Jana Foundation Inc.

Jana Foundation Inc. operates as a classic preselected private foundation — one of thousands of family foundations established in New York during the mid-twentieth century that continue to make discretionary grants based entirely on the relationship network and priorities of their founding families. The foundation was incorporated in 1970 and has maintained a remarkably consistent profile over five decades: a mid-sized endowment (~$16.8M in 2024), investment-driven revenues (primarily dividends and asset sales rather than new contributions), and an annual disbursement rate approaching 20% of assets.

The grantmaking approach is relationship-driven and board-directed. President D. Rosen oversees the portfolio alongside three directors who also serve on the Investment Committee (A. Seget, Louise M. Fitzsimmons, and Barbara Goren), suggesting a tightly integrated governance structure where investment and philanthropy decisions are made by the same small group. This profile — a single family or affinity group controlling both money and mission — is characteristic of New York's "quiet" philanthropic community: foundations that operate without websites, press releases, or public applications.

Strategically, Jana Foundation appears to follow a broad-based, relationship-grant model rather than a thematic or concentrated strategy. With 91–94 grants per year averaging $29,192 and a median of just $9,000, the foundation spreads giving across a wide range of recipients — likely including educational institutions, Jewish communal organizations, arts groups, and human service nonprofits that have pre-existing relationships with board members. The wide range ($500 to $840,000 in a single year) suggests the foundation gives both small recurring gifts to community organizations and occasional large grants to major institutions.

Jana Foundation's funding patterns reveal a stable, endowment-supported grantmaker with consistent annual disbursements that have grown modestly over time. Key patterns from available 990-PF data:

Volume and Cadence: The foundation made 94 grants in FY2020 and 91 grants in FY2021, suggesting an annual grant count in the 85–100 range. With total giving of ~$2.56M in 2023 and ~$2.97M in 2024, the payout rate is approximately 15–18% of total assets — well above the IRS-mandated minimum distribution requirement of 5%.

Grant Size Distribution: The enormous spread between minimum ($500) and maximum ($840,000) grants indicates a bimodal giving pattern. The majority of grants cluster near the median ($9,000) as small, recurring gifts to community organizations, with occasional large outlier grants to major institutions (universities, hospitals, major cultural organizations). The average of $29,192 is pulled upward by these larger grants.

Revenue Structure: The foundation generates income almost entirely from investment activities — capital gains from asset sales (86% of revenue) and dividends (21%). It receives zero charitable contributions, indicating the founding family does not add new capital. This makes the endowment's investment performance the primary determinant of long-term giving capacity.

Asset Trajectory: Total assets declined from ~$21.5M in 2018 to ~$16.8M in 2024 — a 22% reduction over six years. Combined with the above-minimum payout rate, this suggests the foundation may be in a slow spend-down phase, though it could also reflect market performance during the 2022 bear market. If asset erosion continues at this pace, annual grantmaking capacity may decline modestly over the next decade.

Geographic Breadth: Grants flow to organizations across at least 12 states (NY, CT, NJ, MA, PA, MD, DC, VA, GA, IL, CO, LA), reflecting a board with personal connections across multiple regions rather than a geographically concentrated strategy.

Jana Foundation Inc. occupies a specific niche within New York's dense private foundation ecosystem: a mid-sized, discretionary family foundation with broad programmatic interests and no public application process. The following table compares it to peer foundations with similar asset size, geography, and focus areas:

Key Differentiators: Jana Foundation stands out for its high payout ratio (nearly 18% vs. the sector average of 6–8% for similarly sized foundations), its large number of relatively small grants (90+ per year), and its complete lack of public presence. Unlike the Achelis & Bodman Foundation, which serves a similar geographic market but maintains published guidelines and an LOI process, Jana operates entirely through personal relationships. This puts it squarely in the "relationship philanthropy" category, where access depends on board connections rather than competitive merit.

For grantseekers, the practical implication is clear: Jana Foundation cannot be approached through conventional channels. Success requires a warm introduction from a board member, trustee, or known advisor to the Rosen family.

Based on publicly available 990-PF data, Jana Foundation Inc. has maintained steady grantmaking activity through 2024 with no significant strategic pivots:

FY2024 (most recent): Total charitable disbursements reached $2.97M — the highest in recent years and up 16% from the $2.56M disbursed in FY2023. This increase came despite total assets declining slightly, suggesting the foundation may be intentionally increasing its payout rate. The 2024 filing was submitted November 12, 2025, confirming the organization remains active and current.

FY2023: $2.56M disbursed across an estimated 85–95 grants. Revenue for the year was $1.01M (from investments), while total expenses were $3.1M — meaning the foundation drew down approximately $2.1M of its endowment principal to fund distributions, consistent with an above-minimum payout strategy.

FY2021: 91 grants made, with geographic reach confirmed across a dozen states. This represents the last year for which grant count data is publicly available.

Organizational Stability: Leadership has been consistent for years, with D. Rosen serving as President/Director and the same three directors on the Investment Committee. No leadership transitions, mergers, or strategic restructurings have been reported. The foundation has no paid staff (all board-directed), no website, and no public communications — all hallmarks of a traditional "quiet" family foundation.

Trajectory Note: The combination of above-minimum distributions and no new contributions is steadily reducing the endowment. If this pattern continues, the foundation's annual grantmaking capacity may decrease by 10–20% over the next decade unless investment returns outperform the current payout rate.

Jana Foundation Inc. does not accept unsolicited grant applications and makes all grants on a preselected basis through personal relationships with its board. This means conventional grantseeking strategies (cold letters of inquiry, online applications, grant databases) will not work. However, for organizations that have — or can develop — a connection to the foundation's leadership, the following guidance applies:

1. Map Your Board Connections First. Before any outreach, identify whether your organization has any trustee, major donor, or advisor with a personal or professional relationship to D. Rosen, A. Seget, Louise M. Fitzsimmons, or Barbara Goren. LinkedIn, alumni networks, and shared board service at other NYC nonprofits are the most productive starting points. The foundation's address (60 E 42nd St, 38th Floor) places it in Midtown Manhattan's financial district — a neighborhood dense with law firms, asset managers, and family offices, suggesting the principals may have finance or law backgrounds.

2. Cultivate Through Shared Institutional Affiliations. If your organization already receives support from other relationship-based New York foundations, ask those foundation officers whether they know the Jana Foundation principals. Jewish federated giving networks, Manhattan nonprofit boards, and East Coast university alumni associations are plausible connection points given the foundation's focus areas.

3. Match Your Mission Carefully. The foundation's documented focus areas are Education, Human Services, Philanthropy/Grantmaking, and Arts. Organizations operating in these areas — particularly those with a New York, Connecticut, or broader East Coast footprint — are the most plausible fit. Grant sizes range from $500 to $840,000, but most gifts cluster around $9,000–$30,000, making this most appropriate for mid-sized program requests from established nonprofits.

4. Expect a Long Relationship Cycle. Preselected family foundations rarely make first-time grants to unknown organizations. The typical path involves years of relationship-building, possibly including smaller initial gifts that grow over time as trust develops. Budget for a 2–3 year cultivation timeline.

5. If You Receive a Grant: Stewardship matters enormously with relationship-based funders. Timely, personal thank-you communications, program updates that connect outcomes to the foundation's interests, and respectful (non-demanding) relationship maintenance dramatically increase renewal probability.