Hudson Valley Current – $150,000
- Design School for Regenerating Earth – $150,000
- Holistic Health Community – $200,000
- KCSD Mini Grant Program – $236,250
- Brighter Futures Initiative – $367,500
- Broadway Bubble – $450,000
- United Way of Ulster County – $750,000
- Hudson Valley Farm Fresh Food Initiative – $500,000
- Radio Kingston – $2,164,005
- Cornell Cooperative Extension – $350,000
- Family of Woodstock – $1,125,000
- Friends of Historic Kingston – $30,000
- Gateway Community Industries – $40,000
- Hummingbird Healing Arts – $35,000
- The COOP Concept – $40,000
- Good Work Institute – $614,000
- Kingston Food Coop – $1,050,881
- Kingston Trust Hub – $475,000
- Harambee – $201,500
- Hudson River Maritime Museum – $75,000
- Hudson Valley Current – $150,000
- Hudson Valley LGBTQ Center – $250,000
- Hudson Valley Research Lab – $200,000
- Kingston City Land Bank – $350,000
- Midtown Business Alliance – $20,000
- Clinton Avenue Church – $150,000
- Mentor Me of Ulster County – $50,000
- My Kingston Kids – $200,000
- Partners for Climate Action Hudson Valley – $300,000
- Hudson Valley Momentum – $350,000
- Omega Institute – $1,000,000
- Kingston Emergency Food Collaborative – $200,000
- People’s Place – $260,000
- KCSD Backpack Program – $30,000
- Reher Center – $75,000
- Riverkeeper – $150,000
- Taproot Community Land Trust – $200,000
- Samadhi – $864,000
- Scenic Hudson – $50,000
- Sustainable Hudson Valley – $75,000
- YMCA Farm Project – $305,000
- Go Beyond Greatness – $150,000
- Thriver On Network – $300,000
- TMI Project – $260,000
- Kingston Midtown Arts District – $260,000
- Citizens for Local Power – $325,000
- Rondout Valley Growers Association – $75,000
- O+ – $375,000
- Mountaintop Waldorf School – $100,000
- Stockade Works – $175,000
- Kingston Land Trust – $200,000
- Transart and Cultural Services – $400,000
- Place Corps Kingston – $600,000
- SUNY Ulster New Start for Women – $500,000
- Ulster County community Action Committee – $75,000
- Ulster Immigrant Defense Network – $75,000
- Ulstercorps – $25,000
- Walkway Over the Hudson – $25,000
- Women’s Studio Workshop – $35,000
- Woodstock Film Festival – $100,000
- Worker Justice Center of New York – $150,000
- YWCA Ulster County – $125,000
The elder Buffett has been funneling hundreds of millions of dollars to his progeny to invest in nonprofits as he advances in age. Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway stocks are currently estimated at a value of roughly $127 billion, and upon his death, those riches are slated to be captured in a planned charitable trust that will be the country’s largest.
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