Sandler Foundation
San Francisco, CA · EIN 94-3147856. Reported 264 grants totalling $269.4M to 82 organizations across tax years 2020-2023, on Form 990 Schedule I.
Does this grantmaker accept applications?
Its tax return does not say, and we will not guess. Private foundations file Form 990-PF, which asks outright whether they fund only organizations they select themselves -- 78% say yes, and that one answer is what lets the rest of this site tell you which foundations are worth approaching. Grantmaking charities like this one file a regular Form 990 instead, and the IRS never puts the question to them. Anyone claiming to know the answer from the filing is inventing it.
Three things in the filing do bear on it:
- What kind of organization it is. For Sandler Foundation, the IRS classifies it as a named trust (NTEE T900).
- How spread out its giving is. 82 distinct organizations, with 9% of the dollars going to the largest single recipient. That is genuinely spread out -- the mark of a funder making many independent decisions rather than underwriting one institution.
- How much its list changes. 86% of one year's grantees are funded again the next, across 3 year-to-year transitions. That is well above the 57% median for grantmaking charities, and above the 67% private foundations manage. This list is close to settled, so a newcomer has to displace someone rather than fill a gap.
How big are its grants?
The median reported grant is $500,000. Half of what it reported fell between $250,000 and $1,500,000; the smallest was $4,000 and the largest $5,500,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong organization.
1 of those grants was non-cash -- goods, property or services worth $8,229 in total. In-kind giving is real support but it is not a cheque.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by the EIN the filer reported, not by name, so an organization that was typed differently in two years appears once rather than twice.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of California San Francisco Foundation | San Francisco, CA | $25.0M | 21 | 4 | 2023 |
| Luminate Foundation Inc | Washington, DC | $20.5M | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Center on Budget and Policy Priorities | Washington, DC | $18.0M | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Earthjustice | San Francisco, CA | $14.0M | 5 | 4 | 2023 |
| Learning Policy Institute | East Palo Alto, CA | $13.3M | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Center for American Progress | Washington, DC | $12.5M | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Democracy Forward Foundation | Washington, DC | $10.5M | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Center for Responsible Lending | Durham, NC | $10.2M | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Washington Center for Equitable Growth Inc | Washington, DC | $9,000,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Oceana Inc | Washington, DC | $8,250,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| American Civil Liberties Union Inc | New York, NY | $8,000,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Human Rights Watch Inc | New York, NY | $8,000,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Pro Publica Inc | New York, NY | $8,000,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Sierra Club Foundation | Oakland, CA | $5,700,000 | 6 | 4 | 2023 |
| New Venture Fund | Washington, DC | $5,200,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Hopewell Fund | Washington, DC | $5,000,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Leadership Conference Education Fund Inc | Washington, DC | $5,000,000 | 4 | 3 | 2022 |
| Campaign Legal Center Inc | Washington, DC | $4,750,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Assets Under Movement | Washington, DC | $4,621,000 | 5 | 3 | 2022 |
| Institute of International Education Inc | New York, NY | $3,971,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Tides Foundation | San Francisco, CA | $3,800,000 | 7 | 4 | 2023 |
| Virginia New Majority Education Fund | Alexandria, VA | $3,450,000 | 5 | 4 | 2023 |
| Fund for a Better Future Inc | Sacramento, CA | $3,000,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Resources Legacy Fund | Sacramento, CA | $3,000,000 | 5 | 4 | 2023 |
| American Economic Liberties Project | Washington, DC | $2,750,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis Inc | Valley City, OH | $2,750,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Vote Solar | Oakland, CA | $2,700,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Center for Biological Diversity Inc | Tucson, AZ | $2,400,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Florida Rising Together Inc | Miami, FL | $2,300,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| German Marshall Fund of the US | Washington, DC | $2,250,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Arizona Center for Empowerment | Phoenix, AZ | $2,100,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| All Voting Is Local | Washington, DC | $2,000,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Civil Rights Corps | Washington, DC | $2,000,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Faith in Action Network | Oakland, CA | $1,960,000 | 3 | 2 | 2021 |
| United for Respect Education Fund | Sacramento, CA | $1,900,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Pico California | Los Angeles, CA | $1,700,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Carolina Federation Fund | Durham, NC | $1,650,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| New Georgia Project Incorporated | Atlanta, GA | $1,600,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Red Wine & Blue Education Fund | Cleveland, OH | $1,600,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Texas Organizing Project Education Fund | San Antonio, TX | $1,600,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| American Oversight Inc | Washington, DC | $1,400,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Justfundus | Oakland, CA | $1,400,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Rockefeller Family Fund Inc | New York, NY | $1,350,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Climate Jobs National Resource Center | New York, NY | $1,300,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Equity Alliance | Nashville, TN | $1,250,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Global Impact | Washington, DC | $1,200,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| State Democracy Project | Brooklyn, NY | $1,150,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Wildcoast | Del Mar, CA | $1,100,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| American Constitution Society for Law and Policy | Washington, DC | $1,000,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| One Arizona | Phoenix, AZ | $1,000,000 | 2 | 1 | 2021 |
