
Fostering sustainable communities in the United States — communities guided by principles of social justice and distinguished by healthy environments, inclusive economies, and thriving cultures.
Surdna Foundation Inc Att Marc De Venoge uses strategic grantmaking and program-related investments to back work on racial justice, environmental and climate justice, economic inclusion, and arts and culture. A defining feature of its portfolio is support for community-based and field-building intermediaries, including repeat general-support grants to New Venture Fund in Washington, DC and to the Andrus family entities in New York. The foundation’s active programs are organized around Inclusive Economies, Sustainable Environments, Thriving Cultures, and the Andrus Family Fund, each aligned with social justice and community power. Recent awards also point to a strong interest in flexible funding: many of the largest grants in the recent list are marked general support rather than project-specific awards. The foundation gives at national scale across the United States, and its portfolio includes organizations working on equitable economic development, land use and climate inequity, and racial justice through arts and culture. Its grantmaking pattern also shows a mix of national intermediaries and place-based organizations, with recipients ranging from Washington, DC and New York to Oakland, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Rapid City.
In inclusive economic work, the foundation gave $1,370,600 to Accelerate 500-Black Gravity in Washington, DC for general support, and $825,000 to One Fair Wage Inc in Cambridge, MA for general support. Those awards sit alongside the Inclusive Economies program’s focus on business start-up and growth and equitable economic development. In environmental and climate justice, Surdna Foundation Inc Att Marc De Venoge awarded $1,375,000 to Project South in Atlanta, GA for general support and $955,000 to Common Counsel Foundation in Oakland, CA for general support, matching the Sustainable Environments program’s emphasis on land use and infrastructure decision-making. In arts and culture, the foundation gave $1,030,000 to Center for Cultural Innovation in Los Angeles, CA for general support, and its Thriving Cultures program links artists, researchers, and cultural critics to racial justice through Create, Clarify, and Connect approaches.
Typical grant size falls at $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $75,000 at the median, and $186,250 at the 75th percentile, while the recent grant list also includes much larger general-support awards in the seven-figure range. The portfolio shows repetition across years: New Venture Fund, Living Cities, NDN Collective, and the Andrus family entities each appear in multiple recent years. Surdna Foundation Inc Att Marc De Venoge is a regular funder, and the grant database classifies its support as general operating, flexible, and non-project-specific funding. It also makes program-related investments.
$58.9M
$1.2B
$57M
$77.1M
Most grants fall between $10K and $186K, with a median of $75K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$75K
75th Percentile
$186K
About 24% of grants go to recipients in MN.
DONALD CHEN
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The grant recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based, with 1,096 grants in the United States. By count, Minnesota is the top state for giving, while 24% of grants go to recipients in New York, the foundation’s HQ state. Recent recipients cluster in Washington, DC; New York, NY; Oakland, CA; San Francisco, CA; and Rapid City, SD. The list also shows awards to Atlanta, GA, Los Angeles, CA, Cambridge, MA, Boston, MA, and Detroit, MI.
Its active programs focus on Inclusive Economies, Sustainable Environments, Thriving Cultures, and the Andrus Family Fund. Across those areas, the foundation supports equitable economic development, environmental and climate justice, racial justice through arts and culture, and community-based work.
Typical grants are $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $75,000 at the median, and $186,250 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards also include larger general-support grants in the $1 million to nearly $3 million range.
Yes. The recent grants list is dominated by general support awards, and the grant database tags the foundation’s work as unrestricted support, general operating support, flexible or core capacity funding, and non-project-specific funding.
Several recipients appear across multiple years, including New Venture Fund, Living Cities, NDN Collective, and the Andrus family entities. That pattern suggests repeated support rather than one-off awards in parts of the portfolio.
The foundation gives nationally across the United States. Its recipient-country distribution is 100% U.S., and recent grants include organizations in Washington, DC; New York, NY; Oakland, CA; San Francisco, CA; Atlanta, GA; and Rapid City, SD.
