The Deborah Joy Simon Charitable Foundation concentrates large, strategic gifts to a small set of institutional recipients that advance progressive civic life, civil rights, and high-end education/arts. Major commitments fund reproductive health and rights, democratic protections and voter education, media and journalism efforts that counter misinformation, and selective support for independent schools and performing arts institutions. The foundation tends to make multi-million-dollar, often repeat, grants to national organizations and campaign-oriented nonprofits rather than many small local gifts.
A defining pattern in Deborah Joy Simon Charitable Foundation’s recent giving is the concentration of multi-million-dollar support into a small set of institutions, often as pledge payments or campaign gifts. Mercersburg College received the foundation’s largest recent commitments, including $6,000,000 in 2023 and $5,000,000 in both 2024 and 2025 for financial aid, faculty support, program support, capital, and unrestricted annual giving. The foundation also makes repeated seven-figure gifts to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, including support for the Resolute Campaign across multiple years. That same scale shows up in civic and public-interest grantmaking. Future Now Institute received $2,000,000 in 2025 for nonpartisan education to voters and legislators about democratic principles, while the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation received $1,500,000 in 2025 for efforts to protect democracy and individual rights. The portfolio also includes major support for journalism and misinformation work, as well as selective gifts to arts, education, and community institutions. The overall pattern is of large, targeted grants rather than a broad spread of smaller awards.
In education, the foundation backed Mercersburg College with $5,000,000 in 2025 for financial aid, faculty support, program support, capital, unrestricted annual giving, and current-restricted gifting. It also gave $1,000,000 to Juilliard School in 2023 for the school’s EDIB initiative, a spring gala, and unrestricted operating support. In reproductive health, Planned Parenthood Federation of America received $2,000,000 in 2025 for the Resolute Campaign, along with earlier pledge-related payments in 2023 and 2024. The foundation’s civic and media work includes $2,000,000 to Future Now Institute in 2025 for nonpartisan education to voters and legislators, and $1,000,000 to Media Matters for America in 2024 for monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in U.S. media.
Typical grants are large: the 25th percentile is $1,000,000, the median is $2,000,000, and the 75th percentile is also $2,000,000. That profile matches a grantmaker that favors concentrated, high-value awards over small checks. The recent record also shows repeated support to the same organizations across multiple years, especially Mercersburg College, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Anti-defamation League, and American Independent Foundation. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. Its recent grants are all U.S.-based.
$16.4M
$86.4M
$39.7M
$16.8M
Most grants fall between $1M and $2M, with a median of $2M.
25th Percentile
$1M
Median
$2M
75th Percentile
$2M
About 11% of grants go to recipients in DC.
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Concentrated, high-value giving: a small number of large multi-million-dollar and repeat grants to national organizations and campaign/advocacy initiatives rather than broad, small-dollar grantmaking.
Notable grantees: THE REGENTS OF MERCERSBURG COLLEGE, PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA, FUTURE NOW INSTITUTE, AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION, MEDIA MATTERS FOR AMERICA
Grantmaking is regional and entirely U.S.-based in the recent sample. New York appears often, with grants to recipients in New York, NY such as Planned Parenthood Federation of America, American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, and Juilliard School. Washington, DC is another major destination, including Future Now Institute, The American Independent Foundation, Democracy Matters Foundation, and Media Matters for America. Illinois also appears through Anti-defamation League in Chicago. Indiana recipients include Indianapolis Zoo and Indianapolis Zoological Society Inc in Indianapolis.
The foundation gives to a narrow set of institutional recipients across education, reproductive health, democracy, media, civil liberties, and arts. Recent grants include Mercersburg College for financial aid and faculty support, Planned Parenthood Federation of America for the Resolute Campaign, and Future Now Institute for nonpartisan voter and legislator education.
The recent distribution is clustered at the top end: the 25th percentile is $1,000,000, the median is $2,000,000, and the 75th percentile is $2,000,000. That means most awards in the recent sample are seven-figure gifts.
Yes. The recent record shows repeated funding to Mercersburg College across 2023, 2024, and 2025, as well as multi-year support for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Anti-defamation League, and American Independent Foundation.
