The Thomas & Janet Montag Family Foundation gives in a fairly selective, relationship-driven way, with several repeat grants to a small set of organizations rather than a wide scatter of one-off gifts. Its strongest patterns point to support for Asia- and Afghanistan-focused work, environmental and botanical conservation, and elite education/research institutions, alongside a smaller set of grants to human rights, mental health, and cultural nonprofits. The foundation appears to favor established institutions with national or international reach, often in New York, Stanford, and conservation networks.
Moderately concentrated giving with repeat support to core grantees, especially Asia Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, and Stanford-related programs; most grants are relatively large, strategic gifts rather than many small awards.
Asia Foundation, New York Botanical Garden, The Nature Conservancy, School of Leadership-Afghanistan Inc, Stanford University
The Thomas & Janet Montag Family Foundation gives in a concentrated way: one 2023 grant of $1,945,890 to "See Attached Schedule" was followed by another large payment of $1,820,600 in 2025, both listed as general support. Across the recent record, the foundation’s grants are large, unrestricted awards rather than project-specific awards, and they are directed to a very small set of core recipients. That pattern is reinforced by a 2024 general-purpose grant of $996,650 to "See Attached List" and a 2025 general-support grant of $333,288 to the same named recipient line item. The foundation also made a 2024 general-purpose grant of $667,449 to a recipient in Evanston, Illinois, showing that most of the giving is centered on a small number of organizations rather than a broad spread of one-off awards. The recent grants point to long-term institutional backing, with repeated payments to the same schedule/list entries across multiple years. Its support is framed in broad operating terms, not tied to narrowly defined programs.
A defining feature of the foundation’s grantmaking is general operating support. The recent record includes multiple awards labeled general support or general purpose, including $1,945,890 to "See Attached Schedule" and $996,650 to "See Attached List." That indicates a preference for flexible funding rather than restricted project grants. The foundation also appears to maintain multi-year relationships with core recipients: the same named list entry received both a $1,820,600 grant in 2025 and a $333,288 grant in 2025, both for general support. Geography is another clear pattern in the recipient list. One 2024 grant of $667,449 went to a recipient in Evanston, Illinois, while the other recent awards were to New York-based schedule/list entries, reinforcing a small-circle funding model with a New York center of gravity.
The foundation’s typical grant size is large: p25 is $667,449, median is $996,650, and p75 is $1,820,600. That spread shows a portfolio built around sizable institutional awards rather than many smaller grants. The recent grants also show repeat funding to the same recipient-line entries across multiple years, especially general support payments. All of the grants in the provided record are to U.S. recipients. The foundation does not fund individuals and is not shown making program-related investments.
$3.4M
$30.2M
$1.6M
$3.6M
Most grants fall between $5K and $100K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$100K
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Grantmaking is local in scope, and 80% of grants go to recipients in New York, which is also the top state by grant count. The recipient list is heavily New York-centered, with multiple awards to schedule/list entries in NY. Outside New York, one recent grant went to a recipient in Evanston, Illinois. The country distribution is entirely U.S.-based, with 5 grants to U.S. recipients.
The foundation’s recent grants are structured as general support or general purpose awards. Examples in the record include $1,945,890, $996,650, and $333,288, all described in broad operating terms rather than tied to a specific project.
It funds a very small set of core recipients. The recent record shows repeated payments to the same schedule/list entries across multiple years, including one recipient line item that received grants in both 2024 and 2025.
The typical grant is large. The provided distribution shows a 25th percentile of $667,449, a median of $996,650, and a 75th percentile of $1,820,600.
