Samerian Foundation Inc.

The Samerian Foundation is a tightly held family foundation named for the Skjodt children — Samantha, Erik, and Ian — and governed by Chairman Cindy Simon Skjodt and President Paul Skjodt, both uncompensated. This family-first governance structure is the single most important strategic fact for any applicant: the foundation gives where it has personal connection, community stake, and measurable accountability.

Cindy Simon Skjodt is the primary philanthropic architect. A 1980 Indiana University graduate with a Butler University master's degree, she has served on 35 local boards and received the Sagamore of the Wabash award twice. Her 2016 Presidential appointment to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council directly explains the $2 million in grants to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. Organizations should research her current board affiliations and civic leadership — overlap with her priorities is a strong signal of fundability.

The foundation officially accepts applications by invitation only from 501(c)(3) nonprofits, but maintains an online application portal and states that written proposals including the grant purpose and requested amount are acceptable. This creates a practical two-track pathway: a warm introduction through the Skjodt family's network (Central Indiana Community Foundation is a multi-grant intermediary partner and a logical bridge) or a direct web application for well-aligned organizations.

Geographic concentration is acute — 78 of 89 documented grants (87.6%) are in Indiana, with Hamilton County and Indianapolis dominating. Carmel-area organizations, Hamilton County nonprofits, and Indianapolis institutions are overwhelmingly preferred. The handful of out-of-state grants (DC, California, Illinois) are tied to specific causes — Holocaust remembrance, workforce development — rather than geography-agnostic priorities.

First-time applicants should expect a longer relationship arc. The foundation conducts personal site visits as part of its accountability process. Anchor grantees like Indiana University Foundation ($4 million across two grants) and Riley Children's Foundation ($712,528) have multi-year, multi-grant relationships. New entrants should anticipate initial grants of $5,000–$25,000 before progressing to larger commitments. Document outcomes meticulously: this foundation explicitly states it evaluates how effectively charities meet their goals.

Samerian Foundation has maintained a consistent giving level of $5.1–$5.7 million annually from FY2020 through FY2023, with FY2024 estimated at $4.86 million in grants paid across 93 awards. This represents a stabilization from the higher FY2019 giving level of $8.04 million total giving and FY2015's $8.28 million — years when larger capital infusions drove elevated disbursements.

Total assets have grown steadily: $53.8M (2014) → $65.7M (2020) → $66.8M (2022) → $69.3M (2024). Net investment income drives most operational funding: $3.9M in FY2023 and $2.2M in FY2022, supplemented by contributions from the Skjodt family (FY2021 saw $3.97M in contributions, FY2020 saw $5.21M).

Grant size distribution is highly bimodal. The median grant is $7,500, but the average across 89 documented grants is $108,229 — a 14x gap driven by three mega-grants (Indiana University Foundation $4M, US Holocaust Memorial Museum $2M, Central Indiana Community Foundation $775K) that represent roughly 79% of total documented dollars. Remove the top five grantees and the average drops to approximately $19,000.

In FY2024, the foundation made 93 grants at an average of $52,253 — lower than prior years, consistent with a broader distribution strategy. In FY2023, 59 grants averaged $82,233.

Program area breakdown by total dollars: Education leads at approximately 47% of documented giving (IU Foundation $4M + education-coded grants), followed by animal welfare/community services (~10% via Humane Society of Hamilton County $625K), Holocaust/human rights (~22% via USHMM $2M + Human Rights First $175K), and a long tail of community health, food security, workforce, youth sports, and mental health grants typically ranging $5,000–$25,000.

Geographically: Indiana receives 87.6% of grant count. Most dollar volume stays within the Indianapolis-Carmel-Hamilton County corridor. Workforce and education grants to Chicago (Elevate Chicago, City Colleges, Center for IT Talent Acceleration) account for the bulk of Illinois activity.

The foundation's asset peers are all private foundations in the $69.2–$69.3 million range, representing a mid-tier family foundation cohort with varied focus areas and geographies.

