Russell Sage Foundation
New York, NY · EIN 13-1635303. Reported 613 grants totalling $26.9M to 152 organizations across tax years 2020-2023. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. Russell Sage Foundation did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $32,240. Half of everything it gave fell between $17,070 and $63,000; the smallest was $2,452 and the largest $199,096. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which the organization received money -- more than one means a real relationship rather than a one-off.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvard University | Cambridge, MA | $1,279,668 | 22 | 4 | 2023 |
| University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, MI | $1,255,991 | 25 | 4 | 2023 |
| University of California Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | $1,219,870 | 21 | 3 | 2023 |
| New York University | New York, NY | $1,199,645 | 21 | 4 | 2023 |
| Stanford University | Stanford, CA | $849,220 | 15 | 4 | 2023 |
| University of California Berkeley | Berkeley, CA | $847,269 | 16 | 4 | 2023 |
| Columbia University | New York, NY | $787,515 | 14 | 4 | 2023 |
| Boston University | Boston, MA | $670,580 | 14 | 4 | 2023 |
| Brown University | Providence, RI | $666,244 | 12 | 4 | 2023 |
| University of California Davis | Davis, CA | $607,583 | 11 | 4 | 2023 |
| Northwestern University | Evanston, IL | $468,541 | 10 | 4 | 2023 |
| University of Wisconsin Madison | Madison, WI | $455,048 | 9 | 4 | 2023 |
| Princeton University | Princeton, NJ | $424,193 | 10 | 4 | 2023 |
| University of Chicago | Chicago, IL | $421,141 | 8 | 4 | 2023 |
| University of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA | $396,510 | 10 | 4 | 2023 |
| Research Foundation of the City University of New York | New York, NY | $395,098 | 12 | 4 | 2023 |
| University of California Irvine | Irvine, CA | $388,771 | 12 | 4 | 2023 |
| Rutgers University New Brunswick | New Brunswick, NJ | $384,382 | 9 | 4 | 2023 |
| University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | $374,357 | 8 | 3 | 2023 |
| University of Illinois Chicago | Chicago, IL | $362,241 | 10 | 4 | 2023 |
| Cornell University | Ithaca, NY | $348,805 | 8 | 4 | 2023 |
| University of California San Diego | La Jolla, CA | $338,286 | 9 | 4 | 2023 |
| Dartmouth College | Hanover, NH | $332,492 | 9 | 4 | 2023 |
| Indiana University Bloomington | Bloomington, IN | $330,181 | 4 | 3 | 2022 |
| National Academy of Sciences | Washington, DC | $321,309 | 4 | 3 | 2022 |
| University of North Carolina Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC | $316,883 | 8 | 4 | 2023 |
| Washington University St Louis | Saint Louis, MO | $306,519 | 4 | 2 | 2021 |
| University of Notre Dame | Notre Dame, IN | $269,178 | 8 | 2 | 2023 |
| Yale University | New Haven, CT | $267,775 | 8 | 4 | 2023 |
| University of Toronto | Toronto | $260,431 | 4 | 2 | 2023 |
| Duke University | Durham, NC | $260,003 | 6 | 3 | 2023 |
| University of California Merced | Merced, CA | $252,574 | 5 | 4 | 2023 |
| University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX | $245,585 | 6 | 3 | 2022 |
| Georgetown University | Washington, DC | $241,691 | 4 | 3 | 2022 |
| Boston College | Chestnut Hill, MA | $235,828 | 5 | 4 | 2023 |
| University of Denver | Denver, CO | $226,582 | 4 | 3 | 2023 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge, MA | $223,791 | 8 | 4 | 2023 |
| University of Mississippi | University, MS | $210,219 | 3 | 2 | 2023 |
| University of Maryland College Park | College Park, MD | $209,138 | 7 | 4 | 2023 |
| University of Virginia | Charlottesville, VA | $200,117 | 9 | 4 | 2023 |
| Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, MD | $196,104 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Research Foundation for the State University of New York | Albany, NY | $191,338 | 6 | 4 | 2023 |
| University of Maryland Baltimore County | Baltimore, MD | $185,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Temple University | Philadelphia, PA | $179,847 | 6 | 4 | 2023 |
| Georgia Tech Research Corporation | Atlanta, GA | $177,194 | 3 | 2 | 2022 |
| Purdue University | West Lafayette, IN | $175,441 | 5 | 4 | 2023 |
| Social Science Research Council | Brooklyn, NY | $174,976 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Trinity University | San Antonio, TX | $170,881 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| University of Houston | Houston, TX | $169,689 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Syracuse University | Syracuse, NY | $169,152 | 6 | 3 | 2023 |
| University of North Carolina Wilmington | Wilmington, NC | $162,434 | 4 | 2 | 2023 |
| University of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, PA | $160,057 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Rice University | Houston, TX | $155,266 | 5 | 3 | 2023 |
| Urban Institute | Washington, DC | $149,601 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Emory University | Atlanta, GA | $148,174 | 5 | 3 | 2022 |
| University of Massachusetts Amherst | Amherst, MA | $147,070 | 3 | 1 | 2023 |
| Brookings Institution | Washington, DC | $139,622 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| University of Washington Seattle | Seattle, WA | $139,218 | 6 | 3 | 2023 |
| University of Oklahoma | Norman, OK | $137,249 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Champaign, IL | $137,101 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT | $130,481 | 2 | 1 | 2022 |
| Drake University | Des Moines, IA | $129,353 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| George Washington University | Washington, DC | $126,342 | 3 | 2 | 2021 |
| Washington Center for Equitable Growth | Washington, DC | $110,730 | 3 | 2 | 2023 |
| Santa Fe Institute | Santa Fe, NM | $109,286 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Pennsylvania State University | University Park, PA | $106,918 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| University of North Carolina Charlotte | Charlotte, NC | $104,864 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Arizona State University | Tempe, AZ | $103,348 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| University of Massachusetts Boston | Boston, MA | $102,500 | 3 | 2 | 2023 |
