The Sage Foundation, associated with Steven A. Denning, gives like a strategic patron of elite institutions and high-profile civic/cultural organizations, with especially strong support for universities, museums, and policy think tanks. Its largest and most repeated grants go to Stanford, Northwestern, Columbia, and Duke, alongside major cultural investments such as Storm King Art Center, The Shed, AMNH, and SFMOMA. The foundation also shows a clear interest in public-policy and systems-change organizations, funding groups like Carnegie Endowment, Council on Foreign Relations, Brookings, Bridgespan, and Echoing Green.
Concentrated giving with a relatively small set of repeat grantees, often in multiple installments. Grants skew large and unrestricted/general operating, suggesting long-term core support for a curated portfolio of universities, cultural institutions, and policy organizations rather than broad distributed giving.
$15.6M
$171.9M
$6.1M
$16.2M
Most grants fall between $10K and $100K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$100K
About 10% of grants go to recipients in NY.
Top 2 recipient countries by grant volume for Sage Foundation Inc C/O Steven A Denning.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 261 | $37M | 97.8% |
| 2 | India |
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Notable grantees: Stanford University, Northwestern University, Storm King Art Center, Carnegie Endowment for Intl Peace, The Shed
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
| 6 |
| $150K |
2.3% |
Recipient country reflects the grantee's headquarters per IRS 990-PF and Schedule F filings, not the program's implementation country.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern University | Evanston, [L | $6,000,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Carnegie Endowment for Intl Peace | WASHINGTON | $1,650,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| ‘The Shed | NEW YORK, NY | $1,500,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Columbia University | NEW YORK, NY | $1,500,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| National Park Foundation | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,250,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Storm King Art Center | NEW WINDSOR, NY | $1,000,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| ‘The Bridgespan Group | BOSTON, MA | $1,000,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Storm King Art Center | NEW WINDSOR, NY | $1,000,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Council on Foreign Relations | NY, NY | $600,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Carnegie Endowment for Intl Peace | WASHINGTON | $600,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Echoing Green | NEW YORK., NY | $500,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Storm King Art Center | NEW WINDSOR, NY | $500,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| AMNH | NEW YORK, NY | $400,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Stanford University | STANFORD, CA | $315,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| AMNH | NEW YORK, NY | $300,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| The Shed | NEW YORK, NY | $250,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| College Advising Corps | CHAPEL HILL, NC | $250,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| RMI | New York, NY | $200,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Neighbors for a Better San Francisco | SAN RAFAEL, CA | $200,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Storm King Art Center | NEW WINDSOR, NY | $150,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Brookings Institution | Washington | $140,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| San Francisco Symphony | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $125,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Tides Community Foundation | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $118,814 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Stanford University | STANFORD, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| SFMOMA | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art | New York, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Duke University | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Storm King Art Center | NEW WINDSOR, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Stanford University | STANFORD, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| University of the People | PASADENA, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| SPUR Inc | Marblehead, MA | $100,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Greenwich Library | GREENWICH, CT | $100,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| The Shed | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Target ALS Foundation Inc. | New York, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art | New York, NY | $60,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Greenwich Town Party | OLD GREENWICH, CT | $50,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Plan A Health | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Regional Plan Association | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| New York Fund for Conservation Ine (C/O The Nature Conservancy New York) | New York, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Regional Plan Association | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| AMNH | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| New York Fund for Conservation Inc (C/O The Nature Conservancy New York) | New York, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Council on Foreign Relations | NY, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Atlantic Couneil | WASHINGTON | $42,500 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Djerassi Resident Artists Program | WOODSIDE, CA | $40,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Cato Institute | Washington | $35,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Greenwich United Way | GREENWICH, CT | $30,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Baby2Baby | Los Angeles, CA | $30,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Pace University | New York, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
| Benevity/Toolbox India | Mumbai | $25,000 | 2025 | General Operating Purpose |
Northwestern University
$6,000,000General Operating Purpose
Carnegie Endowment for Intl Peace
$1,650,000General Operating Purpose
‘The Shed
$1,500,000General Operating Purpose
Columbia University
$1,500,000General Operating Purpose
General Operating Purpose
Council on Foreign Relations
$600,000General Operating Purpose
Carnegie Endowment for Intl Peace
$600,000General Operating Purpose
Stanford University
$315,000General Operating Purpose
The Shed
$250,000General Operating Purpose
College Advising Corps
$250,000General Operating Purpose
RMI
$200,000General Operating Purpose
Tides Community Foundation
$118,814General Operating Purpose
Stanford University
$100,000General Operating Purpose
SFMOMA
$100,000General Operating Purpose
Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art
$100,000General Operating Purpose
Duke University
$100,000General Operating Purpose
Stanford University
$100,000General Operating Purpose
University of the People
$100,000General Operating Purpose
SPUR Inc
$100,000General Operating Purpose
The Shed
$100,000General Operating Purpose
Target ALS Foundation Inc.
$100,000General Operating Purpose
Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art
$60,000General Operating Purpose
New York Fund for Conservation Ine (C/O The Nature Conservancy New York)
$50,000General Operating Purpose
New York Fund for Conservation Inc (C/O The Nature Conservancy New York)
$50,000General Operating Purpose
Council on Foreign Relations
$50,000General Operating Purpose
Atlantic Couneil
$42,500General Operating Purpose
Greenwich United Way
$30,000General Operating Purpose
Benevity/Toolbox India
$25,000General Operating Purpose