Bernard And Anne Spitzer Charitable Trust

The Bernard and Anne Spitzer Charitable Trust operates as a highly focused, invitation-only progressive family foundation with an explicit ideological mission: supporting advocacy that promotes human dignity, democracy, and environmental sustainability. Founded in 2001 and managed from Midtown Manhattan (555 Madison Ave, 18th Floor), the Trust deploys approximately $40–42 million annually in direct grants from assets that peaked at $584 million in FY2019 and have since declined to $327 million by FY2024 — reflecting a deliberate drawdown approach rather than any reduction in grantmaking ambition.

This funder does not accept unsolicited proposals under any circumstances. It is an invitation-only operation where relationships must precede every grant conversation. CEO Sara C. Kay (compensation: $636K in most recent filing) drives overall strategy; she brings a background in reproductive rights advocacy and health equity from her prior roles at Planned Parenthood and Atlantic Philanthropies. Program officers cover three distinct areas: Democracy (Hannah Furstenberg-Beckman), Environment (Ian Philp), and Equitable Growth (Jean Ross, Senior Program Officer). Each officer maintains a focused portfolio, making them the key relationship targets for organizations seeking alignment.

The Trust strongly favors general operating support over restricted project grants — a consistent pattern across all top grantees. Multi-year commitments are the norm: analysis of the top 50 grantees shows nearly all received 3–4 consecutive grants, indicating standard 3–5 year funding cycles. Organizations like New Venture Fund ($7.42M across 4 grants), Neo Philanthropy ($6.975M across 4 grants), and Climateworks Foundation ($5.714M across 4 grants) illustrate that anchor relationships involve regular, escalating unrestricted commitments.

Organizations best positioned for Spitzer funding are 501(c)(3) public policy advocates, legal centers, and think tanks operating at the democracy–climate–equitable growth intersection, with significant Washington DC or New York presence. The Trust overwhelmingly funds research and advocacy organizations, not direct service providers. Academic institutions (NYU, Columbia, City College NY) receive selective support tied to specific policy research functions.

Trustee Eliot L. Spitzer (former New York Governor and Attorney General) reflects the Trust's progressive Democratic governing philosophy. Organizations working on anti-corruption, election integrity, Medicaid defense, immigration rights, and clean energy standards will find strongest mission alignment. Entry requires sustained field visibility, publication presence, and ideally warm introductions through Philanthropy New York or the Economic Opportunity Funders network.

The Trust's financial trajectory reveals a foundation in active drawdown mode: assets fell from $584 million in FY2019 to $327 million in FY2024 — a $257 million decline over five years. Despite shrinking assets, annual grants paid have held remarkably steady at $39.9–42.4 million per year from FY2019 through FY2023 (total giving including program expenses: $54–58.5 million annually). This sustained payout well above the 5% legal minimum confirms the Trust is spending principal and maintaining commitments.

Grant size structure: The 672 documented grants total $167.7 million, with an average of $249,578. The Trust's self-reported typical grant range shows a median of $25,000 (range: $1,000 to $2M+ per single grant). This dramatic spread reflects a two-tier architecture: anchor grants ($500K–$7.4M total over 3–4 years for core program partners) and smaller supplemental grants ($1K–$100K for arts organizations, Jewish community groups, and newer relationships).

By program area (estimated from grantee data): - Democracy & Civic: ~35% of total giving (elections, voting rights, redistricting, government accountability, immigration advocacy) - Environment & Climate: ~30% (clean energy standards, carbon dioxide removal, nuclear innovation, agricultural systems, environmental law) - Equitable Growth: ~25% (labor rights, healthcare access and Medicaid defense, economic policy, housing, worker protections) - Arts, Education, Jewish Causes: ~10% (named gifts to City College NY Spitzer School of Architecture, cultural institutions)

By geography (grant count): - New York: 248 grants (36.9% of grant count) - Washington DC: 216 grants (32.1%) - California: 63 grants (9.4%) - Massachusetts: 34 grants (5.1%) - Virginia: 22 grants (3.3%) - New Jersey: 12 grants (1.8%)

Flagship partner grants (annual equivalents): New Venture Fund ~$1.85M/yr; Neo Philanthropy ~$1.74M/yr; Climateworks Foundation ~$1.43M/yr; Clean Air Task Force ~$1.25M/yr. Mid-tier grantees typically receive $250K–$750K/year. The Trust's FY2024 asset drop of ~$77M from FY2023 is the steepest single-year decline in the dataset and may foreshadow modest tightening in new commitments.

