About Seedlings Foundation
Seedlings Foundation concentrates its giving in a small number of large grants that support cultural institutions, education, child- and community-focused service providers, and civic/consumer advocacy. Grantees skew toward arts and cultural organizations (often New York–area), Jewish scholarship and cultural preservation, early childhood programs, progressive independent schooling, and community mental-health services. The foundation appears comfortable making seven-figure gifts and occasionally repeats or sustains funding to organizations it has previously supported.
Focus Areas
Jewish research, cultural preservation, and Yiddish studies (e.g., YIVO)Arts and performing arts organizations in the New York region (e.g., Symphony Space)Consumer protection and advertising watchdog work (Truth in Advertising)Early childhood education and neighborhood child-care centers (Friends Center for Children)Progressive independent K–12 schooling (Francis W. Parker School)Community mental-health and behavioral health centers (Clifford Beers Community Care Center)
Who They Fund
local communities
About Seedlings Foundation
Seedlings Foundation’s recent giving is marked by large, directed grants to institutions that sit at the intersection of children’s well-being, education, civic engagement, and cultural preservation. One of its biggest recent awards was $2,300,000 to National Archives Foundation in Washington, DC, followed by $1,800,000 to Yivo Institute for Jewish Research in New York. Those two grants capture the range of the portfolio: public-history and scholarship work on one side, and Jewish research and cultural preservation on the other. The foundation also backs organizations rooted in its Connecticut network, including $1,720,000 to Truth in Advertising Inc in Branford, $1,700,000 to Friends Center for Children in New Haven, and $1,357,500 to Clifford Beers Community Care Center in Hamden. Across the recent list, the funding pattern favors established nonprofits rather than small project grants, with support flowing to arts and culture, child and family services, mental-health providers, journalism and media, and civic institutions. The foundation’s grantmaking appears intentionally targeted, with repeat support for some recipients and substantial awards that can anchor operating or program work.
What Seedlings Foundation Funds
Jewish research and cultural preservation are a clear thread in the portfolio. Seedlings Foundation gave $1,800,000 to Yivo Institute for Jewish Research in New York for that broad mission area, and it also supported Temple Beth Tikvah in Madison with $500,000. Arts and culture also appear through institutional support: Symphony Space Inc in New York received $1,600,000. In the civic-information lane, the foundation backed American Journalism Project Inc with $500,000 in 2024 and another $500,000 in 2025, while Connecticut News Project Inc in Hartford received $450,000 in 2025. Child and family supports show up through Friends Center for Children in New Haven at $1,700,000, alongside $800,000 to National Diaper Bank Network in New Haven.
How Seedlings Foundation Gives
Typical grants are large: the 25th percentile is $50,000, the median is $120,000, and the 75th percentile is $250,000, with many recent awards far above that range. The foundation is a regular funder with a $215,354,231 asset base and $43,139,934 in annual grants given. It does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. The recent list shows repeat support to the same organizations across multiple years, including Truth in Advertising, Clifford Beers Community Care Center, National Archives Foundation, Service Year Exchange Inc, American Journalism Project Inc, States United Democracy Center, International Medical Corps, and Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. The active programs are invite-only; Seedlings Foundation does not review or accept unsolicited proposals.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$28.3M
Total Assets
$225.8M
Total Revenue
$52.6M
Total Expenses
$31.5M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $50K and $250K, with a median of $120K.
25th Percentile
$50K
Median
$120K
75th Percentile
$250K
Geographic Reach
Regional17 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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