Stoneleigh Foundation

The Stoneleigh Foundation operates on an individual-leader fellowship model rather than a traditional organization-to-organization grantmaking approach. Rather than funding nonprofits directly, it identifies accomplished professionals — researchers, practitioners, advocates — already embedded within Pennsylvania's youth-serving systems, and provides salary support that liberates them to pursue transformative, multi-year projects full-time. This makes Stoneleigh unusual among peer funders in the Philadelphia region and means that the "applicant" is always a person, not an organization.

The foundation's giving philosophy centers on catalytic investment in systems change. Projects must demonstrate potential to shift policy, improve cross-system practice, change narratives, or generate actionable knowledge — not simply expand existing services. The four target systems are youth justice, child welfare, education, and health; the strongest applications explicitly link at least two of these. Proposals addressing only one siloed system, or that sound like program delivery, will not advance.

As of March 2026, the foundation is navigating a leadership transition: Executive Director Ronnie L. Bloom is departing after years of leadership, and the foundation publicly began an ED search on March 3, 2026. This is a meaningful moment for prospective applicants — new leadership often brings programmatic review, and relationship-building with staff during this window matters more than usual. Initial outreach should be directed to info@stoneleighfoundation.org or (215) 735-7080.

The typical progression from interest to award follows multiple stages. Prospective fellows first submit a two-page Letter of Interest evaluated by staff for fit. Promising candidates proceed to a preliminary interview before being invited to submit a full proposal with budget and letters of support from partner systems. Full proposals advance to the Board of Directors for approval at one of four quarterly meetings (early March, June, September, or December). From LOI submission to award decision typically takes three to six months.

First-time applicants must understand three non-obvious requirements: (1) fellows must be embedded in a host organization and released full-time from regular duties; (2) the host institution, not the individual, receives and administers fellowship funds; and (3) existing professional relationships with target systems are treated as a prerequisite. From the grantee record, successful host organizations have included University of Pennsylvania (Vincent Reina, $729,308 over two grants), Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (Ruth Abaya, $632,612; Nadia Dowchen, $353,600), Lewis Katz School of Medicine ($375,000), Georgetown University ($332,624 and $165,966), and Drexel ($54,898) — demonstrating openness to academic, hospital, and practitioner-based hosts alike.

Annual total giving has ranged from $2.67M (FY2019) to $4.57M (FY2020), with a multi-year average of approximately $4.0M across FY2018–FY2023. The most recently reported figure is $2.79M for calendar year 2025, suggesting some moderation from peak levels — likely reflecting cohort transitions rather than a strategic pullback. The foundation receives zero dollars in outside contributions (confirmed across all reported fiscal years), operating entirely from endowment investment returns, which means grant levels fluctuate with market performance. Net investment income reached $4.87M in FY2020 and $3.36M in FY2022.

Fellowship awards represent the dominant expenditure. Annual award amounts range from $100,000 to $150,000, covering primarily salary support and sometimes travel or project expenses. Multi-year commitments of two to three years (with extensions possible) produce total fellowship investments of $200,000 to $450,000 per recipient. The grantee database shows an average grant amount of $105,406 across 52 grant records, consistent with the lower end of annual fellowship awards.

The top individual investment on record is $729,308 to the University of Pennsylvania (Vincent Reina) across two grants. Other major multi-grant totals: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia/Ruth Abaya at $632,612; Lewis Katz School of Medicine/Jessica Beard at $375,000; Nicole Smith-Kea at $362,612; CHOP/Nadia Dowchen at $353,600; Steve Volk at $342,256; Georgetown/Shay Bilchik at $332,624; Jennifer Merrigan at $320,238; and Sara Kruzan at $299,640. The smallest record in the dataset is $750 to Columbia University Justice Lab.

Beyond core fellowships, the foundation awards several supplemental grant categories at lower amounts: Youth Engagement Grants (CultureTrust Greater Philadelphia, $100,000 over two grants; URBED, $60,000; Public Trust, $50,000), Racial Justice Grants (Movement Alliance Project, $70,000 over two grants), and Opportunity Fund Grants. These non-fellowship awards typically range from $25,000 to $50,000 annually.

Geographically, 73% of grants (38 of 52 records) flow to Pennsylvania-based entities. Washington, DC receives 15% (8 grants), reflecting national organizations with Philadelphia nexus work; Maryland receives 8% (4 grants); New Jersey 4% (2 grants). Foundation assets have grown from $87.7M (FY2019) to $110.96M (current), reflecting strong endowment management. At current giving levels, the effective payout rate is approximately 2.5–4.1% of assets.