The top state by grant count is New York, and 11% of grants go to recipients in Indiana, the foundation’s headquarters state. Recent recipient cities include New York, NY; Washington, DC; Chicago, IL; and Indianapolis, IN.
No. The foundation does not fund individuals and it does not make program-related investments, based on the provided profile data.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE REGENTS OF MERCERSBURG COLLEGE | MERCERSBURG, PA | $5,000,000 | 2025 | CONTRIBUTION FOR FINANCIAL AID, FACULTY SUPPORT, PROGRAM SUPPORT, CAPITAL, UNRESTRICTED ANNUAL GIVING AND CURRENT-RESTRICTED GIFTING |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA | NEW YORK, NY | $2,000,000 | 2025 | RESOLUTE CAMPAIGN |
| ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE | CHICAGO, IL | $2,000,000 | 2025 | ADL MIDWEST ANNUAL FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN |
| FUTURE NOW INSTITUTE | WASHINGTON, DC | $2,000,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT NONPARTISAN EDUCATION TO VOTERS AND LEGISLATORS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES |
| AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $1,500,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT EFFORTS TO PROTECT THE FUTURE OF OUR DEMOCRACY AND ENSURE THE RIGHTS OF ALL INDIVIDUALS, ESPECIALLY THE MOST VULNERABLE |
| DEMOCRACY MATTERS FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,500,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT PROGRESSIVE COMMUNICATIONS AND PROGRAMS |
| ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE | CHICAGO, IL | $1,333,334 | 2025 | ADL FOR GOOD CAMPAIGN |
| INDIANAPOLIS ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY INC | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $600,000 | 2025 | CAMPAIGN FOR OUR ZOO - OUR COMMUNITY - OUR WORLD |
| AMERICAN INDEPENDENT FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $500,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT STRONG INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM THAT HELPS CREATE POSITIVE SOCIETAL CHANGE THROUGH INCREASED PUBLIC AWARENESS OF PROGRESSIVE ISSUES |
| THE REGENTS OF MERCERSBURG COLLEGE | MERCERSBURG, PA | $5,000,000 | 2024 | CONTRIBUTION FOR FINANCIAL AID, FACULTY SUPPORT, PROGRAM SUPPORT, CAPITAL, UNRESTRICTED ANNUAL GIVING AND CURRENT-RESTRICTED GIFTING. |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA | NEW YORK, NY | $2,000,000 | 2024 | CONTRIBUTION RELATING TO THE FOUNDATION'S SECOND PLEDGE PAYMENT IN SUPPORT OF THE RESOLUTE CAMPAIGN. |
| THE FUTURE NOW INSTITUTE CO MELE BRENGARTH & ASSOC | WASHINGTON, DC | $2,000,000 | 2024 | CONTRIBUTION RELATING TO THE SUPPORT OF THE PROCESS OF SETTING UP, IMPLEMENTING, AND REPORTING FOR FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL CAMPAIGNS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. |
| THE AMERICAN INDEPENDENT FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,500,000 | 2024 | CONTRIBUTION TO SUPPORT COMMITMENT TO IMPACT JOURNALISM. |
| MEDIA MATTERS FOR AMERICA | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,000,000 | 2024 | CONTRIBUTION TO SUPPORT THE COMPREHENSIVELY MONITORING, ANALYZING, AND CORRECTING CONSERVATIVE MISINFORMATION IN THE U.S. MEDIA. |
