About Sandler Foundation
We invest in strategic organizations and exceptional leaders that seek to improve the rights, opportunities and well-being of others, especially the most vulnerable and disadvantaged.
Focus Areas
HealthEconomic opportunity / consumer protectionChildren's welfare and safetyEnvironment and conservationScientific researchJournalism and democracyAdvocacy and policy
Who They Fund
state governments and state-level policymakerslocal and grassroots civic organizations / voters (All Voting Is Local)scientists and research institutions (biomedical research centers)patients with asthma and glioblastoma and their caregivers
About Sandler Foundation
Sandler Foundation’s recent giving is marked by repeated multi-million-dollar support for a small set of policy, research, and advocacy organizations. The largest grant in the file is $5,500,000 to Luminate Projects Limited for the RESET PROJECT, and that same project appears again at $5,000,000 in both 2023 and 2024, showing a sustained commitment rather than a one-time award. Another repeated line of support goes to the University of California San Francisco Foundation for its Program in Breakthrough Biomedical Research, with $3,000,000 grants recorded in 2023, 2024, and 2025. The foundation also backs national policy and public-interest organizations at similarly large levels, including the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Center for American Progress, and Learning Policy Institute. Across the recent grants list, the pattern is less about many small awards than about concentrated funding to established institutions working on public policy, science, democracy, clean energy, and related civic issues. The foundation’s stated focus areas include health, economic opportunity and consumer protection, children’s welfare and safety, environment and conservation, scientific research, journalism and democracy, and advocacy and policy.
What Sandler Foundation Funds
In science and health, Sandler Foundation gave $3,000,000 to University of California San Francisco Foundation for the Program in Breakthrough Biomedical Research, with that award appearing in multiple years. In clean energy and climate-related work, they gave $4,000,000 to Earthjustice for clean energy and general support, and another $4,000,000 award the prior year included IRA implementation. In democracy and civic infrastructure, the foundation supported Amalgamated Foundation with $2,825,000 for All Voting Is Local. Economic policy and consumer protection also feature prominently: the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities received $5,000,000 for state fiscal efforts and general support in 2023 and again in 2024, with an additional $3,000,000 award in 2025.
How Sandler Foundation Gives
The distribution of grant size is large by nonprofit standards: p25 is $300,000, median is $500,000, and p75 is $1,400,000. The recent record shows repeated support to the same grantees across multiple years, including several organizations with year-over-year awards rather than isolated grants. Sandler Foundation is a private foundation; it funds individuals: false and makes program-related investments: false. The pattern is mainly general operating support, programmatic support, and policy/advocacy support rather than grants with public application details.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$353.6M
Total Assets
$251.7M
Total Revenue
-$2.2M
Total Expenses
$356.2M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $300K and $1.4M, with a median of $500K.
25th Percentile
$300K
Median
$500K
75th Percentile
$1.4M
Geographic Reach
National13 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
STEVE DAETZ
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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