| Fordham University | New York City, NY | $100,000 | 4 | 2 | 2023 |
| University of Nebraska Lincoln | Lincoln, NE | $96,943 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| University of California Riverside | Riverside, CA | $94,985 | 3 | 2 | 2023 |
| Russell Sage Foundation | New York, NY | $91,700 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Brandeis University | Waltham, MA | $88,992 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh, PA | $83,295 | 2 | 1 | 2020 |
| University of Georgia Research Foundation | Athens, GA | $83,278 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Bucknell University | Lewisburg, PA | $80,798 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| University of Tennessee Knoxville | Knoxville, TN | $77,662 | 3 | 2 | 2021 |
| Joan & Sanford I Weill Medical College of Cornell University | New York, NY | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| University of Connecticut | Storrs, CT | $74,882 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Rand Corporation | Santa Monica, CA | $74,800 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Texas A&m University | College Station, TX | $74,738 | 5 | 3 | 2023 |
| University of Alabama Tuscaloosa | Tuscaloosa, AL | $74,721 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Tufts University | Medford, MA | $74,309 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Emmanuel College | Boston, MA | $68,720 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Colgate University | Hamilton, NY | $68,522 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Monash University | Caulfield East | $68,210 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Howard University | Washington, DC | $66,652 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Brigham Young University | Provo, UT | $64,222 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| St John's University | Jamaica, NY | $63,000 | 2 | 1 | 2023 |
| Tulane University | New Orleans, LA | $61,486 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Occidental College | Los Angeles, CA | $61,090 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC | $59,912 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| University of Texas Arlington | Arlington, TX | $59,841 | 2 | 1 | 2023 |
| Georgia State University Research Foundation Inc | Atlanta, GA | $59,414 | 2 | 1 | 2022 |
| Amherst College | Amherst, MA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Davidson College | Davidson, NC | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Georgia Southern University | Savannah, GA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| University Corporation at Monterey Bay | Seaside, CA | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| University of California Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA | $49,989 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Colorado State University Fort Collins | Fort Collins, CO | $49,987 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| University of Melbourne | Melbourne | $49,909 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| The College of New Jersey | Ewing Township, NJ | $47,447 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| University of Memphis | Memphis, TN | $46,925 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| California State University East Bay Foundation Inc | Hayward, CA | $44,614 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Dalhousie University | Halifax | $43,705 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| University of California Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz, CA | $42,500 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| University of Minnesota | Minneapolis, MN | $41,268 | 3 | 2 | 2021 |
| Claremont Mckenna College | Claremont, CA | $39,322 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| University of Missouri St Louis | St Louis, MO | $39,302 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, TN | $38,941 | 2 | 1 | 2021 |
| Loyola University Chicago | Chicago, IL | $38,750 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| American University | Washington, DC | $37,500 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Gettysburg College | Gettysburg, PA | $37,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Kennesaw State University Research and Service Foundation Inc | Kennesaw, GA | $37,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond, VA | $37,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Georgia Institute of Technology | Atlanta, GA | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| National Academy of Social Insurance | Washington, DC | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| University of North Texas | Denton, TX | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Louisiana State University | Baton Rouge, LA | $34,994 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Providence College | Providence, RI | $34,650 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Oakland University | Rochester Hills, MI | $34,274 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Mississippi State University | Mississippi State, MS | $33,945 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Ohio State University | Columbus, OH | $33,672 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Michigan State University | East Lansing, MI | $32,508 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| University of British Columbia | Vancouver | $32,240 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Assumption University | Worcester, MA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Florida Atlantic University | Boca Raton, FL | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Grinnell