Coby Foundation

Aldrich Museum Hangama Amiri-Bazaar-2020

Hangama Amiri , Bazaar, 2020. Painted textile.

From Hangama Amiri: A Homage to Home. Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum.

Golden needle-lace antependium (altar frontal) or flounce (detail). Flanders, France, or Italy, ca. 1695-1710. Linen, silk. Gift of Leopold Ikle, 1905 and John Jacoby, 00816.

From Threads of Power: Lace from the Textilmuseum St. Gallen. Bard Graduate Center.

Pilgrim Hall Plymouth Tapestry Wampanoag Detail

The Wampanoag people and the village of Patuxet - later Plymouth - before the arrival of the Pilgrims (detail). Wool and silk on linen.

From: The Plymouth Tapestry Project. Pilgrim Hall Museum.

#1 Ann Hamilton habitus Pier 9 Courtesy Streetsdept.com (1)

Ann Hamilton, habitus. Installation Pier 9, Philadelphia, Fabric Workshop and Museum.

Photo courtesy StreetsDept.com.

Decorated Wall Hanging, Egypt, early 20th century, cotton (detail). Newark Museum Purchase, 1929

From Wondrous Worlds: Art & Islam through Time & Place, Newark Museum

From The Last Judgment Tapestry, Worcester Art Museum

Family Register Sampler stitched by Olive Ann Parker of Eliot, Maine, 1840 (detail), Collection of the Dyer Library Saco Museum

From I My Needle Ply With Skill: Maine Schoolgirl Needlework of the Federal Era, Dyer Library and Saco Museum

The Coby Foundation, Ltd., located in New York City, funds projects in the textile and needle arts field. Its funding is limited to non-profit organizations in the Mid-Atlantic and New England.

The Coby Foundation was established in 1994 by Irene Zambelli Silverman in honor of her mother, Irene Meladakis Zambelli. Mrs. Silverman described her mother as “the finest needlewoman in New York.” Since it began its grantmaking in 2002, the Foundation has awarded more than $5 million to over 170 projects.

The Coby Foundation does not fund operations such as overhead; capital projects; and courses, scholarships and fellowships at degree-granting institutions.

We strongly encourage applicants to submit a short letter of inquiry including a project description, dates and a budget with projected income and expenses. Upon receipt of a positive response, applicant may submit an application. The Foundation’s Board, which reviews all applications that the Executive Director has invited, meets three times a year, generally in January, May and September. Please contact us regarding submission deadlines.