Most grants go to New York recipients. New York is the top state by grant count, and 80% of grants in the provided record were awarded to recipients in New York.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Botanical Garden | Bronx, NY | $1,200,000 | 2026 | General Purpose |
| Asia Foundation | San Francisco, CA | $1,000,000 | 2026 | General Purpose |
| Asia Foundation | San Francisco, CA | $525,000 | 2026 | General Purpose |
| Equality Now Inc | New York, NY | $150,000 | 2026 | General Purpose |
| Nature Conservancy | Arlington, VA | $100,000 | 2026 | General Purpose |
| School of Leadership-Afghanistan Inc | Boston, MA | $100,000 | 2026 | General Purpose |
| Freedom House Inc | Washington | $50,000 | 2026 | General Purpose |
| Columbia University in the City of New York | New York, NY | $50,000 | 2026 | General Purpose |
| Omega Institute for Holistic Studies Inc | Rhinebeck, NY | $50,000 | 2026 | General Purpose |
| One Mind | Rutherford, CA | $30,000 | 2026 | General Purpose |
| Every Mother Counts | New York, NY | $25,000 | 2026 | General Purpose |
| Riverdale Country School Inc | Bronx, NY | $25,000 | 2026 | General Purpose |
| Girl Rising | New York, NY | $10,000 | 2026 | General Purpose |
| Green Empowerment | Portland, OR | $10,000 | 2026 | General Purpose |
| Global Fund for Mental Health Inc | Palm Springs, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | General Purpose |
| Second Stage Theatre | New York, NY | $8,400 | 2026 | General Purpose |
| Head for the Cure | Kansas City, MO | $5,000 | 2026 | General Purpose |
| Honolulu Biennial Foundation | Honolulu, HI | $5,000 | 2026 | General Purpose |
| World Monuments Fund Inc | New York, NY | $2,000 | 2026 | General Purpose |
| THE ASIA FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $250,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY | STANFORD, CA | $243,000 | 2023 | — |
| THE NATURE CONSERVANCY | ARLINGTON, VA | $200,000 | 2023 | — |
| BOTANICAL GARDEN | WASHINGTON, DC | $150,000 | 2023 | — |
| THE NATURE CONSERVANCY | ARLINGTON, VA | $150,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE NATURE CONSERVANCY | ARLINGTON, VA | $100,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| TRUSTEES OF SMITH COLLEGE | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SCHOOL OF LEADERSHIP AFGHANISTAN, INC | BOSTON, MA | $100,000 | 2023 | — |
| NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY | EVANSTON, IL | $100,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NYU LANGONE HOSPITALS | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2023 | — |
| RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR MENTAL HYGIENE, INC | MENANDS, NY | $75,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY:SIEPR | STANFORD, CA | $50,000 | 2023 | — |
| GLOBAL FUND FOR MENTAL HEALTH, INC | PALM SPRINGS, CA | $50,000 | 2023 | — |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY:HOOVER HOUSE | STANFORD, CA | $50,000 | 2023 | — |
| LONG HOUSE RESERVE | EAST HAMPTON, NY | $50,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SECOND STAGE THEATRE | NEW YORK, NY | $36,750 | 2023 | — |
| SESAME WORKSHOP | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE ASIA FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $25,000 | 2023 | — |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY:FALL RETURN PROGRAM | STANFORD, CA | $25,000 | 2023 | — |
| GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | OAKLAND, CA | $10,000 | 2023 | — |
| GLOBAL CITIZENS INITIATIVE INC | GREENWICH, CT | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ASIA INITIATIVES | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FRIENDLY FRIDGE FOUNDATION | BRONX, NY | $5,000 | 2023 | — |
| RUBIN MUSEUM OF ART | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION | CHICAGO, IL | $5,000 | 2023 | — |
| NY RESTORATION PROJECT | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2023 | — |
| THE SASS FOUNDATION | EDGEWOOD, NM | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NAMI-NYC | NEW YORK, NY | $2,500 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| COOPERATIVE FOR ASSISTANCE AND RELIEF EVERYWHERE | MERRIFIELD, VA | $2,500 | 2023 | — |
| HAWAI'I COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | KAILUA-KONA, HI | $2,500 | 2023 | — |
| ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION | CHICAGO, IL | $2,000 | 2023 | — |
Asia Foundation
$1,000,000General Purpose
Asia Foundation
$525,000General Purpose
School of Leadership-Afghanistan Inc
General Purpose
Freedom House Inc
$50,000General Purpose
Columbia University in the City of New York
$50,000General Purpose
Every Mother Counts
$25,000General Purpose
Riverdale Country School Inc
$25,000General Purpose
Green Empowerment
$10,000General Purpose
Global Fund for Mental Health Inc
$10,000General Purpose
Head for the Cure
$5,000General Purpose
Honolulu Biennial Foundation
$5,000General Purpose
World Monuments Fund Inc
$2,000General Purpose
THE ASIA FOUNDATION
$250,000GENERAL SUPPORT
STANFORD UNIVERSITY
$243,000BOTANICAL GARDEN
$150,000TRUSTEES OF SMITH COLLEGE
$100,000GENERAL SUPPORT
SCHOOL OF LEADERSHIP AFGHANISTAN, INC
$100,000NYU LANGONE HOSPITALS
$100,000STANFORD UNIVERSITY:SIEPR
$50,000GLOBAL FUND FOR MENTAL HEALTH, INC
$50,000STANFORD UNIVERSITY:HOOVER HOUSE
$50,000LONG HOUSE RESERVE
$50,000GENERAL SUPPORT
THE ASIA FOUNDATION
$25,000STANFORD UNIVERSITY:FALL RETURN PROGRAM
$25,000GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
$10,000ASIA INITIATIVES
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
FRIENDLY FRIDGE FOUNDATION
$5,000NY RESTORATION PROJECT
$5,000THE SASS FOUNDATION
$5,000GENERAL SUPPORT
NAMI-NYC
$2,500GENERAL SUPPORT
COOPERATIVE FOR ASSISTANCE AND RELIEF EVERYWHERE
$2,500