College | Grinnell, IA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Kent State University | Kent, OH | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Northwest Missouri State University | Maryville, MO | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Southern Methodist University | Dallas, TX | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Tower Foundation of San Jose State University | San Jose, CA | $29,728 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Norc at the University of Chicago | Chicago, IL | $29,472 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Mcgill University | Montreal | $29,240 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Claremont Graduate University | Claremont, CA | $29,178 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Iowa State University | Ames, IA | $26,882 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai | New York, NY | $26,719 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Rutgers University Newark | Newark, NJ | $26,087 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute | Blacksburg, VA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| University of Colorado Denver | Denver, CO | $23,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| W E Upjohn Institute for Employment Research | Kalamazoo, MI | $22,431 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Barnard College | New York, NY | $21,431 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| University of Missouri Columbia | Columbia, MO | $17,141 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| American Friends of Toulouse School of Economics | Salisbury, MD | $14,700 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| University of Arizona | Tucson, AZ | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| University of Delaware | Newark, DE | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Troy, NY | $8,500 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Queens University at Kingston | Kingston | $8,476 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| University of New Mexico | Albuquerque, NM | $8,295 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| University of Zurich | Zurich | $7,850 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| University of Essex | Colchester | $4,960 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
93 of 152 (61%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 65%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is about typical. A high number means its list is close to settled and a newcomer has to displace someone; a low one means it is still moving money around, which is where an opening is.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- Cornell University
Informing Overconfident and Insecure Job Seekers - Columbia University
How Social Media Influencers Shape the Politics of Young Adults - University of California Los Angeles
The Geography of Race, Poverty, Crime, and Policing - Stanford University
A Data Analysis Workshop for the National Poverty Study - Social Science Research Council
Summer Institute in Computational Social Science 2022 - University of Toronto
The Unclaimed Property Puzzle: Billion Dollar Bills Lying on the Sidewalk
What kind of organizations it funds
By the recipient's own IRS classification, for the 249 grants where we could identify the organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 144 | $7,224,398 | $35,000 |
| 2021 | 143 | $6,061,825 | $30,000 |
| 2022 | 155 | $6,343,919 | $30,000 |
| 2023 | 171 | $7,280,552 | $34,920 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Already committed for future years
Form 990-PF has a separate schedule for grants approved but not yet paid. Russell Sage Foundation has 344 of them, worth $18.3M. This is the one part of the filing that looks forward rather than back -- and it also tells you how much of the next year's budget is already spoken for.
| Organization | Location | Approved |
|---|---|---|
| National Academy of Sciences | Washington, DC | $200,000 |
| George Washington University | Washington, DC | $199,992 |
| Cornell University | Ithaca, NY | $199,096 |
| University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX | $193,934 |
| Stanford University | Stanford, CA | $192,581 |
| Utah State University | Logan, UT | $189,686 |
| University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX | $187,136 |
| Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, MD | $182,867 |
| University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | $182,853 |
| University of California Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | $176,777 |
| University of California Berkeley | Berkeley, CA | $174,443 |
| University of Wisconsin Madison | Madison, WI | $170,575 |
| New York University | New York, NY | $169,935 |
| Stanford University | Stanford, CA | $166,553 |
| Rutgers University New Brunswick | New Brunswick, NJ | $161,140 |
Where its money goes
Foundations concentrate geographically far more than their mission statements suggest. 21% of this one's giving went to organizations in California. If you are outside its footprint, that matters more than how well your programme fits.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are the strongest available signal that two funders have overlapping priorities, and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $32,240. Asking for ten times that is the most common way small organizations waste a submission.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in California.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Russell Sage Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2020-2023). Nothing here is scraped, inferred, or estimated.
Address of record on the latest return: 112 E 64TH Street, New York, NY, 10065. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 13-1635303 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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