Sarah Scaife Foundation Inc.

The Sarah Scaife Foundation is one of the largest and most strategically focused conservative grantmakers in the United States, with $588M in assets and roughly $45M in annual giving as of fiscal year 2024. Founded in 1941 and based in Pittsburgh, PA, it operates exclusively as a non-operating private foundation — it does not run programs of its own, only funds them.

The foundation's giving philosophy centers on sustained, long-term relationships with a relatively small number of flagship organizations. Of the top 50 grantees in its record, virtually all have received four or more consecutive grants, and many have held relationships spanning a decade or longer. George Mason University Foundation, Heritage Foundation, and American Enterprise Institute have each accumulated $5.7M–$5.8M in cumulative awards. This is not a foundation that makes one-off project grants to new applicants — it is building an ecosystem.

First-time applicants face a deliberately higher bar. The application process requires physical mail submission (no electronic applications), a cover letter signed by the organization's president, explicit board approval, and a full financial documentation package. This friction is intentional: the foundation uses it to filter for serious, established organizations with institutional credibility.

The board of trustees itself signals what the foundation values. Trustees include Edwin J. Feulner Jr. (Heritage Foundation founder), Roger Kimball (New Criterion editor and publisher), and Eugene B. Meyer (Federalist Society president). Proposals that demonstrate fluency in the conservative intellectual tradition — federalism, free markets, limited government, national sovereignty, constitutional originalism — will be read by people who live and breathe those ideas.

The typical relationship progression runs: (1) initial hard-copy proposal → (2) quarterly board review → (3) first grant, often a project-specific award in the $100K–$300K range → (4) renewal grants, shifting toward general operating support as trust builds → (5) multi-year commitments at the $300K–$750K/year level for flagship grantees. Organizations that receive general operating support from Scaife gain significant credibility with peer funders in the conservative network.

The Sarah Scaife Foundation distributed $45.3M in grants in fiscal year 2024, nearly unchanged from $45.2M in 2023 and $46.0M in 2022 — a period of exceptional stability. This consistency is intentional: the foundation maintains relationships rather than chasing trends. The slight decline from the 2021 peak of $50.1M reflects portfolio optimization rather than retrenchment.

Typical grant size data from the foundation's 990 filings reveals: median grant $200,000, average $249,350, with a range of $27,000 (minimum documented) to $1.25M (maximum documented). The most common grant size falls in the $200K–$400K band, with flagship organizations receiving $500K–$1.25M annually. Based on 180 documented grants, the total grant count per year is approximately 180–200 awards.

Geographic concentration is striking: DC-area organizations received 36% of grants (319 grants to DC-based organizations in the cumulative record), followed by Virginia at 16% (148 grants) and Pennsylvania at 5% (42 grants, including some Pittsburgh-area organizations). California (63), New York (59), and Texas (35) round out the geography — overwhelmingly national policy organizations headquartered in major cities.

By program area, the portfolio breaks into recognizable clusters: national security and defense policy (Center for Strategic and International Studies, Hudson Institute, American Foreign Policy Council, National Institute for Public Policy, Spirit of America Worldwide — approximately 25–30% of giving); law, courts, and regulatory reform (George Mason University Foundation's multiple law centers, Federalist Society, Pacific Legal Foundation, Institute for Justice, New Civil Liberties Alliance — approximately 20%); economic policy (Tax Foundation, Reason Foundation, Mercatus Center, Competitive Enterprise Institute — approximately 15%); media and education (Daily Caller News Foundation, Franklin News Foundation, Moving Picture Institute, Intercollegiate Studies Institute — approximately 10%); and state/local policy networks (State Policy Network, Commonwealth Foundation, Evergreen Freedom Foundation — approximately 10%).

General operating support dominates: at least 60% of top-50 grantees receive unrestricted operating grants rather than project-specific funding.