The following table compares Stoneleigh to five asset-comparable foundations and two regional peers for context:

The five peer foundations listed are matched to Stoneleigh by asset size (all within the $110.8M–$111.1M range) rather than by focus or geography, which limits direct comparability. Most operate with low public profiles and no open application processes.

Stoneleigh is distinctive within its asset class for operating a well-documented, openly accessible fellowship program with published eligibility criteria, application instructions, and quarterly review cycles. Most foundations of comparable size either operate by invitation only or fund through closed processes. Its closest thematic peers in the Greater Philadelphia region — the William Penn Foundation ($360M+ assets) and the Samuel S. Fels Fund (~$50M assets) — operate at different scales. The fellowship model, which funds individuals rather than organizations, more closely resembles national programs like the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows, though Stoneleigh's geographic concentration in Greater Philadelphia and its annual award size ($100,000–$150,000) distinguish it from those larger national programs.

The defining development of early 2026 is a leadership transition. On February 17, 2026, the board announced that Executive Director Ronnie L. Bloom is departing after years leading the organization. A March 3, 2026 posting confirmed an active search for a new Executive Director, describing the opportunity as leading 'a well-resourced, mission-focused organization at a pivotal moment.' This transition is the most significant operational change in recent memory and should factor into any applicant's timing and outreach strategy.

Also in February 2026, the foundation announced three new Stoneleigh Youth Advocacy Fellows through Juvenile Law Center — continuing a track that embeds fellows within legal advocacy infrastructure. Active fellows generating public-facing work in early 2026 include Daniel Semenza (gun violence research, Journal of Urban Health publication on firearm survivor outcomes, March 2026), Ruth Abaya at CHOP (community violence intervention, Northwell Health forum, March 5, 2026), Steve Volk (family reunification in child welfare, February 23, 2026), Jennifer Merrigan (legal ethics in life-without-parole cases, February 20, 2026), and Meredith Matone (PolicyLab report on children's economic security, February 14, 2026).

In February 2025, the foundation awarded Alumni Grants to five former fellows (February 6, 2025): Janene Brown, Kasey Thompson, Rufus Sylvester Lynch, Leslie Acoca, and Julie Cousler — signaling ongoing post-fellowship investment and ecosystem building. In November 2024, the foundation hosted a city-wide gun violence convening featuring nine current fellows and grantees.

New 2025 cohort fellows include projects on youth organizing, gun violence and mental health, restorative justice, and — newly — an immigration legal unit (2026–2029 term), reflecting responsiveness to the current policy environment.

The LOI format is highly prescribed and non-negotiable: two pages maximum, single-spaced, 1-inch margins, 12-point sans serif font (the foundation specifically names Calibri, Arial, or Helvetica). Straying from these specifications signals carelessness. The LOI must address five distinct elements: (1) the specific problem or issue you seek to address, (2) the project design, scope, goals, and deliverables, (3) how the project adds value to the field, (4) how this approach differs from related work in Philadelphia or nationally, and (5) the existing relationships you have with the target systems. All five must be substantively addressed — not just mentioned.

Timing strategy is critical. The Board of Directors approves projects at four quarterly meetings: early March, June, September, and December. To allow for staff review, a preliminary interview, possible revisions, and full proposal preparation, submit your LOI at least 8–10 weeks before your target board meeting. Given the leadership transition in early 2026, the June 2026 board cycle is the first where a new or interim ED may shape priorities — an April 2026 LOI submission would target that cycle with appropriate lead time.

The most common error is submitting a project that sounds like program or service delivery rather than systems change. The foundation explicitly seeks action-oriented research, practice improvement, policy change, and narrative shift. Even when a project involves research, the proposal must foreground how findings will translate into practice or policy changes in Philadelphia's public systems. Academic studies for their own sake are not fundable.

Relationship-building before submitting is mandatory, not aspirational. The FAQ emphasizes that strong applications demonstrate "buy-in from key systems and project implementation partners" before the LOI stage. Secure written expressions of interest from agencies such as the School District of Philadelphia, the Department of Human Services, or the Defender Association before you write a single word of the LOI.

Contact Stoneleigh staff before submitting: email info@stoneleighfoundation.org or call (215) 735-7080 to confirm fit and ask about current board cycles, especially during the current leadership transition. This outreach is explicitly encouraged in the FAQ and creates a relationship that can benefit your application.

Alignment language that resonates: 'cross-system coordination,' 'practice improvement,' 'narrative shift,' 'action-oriented research,' 'policy change,' 'improving outcomes for vulnerable youth,' 'systems serving young people.' Avoid language centered on organizational capacity, service provision, or sustainability — those frame your project as a program grant, not a fellowship.