The Stephen M Sander Foundation appears to favor place-based, community-focused grants—especially in Colorado mountain communities—alongside a mix of local advocacy and youth-serving organizations. Grants are typically unrestricted/general purpose awards to community foundations, nature education centers, neighborhood advocacy groups, youth welfare organizations, and regional arts presenters. The foundation demonstrates an interest in supporting civic life and environmental education in small-to-mid sized communities rather than national institutions.
The Stephen M Sander Foundation Inc. shows a strong pattern of general-purpose support for Colorado mountain communities, especially through repeated awards to Aspen Community Foundation and Wild Bear Nature Center. The foundation’s recent giving also reaches neighborhood advocacy in New York City and youth-serving organizations in other regions, but the Colorado thread is the most consistent. Across the latest grants, support ranges from community foundation funding in Basalt to place-based work in Nederland and arts-related support in Aspen, suggesting a preference for organizations rooted in specific local communities. Its grant record includes multiple years of support for the same organizations, which points to an ongoing relationship model rather than isolated one-time gifts. General-purpose funding appears to be the norm, allowing recipients to use awards where they are most needed. The foundation also supports broader community institutions and service organizations, including work tied to foster care, performing arts, neighborhood preservation, and environmental education. Recent awards span from five-figure grants to smaller flexible gifts, showing activity across a modest to mid-sized range of charitable support.
Environmental education is a clear thread in the foundation’s giving. In 2023, it gave $34,000 to Wild Bear Nature Center in Nederland, Colorado, and followed with a $25,000 grant in 2024 and a $7,500 grant in 2025, all for general purposes. Community philanthropy is another recurring area. Aspen Community Foundation received $25,000 in 2024, $10,200 in 2024, and $33,000 in 2025, indicating repeated support for local grantmaking infrastructure in Colorado. The foundation also backs youth-oriented and family-serving work. Together We Rise received $40,000 in 2025 for general purposes, while Young Musicians Unite received $10,000 in 2023 and $10,000 in 2025. In New York City, it supported neighborhood advocacy with a $25,000 grant to Coalition for Fairness in Soho & Noho in 2023.
Typical grant sizes cluster in the low-to-mid five-figure range, with a p25 of $1,250, a median of $5,000, and a p75 of $10,000. The pattern is flexible rather than rigid: awards range from $1,000 to $40,000 in the recent list. Several recipients appear across multiple years, including Aspen Community Foundation, Wild Bear Nature Center, Feet Forward, and Young Musicians Unite, which suggests recurring support relationships. Grants shown are general-purpose awards. The foundation does not make grants to individuals and is not a program-related investment funder.
$145K
$384K
$127K
$147K
Most grants fall between $1K and $10K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$1K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$10K
About 26% of grants go to recipients in CO.
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Modest number of mid-size, unrestricted grants concentrated geographically (notably Colorado); a mix of repeat support to a few core regional grantees and one-off grants to local advocacy and arts organizations.
Notable grantees: Aspen Community Foundation, Wild Bear Nature Center, Together We Rise, Coalition for Fairness in SoHo & NoHo, Boulder Center for the Performing Arts
Grantmaking is national, but it is concentrated in a few places. New York State accounts for 27% of grants, and New York City recipients include Coalition for Fairness in Soho & Noho, Studio Slew in Brooklyn, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in New York, and The Green Vision in New York. Colorado is also prominent, with awards reaching Basalt, Nederland, Boulder, and Aspen. Outside the U.S., there are no recipient-country grants in the recent list; all grants shown go to U.S. organizations.
The recent record shows repeated support for community foundations, environmental education centers, neighborhood advocacy groups, youth-serving organizations, and arts presenters. Examples include Aspen Community Foundation, Wild Bear Nature Center, Coalition for Fairness in Soho & Noho, Young Musicians Unite, and Boulder Center for the Performing Arts.
Yes. Aspen Community Foundation appears in 2024 and 2025, Wild Bear Nature Center appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025, Feet Forward appears in 2023 and 2024, and Young Musicians Unite appears in 2023 and 2025. That pattern points to repeat support rather than one-off giving only.
The grant-size distribution centers on a median of $5,000, with a p25 of $1,250 and a p75 of $10,000. Recent awards in the list run from $1,000 to $40,000, so the foundation gives across a relatively broad but still modest range.
New York is the top state by grant count, with 27% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. Recent New York recipients include organizations in New York City and Brooklyn, alongside several Colorado grantees that show the funder’s reach beyond its home state.
