About Synchrony Foundation
Synchrony Foundation concentrates its philanthropy on supporting employee-directed giving and workforce welfare. The vast majority of dollars flow to an employee matching/donor-advised vehicle and to an employee emergency assistance fund, indicating the foundation’s primary purpose is to facilitate and amplify Synchrony employees’ charitable activity and provide hardship support to staff.
Focus Areas
Corporate employee matching / donor-advised giving (via Blackbaud Giving Fund)Employee emergency assistance and hardship grants (Synchrony Employee Assistance Fund)Workforce-focused philanthropic infrastructure (programs that support staff-directed giving and benefits)
Who They Fund
K–12 girls (3rd–12th grade)older youth & young adults (16–25-year-olds)low-income high school and college studentsemployees (company staff eligible for assistance fund)
Giving Approach
Highly concentrated giving: very few, large grants primarily to an employee-facing donor-advised platform and to an employee assistance fund; repeat support to the matching fund and single large allocation for staff emergency relief.
About Synchrony Foundation
Synchrony Foundation’s recent grantmaking is shaped by two large internal vehicles: employee matching gifts through The Blackbaud Giving Fund and hardship support through the Synchrony Employee Assistance Fund. Those channels account for some of the foundation’s largest grants in the latest filings, including $2,615,774 to The Blackbaud Giving Fund in 2025 and $1,420,000 to Emergency Assistance Foundation in 2023 for the employee assistance fund. Beyond those workforce-centered commitments, the foundation also funds community-serving nonprofits with operating support and programmatic grants. Among its larger external grants are $1,125,000 to Oneten Coalition Inc in 2024 and the same amount to One-n-ten in 2023, both for general operations and programming. The foundation also supported education and youth-serving organizations such as the University of Connecticut Foundation, District Arts & Education, and BuildOn. Its profile shows a regular funder with substantial annual giving, but the grant list makes clear that employee-directed philanthropy and staff welfare sit at the center of how it gives.
What Synchrony Foundation Funds
A major share of the foundation’s support goes to workforce and employee-wellbeing infrastructure. In 2025, it gave $2,615,774 to The Blackbaud Giving Fund for employee matching gifts, and in 2023 it awarded $1,420,000 to Emergency Assistance Foundation for the Synchrony Employee Assistance Fund. Its youth and education grants are also concrete. In 2023, District Arts & Education received $500,000 for Project Transformer, a program for 16- to 25-year-olds that builds the mindsets, skills, and tools needed for entry-level work. The foundation has also supported Girls Who Code, including a $505,000 grant in 2023 for GWC Clubs serving girls in 3rd through 12th grade. Financial capability is another recurring theme. Operation Hope received $1,050,000 in 2024 and $1,000,000 in 2023 for general operations and programming, and the National Foundation for Credit Counseling received $750,000 in each of 2023, 2024, and 2025.
How Synchrony Foundation Gives
Synchrony Foundation’s typical grant size is small relative to its largest awards: the 25th percentile is $200, the median is $936, and the 75th percentile is $5,000. That distribution sits alongside a handful of seven-figure grants, which are concentrated in employee matching, employee assistance, and a few operating-support awards. The recent record also shows repeat support across multiple years for several recipients, including The Blackbaud Giving Fund, Emergency Assistance Foundation, Operation Hope, National Foundation for Credit Counseling, Girls Who Code, and BuildOn. The foundation is a regular funder and funds individuals. It does not make program-related investments.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$21.8M
Total Assets
$72.3M
Total Revenue
$3.7M
Total Expenses
$22.4M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $200 and $5K, with a median of $936.
25th Percentile
$200
Median
$936
75th Percentile
$5K
Geographic Reach
National52 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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