Scherman Foundation Inc.

The Scherman Foundation, founded in 1941 and headquartered at 16 East 52nd Street in Manhattan, has evolved into one of New York's most explicitly movement-oriented progressive foundations. After a three-year reimagining process culminating around its 80th anniversary in 2021, the Foundation adopted an overtly anti-racist framework, committing to invest in "economic, political, and cultural transformation necessary for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to reclaim and build power."

The Foundation's giving philosophy centers on trust-based, general operating support rather than restricted project grants. Of the top 50 grantees in the database, the vast majority receive funding tagged "GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT," reflecting deliberate unrestricted philanthropy. Multi-year relationships dominate: New York Foundation received 11 grants totaling $1,025,000; Tides Foundation received 6 grants totaling $650,000; In Our Own Voice received 4 grants totaling $500,000; Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition received 4 grants totaling $420,000.

For first-time applicants, the entry path is narrow but navigable. The Foundation states explicitly that it "primarily supports current grantees and makes a limited number of new grants each year." In 2025, only 55 core grants were awarded ($4.58M), with the remaining $7.1M flowing through a Response/Future Fund that is invitation-only. New entrants therefore compete for perhaps 5-15 new grant slots per cycle.

The typical relationship progression: (1) Submit a Letter of Intent (max 3 pages) during the February-April window via the GrantInterface portal; (2) Wait approximately 8 weeks for a decision on whether to proceed; (3) If invited, submit a full proposal; (4) Possible site visit or staff conversation; (5) Multi-year general operating support grant with strong likelihood of renewal.

Three eligibility criteria are non-negotiable: BIPOC accountability (communities of color must hold genuine decision-making authority over strategy and finances, not merely be served by the organization), intersectional analysis (work must connect racial justice to economic, gender, LGBTQ+, and/or disability justice), and movement-building orientation (standalone direct service without an organizing component will not be funded). The Foundation has signed Philanthropy's Promise, committing at least 25% of grantmaking to social justice strategies including advocacy, community organizing, and civic engagement.

New York City remains the geographic anchor, with 67.6% of grants going to NY-based organizations. The Foundation is now cautiously expanding to other New York State regions and making a limited number of Long Island grants for the first time.

The Scherman Foundation maintains a stable asset base with growing giving. Assets have ranged from $93.9M (FY2013) to $116.7M (FY2021), settling at $111.7M in FY2024. Annual giving has grown steadily: $3.7M (2012), $5.6M (2015), $6.9M (2019), $7.6M (2021), $9.4M (2022), $9.6M (FY2023) — before accelerating sharply to $11.68M across 162 grants in 2025, driven by the Board's decision to increase payout from 6% to 10% of assets.

At the individual grant level, the Foundation's data shows: median grant $27,500, average $34,374 (range: $50 to $200,000) across 166 measured grants. However, top multi-year grantees accumulate significantly larger totals: New York Foundation ($1,025,000 across 11 grants), Progressive Multiplier Fund ($600,000 across 3 grants), and In Our Own Voice ($500,000 across 4 grants). The practical entry point for a new grantee's first award is likely $50,000-$100,000 for general operating support.

Geographically, New York accounts for 296 of 438 tracked grants (67.6%). DC-based national organizations form the second-largest cluster (43 grants, 9.8%), reflecting investments in national advocacy infrastructure. California follows with 26 grants (5.9%), Illinois 12 (2.7%), and Massachusetts 11 (2.5%). A meaningful Appalachian pocket (West Virginia: 4 grants) reflects the Foundation's interest in under-resourced regional environmental and reproductive justice organizations such as West Virginia Free and the Kentucky Coalition.

Program area breakdown estimated from grantee purpose data across 438 grants: - Strengthening New York Communities (~30%): neighborhood organizing, housing advocacy, transit justice, workers' rights, community land trusts - Democracy (~25%): voter turnout infrastructure (GoVoteNYC fund: $150,000), state tables (Pennsylvania Voice, ProGeorgia, State Voices: $300,000 combined), civic digital organizing - Environmental & Climate Justice (~20%): NY Renews ($650,000 via Tides), climate equity funds, Indigenous Environmental Network ($195,000), transit and energy advocacy - Reproductive Justice (~15%): multi-state BIPOC coalitions, reproductive rights advocacy, medical training support (Medical Students for Choice: $120,000) - Arts (~10%): BIPOC cultural institutions including Brooklyn Academy of Music ($125,000) and Movement Research ($125,000)

Note: Reproductive Justice is closed to new applicants. Housing/Land Use Justice is also closed to new requests as of 2026.