PRESIDENT/CEO
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Venture Fund | Washington, DC | $2,280,500 | 2025 | General Support |
| Julia Dyckman Andrus Memorial | Yonkers, NY | $2,000,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| John E Andrus Memorial Inc | HastingsonHudson, NY | $2,000,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Neighborhood Funders Group | Oakland, CA | $950,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Living Cities | New York, NY | $905,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| One Fair Wage Inc | Cambridge, MA | $825,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Third Sector New England Inc | Boston, MA | $775,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| NDN Collective | Rapid City, SD | $775,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| PowerSwitch Action | Oakland, CA | $700,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Jobs with Justice Education Fund | Washington, DC | $675,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Amalgamated Charitable Foundation - BuildUS | Washington, DC | $650,500 | 2025 | General Support |
| Common Counsel Foundation | Oakland, CA | $650,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Norcross, GA | $647,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| PolicyLink | Oakland, CA | $553,750 | 2025 | General Support |
| OTV Open Television | Chicago, IL | $550,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors | New York, NY | $520,500 | 2025 | General Support |
| Jobs to Move America | Los Angeles, CA | $500,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Sustainable Economies Law Center | Oakland, CA | $500,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Fractured Atlas Productions Inc | New York, NY | $500,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Transforming Power Fund | Detroit, MI | $480,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures | San Antonio, TX | $475,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| National Performance Network | New Orleans, LA | $475,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| East Bay Community Foundation | Oakland, CA | $475,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Alternate ROOTS Inc | Atlanta, GA | $475,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Hester Street | New York, NY | $475,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Threewalls | Chicago, IL | $475,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Latino Business Action Network | San Jose, CA | $440,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Institute for Nonprofit Practice | Boston, MA | $435,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Race Forward | New York, NY | $425,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs | Calabasas, CA | $425,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Highlander Research & Education Center Inc | New Market, TN | $425,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Chinese Progressive Association | San Francisco, CA | $425,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Groundswell Fund | San Francisco, CA | $403,750 | 2025 | General Support |
| Taproot Earth | Slidell, LA | $400,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Right to the City Alliance Inc | New York, NY | $400,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| ColorOfChangeorg Education Fund | Oakland, CA | $400,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Texas Organizing Project Education Fund | San Antonio, TX | $400,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber Foundation | Cincinnati, OH | $400,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Sweet Water Foundation | Chicago, IL | $400,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Mississippi Center for Cultural Production | Utica, MS | $400,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Allied Media Projects Inc | Detroit, MI | $375,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Equal Justice Initiative | Montgomery, AL | $371,746 | 2025 | General Support |
| Tides Center | San Francisco, CA | $365,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| New York Foundation - Neighborhoods First Fund | New York, NY | $363,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Community LIFT | Memphis, TN | $362,600 | 2025 | General Support |
| The Climate and Clean Energy Equity Fund | Washington, DC | $357,469 | 2025 | General Support |
| Efforts of Grace Inc | New Orleans, LA | $350,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Partnership for Southern Equity | Atlanta, GA | $350,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Economic Policy Institute | Washington, DC | $350,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| MuckRock - MLK50 Justice Through Journalism | Somerville, MA | $350,000 | 2025 | General Support |
New Venture Fund
$2,280,500General Support
Julia Dyckman Andrus Memorial
$2,000,000General Support
John E Andrus Memorial Inc
$2,000,000General Support
Neighborhood Funders Group
$950,000General Support
Living Cities
$905,000General Support
One Fair Wage Inc
$825,000General Support
Third Sector New England Inc
General Support
NDN Collective
$775,000General Support
PowerSwitch Action
$700,000General Support
Jobs with Justice Education Fund
$675,000General Support
Amalgamated Charitable Foundation - BuildUS
$650,500General Support
Common Counsel Foundation
$650,000General Support
Asian Americans Advancing Justice
$647,000General Support
PolicyLink
$553,750General Support
OTV Open Television
$550,000General Support
Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors
$520,500General Support
Jobs to Move America
$500,000General Support
Sustainable Economies Law Center
$500,000General Support
Fractured Atlas Productions Inc
$500,000General Support
Transforming Power Fund
$480,000General Support
National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures
$475,000General Support
National Performance Network
$475,000General Support
East Bay Community Foundation
$475,000General Support
Alternate ROOTS Inc
$475,000General Support
Hester Street
$475,000General Support
Threewalls
$475,000General Support
Latino Business Action Network
$440,000General Support
Institute for Nonprofit Practice
$435,000General Support
Race Forward
$425,000General Support
Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs
$425,000General Support
Highlander Research & Education Center Inc
$425,000General Support
Chinese Progressive Association
$425,000General Support
Groundswell Fund
$403,750General Support
Taproot Earth
$400,000General Support
Right to the City Alliance Inc
$400,000General Support
ColorOfChangeorg Education Fund
$400,000General Support
Texas Organizing Project Education Fund
$400,000General Support
Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber Foundation
$400,000General Support
Sweet Water Foundation
$400,000General Support
Mississippi Center for Cultural Production
$400,000General Support
Allied Media Projects Inc
$375,000General Support
Equal Justice Initiative
$371,746General Support
Tides Center
$365,000General Support
New York Foundation - Neighborhoods First Fund
$363,000General Support
Community LIFT
$362,600General Support
The Climate and Clean Energy Equity Fund
$357,469General Support
Efforts of Grace Inc
$350,000General Support
Partnership for Southern Equity
$350,000General Support
Economic Policy Institute
$350,000General Support
MuckRock - MLK50 Justice Through Journalism
$350,000General Support