Seed The Dream Foundation

Seed the Dream Foundation is a family philanthropy rooted in the legacy of Holocaust survivor Joseph Gringlas, whose life story anchors every aspect of the foundation's priorities. His daughter, Marcy Gringlas, serves as President and Director without compensation — alongside Secretary/Treasurer Joel Greenberg — reflecting a governance model where personal values and family mission drive grant decisions rather than institutional process. The professional staff team, led by Executive Director Talia Kaplan ($245,040), Grants Manager Karen Schiavelli ($153,455), and U.S. Program Director Rebecca Stern Wenger ($144,000), executes the day-to-day grantmaking within that family-set vision.

The foundation operates across six interconnected program areas: Educational Access, Combating Antisemitism, Israel & Peoplehood, Women's Empowerment, Crisis Response & Health, and Impact Investing. While these areas appear broad on paper, the actual grantmaking concentrates heavily on Jewish community institutions, Israeli-American connection-building, Holocaust survivor care, and campus antisemitism. Organizations working at the intersection of two or more program areas — for example, an Israeli-focused educational access initiative with a women's empowerment component — are positioned for larger, multi-cycle commitments.

The foundation explicitly does not accept unsolicited proposals. All invited organizations are preselected by foundation staff. The most direct entry path runs through established anchor grantees — particularly the Jewish Funders Network (cumulative $1M+ in grants, $2.5M in FY2024 alone), which serves as a professional convening hub where foundation staff engage regularly. Active participation in JFN programming is the single most observable strategic move for a prospective grantee.

Once identified, the typical relationship progression does not include a traditional LOI stage. Invited organizations submit directly through the foundation's online system during one of two annual review cycles. The grantee record shows consistent repeat giving: all top-50 grantees received two or more grants, and anchor partners like PEF Israel Endowment Funds, Birthright Israel, and Kavod each accumulated multi-million-dollar cumulative totals. First-time applicants should expect a smaller exploratory grant before the foundation considers larger, multi-year investments. Geographic strength is concentrated in New York (68 grants) and Pennsylvania (46 grants), the foundation's home state, though Israeli-focused programs operating anywhere in the U.S. qualify fully.

Seed the Dream Foundation's grantmaking has scaled dramatically since its founding, rising from $1.99M in total giving in FY2012 to $13.1M in FY2023 — a nearly 7x increase over a decade. The trajectory reflects both major capital inflows (a $10M contribution in FY2020 and an extraordinary investment gain that pushed assets to a $47.2M peak in FY2021) and a deliberate accelerated spend-down strategy now fully underway. Assets declined from $47.2M in FY2021 to $37.1M in FY2022, $26.5M in FY2023, and $16.3M in FY2024 — a net asset depletion rate of roughly $10-11M per year. At this pace, the foundation's philanthropic mission could be complete by 2026-2027.

Grant size distribution is sharply bimodal. The recorded median grant falls between $10,000-$18,000, reflecting a large volume of standardized smaller grants — particularly the 15+ Hillel chapters that each received $20,000 per cycle. However, the portfolio average ($71,000-$89,000) is pulled dramatically upward by a small number of mega-grants. PEF Israel Endowment Funds alone received individual grants of $4.9M and $3.4M in FY2024 and cumulative totals exceeding $3.4M in earlier years. The single largest documented grant in the recorded dataset reached $4,887,810. Organizations should calibrate requests accordingly: campus-facing and community organizations realistically target $20,000-$75,000 in initial grants; established mid-tier partners receive $100,000-$500,000; anchor strategic relationships reach $1M+.

By program area, Israel & Peoplehood commands the dominant share of dollars. Top grantees PEF Israel ($3.4M+ cumulative), Birthright Israel Foundation ($3.2M), and Kavod ($3.2M) together represent more than 60% of the $17.3M recorded in the top-50 grantee list. Jewish education and antisemitism-related giving follows at approximately 15-16% — encompassing Jewish Funders Network ($1M+), Jewish Federations of North America ($501K), American Jewish Committee ($212K), The Jewish Education Project ($200K), and 15+ Hillel chapters. Women's empowerment, educational access, and crisis response together account for roughly 10-12% of total giving, representing entry points for new organizational relationships.

Geographically, New York (68 grants) and Pennsylvania (46 grants) account for approximately 47% of recorded grants by count, with California (16), Florida (16), Massachusetts (14), and New Jersey (12) rounding out the top six states.

