Eugene & Agnes E Meyer Foundation

## Approach and Strategy for Applying to the Eugene & Agnes E. Meyer Foundation

The Meyer Foundation is an 80-year-old private foundation headquartered in Washington, DC, with a deeply embedded commitment to racial and economic justice in the Greater Washington region. Their strategic frame is explicit: they believe systemic racism is the root cause of economic inequality in the region, and they fund organizations that build community power to change systems — not just provide services.

In 2026, the Meyer Foundation is closed to new applicants. The Foundation announced it will focus entirely on sustaining existing partnerships rather than accepting new grant applications. Current core grantee partners receive direct renewal links, and Rapid Response grants (up to $50,000) remain available to existing partners. Prospective organizations should position themselves for future consideration by emailing grants@meyerfdn.org and monitoring the website for when new applications reopen.

### Strategic Framework Meyer organizes its work around four change tactics: 1. Organizing & Base Building — Grassroots power-building with directly impacted communities 2. Advocacy — Policy, regulatory, litigation, and ballot initiative work 3. Coalition Building — Multi-organization campaigns for systemic change 4. Narrative Change — Cultural production and storytelling to shift dominant frames

Organizations best positioned for Meyer funding are those with a structural analysis of racism, a base of community members with lived experience who help direct the work, and a demonstrated track record of advancing measurable systems change.

### What Meyer Does NOT Fund - Direct service organizations without a power-building or systems change component - Organizations primarily outside Greater Washington (DC + Montgomery/Prince George's MD + Northern VA) - Individual scholarships or grants to individuals - Organizations without 501(c)(3) status or a fiscal sponsor - Capital campaigns or endowments (primarily) - National organizations without a strong local partnership and footprint in Greater Washington

### Multi-Year Relationship Model Meyer is fundamentally a relationship funder. Their highest-funded grantees (Greater Washington Community Foundation: $2.5M total; Black Swan Academy: $1.5M; DC Fiscal Policy Institute: $875K) have received grants consistently over 3-4 years. The path to major funding runs through initial project grants, demonstrated alignment, and building trust with program staff over multiple cycles.

## Funding Patterns and Grant History (2020–2023)

### Overview The Eugene & Agnes E. Meyer Foundation awarded 944 grants totaling approximately $52.2 million between 2020 and 2023, averaging $58,174 per grant in 2021-2023 (higher than the 2020 average of $34,856 due to COVID-era smaller emergency grants).

The 2022 spike to $22M likely reflects major multi-year grant commitments (several large grants show as duplicate entries indicating multi-year tranches) and a significant $1M+ transfer to Greater Washington Community Foundation for a Donor Advised Fund.

### Geographic Distribution The vast majority of grants go to organizations based in: - Washington, DC (~55% of grants) - Montgomery County, MD (~15%) - Prince George's County, MD (~10%) - Northern Virginia (Arlington, Fairfax, Alexandria) (~15%) - Out-of-region (Oakland, Boston, San Francisco) for guaranteed income and national pass-throughs (~5%)

### Grant Size Distribution - Rapid Response: $10,000–$50,000 - Standard project grants: $25,000–$100,000 - Multi-year operating support: $100,000–$200,000/year - Major capacity investments: $200,000–$500,000 (rare, for established partners)

### Thematic Priorities The grant descriptions reveal consistent thematic clusters: 1. Guaranteed/Minimum Income: MoCo Boost, Let's Go DMV!, PG County pilot — total ~$2M+ 2. Criminal Justice Reform: DC Justice Lab, Life After Release Fund, Defending Rights & Dissent 3. Economic Policy Advocacy: DC Fiscal Policy Institute, Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis 4. Immigrant Rights: Identity, African Communities Together, NAKASEC, CASA 5. Food & Economic Justice: Dreaming Out Loud, Bread for the City 6. Youth & Education Organizing: Black Swan Academy, Advocates for Justice and Education, Critical Exposure

## Peer Comparison: DC-Region Foundations Focused on Racial Equity

The Meyer Foundation occupies a distinct position in the DC philanthropic ecosystem as a mid-size independent foundation with an explicit racial justice mission, differentiating it from larger foundations with broader geographic or issue mandates.

