Brandt Jackson Foundation

The Brandt Jackson Foundation is a family foundation co-led by Penny Brandt Jackson, Thomas Campbell Jackson, and Pamela Brandt Jackson — all of whom serve without compensation. This uncompensated structure is a critical signal: this is not a staffed institutional grantmaker with formal cycles, rubrics, and program officers. It is a passion-driven philanthropic vehicle built around personal convictions, and it should be approached accordingly.

The foundation's mission — 'fostering creativity, advancing scientific exploration, and championing compassion for all living beings' — maps directly onto three thematic clusters visible in the grantee record: arts and literary culture (Lilith Publications/The Forty Project at $70,000 across 4 grants; Bellevue Literary Press at $45,000 across 3 grants; Irish Repertory Theatre; American Associates of the National Theatre); scientific inquiry (World Science Foundation at $28,800; Metropolitan Museum of Art's Department of Scientific Research at $20,000; Columbia University at $22,500); and animal welfare (PETA at $34,822 across 7 grants, including its Innovation Fund).

Officially, the foundation does not accept unsolicited inquiries and makes contributions to preselected organizations. However, it maintains a public contact email and phone number, and the grantee history reveals relationships that clearly began as new partnerships rather than legacy connections. The MacDowell Fellowship for female playwrights — an annual award placed within an established institutional partner — illustrates the foundation's willingness to build programmatic relationships with credible intermediary organizations, not only direct gifts.

First-time applicants should understand that the pathway in is relationship cultivation, not a cold application portal. Direct, respectful outreach to the foundation via email is the appropriate starting move. When an LOI or introductory email is requested, it should be brief and mission-aligned, anchored in one of the three stated pillars.

Organizations with Irish or Celtic cultural connections, feminist or women-centered literary and artistic programming, or innovative approaches to animal protection will find the strongest thematic resonance with this funder's documented priorities. The foundation has shown preference for general and unrestricted giving across its entire grantee history, suggesting it values organizational trust over project-specific accountability. Come with a strong institutional identity and a compelling track record, not a narrowly scoped budget. Given that all leadership is uncompensated and the foundation operates lean, applicants should expect a longer relationship-building runway and patience with a twice-yearly board review cadence.

Drawing from IRS Form 990 filings across a ten-year span, the Brandt Jackson Foundation operates as a small but increasingly consistent grantmaker. Annual giving in the most active recent years: FY2023 — $74,594 total giving ($68,652 in grants paid); FY2022 — $97,522 total giving ($91,191 in grants paid); FY2021 — $62,175 total giving ($51,250 in grants paid). The foundation scaled up substantially from FY2020 onward, following a major contributions infusion of $625,500 that year. Earlier years were far more modest: FY2019 — $4,025; FY2015 — $22,027; FY2012 — $6,027.

Across 41 tracked grants totaling $302,284, the average per-grant amount is $7,373. The distribution is notably skewed toward a few anchor relationships. A rough tiering emerges from the data:

• Major multi-year grantees: $15,000–$22,500 per grant — Lilith Publications ($17,500/grant average across 4 grants), Bellevue Literary Press ($15,000/grant average across 3 grants), Columbia University ($22,500 single grant), World Science Foundation ($14,400/grant average)
• Core recurring grantees: $5,000–$10,000 per grant — American Ireland Fund (~$6,125/grant average), Metropolitan Museum of Art ($10,000/grant), Gabrielle's Angel Foundation (~$6,667/grant average)
• Smaller gifts and event sponsorships: $250–$2,600 — Alzheimer's Disease Association ($250), Jacques Pepin Foundation ($2,600), Dupuytren Research Group ($1,000/grant)

Geographically, New York-based organizations receive 63% of tracked grants (26 of 41), followed by Virginia at 17% (7 grants), Massachusetts at 10% (4 grants), Florida at 7% (3 grants), and Rhode Island at 2% (1 grant). New York City is explicitly listed as a geographic priority alongside a global orientation.

The FY2024 Form 990 reports total assets of approximately $69.6 million — a dramatic jump from $402,728 in FY2023. The source of this increase is not publicly explained. If it reflects a genuine endowment expansion rather than a reporting artifact, it could signal a forthcoming increase in grantmaking scale and possibly new programmatic directions. Prospective grantees should monitor for any public announcements in 2025-2026.

