Charles And Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation

The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies is one of the largest and most influential private foundations in American philanthropy, distributing a stated $470 million annually across U.S. and Israel portfolios from a $2.2 billion asset base. Founded in 1987 by Tulsa oilman Charles Schusterman, the foundation is today led by his daughter Stacy Schusterman as chair, with co-president Lisa Eisen overseeing six defined U.S. grantmaking portfolios: Criminal Justice, Democracy and Voting Rights, Education, Gender and Reproductive Equity, Tulsa Hometown, and Jewish Community.

The fundamental reality for prospective grantees is unambiguous: Schusterman accepts no unsolicited proposals. Grants are made exclusively by invitation, the foundation runs no open application portal, and no letter of inquiry will open a door. This makes relationship capital the only viable currency of entry. Organizations that have successfully entered the portfolio typically did so through warm introductions from current grantees, through sector convenings where program officers engaged directly, or through the foundation's own research and field scans of its target issue areas.

Schusterman's grantmaking philosophy centers on systemic, long-term change rather than project-level funding. The foundation explicitly favors multi-year general operating support — giving organizations unrestricted resources to pursue their mission rather than funding siloed deliverables. Grantees receive not just dollars but capacity-building support reflecting Schusterman's historical roots in leadership development programming.

Organizations aligned with Schusterman's equity agenda receive the strongest consideration. Across all portfolios, the foundation prioritizes organizations led by or primarily serving Black, Latino, and other BIPOC communities. Cross-portfolio alignment — an education organization with a strong criminal justice dimension, for example — can actually strengthen a funding conversation. First-time grantees should expect a long relationship-building horizon; Schusterman program officers conduct careful field due diligence before extending any invitation. The 2024-2026 strategic restructuring — closing all operating programs and redirecting resources to grantmaking — means the foundation's program officers are now more actively scanning fields for new grantee relationships than they have been in years.

Schusterman's grantmaking scale has grown dramatically over the past decade. In fiscal year 2015, IRS filings show $90.9 million in grants paid. By fiscal year 2022 that figure had reached $382.3 million — more than a four-fold increase in seven years. Grants paid were $363.5 million in FY2023 and $333.5 million in FY2024 per IRS 990 data, a modest decline reflecting the wind-down of direct operating programs previously structured as grants to related entities. The foundation's own FAQ page reports total philanthropic giving of $470 million in 2025, with cumulative lifetime giving since 1987 exceeding $4 billion.

Grant sizing across the portfolio ranges from $5,000 (micro-grants previously distributed through the now-sunsetting ROI Community program) to $25 million for major multi-year institutional partners. Inside Philanthropy reporting indicates the most common grant size by count falls between $20,000 and $50,000, though by dollar volume, large multi-year operating grants to flagship partners in criminal justice, education, and democracy likely dominate the aggregate total.

By portfolio, Schusterman has historically concentrated its largest investments in K-12 education (with a specific emphasis on literacy for Black, Latino, and low-income students in large urban districts) and in Jewish community programming (both representing multi-decade giving relationships). Under Stacy Schusterman's chairmanship, the criminal justice reform, democracy and voting rights, and gender equity portfolios have each grown from nascent investments into major funding areas. Geographic concentration for U.S. portfolios is national in scope, plus Israel, with a specific hometown carveout prioritizing Tulsa organizations. Assets peaked at $2.67 billion in FY2021 and have moderated to $2.21 billion in FY2024 amid high payout rates and market conditions.

Note: Annual giving for peer foundations is estimated based on typical payout rates and publicly available information; Schusterman figure is the foundation's own stated 2025 amount.

Schusterman distinguishes itself sharply within this peer cohort by deploying substantially more capital annually — its $470M in 2025 giving dwarfs the Heinz Endowments and Doris Duke despite near-identical asset bases, reflecting a higher payout rate and more aggressive deployment philosophy. Annie E. Casey is the closest peer in social-change orientation and scale, but Casey concentrates on child welfare and family systems, while Schusterman cuts across criminal justice, democracy, and gender equity more broadly. Of the five peer foundations, only Cummings Foundation operates a genuinely open and competitive application process — making Schusterman and Annie E. Casey the least accessible to cold-outreach applicants. Doris Duke accepts letters of inquiry in select program areas, offering a relatively more accessible pathway for arts, environment, and child welfare organizations than Schusterman provides.

The most significant 2025 development is the October 2025 announcement that ROI Community — Schusterman's 20-year flagship initiative supporting young Jewish and Israeli changemakers — will close on July 1, 2026. The final ROI Summit is scheduled for spring 2026; most ROI staff will be terminated, with a small number transitioning to the grantmaking team. Chair Stacy Schusterman called ROI's closure a natural evolution: 'ROI's reach and impact speak to the success of the program and the talent and resolve of ROI Community members.' Co-president Lisa Eisen framed the strategic rationale: 'Given the challenges our people are facing and Israel's facing, given the opportunities in this moment, we want to invest in the organizations in the fields where we feel like we can add the most value.'

This follows a March 2024 decision to eliminate the Reality leadership trips to Israel (an intensive week-long immersive program for influential leaders) and to shut down the Schusterman Fellowship (the 18-month leadership development program for senior Jewish nonprofit executives). These three closures collectively mark a decisive institutional pivot from operating programs to pure grantmaking.

On the financial side, FY2024 IRS filings report total assets of $2.21 billion (down from a 2021 peak of $2.67 billion), grants paid of $333.5 million, and net investment income of $272.6 million. Contributions received from the Schusterman family were $15.5 million in FY2024, down substantially from $93.5 million in FY2021, suggesting the family's direct capitalization of the foundation has moderated as the endowment's investment returns increasingly sustain grantmaking.

Because Schusterman accepts zero unsolicited proposals, conventional grant-seeking tactics — letter of inquiry, proposal submission, grant portal registration — are entirely inapplicable. Every element of strategy must center on relationship development with program officers and existing grantees.

Build toward an invitation, not a proposal. Program officers actively research their fields and attend sector convenings. Organizations in criminal justice, democracy/voting rights, education, gender equity, and Jewish community should identify which Schusterman program officer covers their area, then find legitimate opportunities to engage at conferences, field publications, and coalition meetings. Follow Schusterman's website announcements to understand current strategic emphasis.

Leverage the grantee network. Current and former Schusterman grantees are the warmest possible introduction path. Ask allies at organizations in your field whether they have Schusterman relationships and can facilitate a warm introduction. These referrals carry real institutional weight.

Frame around systemic change, not projects. When you do get a conversation, emphasize your organization's long-term theory of change, your ability to shift systems rather than merely deliver services, and your multi-year track record. Schusterman gives operating support — prove you can use unrestricted dollars strategically to move systems.

Lead with racial and economic equity. Across all six portfolios, organizations led by and primarily serving Black, Latino, and other BIPOC communities are explicitly prioritized. If your organization has this orientation, open every conversation with it.

Time outreach to the strategic moment. With ROI Community winding down through July 2026 and grantmaking resources actively expanding, 2025-2026 may be an unusually active period for Schusterman to identify new grantee relationships — particularly in the Jewish community, Israel-connected programming, and antisemitism-combat spaces.

Avoid misalignment signals. Schusterman does not fund individuals, does not accept donations, and does not fund outside its six defined portfolios. Approaching Schusterman for health, housing, arts, or environmental work signals that you have not researched the funder and will close doors.