### Key Differentiators for Meyer Foundation 1. Most explicit racial equity mandate among DC-region foundations of comparable size — the word "systemic racism" appears prominently in mission, vision, and grantmaking criteria 2. Deepest commitment to power-building and organizing — actively funds organizations that build grassroots political power, not just service delivery 3. Strongest multi-year general operating support culture — most peer foundations prefer project grants; Meyer explicitly prizes multi-year general ops as primary tool 4. Most DC-region-centric — less national giving than peers, making it the most relevant foundation for locally-anchored Greater Washington organizations 5. Movement ecosystem investment — funds coalitions, narrative change, and base-building organizations that strengthen the broader justice movement

## Recent Activity and 2026 Strategic Direction

### 2026 Announced Policy: Closed to New Applications In a significant strategic shift, the Meyer Foundation announced in early 2026 that it will not accept new grant applications for the year. The statement from their grantmaking page explains: "In 2026, nonprofit organizations and communities across our region are navigating significant uncertainty and disruption. In response, the Meyer Foundation will focus its resources on sustaining existing partnerships."

This decision likely reflects the funding landscape post-2024 elections, with many racial justice-focused foundations consolidating around proven partners in a challenging policy environment. Current core grantee partners can renew; Rapid Response grants (up to $50,000) remain available to existing partners for urgent needs.

### Leadership - Janice Thomas — President & CEO (current) - Jaqueline Tucker, Esq. — Vice President, Community Partnerships & Strategy - Karen FitzGerald — Senior Director, Capacity Building - Stephanie Sneed — Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives

### Organizational Infrastructure Meyer runs three geographic partnership tracks (DC, Maryland, Virginia), each with a dedicated director: - Sapna Pandya, MPH — Director, DC Partnerships & Strategy - Alexis Martinez, MPH — Director, Maryland Partnerships & Strategy - Edgar Aranda-Yanoc, LL.M. — Director, Virginia Partnerships & Strategy

This structure suggests grantees can build relationships with their region-specific program officer to strengthen alignment.

### Recent Thematic Priorities Based on 2022-2023 grant data, Meyer has been making significant investments in: - Guaranteed income pilots (~$1.5M+ to MoCo Boost and LetsGo DMV! initiatives) - Criminal justice and decarceration (DC Justice Lab, Life After Release Fund) - Food sovereignty and economic transformation (Dreaming Out Loud's capital campaign for Good Food on Good Hope Road) - Racial equity data infrastructure (Urban Institute tool for measuring racial equity progress) - Immigrant community power (Identity in Northern VA, African Communities Together, NAKASEC)

### Financial Position With $231M in assets and $33M in income (2023 IRS data), Meyer has a strong endowment-to-giving ratio. Their income-to-assets ratio of ~14% suggests a well-diversified investment portfolio generating solid returns to support continued high grantmaking levels.

## Application Tips for the Eugene & Agnes E. Meyer Foundation

Note: As of 2026, Meyer is not accepting new applications. These tips apply for future cycles when applications reopen.

### 1. Nail the Racial Justice Analysis Meyer's reviewers evaluate whether organizations have a structural (not charity) analysis of racism. Your proposal should explicitly connect the problem you're solving to systemic racism and name the policies, practices, or institutions perpetuating the inequity. Saying your work "helps underserved communities" is insufficient — name the systems.

### 2. Center the Power-Building Angle Even if your organization does direct service, emphasize any organizing, advocacy, or movement-building components. Meyer explicitly prioritizes tactics including: community organizing, policy advocacy, coalition building, and narrative change. Proposals that lead with power-building (with community members directing the work) score highest.

### 3. Document Lived-Experience Leadership Meyer's evaluation criteria ask: "To what extent is your organization building and supporting the leadership and power of those closest to the issues?" Document how people most affected by racial/economic inequity hold leadership roles in your organization — staff, board, and governance structures.

### 4. Demonstrate Regional Embeddedness Show your deep roots in Greater Washington specifically. Mention specific neighborhoods, counties, and communities. Connect your work to regional movement infrastructure (coalitions, campaigns, other Meyer grantees). National organizations applying for project support must show a strong local partnership.

### 5. Make the Systems Change Case Meyer distinguishes between changing symptoms vs. changing systems. Articulate which specific policies, practices, institutions, or cultural norms your work targets, and how change in those systems will improve material conditions for impacted communities.

### 6. Request General Operating Support Meyer's primary tool is general operating support — ask for it. Multi-year general operating grants are available for organizations that best exemplify the above criteria. For newer organizations, a project grant with a path to general ops is a reasonable ask.

### 7. Build the Relationship First Given the closed 2026 application cycle, use this year to: (a) email grants@meyerfdn.org to introduce your organization, (b) attend Meyer-sponsored events and convenings, (c) connect with the relevant geographic program officer (DC: Sapna Pandya; MD: Alexis Martinez; VA: Edgar Aranda-Yanoc).

### 8. Rapid Response Window If you are already a current Meyer grantee partner and face an urgent need in 2026, the Rapid Response program offers grants of $10,000, $20,000, or $50,000 for urgent organizing, advocacy, coalition building, legal defense, mutual aid, or narrative change work. Submit via the current grantee portal.