About Sy Syms Foundation
The Sy Syms Foundation concentrates large, targeted gifts to cultural media outlets and Jewish education/community institutions. Its giving strongly favors public media and musical/arts organizations (especially national public radio and New York cultural institutions) alongside major support for Jewish education and overseas Jewish relief. Grants are relatively few but sizable, often repeated to the same institutions, indicating a top‑down, relationship-driven approach rather than broad retail philanthropy.
Focus Areas
Jewish higher education and day-school support (e.g., Yeshiva University)Public media and journalism funding for radio programs and producers (e.g., NPR, Marketplace)Classical music and performing arts with an Israel/Jewish connection (e.g., Israel Philharmonic)Community service and Jewish relief/overseas assistance (e.g., JDC)Civic/cultural nonprofit support in the New York media and arts ecosystem (e.g., WNET, PEN America)
Who They Fund
students and educational institutionsmusicians and arts organizations
About Sy Syms Foundation
Sy Syms Foundation’s recent giving shows a clear pattern: large, repeated support for Jewish education and public media, anchored by multiyear gifts to Yeshiva University and National Public Radio. The foundation also backs New York cultural institutions and Jewish communal organizations, including WNET, PEN America, and the Israel Philharmonic. Across the latest grants list, awards are often six figures and recur over multiple years, which points to relationship-based philanthropy rather than one-off awards. Its education grants reach both higher education and professional training, while its arts and media funding is concentrated in institutions tied to public broadcasting, music, and civic culture. Community-service support appears alongside those priorities through Jewish relief and social-service groups. The result is a portfolio that connects Jewish educational institutions, national media, and New York-based cultural nonprofits, with several recipients appearing more than once in the recent record.
What Sy Syms Foundation Funds
In Jewish higher education, Sy Syms Foundation made one of its largest recent awards to Yeshiva University New York NY - Sy Syms Business School, giving $562,500 in 2023 and $387,500 in 2024 for charitable educational support. It also backed Hebrew Union College with $125,000 in 2023 and Columbia University School of Law with $127,500 in 2023 and $125,000 in 2024. Public media is another visible line of giving. The foundation gave National Public Radio Inc. $300,000 in both 2024 and 2025, and supported Marketplace From American Public Media with $225,000 in 2023, $225,000 in 2024, and $100,000 in 2025. Arts and cultural grants include $200,000 in 2023, $105,000 in 2024, and $100,000 in 2025 to American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic. Community-service grants also reached Jdc, Pen American Center, and Gesher Foundation USA.
How Sy Syms Foundation Gives
Typical awards are sizable: the grant-size distribution is $15,000 at the 25th percentile, $25,000 at the median, and $75,000 at the 75th percentile. Recent grants show repeated support to the same organizations across multiple years, especially in education, public media, and Jewish communal work. The foundation is an operating-style grantmaker with regional U.S. giving and no indication of individual grants or program-related investments. Unsolicited applications are not accepted in the listed programs.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$2.4M
Total Assets
$28.4M
Total Revenue
$1.5M
Total Expenses
$2.7M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $15K and $75K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$15K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$75K
Geographic Reach
Regional9 states funded
About 21% of grants go to recipients in NY.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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