The recent grants are labeled general purpose, and the foundation’s pattern of repeat support to the same organizations suggests flexible funding. That includes multi-year support for Aspen Community Foundation, Wild Bear Nature Center, and Feet Forward.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASPEN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION GIVING NETWORK | BASALT, CO | $43,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| NXT ART FOUNDATION INC | LOS ANGELES, CA | $26,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| GLO GOOD FOUNDATION INC | NEW YORK, NE | $15,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| BUCKHORN PUBLIC ARTS | ASPEN, CO | $10,250 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| CHILDRENS ONCOLOGY SUPPORT FUND | Los Angeles, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ASPEN INSTITUTE SOCIETY OF FELLOWS | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| WILD BEAR NATURE CENTER | NEDERLAND, CA | $7,500 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| STUDIO SLEW | BROOKLYN, NY | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ACES | NEW HAVEN, CT | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| COALITION FOR FAIRNESS IN SOHONOHO | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ASPEN HOPE CENTER | BASALT, CO | $3,020 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ASPEN ART MUSEUM | ASPEN, CO | $2,500 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| CARE WITH ME FOUNDATION | SPARKS, NV | $1,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| SUSAN G KOMEN FOR THE CURE | DALLAS, TX | $1,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| COLORADOGIVESORG | ARVADA, CO | $520 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| TOGETHER WE RISE | BREA, CA | $40,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ASPEN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | BASALT, CO | $33,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| YOUNG MUSICIANS UNITE | MIAMI, FL | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| WILD BEAR NATURE CENTER | NEDERLAND, CO | $7,500 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| THE GREEN VISION | NEW YORK, NY | $3,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| JAZZ AT ASPEN SNOWMASS | ASPEN, CO | $2,500 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| GLO GOOD FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $1,551 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| URI TEXTILES FASHION MERCHANDISING & DESIGN | KINGSTON, RI | $500 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ASPEN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | BASALT, CO | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| WILD BEAR NATURE CENTER | NEDERLAND, CO | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ASPEN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | BASALT, CO | $10,200 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ASPEN INSTITUE SOCIETY OF FELLOWS | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| STUDIO SLEW | BROOKLYN, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| BUCKHORN PUBLIC ARTS | ASPEN, CO | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| UNC HEALTH FOUNDATION | CAPITAL HILL, NC | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| FEET FORWARD | BOULDER, NY | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ACES | NEW HAVEN, CT | $2,500 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| PAN-MASS CHALLENGE | NEEDHAM, MA | $2,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| MAKE A WISH COLORADO | GREENWOOD VILLAGE, CO | $1,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| FEET FORWARD | BOULDER, CO | $1,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| LONGMONT HUMANE SOCIETY | LONGMONT, CO | $1,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| LEGACY GLOBAL PROGRAMS | MESA, AZ | $1,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| WILD BEAR NATURE CENTER | NEDERLAND, CO | $34,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| COALITION FOR FAIRNESS IN SOHO & NOHO | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| BOULDER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS | BOULDER, CO | $12,500 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| YOUNG MUSICIANS UNITE INC | MIAMI, FL | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA SOCIETY | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| FEET FORWARD | BOULDER, NY | $7,500 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| THERE WITH CARE | BOULDER, CO | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PUPOSE |
| ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| SOPHIE'S NEIGHBORHOOD | BOULDER, CO | $3,200 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| COMMUNITY FOUNDATION BOULDER COUNTY | BOULDER, CO | $3,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ANIMAL NATION INC | SOUTH SALEM, NY | $2,500 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| NYC OUTWARD BOUND SCHOOLS | LONG ISLAND CITY, NY | $2,500 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| BOULDER MOUNTAIN FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT-STATION | BOULDER, CO | $1,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
ASPEN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION GIVING NETWORK
$43,000GENERAL PURPOSE
NXT ART FOUNDATION INC
$26,000GENERAL PURPOSE
GLO GOOD FOUNDATION INC
$15,000GENERAL PURPOSE
BUCKHORN PUBLIC ARTS
$10,250GENERAL PURPOSE
CHILDRENS ONCOLOGY SUPPORT FUND
$10,000GENERAL PURPOSE
GENERAL PURPOSE
STUDIO SLEW
$5,000GENERAL PURPOSE
ACES
$5,000GENERAL PURPOSE
COALITION FOR FAIRNESS IN SOHONOHO
$5,000GENERAL PURPOSE
CARE WITH ME FOUNDATION
$1,000GENERAL PURPOSE
COLORADOGIVESORG
$520GENERAL PURPOSE
THE GREEN VISION
$3,000GENERAL PURPOSE
GLO GOOD FOUNDATION
$1,551GENERAL PURPOSE
URI TEXTILES FASHION MERCHANDISING & DESIGN
$500GENERAL PURPOSE
ASPEN INSTITUE SOCIETY OF FELLOWS
$10,000GENERAL PURPOSE
STUDIO SLEW
$10,000GENERAL PURPOSE
BUCKHORN PUBLIC ARTS
$5,000GENERAL PURPOSE
FEET FORWARD
$5,000GENERAL PURPOSE
ACES
$2,500GENERAL PURPOSE
FEET FORWARD
$1,000GENERAL PURPOSE
COALITION FOR FAIRNESS IN SOHO & NOHO
$25,000GENERAL PURPOSE
BOULDER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
$12,500GENERAL PURPOSE
FEET FORWARD
$7,500GENERAL PURPOSE
SOPHIE'S NEIGHBORHOOD
$3,200GENERAL PURPOSE
ANIMAL NATION INC
$2,500GENERAL PURPOSE
BOULDER MOUNTAIN FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT-STATION
$1,000GENERAL PURPOSE