Samis Foundation

Samis Foundation is the largest Jewish philanthropy in Washington State, managing $108 million in assets and distributing $14.1 million annually (FY2023). Its giving philosophy flows directly from the legacy of founder Sam Israel, a Seattle real estate developer who established the foundation in 1994 to strengthen Jewish identity through education. Every grant the foundation makes is an act of communal stewardship — a reinvestment of Sam Israel's real estate profits back into the Jewish communities he cared about most. Understanding this origin story is not background noise; it is the filter through which every proposal is evaluated.

The foundation's giving is concentrated in two geographies: Washington State (Jewish day schools, camps, and youth programs) and Israel (six defined areas: archaeology, Aliyah and absorption, educational support, poverty and social mobility, widows and orphans, and wildlife preservation). Organizations outside these two zones receive almost no attention. The 342 grants in the foundation's documented history are classified uniformly as 'Educational & Humanitarian,' reflecting a giving philosophy that treats education and human welfare as inseparable.

Critically, Samis is invitation-only. It explicitly does not accept unsolicited grant proposals, and a cold application will not receive a response. However, a narrow pathway exists: a one-page letter of inquiry describing a concept or potential initiative is permitted. The foundation does not discourage LOIs, but formal proposals are developed only after an invitation from foundation professionals. The real work, therefore, happens before any formal submission — in relationship-building with staff, board members, and existing grantees.

First-time applicants should focus on three things. First, demonstrate deep alignment with the foundation's mission language: 'intensive and immersive Jewish education' is the precise phrase Samis uses repeatedly, and proposals echoing this vocabulary signal cultural literacy. Second, identify connection points to existing grantees — the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, Stroum Jewish Community Center, and Northwest Yeshiva High School all operate in overlapping networks where foundation board members are visible. Third, recognize that Samis is a long-term relationship funder: its top six grantees each received grants in all five recent tracked fiscal years, indicating sustained institutional partnerships rather than one-time awards. Organizations that can demonstrate longevity, community rootedness, and a track record of Jewish identity outcomes are far better positioned than newcomers.

Samis Foundation's grantmaking data reveals a funder that concentrates resources heavily on a small number of trusted institutional partners while maintaining a broader ecosystem of smaller programmatic awards. Across 342 documented grant transactions totaling $34.05 million, the average grant is $99,564, but the median is just $22,500 — a bimodal distribution where a handful of multi-million-dollar institutional relationships coexist with many smaller grants in the $5,000–$50,000 range. The full range spans from $500 at the floor to $909,725 at the ceiling.

The six largest single-organization relationships tell the story of where Samis truly invests: Northwest Yeshiva High School ($4.96M total, 5 grants), Seattle Hebrew Academy ($4.61M, 5 grants), Jewish Day School in Bellevue ($3.38M, 5 grants), Seattle Jewish Community School ($2.84M, 5 grants), Torah Day School ($2.52M, 5 grants), and Menachem Mendel Seattle Cheder ($2.38M, 5 grants). These six recipients collectively account for $20.7M — approximately 60.8% of all documented grantmaking — and every one of them is a Seattle-area Jewish day school. This concentration is intentional: Samis views Jewish day school education as its highest-leverage investment in Jewish identity formation.

Annual giving has grown substantially over the past decade: $10.79M (2012), $10.55M (2013), $10.49M (2014), $10.26M (2015), $15.29M (2019), $9.23M (2020 — pandemic impact), $11.37M (2021), $13.62M (2022), and $14.08M (2023). Net investment income reached $11.04M in FY2023 on a $108M asset base, providing consistent fuel for grantmaking growth. Total assets have risen from $81M (2011) to $108M (2023).

Geographically, Washington State dominates: 176 of 342 grants (51.5%) remain local. New York receives 90 grants (26.3%), almost entirely through nationally operating Jewish organizations headquartered there (American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Jewish Federations of North America, Foundation for Jewish Camp). California (23 grants, 6.7%) and New Jersey (18 grants, 5.3%) account for the remainder via similar national intermediaries. Israel-focused grantees (Pef Israel Endowment Funds, Central Fund of Israel, Nefesh Bnefesh) represent a meaningful slice at $3.7M+ in the top-50 grantee data alone, consistent with the foundation's stated $10M+ total Israel giving since inception.