| INDIANAPOLIS ZOO | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $600,000 | 2024 | CONTRIBUTION TO SUPPORT THE INDIANAPOLIS ZOO FOR THE CAMPAIGN FOR OUR ZOO, OUR COMMUNITY, OUR WORLD. |
| THE REGENTS OF MERCERSBURG COLLEGE | MERCERSBURG, PA | $6,000,000 | 2023 | CONTRIBUTION FOR FINANCIAL AID, FACULTY SUPPORT, PROGRAM SUPPORT, CAPITAL, UNRESTRICTED ANNUAL GIVING AND CURRENT-RESTRICTED GIFTING. |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA | NEW YORK, NY | $2,000,000 | 2023 | CONTRIBUTION RELATING TO THE FOUNDATION'S FIRST PLEDGE PAYMENT IN SUPPORT OF THE RESOLUTE CAMPAIGN. |
| JUILLIARD SCHOOL | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000,000 | 2023 | CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS THE THIRD AND FINAL INSTALLMENT OF THE FOUNDATION'S PLEDGE BENEFITTING JUILLIARD'S EDIB INITIATIVE, TOWARDS SPRING 2023 GALA, AND TOWARD UNRESTRICTED OPERATING SUPPORT. |
THE REGENTS OF MERCERSBURG COLLEGE
$5,000,000CONTRIBUTION FOR FINANCIAL AID, FACULTY SUPPORT, PROGRAM SUPPORT, CAPITAL, UNRESTRICTED ANNUAL GIVING AND CURRENT-RESTRICTED GIFTING
ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE
$2,000,000ADL MIDWEST ANNUAL FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN
SUPPORT NONPARTISAN EDUCATION TO VOTERS AND LEGISLATORS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES
SUPPORT EFFORTS TO PROTECT THE FUTURE OF OUR DEMOCRACY AND ENSURE THE RIGHTS OF ALL INDIVIDUALS, ESPECIALLY THE MOST VULNERABLE
SUPPORT PROGRESSIVE COMMUNICATIONS AND PROGRAMS
ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE
$1,333,334ADL FOR GOOD CAMPAIGN
CAMPAIGN FOR OUR ZOO - OUR COMMUNITY - OUR WORLD
AMERICAN INDEPENDENT FOUNDATION
$500,000SUPPORT STRONG INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM THAT HELPS CREATE POSITIVE SOCIETAL CHANGE THROUGH INCREASED PUBLIC AWARENESS OF PROGRESSIVE ISSUES
THE REGENTS OF MERCERSBURG COLLEGE
$5,000,000CONTRIBUTION FOR FINANCIAL AID, FACULTY SUPPORT, PROGRAM SUPPORT, CAPITAL, UNRESTRICTED ANNUAL GIVING AND CURRENT-RESTRICTED GIFTING.
PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA
$2,000,000CONTRIBUTION RELATING TO THE FOUNDATION'S SECOND PLEDGE PAYMENT IN SUPPORT OF THE RESOLUTE CAMPAIGN.
CONTRIBUTION RELATING TO THE SUPPORT OF THE PROCESS OF SETTING UP, IMPLEMENTING, AND REPORTING FOR FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL CAMPAIGNS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES.
THE AMERICAN INDEPENDENT FOUNDATION
$1,500,000CONTRIBUTION TO SUPPORT COMMITMENT TO IMPACT JOURNALISM.
CONTRIBUTION TO SUPPORT THE COMPREHENSIVELY MONITORING, ANALYZING, AND CORRECTING CONSERVATIVE MISINFORMATION IN THE U.S. MEDIA.
INDIANAPOLIS ZOO
$600,000CONTRIBUTION TO SUPPORT THE INDIANAPOLIS ZOO FOR THE CAMPAIGN FOR OUR ZOO, OUR COMMUNITY, OUR WORLD.
THE REGENTS OF MERCERSBURG COLLEGE
$6,000,000CONTRIBUTION FOR FINANCIAL AID, FACULTY SUPPORT, PROGRAM SUPPORT, CAPITAL, UNRESTRICTED ANNUAL GIVING AND CURRENT-RESTRICTED GIFTING.
PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA
$2,000,000CONTRIBUTION RELATING TO THE FOUNDATION'S FIRST PLEDGE PAYMENT IN SUPPORT OF THE RESOLUTE CAMPAIGN.
JUILLIARD SCHOOL
$1,000,000CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS THE THIRD AND FINAL INSTALLMENT OF THE FOUNDATION'S PLEDGE BENEFITTING JUILLIARD'S EDIB INITIATIVE, TOWARDS SPRING 2023 GALA, AND TOWARD UNRESTRICTED OPERATING SUPPORT.