| Shared Ascent Fund | Sacramento, CA | $1,000,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Turtle Island Restoration Network | Forest Knolls, CA | $950,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Center for Biological Diversity | Tucson, AZ | $800,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Truman Center for National Policy | Washington, DC | $750,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Wildaid Inc | San Francisco, CA | $700,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Capacity Shop | San Francisco, CA | $600,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Climate Jobs Ny Education Fund Inc | New York, NY | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Indivisible Civics Inc | Washington, DC | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| New York University | New York, NY | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| State Power Fund | Youngstown, OH | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Management Center | Washington, DC | $500,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Island Conservation | Santa Cruz, CA | $450,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Center for Community Change | Washington, DC | $410,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Neo Philanthropy Inc | New York, NY | $410,000 | 3 | 2 | 2023 |
| Donor Advised Charitable Giving | Lone Tree, CO | $400,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| National Public Education Support Fund | Washington, DC | $400,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Jewish Community Federation of S F Marin Peninsula & Sonoma Counties | San Francisco, CA | $208,729 | 5 | 4 | 2023 |
| Equality Alliance of San Diego County | San Diego, CA | $200,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Fair Count Inc | Atlanta, GA | $200,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Florida Institute of Technology Inc | Melbourne, FL | $200,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Grassroots Power Project | Berkeley, CA | $200,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Neighborhood Funders Group | Berkeley, CA | $200,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Consultative Group on Biological Diversity | San Francisco, CA | $125,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Step Up Louisiana Organizing Fund | New Orleans, LA | $125,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Marine Watch International | San Francisco, CA | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Rocky Mountain Institute | Boulder, CO | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Washington University | St Louis, MO | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| J Street Education Fund Inc | Washington, DC | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Student Press Law Center Inc | Washington, DC | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Texas Future Cooperative | Austin, TX | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University | Stanford, CA | $10,966 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Third Sector New England Inc | Boston, MA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
59 of 82 (72%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold. Remember the $5,000 floor: an organization funded every year at $3,000 shows up here as never funded at all.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose column of its filings, largest first. This is the closest thing to a statement of what it funds, in its own words.
- Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
STATE FISCAL EFFORTS AND GENERAL SUPPORT - Earthjustice
CLEAN ENERGY AND IRA IMPLEMENTATION AND GENERAL SUPPORT - University of California San Francisco Foundation
GLIOBLASTOMA PRECISION MEDICINE PROGRAM - Center for Biological Diversity
CLIMATE LAW INSTITUTE AND GENERAL SUPPORT - Fund for a Better Future
GENERAL SUPPORT FOR SOCIAL WELFARE ACTIVITIES - Shared Ascent Fund
STUDENT BORROWER PROTECTION CENTER
What kind of organizations it funds
By each recipient's own IRS classification, for the 75 of 82 recipients we could match to a registered organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses -- Schedule I reports the recipient's EIN, so this is a lookup rather than a name match.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants reported | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 74 | $73.6M | $500,000 |
| 2021 | 64 | $65.1M | $500,000 |
| 2022 | 64 | $68.2M | $500,000 |
| 2023 | 62 | $62.5M | $600,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- Form 990 arrives about a year after the year it covers, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a grantmaker winding down.
Where its money goes
44% of its giving went to organizations in District of Columbia. Community foundations and federated funds are usually the most geographically bounded funders there are -- being outside the footprint is normally disqualifying in a way that a weak programme fit is not.
Down to the city
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Funders that support the same organizations
These grantmakers and private foundations gave to organizations this one also funded. Shared grantees are the strongest signal available 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 grantmaker
- Look for a published programme first. Unlike most private foundations, organizations of this kind often do run open, deadlined grant cycles with written guidelines. Its own website is the authority on that; this page is the authority on who it has actually paid.
- Check you are its size. The median reported grant is $500,000 -- and because grants under $5,000 need not be reported, it very likely writes smaller cheques than this page can see.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving concentrates in District of Columbia.
- Read the recipient list for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer and a cheap one to get.
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Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Sandler Foundation's own Form 990 Schedule I filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2020-2023). Nothing here is scraped, inferred or estimated.
On its most recent return it told the IRS it made grants to 59 section 501(c)(3) organizations and 0 other organizations. That is the filer's own count for one year; the totals above cover every year we hold.
Address of record on the latest return: 121 Steuart Street, San Francisco, CA, 94105.
EIN 94-3147856 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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