The Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation concentrates its giving on higher education and contemporary arts, making sizable gifts to university programs and to New York arts institutions. It favors strategic support for academic initiatives, fellowships/endowments, and flagship cultural organizations, often making multi-year or repeat gifts to the same institutions. Grants are large and targeted rather than broadly distributed, reflecting a preference for institutional impact in education and the arts.
A defining thread in Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation giving is its repeated support for Georgetown University, including a $350,000 grant in 2023 for Wall Street Alliance and a $250,000 grant in 2025 for Fields of the Future, MSB initiatives & endowment. That pattern sits alongside sizable gifts to New York cultural institutions and to selected university and fellowship programs. The foundation’s recent grants show a preference for institutional support rather than a wide spread of small awards. In higher education, its grants reach business education, academic centers, and fellowship funds; in the arts, they support contemporary organizations with general operating dollars. The largest amounts in the recent record are concentrated in a small number of recipients, which points to a funder that builds around long-running relationships and targeted uses. The foundation also appears in education-related and health-related community grants, but those sit at a smaller scale than its university and arts commitments. Across the record, Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation gives to organizations that can absorb multi-year, program-specific, or general support and translate it into institutional capacity.
Higher education is the clearest theme in the record. Georgetown University received $350,000 in 2023 for Wall Street Alliance, followed by $250,000 in 2025 for Fields of the Future, MSB initiatives & endowment, and $250,000 in 2024 to Georgetown University - ICAP. Harvard Business School also appears with $100,000 in 2023 for the HBS & Fellowship Fund and a $49,705 grant in 2025 through the Harvard Business School - Club of NY. The foundation also supports academic capacity beyond business education. New Profit received $25,000 in 2023, Princeton University received $25,000 in 2024 for annual giving, and the record includes grants to university-linked programs in research and leadership.
Typical grant size sits at $2,500 at the 25th percentile, $10,000 at the median, and $25,000 at the 75th percentile, but the recent record also shows several much larger institutional grants. The pattern is repeat support to the same organizations across multiple years, especially Georgetown, Pioneer Works & Arts Foundation, The Shed, Penn America, Motion Picture & Television Fund, NYU Langone Health, and Freedom to Learn Advocates. That suggests relationship-based grantmaking rather than one-off awards. The foundation’s profile is family foundation-style giving, and it also funds individuals. No application process is shown in the data.
$1M
$569K
$59K
$1.1M
Most grants fall between $3K and $25K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$3K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$25K
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Concentrated, high-dollar grants with repeat funding to select institutions; mix of endowment/program support and general operating gifts; geographically focused on major universities and NYC arts organizations.
Notable grantees: Georgetown University, Georgetown University - ICAP, Pioneer Works & Arts Foundation, THE SHED, Harvard Business School
Giving is concentrated in the United States, with 118 grants to U.S. recipients in the recent record. New York receives the largest share of grants by count, and 67% of grants go to recipients in the foundation’s headquarters state. Recent recipient cities show a strong New York City pattern, including Brooklyn, New York, and Poughkeepsie, along with grants outside the state in Washington, DC, Cambridge, MA, Princeton, NJ, Boston, MA, and Woodland Hills, CA. The geographic scope is regional rather than national.
The recent record centers on higher education and contemporary arts. Georgetown University, Harvard Business School, and Princeton University appear alongside New York arts organizations such as Pioneer Works & Arts Foundation and The Shed. The foundation also makes smaller grants in education, health, and school-community initiatives.
Yes. Georgetown University, Pioneer Works & Arts Foundation, The Shed, Penn America, Motion Picture & Television Fund, NYU Langone Health, and Freedom to Learn Advocates each appear in multiple years in the recent grants list, which points to recurring relationships rather than one-time awards.
The distribution is relatively modest at the center: the 25th percentile is $2,500, the median is $10,000, and the 75th percentile is $25,000. The recent record also includes larger gifts, especially to universities and cultural institutions.
The foundation gives most often in New York, and 67% of its grants go to recipients in its headquarters state. Recent grants also reached Washington, DC, Cambridge, MA, Princeton, NJ, Boston, MA, and Woodland Hills, CA, but the overall pattern is heavily New York-centered.