The five peer foundations identified by asset size are all Philanthropy & Grantmaking foundations with endowments ranging from $109.2M to $109.4M — nearly identical to Samis's $108.3M base. However, the similarity ends at asset size. Samis is distinguished by an unusually specific and publicly articulated mission, a substantial payout rate, and an established track record of large, multi-year grants.

Samis's $14.1M in annual giving represents a 13.1% payout on assets — more than double the 5% minimum required of private foundations and above typical peer-group norms. None of the four peer foundations publish giving totals, application guidelines, or grantee lists publicly, making direct comparison of impact difficult. What this table confirms is that Samis is not a passive wealth-preservation vehicle: it deploys capital at an aggressive rate for a foundation of its size. For grant seekers, the key competitive insight is that Samis's narrow mission focus (Jewish education and Israel) means fewer eligible organizations compete for a relatively large pool of dollars — a favorable supply-demand ratio for organizations that genuinely fit the focus.

The most significant recent development is the July 11, 2025 announcement of over $1 million in new 2026 Israel grants. Named recipients include Aluma ($110,000, supporting young adult job placement and readiness in northern Israel), Northbound Success (recruitment and retention support for employers in the North), and Bishvil HaMachar ($50,000, funding its Journeys Program — 3-day immersive retreats designed to help soldiers and reservists process war-related trauma, addressing PTSD prevention and early detection). These grants reflect a clear tilt toward conflict-response programming as Samis responds to the ongoing security situation in Israel.

On the governance front, Hart Cole and Elana Zana joined the Board of Trustees, adding new voices to a board that previously included long-tenured members like Chair Dave Azose, Grants Committee Chair Al Maimon, and Vice Chair Victor Alhadeff. CEO Constance Kanter, the foundation's consistent executive leader, saw her compensation grow from $157,234 (FY2019) to $187,077 (FY2023), signaling organizational stability and confidence in sustained leadership.

The foundation published its 2026-2030 Strategic Plan for Philanthropy, a multi-year roadmap whose detailed contents are not fully public. This plan will almost certainly shape grant priorities through the end of the decade. The DSA 2.0 program update (October 2025) expanded the Day School Affordability income ceiling to $350,000 household income and capped annual tuition contributions at $18,000 per child or 15% of AGI — a structural shift that could increase enrollment in Seattle-area Jewish day schools and, by extension, expand the population Samis's institutional grantees are expected to serve.

Samis Foundation requires a fundamentally different approach than open-application funders. The following tips are specific to this funder's processes and culture.

Start with relationships, not paperwork. The foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. Your first priority is to appear on the foundation's radar through community channels: Seattle Jewish communal events, connections to existing grantees, and introductions through board members. Al Maimon (Grants Committee Chair) and Victor Alhadeff (Vice Chair, Grants Committee) are community-embedded volunteers who participate in Seattle's Jewish organizational life.

Use the one-page LOI pathway strategically. If you lack a warm introduction, the foundation permits — though does not actively solicit — a single-page letter of inquiry. This letter should cover: (1) your organization's mission in one or two sentences using Samis's own language ('intensive and immersive Jewish education' or a named Israel category), (2) the specific program or initiative you are proposing, (3) the population and geography served, and (4) a rough funding range. Do not attach financials, impact reports, or supplementary materials.

Match language precisely. Samis's core vocabulary includes 'intensive and immersive,' 'Jewish identity formation,' 'high-quality educational experiences,' and 'Washington State Jewish community.' For Israel proposals, name the specific category explicitly. Proposals that use generic nonprofit language ('underserved communities,' 'evidence-based programs') without grounding them in Jewish communal context signal misalignment.

Time your outreach for late summer or early fall. The DSA portal opens in October for the following school year, suggesting the foundation's annual planning cycle peaks in Q3-Q4. A September outreach positions you for consideration in the coming cycle.

Plan for a long runway. Top grantees have sustained five-year relationships. Do not approach Samis expecting a one-year grant. Frame any LOI or relationship conversation around multi-year partnership potential, measurable outcomes, and organizational sustainability.

Israel applicants: lean into conflict-response framing. The July 2025 grant slate demonstrates that Samis is actively responding to the ongoing conflict's human toll. Proposals addressing soldier welfare, northern Israel displacement, and social mobility for conflict-affected populations align with the foundation's 2025-2026 Israel giving pattern.