Halff Windham Foundation
More doors opened.
More stories heard.
A more inspiring world.
Supporting projects in arts and education that amplify underrepresented voices.
Our Impact
There’s no shortage of trailblazers brimming with ideas and talent. We remove barriers so they can dream bigger and go further. We’re immensely proud to play a part in these ongoing works, and excited to see what they do next.
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Photo Credit: Perry Bindelglass Jazz at Pride
Jazz at Lincoln Center
Led by Grammy Award–winner Bryan Carter, these concerts help expand queer representation within the jazz tradition and advance inclusive programming at one of the world’s premier cultural institutions. We supported this series in both 2025 and 2026.
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Photo Credit: Jonathan Tichler. Courtesy of Met Opera Access Opera: Guild Open Rehearsals for Students
The Metropolitan Opera
Starting in 2023, the foundation provided a five-year grant to expand student access to the arts. Through free admission to world-class opera rehearsals, the program fosters early and equitable exposure to the performing arts for local students.
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Shared by BRCSJ Chief Activist Robt Martin Seda-Schreiber Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice
In 2025, the Foundation awarded a three-year operating grant to support the Rustin Center’s powerful programming, extraordinary in-house and virtual events, day-to-day operations, and its pivotal Safe-Space, open seven days a week.
The Center honors Rustin’s legacy through social engagement, community organizing, public education, and its quintessential Queer History Archive—a freely accessible collection preserving LGBTQIA+ narratives through the years and across the rainbow spectrum.
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Design by 59. Courtesy of Met Opera The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
The Metropolitan Opera
Adapted from Michael Chabon's Pulitzer Prize–winning novel, this opera tells the story of two Jewish cousins in WWII-era New York who create an anti-fascist comic book hero while navigating exile, identity, and the cost of imagination in a world at war. It premiered in 2025 from composer Mason Bates and librettist Gene Scheer.
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Photo Credit: Marty Sohl. Courtesy of Met Opera Ainadamar
The Metropolitan Opera
Making its Met debut in 2024, Ainadamar is a contemporary Spanish-language opera by Osvaldo Golijov with a libretto by Tony Award–winner David Henry Hwang, exploring the life, death, and artistic legacy of Federico García Lorca through the memories of his muse, actress Margarita Xirgu.
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Courtesy of Earlham College Bayard Rustin Award
Earlham College
Established in 2022 with funding provided by the foundation, this annual award honors the legacy of the seminal Black, gay, Quaker civil rights leader. It recognizes juniors who demonstrate leadership and service in support of LGBTQ+ life on campus.
This award helps promote stability, visibility, and values-driven leadership among Earlham students—advancing the foundation’s belief in the transformative power of opportunity, recognition, and care.
About
Vision
We believe the world is richer when more voices shape it. By widening access to opportunities in the arts and education for people under-represented in their fields, we’re helping the next generations of creators, change-makers, and citizens achieve their full potential.
What We Do
Our foundation funds projects in the arts and education sectors. Our long-term partnerships address project-specific and operational needs, removing a key barrier to success for both emerging and established organizations.
Our Team
The Halff-Windham Foundation is led by co-founders Larry Halff and Randy Windham. Married since 2013, they live in Northern Virginia with their mixed rescue dog, Betty. Their shared appreciation for the arts and desire for a richer, more inspiring world guide the Foundation's direction and day-to-day operations.
Larry Halff
President and Co-Founder
A visual artist, investor, and philanthropist, Larry’s background is a rich interconnection of arts, technology, and social sciences. A practicing visual artist, his work draws on the interaction of perception and built environments, informed by sociological curiosity and technological fluency.
Larry holds a B.A. in Sociology and Anthropology from Earlham College, and an M.A. in Education and Computer Science from the University of British Columbia. The founder of various technology ventures focused on user experience and social software, he now brings his experience to support initiatives that widen access and creative innovation.
Randy Windham
Secretary and Co-Founder
With a deep background in the culinary arts, Randy’s passion for creativity, storytelling, and community engagement enriches the Foundation’s perspective and approach. Through his culinary experiences, Randy sees food as a powerful form of cultural expression and has seen first hand how shared meals build connection and community.
Starting as an Associate of Occupational Studies in Culinary Arts Randy at the New England Culinary Institute, he held a role at the Michelin-starred La Régalido in the South of France before returning to the USA. For the next decade he held roles in iconic Bay Area restaurants including Zuni Café, Chez Panisse, Oliveto, Eccolo Café, and Liberty Café. After his time in restaurants, Randy transitioned into wholesale food distribution in the Bay Area. Since relocating to the East Coast in 2023, he has been exploring new ways to bring his background in food to local community-building projects.
Contact
We welcome introductions from 501(c)(3) organizations whose work aligns with our supported project types. However, please note that we do not accept unsolicited grant proposals.
What we support
In broad strokes, we support projects and organizations in the arts and education sectors, particularly those that work to develop emerging talent and to create opportunities for underrepresented people.
What to include in your introduction
The best introductions are the first step of a bigger conversation. Telling us a bit about your organization and the work you do is a great start. Providing some way to see or experience your work, where possible, is even better.