Rona Jaffe Foundation
ActivePhilanthropy & VoluntarismFunds Individuals
About Rona Jaffe Foundation
The Rona Jaffe Foundation concentrates its giving on biomedical institutions, specifically funding high-impact cancer research positions. Its disclosed grants are directed to endowment support at a major cancer research center, indicating a preference for sustaining research capacity rather than broad community services. The foundation appears to be a focused, institutionally-minded health funder rather than a generalist grantmaker.
Focus Areas
Endowed chairs at cancer research institutionsCancer research capacity building (institutional endowments)Major gifts to established biomedical research centers
Who They Fund
emerging and established writers (fellows, MFA students)children and K–12 students (summer reading, backpack recipients)museum researchers/visitors and cultural institutionscommunities affected by natural disastersUkrainian populations/communities in crisishigher education programs (Iowa Writers' Workshop, university departments)
About Rona Jaffe Foundation
The Rona Jaffe Foundation’s giving is marked by a long-running commitment to women writers alongside sizable institutional support for cancer research and literary organizations. In its recent grants, the foundation repeatedly backed Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center with endowed chair funding in 2023, 2024, and 2025, while also supporting Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for general operations and the Visible Ink program. That same pattern of sustained support extends to literary work: the foundation funds the Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award for emerging women writers and maintains fellowship placements at cultural and educational nonprofit institutions. The result is a funder with two clear modes of support. One mode builds research and organizational capacity through recurring, multi-year gifts to established institutions. The other advances literary opportunity through fellowships, awards, and support for nonprofits connected to women writers. Recent grants also show practical support for related programming, including summer reading, museum research spaces, and literary infrastructure.
What Rona Jaffe Foundation Funds
A central part of the foundation’s grantmaking supports literary organizations and women writers. The Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award is an annual award for emerging women writers, and the foundation also established fellowships held at distinguished cultural and educational nonprofit institutions nationwide. Its support for literary infrastructure shows up in grants such as $85,000 to the New York Public Library for the Summer Reading Program and the Cullman Center, and $65,000 to Art Start for general operations. The foundation also funds schools and education-related nonprofits through grants like $40,000 to Friends of School in the Square for general operations. Beyond literature and education, the foundation has also given to humanitarian and advocacy groups, including $60,000 to Doctors Without Borders for general operations and $50,000 to Equality Now for general operations.
How Rona Jaffe Foundation Gives
The Rona Jaffe Foundation’s typical grant size is $15,000 at the 25th percentile, $25,000 at the median, and $30,000 at the 75th percentile. The recent grants file shows repeated support to the same organizations across multiple years, including annual gifts to major institutions and recurring support for literary and advocacy nonprofits. The foundation is a regular funder rather than a donor-advised fund, and it funds individuals through its writers’ award and fellowship programs. Its grantmaking includes both program-specific support and unrestricted/general operations support, with several grants also designated for endowed chairs and other long-term institutional support.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$2.3M
Total Assets
$28.9M
Total Revenue
$1.2M
Total Expenses
$3.1M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $15K and $30K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$15K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$30K
Geographic Reach
Regional19 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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