The Sarah Scaife Foundation operates within a closely networked constellation of conservative grantmakers often called the "Scaife network" or the broader conservative philanthropy infrastructure. Here is how it compares to key peers:

Among its closest peers, Scaife stands out for the largest concentration of giving to DC-based national-security and foreign-policy think tanks, a domain where it competes with and often co-funds Smith Richardson Foundation. Bradley overlaps heavily on domestic policy and is often a co-funder of the same organizations (Heritage, AEI, Federalist Society). Unlike Bradley, which has a formal LOI process, Scaife relies more heavily on long-standing relationships — cold applications from unknown organizations rarely succeed. Koch Foundation's higher-education focus makes it less competitive for policy-advocacy organizations that are Scaife's core constituency.

The foundation's most recent publicly available Form 990 was filed November 14, 2025 (fiscal year 2024), showing $45.3M in grants paid and $588.2M in total assets, down from a 2021 peak of $645M as investment markets fluctuated. Net investment income was $26.7M in 2024 versus $38.9M in 2023, reflecting the portfolio's sensitivity to equity market conditions — though this has not materially affected grant volume.

CEO Michael W. Gleba, who has led the foundation since Richard Mellon Scaife's death in 2014, received $746,950 in total compensation in fiscal year 2024, up from $721,600 the prior year. Vice President Montgomery B. Brown received $421,700. The leadership team has been stable for over a decade.

No major program area changes or leadership transitions were identified in public records for 2025–2026. The foundation does not issue press releases, publish annual reports publicly, or maintain social media — consistent with its longstanding preference for low public profile. Notable new program areas appearing in recent grant descriptions include the C. Boyden Gray Center for the Study of the Administrative State at George Mason (which aligns with the post-2020 conservative focus on challenging the administrative state) and explicit "China challenge" framing at AEI, suggesting geopolitical priority shifts.

The foundation's website (www.scaife.com) experienced certificate issues as of early 2026, suggesting limited investment in digital infrastructure — further confirming that relationship-based access rather than online outreach is the primary entry point.

Relationship first, application second. The Sarah Scaife Foundation rarely funds organizations it has not previously encountered through the conservative policy network. Before submitting, ensure your organization has been published in or cited by outlets the foundation already funds (New Criterion, Daily Caller, Intercollegiate Studies publications), has leaders who have testified at Federalist Society events or AEI conferences, or has board members connected to prior Scaife grantees.

Mail only for first-time applicants. Do not attempt to email your proposal or submit through an online form. First-time applicants must mail a physical hard-copy proposal to: Michael W. Gleba, Chairman and CEO, One Oxford Centre, 301 Grant Street, Suite 3900, Pittsburgh, PA 15219-6402. Previous grantees use the online portal at scaife.com.

Proposal structure the foundation expects: - Cover letter signed by your organization's president, with explicit statement of board approval, the specific dollar amount requested, and a one-paragraph summary of the program - Narrative proposal with executive summary (no length specified, but keep under 10 pages) - Program budget with timetable and milestones - Current organizational operating budget - Most recent audited financial statements and unaudited interim statements - IRS Form 990 (most recent) - Annual report (if published) - List of board of directors with affiliations - List of major current funders - IRS tax-exempt status determination letter

Framing language that resonates: Use terms like "limited government," "constitutional order," "rule of law," "free enterprise," "national sovereignty," "Western civilization," and "Madisonian principles." Avoid progressive framing (equity, DEI, systemic racism, climate justice) even in neutral contexts — it signals ideological misalignment.

Quarterly review cycle: The board meets four times per year. Submit well before the quarter you want reviewed — at minimum 6–8 weeks ahead. Phone the office (412-392-2900) to ask about the current review calendar before submitting.

Start with a project grant. First grants are almost always project-specific, not general operating. Propose a defined deliverable — a study, a fellowship cohort, a policy report series — with clear outputs and a budget under $300K. General operating support comes after you have demonstrated performance on project grants.