Yes. The foundation’s profile indicates that it funds individuals. The grant record mainly shows institutional recipients, but the foundation is structured to support both organizations and individuals.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgetown University | Washington, DC | $250,000 | 2025 | GENERAL- FIELDS OF THE FUTURE, MSB INITIAIVES & ENDOWMENT |
| THE SHED | New York, NY | $125,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Harvard University - President & Fellows | Cambridge, MA | $100,000 | 2025 | PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE - ADS ACCOUNT |
| Pioneer Works & Arts Foundation | Brooklyn, NY | $93,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| NYU LANGONE HEALTH | New York, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | General - Empathy in Medicine |
| PENN AMERICA | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| MOTION PICTURE & TELEVISION FUND (MPTF) | Woodland Hills, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL - CLUB OF NY | NEW YORK, NY | $49,705 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Center for Communications | Brooklyn, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| THE RECORDER NEWS INC | KATONAH, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| New Profit | Boston, MA | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| TARGET ALS FOUNDATIONINC | New York, NY | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Freedom to Learn Advocates | Washington, DC | $15,000 | 2025 | Direct Relief in School Communities |
| Princeton University | Princeton, NJ | $15,000 | 2025 | Princeton University-(Trustees Of) Annual Giving |
| Student Leadership Network | New York, NY | $15,000 | 2025 | Leadership Initiative |
| SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PUBLIC RADIO | PASADENA, CA | $10,041 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Georgetown University | WAShington, DC | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL- CJC Current Use Faculty Travel Fund |
| LITERACY PARTNERS | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Georgetown University - ICAP | Washington, DC | $10,000 | 2025 | ICAP |
| Brown University | Providence, RI | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL ANNUAL FUND |
| Student Leadership Network | New York, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL - COLLEGE BOUND INITIATIVE |
| POETS AND WRITERS INC | NEw York, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Ethical Culture Fieldstone School (ECFS) | New York, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Congregation Rodeph Sholom | New York, NY | $7,850 | 2025 | GENERAL & Annual Appeal |
| Various Other | New York, NY | $7,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Georgetown University | Washington, DC | $5,000 | 2025 | Wall Street Alliance |
| WP Theaters | New York, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| New York Public Radio | New York, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | General |
| TECTONIC THEATER PROJECT | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Beginning With Children Foundation | Brooklyn, NY | $3,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Ballet Hispanico | New York, NY | $3,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| City Parks Foundation | New York, NY | $3,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Art 21 | New York, NY | $2,500 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| EVERY CHILD A READER INC | NEW YORK, NY | $2,500 | 2025 | General |
| Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center | New York, NY | $2,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF GREATER NY | New York, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Ability Beyond | Mt Kisco, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Nashoba Learning Group | Bedford, MA | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| BEDFORD PLAYHOUSE | Bedford, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | General |
| EDUCATION THROUGH MUSIC | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| LINC - LITERACY IN COMMUNITY | New York, NY | $500 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| TEENS FOR FOOD JUSTICE | NEW YORK, NY | $500 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY | New York, NY | $275 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Georgetown University - ICAP | Washington, DC | $250,000 | 2024 | ICAP |
| Harvard University - President & Fellows | Cambridge, MA | $100,000 | 2024 | PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE - ADS ACCOUNT |
| Pioneer Works & Arts Foundation | Brooklyn, NY | $100,000 | 2024 | General Support |
| THE SHED | New York, NY | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| Day One Early Learning Community Inc | Poughkeepsie, NY | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| PENN AMERICA | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| MOTION PICTURE & TELEVISION FUND (MPTF) | Woodland Hills, CA | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
Georgetown University
$250,000GENERAL- FIELDS OF THE FUTURE, MSB INITIAIVES & ENDOWMENT
THE SHED
$125,000GENERAL
Harvard University - President & Fellows
$100,000PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE - ADS ACCOUNT
Pioneer Works & Arts Foundation
$93,000General Support
NYU LANGONE HEALTH
$50,000General - Empathy in Medicine
PENN AMERICA
$50,000GENERAL
MOTION PICTURE & TELEVISION FUND (MPTF)
$50,000GENERAL
HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL - CLUB OF NY
$49,705GENERAL
Center for Communications
$25,000GENERAL
THE RECORDER NEWS INC
$25,000GENERAL
New Profit
$25,000GENERAL
TARGET ALS FOUNDATIONINC
$20,000GENERAL
Freedom to Learn Advocates
$15,000Direct Relief in School Communities
Princeton University
$15,000Princeton University-(Trustees Of) Annual Giving
Student Leadership Network
$15,000Leadership Initiative
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PUBLIC RADIO
$10,041GENERAL
Georgetown University
$10,000GENERAL- CJC Current Use Faculty Travel Fund
LITERACY PARTNERS
$10,000GENERAL
Georgetown University - ICAP
$10,000ICAP
Brown University
$10,000GENERAL ANNUAL FUND
Student Leadership Network
$10,000GENERAL - COLLEGE BOUND INITIATIVE
POETS AND WRITERS INC
$10,000GENERAL
Ethical Culture Fieldstone School (ECFS)
$10,000GENERAL
Congregation Rodeph Sholom
$7,850GENERAL & Annual Appeal
Various Other
$7,000GENERAL
Georgetown University
$5,000Wall Street Alliance
WP Theaters
$5,000GENERAL
New York Public Radio
$5,000General
TECTONIC THEATER PROJECT
$5,000GENERAL
Beginning With Children Foundation
$3,000GENERAL
Ballet Hispanico
$3,000GENERAL
City Parks Foundation
$3,000GENERAL
Art 21
$2,500GENERAL
EVERY CHILD A READER INC
$2,500General
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
$2,000GENERAL
PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF GREATER NY
$1,000GENERAL
Ability Beyond
$1,000GENERAL
Nashoba Learning Group
$1,000GENERAL
BEDFORD PLAYHOUSE
$1,000General
EDUCATION THROUGH MUSIC
$1,000GENERAL
LINC - LITERACY IN COMMUNITY
$500GENERAL
TEENS FOR FOOD JUSTICE
$500GENERAL
AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
$275GENERAL
Georgetown University - ICAP
$250,000ICAP
Harvard University - President & Fellows
$100,000PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE - ADS ACCOUNT
Pioneer Works & Arts Foundation
$100,000General Support
THE SHED
$100,000GENERAL
Day One Early Learning Community Inc
$100,000GENERAL
PENN AMERICA
$50,000GENERAL
MOTION PICTURE & TELEVISION FUND (MPTF)
$50,000GENERAL