Samerian is meaningfully differentiated from its asset peers by the breadth of its program areas — spanning education, animal welfare, mental health, youth sports, homelessness, and human rights — and by its operational infrastructure (dedicated COO and Grants Administrator). The Kozmetsky Family Foundation (Austin, TX) is the closest analog in family governance style and education focus, though it skews toward higher education and entrepreneurship rather than community services. Fred Ebb Foundation and Cape Fear Memorial Foundation are substantially narrower in scope. Among this cohort, Samerian is notable for making 93+ grants annually, suggesting higher transactional volume and more accessible entry points than invitation-only peers that make fewer, larger awards.

No major press releases or public announcements from 2025–2026 were found in web research. The most recent publicly visible activity is from the foundation's news gallery, dated March 2024, which highlights site visits and grants to the Dyslexia Institute of Indiana, Happy Hollow (an Indianapolis nonprofit serving adults with disabilities), Indy Library Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Assistance League of Indianapolis, St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf, and Indy Sled Hockey — a mix that confirms the foundation's youth, disability services, and community development priorities.

Key leadership context: Cindy Simon Skjodt holds a 2016 Presidential appointment to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, a likely multi-year role that continues to anchor the foundation's $2 million commitment to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. The Indiana Ice hockey franchise, founded by Paul Skjodt and historically distributing nearly $20 million in college athletic scholarships, reinforces the foundation's sustained focus on youth sports access.

Staffing evolution: Tammy Owen joined as Grants Administrator in 2019 and received $63,872 in FY2024 compensation, up from Betsy Niedermeyer's COO compensation of $51,039 in FY2023. This signals continued investment in grants management capacity.

FY2024 tax filing was submitted November 12, 2025. With 93 grants in FY2024 (up from 59 in FY2023), the foundation appears to be in an active grantmaking phase, distributing broadly across its Indiana network.

Start with the online portal, not cold mail. Despite the formal invitation-only policy, samerianfoundation.org maintains an active grant application section with distinct tracks for organizational grants and individual scholarships. Submitting through the portal signals organizational literacy and creates a trackable record.

Nail the written application basics. The foundation's stated requirement is minimal but specific: include the purpose of the grant and the amount requested. Do not submit a 20-page proposal unsolicited — a clear 2-3 page narrative with a specific dollar ask is more appropriate for first contact.

Right-size your initial ask. The median documented grant is $7,500. For a new relationship, ask for $5,000–$15,000 with clear deliverables. The foundation has made $100,000+ grants to organizations it knows well (EmployIndy, Human Rights First, Indiana Sports Corp), but these came after established relationships. Avoid anchoring too high on first approach.

Leverage the Central Indiana Community Foundation connection. CICF has received $775,000 across five Samerian grants, including one purpose labeled "Hamilton County Festival of Philanthropy." CICF manages many of Samerian's field-aligned programs. Applying through CICF's grant programs, or citing CICF partnership in your proposal, signals ecosystem credibility.

Prepare for a site visit. The foundation explicitly conducts personal visits to verify fund usage and evaluate organizational effectiveness. Before submitting, ensure your facilities, programming, and leadership are ready for an in-person evaluation. Document your outcomes dashboard, staff capacity, and financial controls.

Align language to the six stated focus areas: community development, education and scholarships, animal welfare, mental health, homelessness, youth sports. Even if your work spans multiple categories, lead with the one where Samerian has existing grantee density.

Human rights language resonates. The foundation funded Human Rights First ($175,000 for "human rights support"), the US Holocaust Memorial Museum ($2M), and the Immigrant Welcome Center ($10,000 for naturalization assistance). Organizations working on civil rights, immigration, or anti-discrimination can credibly connect to the foundation's stated value of "tolerance and acceptance of all persons."

Avoid the off-season. No public grant cycle deadlines were found, but the foundation's fiscal year runs through approximately June–July based on tax filings. Submit in Q1 of the calendar year (January–March) to align with likely spring review cycles.