The following table compares the Bernard and Anne Spitzer Charitable Trust to four peer foundations at a similar asset level, all classified under NTEE T (Philanthropy & Grantmaking):

The Spitzer Trust stands apart from these asset-comparable peers in three key ways. First, its effective payout rate — $40–42 million in grants paid annually on $327–445 million in assets — is among the highest in its asset class, indicating a spend-down strategy uncommon at this endowment level. Second, its national programmatic scope and explicit policy advocacy focus (Democracy, Environment, Equitable Growth) distinguishes it from the more regionally concentrated Ivory and Lor foundations. Third, unlike the Erie Family Foundation (which maintains no public profile) or the Ivory Foundation (Utah-centric community focus), Spitzer operates on issues of national consequence, making it uniquely relevant for Washington DC- and New York-anchored policy organizations seeking sustained general operating support.

The most visible recent development from the Trust is a wave of staff expansion across all three program areas, signaling increased operational capacity heading into 2025–2026. Maya Jakubowicz was appointed Chief Operating Officer, succeeding Dana C. You/Newberry. Hannah Furstenberg-Beckman joined as Program Officer for Democracy, and Ian Philp was named Program Officer for Environment. These additions expand the team's ability to manage a growing grantee roster.

The Trust's largest recently documented single grant was $10 million to the Jeremy Hannelore Grantham Environmental Trust for environmental degradation reversal — one of the largest single commitments in the foundation's history and a signal of continued willingness to make major bets on climate-adjacent work.

The Spitzer School of Architecture at City College of New York — named for Bernard and Anne Spitzer — has received multiple grants totaling $8+ million in the database, representing the family's personal legacy giving distinct from the programmatic portfolio.

No new public program announcements, RFPs, or changes to the closed application policy have been published for 2025–2026. The Trust maintains no public-facing website of its own (the listed URL directs to the NY State Charities Bureau). The asset decline from $403.9M (FY2023) to $326.7M (FY2024) — a $77M single-year drop — is the sharpest in recent records and has not been publicly explained, but is likely attributable to investment performance and the sustained high-payout grantmaking strategy.

Because the Trust accepts no unsolicited proposals, every piece of advice here concerns relationship-building, not proposal mechanics.

Identify your entry point first. The Trust has three program officers: Hannah Furstenberg-Beckman (Democracy), Ian Philp (Environment), and Jean Ross (Senior Program Officer, Equitable Growth). CEO Sara Kay has a background in reproductive rights and health equity. Target the officer whose portfolio matches your work exactly — shotgun outreach to leadership is counterproductive.

Use Philanthropy New York as your primary networking venue. The Trust is a member of Philanthropy New York (philanthropynewyork.org), and its staff participate in sector convenings. Organizations with Philanthropy New York membership can access directories and events that create natural contact points with Spitzer program officers.

Leverage the EOF network for equitable growth work. Jean Ross is publicly listed as a team member on the Economic Opportunity Funders (eofnetwork.org) website. EOF convenes funders and grantees in fiscal policy, labor, and economic justice — the primary structured pipeline for introducing equitable growth organizations to Spitzer.

Speak the Trust's language. Their documented grant purposes consistently use: "general purpose," "state infrastructure," "clean energy standards," "election protection," "Medicaid and the ACA," "redistricting program," and "government accountability." Frame your theory of change in this vocabulary — specifically emphasize policy advocacy and systems change, not service delivery.

Document your national policy footprint. New York-based or DC-anchored organizations with clear Congressional, regulatory, or state legislative impact are strongly preferred. Of 672 grants, 69% went to NY or DC recipients. Local or community-only work rarely qualifies.

Prepare for a long runway. Inside Philanthropy describes the Trust as requiring "deep networking" and "patience" — organizations well-known in their sector with a track record of successful advocacy campaigns are the realistic target, not emerging groups.

When invited, ask for general operating support. Restricting your ask to a project budget is misaligned with how Spitzer funds. Every major grantee relationship in the database involves multi-year unrestricted or program-level general support, not project grants.

Build your public record. Program officers track organizations through published research, media coverage, coalition memberships, and Senate/House testimony. A visible public footprint in your issue area is a prerequisite.