The Scherman Foundation operates within a competitive landscape of New York-based progressive foundations with overlapping thematic focus. The following table compares key characteristics across comparable funders:

Scherman occupies a distinctive position in this peer set: it is one of only two foundations (alongside New York Foundation) that accepts unsolicited LOIs, making it a critical access point for NYC-area BIPOC-led organizations that lack existing funder relationships. However, its near-exclusive support for current grantees makes it functionally semi-closed for new entrants in any given year. Scherman's 2025 payout acceleration to 10% gives it the highest giving-to-assets ratio (~10.5%) among this peer group. Organizations already in the Scherman portfolio commonly also appear in Mertz Gilmore and New York Foundation grantee lists, suggesting these three foundations collectively underwrite the core of NYC progressive movement infrastructure.

The most consequential development in recent Scherman Foundation history is the August 7, 2025 announcement of a 10% payout pledge — double the 5% minimum required for private foundations, and up from the Foundation's own historical 6% rate. Board Chair Marianna Schaffer stated: "This moment calls for decisive action, and we are responding." The catalyst was the political environment of mid-2025: widespread federal funding cuts to nonprofits and what the Foundation described as "unprecedented attacks on civil society" targeting communities of color.

Moving rapidly, the Foundation distributed $3.35M in rapid-response grants to 41 organizations within a six-week cycle (July-August 2025), streamlining its normally quarterly-review process to require only a brief staff conversation in lieu of formal applications. Program Director Gisela Alvarez cited a deliberate "shifting grantmaking authority to the staff" as enabling this speed. Additional rapid-response rounds are planned through 2026 on an invitation-only basis.

In December 2025, the Foundation reported full-year 2025 results: $11.68M across 162 grants. The fall cycle alone totaled $5.85M across 55 core grants ($4.58M) and the Response/Future Fund ($1.27M, bringing that fund's cumulative total to $4.7M). Notable 2025 grantees included Advocates for Youth, BRIC, HERE Arts Center, If/When/How, WeAct for Environmental Justice, Weeksville Heritage Center, the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, and Physicians for Reproductive Health.

On leadership, the Foundation's website indicates an active search for a new President & CEO, suggesting that Mitchell C. Pratt — who has served since at least 2012 and received $323,541 in FY2023 compensation — may be transitioning out. Board Chair Marianna Schaffer (elected June 2021) and Grants Manager Sami Stern provide operational continuity during the transition.

1. Enter only during the February-April LOI window. The GrantInterface portal opens February 2 and closes April 17, 2026 — this is the single annual opportunity for new applicants. Decisions are communicated approximately 8 weeks later (June 2026). Missing this window means waiting until February 2027.

2. Do not apply to closed programs. Reproductive Justice and the Housing/Land Use Justice component of Strengthening New York Communities are explicitly closed to new applicants. Submitting to either wastes your annual LOI opportunity and signals failure to read the guidelines — a significant red flag for program staff evaluating organizational sophistication.

3. Lead with BIPOC governance, not BIPOC service populations. Program guidelines require communities of color to hold "decision-making power over strategy and finances" — not merely be served by the organization. Include explicit data on executive leadership demographics and board composition in the LOI, positioned prominently within the first half-page.

4. Use movement-building language, not service delivery language. The Foundation does not fund standalone service programs. Frame work in terms of organizing, power-shifting, systemic change, and coalition participation. Reference specific campaigns or coalitions (NY Renews, GoVoteNYC, Right to Counsel NYC, Communities United for Police Reform) where applicable — these appear prominently in the existing grantee base and signal alignment.

5. Demonstrate intersectionality explicitly. Program guidelines require connecting racial justice to at least one of: economic justice, gender justice, LGBTQ+ justice, or disability justice. Single-issue proposals without this connective tissue will struggle past program staff screening.

6. Keep the LOI to exactly 3 pages. Required elements: (a) organizational mission and work description; (b) purpose of request and proposed activities; (c) current annual organizational budget or project budget; (d) present sources of support with amounts and status (received/committed/projected); (e) Board of Directors list with names, positions, and affiliations. Anything beyond 3 pages will likely be returned.

7. Do not cold-contact program officers. The LOI is the proper channel for new entrants. Contact only Sami Stern at sstern@scherman.org for technical portal issues (account creation, form problems).

8. Target the $50,000-$100,000 range for a first ask. The median grant is $27,500 and the average is $34,374, but entry-level general operating support grants in the top-50 grantee list cluster around $50,000-$100,000 annually. An ask above $150,000 for a new relationship is unlikely to succeed.

9. Plan for a 6-9 month cycle. April LOI submission → June decision notification → September-October full proposal if invited → November-December staff conversation or site visit → early 2027 grant award. Build this timeline into your organizational budget planning.