The five peer foundations identified by asset size ($16.3-16.4M) are all classified in the Philanthropy & Grantmaking category, providing a useful size-equivalent comparison. Seed the Dream distinguishes itself from peers most sharply in its annual payout ratio — disbursing $12-13M against a $16.3M asset base represents a 75-80% annual payout rate, far above the 5% private foundation minimum and vastly above what perpetual-endowment peers of similar size typically deploy.

The most critical distinction is structural: Seed the Dream is operating in spend-down mode with a defined time horizon, while peer foundations at comparable asset levels typically preserve capital for perpetual operation. This creates a unique urgency dynamic — the foundation is deploying at rates that would exhaust a standard endowment within one year, signaling a mission completion goal rather than indefinite grantmaking. For grant seekers, Seed the Dream offers substantially larger and more frequent grants than size-equivalent peers, but the window for entry is closing significantly faster.

The most recent confirmed public statement from foundation leadership came January 24, 2026, when President Marcy Gringlas spoke about Holocaust survivor dignity: "Honoring survivors includes listening to and caring for them." The statement was made in connection with partner organizations working to ensure survivors in America receive dignified care — a signal that Holocaust survivor services remain a first-priority commitment for the FY2026 grantmaking cycle.

In October 2024, the foundation supported community screenings and discussion events addressing violence against women connected to the October 7, 2023 attacks in Israel. Gringlas's public statement — "It is essential that the stories of survivors and victims are heard and believed" — reflects the Women's Empowerment portfolio expanding in response to the Israel crisis, creating overlap with the Crisis Response program area.

The FY2024 annual tax return, filed November 17, 2025, confirmed 152 grants and $16.3M in remaining assets. FY2024 grantmaking data shows a notable concentration toward anchor partners: PEF Israel Endowment Funds received grants totaling over $8M in a single year, and Jewish Funders Network received $2.5M — the largest single U.S.-based grant in the recorded dataset. This consolidation pattern suggests the foundation is prioritizing its most trusted long-term partners as it approaches the final phase of its philanthropic lifecycle.

No leadership transitions or new program announcements have been publicly identified for 2025-2026. The professional staff structure — Executive Director Talia Kaplan, Grants Manager Karen Schiavelli, U.S. Program Director Rebecca Stern Wenger, and Financial Controller Deborah Kowal — appears stable based on the most recent 990 compensation disclosures.

The fundamental challenge for any prospective grantee is that Seed the Dream does not accept unsolicited proposals. The application tips that matter most are therefore about gaining entry to the invitation list, not about perfecting a proposal narrative.

Build visibility through the Jewish Funders Network. JFN is the foundation's largest domestic grantee and the professional community where Seed the Dream's Grants Manager and U.S. Program Director actively participate. Joining JFN as a member organization, attending the annual conference, and engaging in relevant working groups (particularly those focused on Israel, antisemitism, or educational equity) positions your organization in the same room as decision-makers. This is the highest-leverage relationship-building investment available.

Pursue warm introductions through anchor grantees. Organizations that already have relationships with current Seed the Dream grantees — including Birthright Israel Foundation, American Friends of Latet Humanitarian Aid, StandWithUs, American Jewish Committee, or any of the 15+ Hillel chapters in the portfolio — can request introductions to foundation staff. A brief note from a peer grantee carries more weight than a cold contact.

Use email judiciously for introductory outreach. The foundation's stated channel for prospective grantees is info@seedthedream.org. If sending an unsolicited introduction email, keep it to 2-3 paragraphs: one sentence on organizational mission, two specific measurable outcomes, and a one-sentence request for a conversation. Do not attach a full proposal. Identify one program area explicitly — organizations that pitch across all six areas simultaneously signal a lack of strategic clarity.

Mirror the foundation's language. Use the foundation's own terms: "lasting change," "impact-driven," "advancing academic achievement," "combating antisemitism," "strengthening Jewish identity and connection." These are operational signals, not marketing language.

Calibrate your initial ask. First-time organizations should request $25,000-$75,000, not anchor-level grants. Campus Hillels received $20,000-$40,000; community organizations received $50,000-$200,000. Demonstrate how the foundation can deepen investment across multiple grant cycles.

Act now. With assets at $16.3M and annual payout exceeding 75%, the foundation may complete its mission within 2-3 years. Any outreach delayed to 2027 may find no remaining grant cycles.