Nsn Foundation Inc.

NSN Foundation Inc. is a tightly-held, non-operating private foundation that functions as a dedicated pass-through vehicle for Huntington's disease (HD) research philanthropy. Incorporated in New Jersey in 2001 and administered through the Lowenstein Sandler law firm at 1 Lowenstein Drive in Roseland, NJ, the foundation is controlled by a three-person officer structure — Kenneth J. Slutsky (President/Treasurer), David Mills (VP/Secretary), and John L. Berger (VP/Asst. Secretary) — all of whom receive zero compensation. Nison Management LLC serves as a member of the governing body, and the name 'NSN' appears to be derived from Nison Management.

The foundation operates with singular clarity of purpose: virtually all of its historical grantmaking has flowed to two entities — CHDI Foundation Inc. ($395.4M across two recorded grants) and High Q Foundation Inc. ($276.9M across two grants) — both of which are separately managed organizations also associated with Kenneth Slutsky. CHDI Foundation is one of the world's leading private funders of Huntington's disease research, supporting drug discovery, biomarker development, and clinical trial infrastructure. High Q Foundation was established specifically to fund HD clinical trials via a charitable endowment, and CHDI has since formally assumed its research activities.

The strategic implication for grant seekers is unambiguous: NSN Foundation does not entertain unsolicited applications. Public records confirm `application_instructions: none` and `preselected_only: true`. There is no website, no published RFP, no contact email, and no publicly stated grant cycle. The foundation's giving is entirely relationship-driven and directed toward a pre-determined set of HD research institutions that already operate within Slutsky's philanthropic network.

First-time applicants should understand that NSN Foundation is not a competitive grantmaker in any conventional sense. It is best understood as a philanthropic conduit — a legal structure that channels donor capital rapidly into HD research without maintaining a permanent endowment or diverse portfolio. Organizations working in Huntington's disease, neurodegenerative disease research, or Jewish communal causes who believe they have a genuine connection to this network should pursue introductions through CHDI Foundation or the Lowenstein Sandler firm rather than approaching NSN directly.

NSN Foundation's grantmaking profile is extraordinary in its concentration and scale. Across all recorded fiscal years from 2012 through 2023, the foundation has distributed approximately $960 million in total grants — yet the entire recorded portfolio consists of just six grants to three grantees. The average grant size of $125.6 million makes this one of the largest-grant private foundations in the United States by that metric.

By grantee: - CHDI Foundation Inc.: $395,447,724 across 2 grants (41% of total giving) — purpose: promoting medical and scientific research in neurodegenerative diseases - High Q Foundation Inc.: $276,913,672 across 2 grants (29% of total giving) — purpose: establishing and increasing a charitable endowment for HD clinical trials - Jewish Communal Fund: $81,500,000 across 2 grants (9% of total giving) — purpose: general fund - Remaining: ~$206M in unitemized distributions across earlier years

Annual giving trend: - FY2012: $2.75M (earliest recorded) - FY2013: $49M - FY2018: $22.1M - FY2019: $40.5M - FY2020: $18M - FY2021: $334M (single-year record, driven by $770M in contributions received) - FY2022: $419.9M - FY2024 (estimated from ProPublica filing): $279M

The giving pattern is highly irregular year-to-year, which reflects the foundation's pass-through structure — it distributes funds as contributions are received rather than maintaining a payout schedule against a stable endowment. Assets have ranged from under $1M (FY2013–2015) to $486.7M (FY2021 peak) to $171M (FY2023), underscoring the volatile capital flows.

Geographically, all recorded grantees are based in New Jersey or New York. No geographic diversity in grantmaking has been observed. Program area diversification is similarly absent — Huntington's disease and related neurodegenerative research account for an estimated 89%+ of lifetime giving, with Jewish communal causes comprising the remainder.

The following table compares NSN Foundation Inc. to peer foundations of similar asset size (~$170M) classified under NTEE code T (Philanthropy & Grantmaking). Note that these peers were matched by financial profile rather than programmatic focus — NSN's Huntington's disease specialization has no direct peer in the T21 category at this asset level.

NSN Foundation stands out starkly from its asset-level peers: it regularly distributes two to three times its total asset value in a single fiscal year, which is only possible because it operates as a contribution pass-through rather than an endowed grantmaker. The Eisner Foundation is the only peer that maintains a public-facing application process (LOI-based). All others, like NSN, operate exclusively through invitation or pre-existing relationships — a common pattern among high-net-worth family and corporate foundations at this asset tier.

NSN Foundation's most recent publicly available IRS filing (Form 990-PF, processed October 2024) reflects fiscal year 2024 activities with $279 million in charitable disbursements and approximately $171 million in total assets — consistent with prior years' pattern of distributing funds well in excess of the endowment base.

The most significant structural development in NSN's grantee ecosystem is the formal absorption of High Q Foundation's Huntington's disease research portfolio into CHDI Foundation. CHDI announced it would carry out High Q's research activities in HD, consolidating the two largest recipients of NSN funding under a single operational umbrella. This merger has no immediate impact on NSN's giving structure since Kenneth Slutsky retains oversight of both organizations, but it may signal that future NSN distributions will flow exclusively to CHDI.

No press releases, leadership changes, new program announcements, or public communications from NSN Foundation itself were found in web research — the foundation maintains a deliberately low public profile consistent with its role as a private philanthropic vehicle. The foundation has no website, no social media presence, and no published contact information beyond its Lowenstein Sandler mailing address. CHDI Foundation, by contrast, is publicly active — it hosts annual scientific conferences (most recently in 2023), publishes research progress updates, and maintains extensive stakeholder communications. Organizations seeking to understand where NSN-funded research is heading should monitor CHDI's public communications at chdifoundation.org.

NSN Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant applications. This is not a bureaucratic barrier — it reflects the fundamental structure of this foundation. Public IRS records confirm application_instructions are blank and the foundation is flagged as preselected_only. There is no grants portal, no Letter of Intent process, no RFP cycle, and no staff dedicated to reviewing applications. The three officers (Slutsky, Mills, Berger) serve without compensation and are not accessible through a public-facing grants function.

For organizations working in Huntington's disease research, the actionable path is not through NSN Foundation but through its primary grantee:

• CHDI Foundation (chdifoundation.org): CHDI is the world's largest private funder of Huntington's disease research and the direct beneficiary of NSN's grantmaking. CHDI partners with academic labs, biotech companies, and clinical research networks globally. Organizations with credible HD research programs should approach CHDI through its established scientific advisory and partnership channels, including its annual HD Therapeutics Conference.

• High Q Foundation: Though operationally absorbed into CHDI, High Q's endowment specifically targets clinical trials. Investigators with trial-ready HD protocols have historically been the target beneficiaries of this funding stream.

• Jewish Communal Fund: If your organization is a Jewish communal or charitable entity in the New York/New Jersey area, the Jewish Communal Fund (jewishcomminalfund.org) is itself a donor-advised fund vehicle — individual donors at JCF direct grants to qualified nonprofits. NSN's $81.5M to JCF represents donor-directed giving rather than JCF's own grantmaking.

For any organization that believes it has a genuine relationship with Kenneth Slutsky or Nison Management LLC, the appropriate contact point is Lowenstein Sandler LLP (1 Lowenstein Drive, Roseland, NJ 07068) with attention to the Tax Exempt Institutions Group. No cold outreach is likely to succeed — relationship-building with CHDI leadership and HD research networks is the only realistic path to indirect access to NSN-sourced capital.