The foundation database identifies five peers with comparable asset bases, all classified under NTEE code T (Philanthropy & Grantmaking):

The Brandt Jackson Foundation's asset base is comparable to its peer set (all in the $69–70M range), but its recent operating grantmaking history of $62K–$98K annually in FY2021-23 is notably modest relative to those assets — consistent with the pattern of a family foundation that has historically operated lean and may be in a capital accumulation or transition phase. Unlike most peers, Brandt Jackson Foundation maintains a public-facing website with a stated mission and thematic identity, making it more navigable for prospective grantees. The potential FY2024 asset expansion — if real and sustained — could shift the foundation toward peer-level institutional grantmaking scale, but no such announcement has been made.

The most notable confirmed recent activity is the foundation's ongoing MacDowell fellowship sponsorship. In 2025, playwright Juliette Carrillo received the Brandt Jackson Foundation Fellowship for Playwrights, covering the full cost of a MacDowell artist residency. In 2024, the fellowship was awarded to Mfoniso Udofia, a Nigerian-American playwright whose work centers on diaspora and family. This annual award represents the foundation's most publicly visible programmatic commitment and its only externally documented recurring grant program.

The foundation filed its FY2024 Form 990 in November 2025, reporting total assets of approximately $69.6 million — up dramatically from $402,728 in FY2023 and $474,469 in FY2022. No press release, public statement, or announcement explaining this increase was found across any monitored source as of April 2026. The foundation's LinkedIn page exists but shows minimal public post activity.

No leadership changes, new program announcements, or individual major grant awards beyond the MacDowell fellowship were publicly documented for 2025 or early 2026. The foundation's website returned minimal content in automated web queries, suggesting a lean digital presence consistent with an invitation-only grantmaker.

The most recent confirmed anchor grant commitment in the public record is the multi-year support to Lilith Publications for The Forty Project — four grants totaling $70,000 — alongside three grants to Bellevue Literary Press totaling $45,000. These relationships, if still active, represent the foundation's deepest current institutional partnerships.

Given the foundation's official 'preselected only' posture, the path to funding requires a strategic, relationship-first approach. Cold applications through an open portal do not exist here.

1. Contact first, never apply cold. Send a brief inquiry to info@brandtjacksonfoundation.org — two to three paragraphs, no attachments. State who you are, what your organization does, and which of the foundation's three pillars your work serves. Treat this as a relationship-opening letter, not a funding request. The foundation also lists a phone number: (800) 839-1754.

2. Lead with mission resonance, not program budgets. Every confirmed grant in the foundation's history is general and unrestricted. The principals are not buying deliverables — they are investing in organizations whose values mirror their own. Prioritize organizational identity and authentic mission alignment over cost-benefit framing.

3. Identify your strongest thematic entry point. The three clusters with the clearest grantee evidence are: (a) Irish/Celtic arts and culture — Druid Theatre support, Irish Repertory Theatre Company, An Claidheamh Soluis; (b) feminist and women-centered literary or visual storytelling — Lilith Publications/The Forty Project, Bellevue Literary Press, Chicken & Egg Pictures; (c) animal welfare and protection — PETA's Innovation Fund, equine rescue. Organizations at the intersection of two pillars have the strongest positioning.

4. New York-based or New York-serving organizations have a measurable advantage. 63% of tracked grants go to NY-based grantees. If your organization is headquartered outside New York, emphasize any NYC program presence or national scope.

5. Time your outreach to the board cycle. The board reviews applications twice annually — July and December. Send your initial inquiry no later than May for the July cycle or October for the December cycle to be considered in the upcoming review.

6. Avoid grant-writing formalism. The uncompensated, personally driven nature of the foundation's leadership suggests authenticity is valued over polished proposal rhetoric. Write plainly about why your work matters and to whom.

7. Consider institutional partnership angles. The MacDowell collaboration shows the foundation will work through recognized intermediary institutions. If your organization sits within a well-credentialed fellowship, residency, or academic ecosystem, make that context explicit.