Suna Family Foundation

The Suna Family Foundation operates as a quintessential insider-led family foundation, driven entirely by the personal relationships and civic commitments of Alan Suna — Chairman of Silvercup Studios, Queens Museum board member, Cornell University alumnus, and decades-long community anchor in Long Island City. The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications; all grants flow to organizations where the Suna family has direct board seats, institutional affiliations, or long-standing personal relationships. The strategic approach is relationship-first and place-based: sustained multi-year investments in institutions the family personally champions (Queens Museum, Cornell) combined with distributed smaller grants to causes reflecting family values (Jewish philanthropy via UJA Federation, child welfare via Child Mind Institute, animal welfare via SPCA Westchester). The $500,000 Cornell gift and the repeated $245,000–$250,000 Queens Museum grants signal that anchor relationships receive outsized, capital-level commitments, while secondary grantees cluster around $10,000–$25,000. The pathway to a grant is through relationship cultivation with Alan or Joanne Suna personally — approaching them via shared board participation, institutional alumni networks (Cornell, Queens Museum, Silvercup community), or through existing grantees who can provide warm introductions.

The foundation has maintained consistent annual giving since inception in 2021, with a steady upward trajectory:

• 2021: 14 grants, ~$858K total
• 2022: 9 grants, ~$747K total
• 2023: 11 grants, ~$858K total (median grant: $15K; range: $1,500–$500,000)
• 2024: 14 grants, ~$948K–$949K total

Grant concentration is pronounced: the top two recipients (Cornell University and Queens Museum) routinely absorb 80–90% of annual disbursements. Cornell received $500,000 for the Sibley Dome Renovation in 2024 — a named capital gift at Alan Suna's alma mater. Queens Museum received $250,000 for capital expansion of the Children's Museum in 2024, with additional general support grants of $245,000 and $60,250 in the same cycle. The foundation's distribution rate (~5% of $17.7M assets) satisfies the 5% private foundation excise tax floor with minimal cushion. Secondary grantees include UJA Federation ($26,800 religious contribution + $25,000 general support), Child Mind Institute ($25,000 mental health), Montefiore Einstein ($25,000 health), Ossining Children's Center ($15,000), SPCA Westchester ($15,000), Open Door Foundation ($10,000), Children's Tumor Foundation ($10,000), and Everytown for Gun Safety ($5,000). The foundation's assets grew from ~$17.1M (2023) to $17.7M (2024) despite distributions, suggesting investment performance is sustaining the corpus.

Comparison of Suna Family Foundation against similar-sized NY family foundations active in arts, education, and Jewish philanthropy:

Key differentiators: Suna is highly concentrated (2 grantees = ~80% of giving), has the lowest median grant size ($15K) of the peer group for non-anchor gifts, and is the most relationship-dependent. Unlike Dobkin or Rose, the Suna Foundation does not publish any guidelines and has no online presence directing grant seekers. The Queens Museum connection is unique — the planned children's museum bears Alan Suna's name, marking one of the most visible philanthropic legacies in Long Island City's cultural history.

The foundation's most significant recent development is the Alan Suna Children's Museum at Queens Museum, expected to complete in 2027. In July 2025, New York State lawmakers announced $8.5M in state funding for the project, supplementing the Suna Family Foundation's capital grants and NYC Department of Cultural Affairs' $8.5M DCLA commitment. Alan Suna's name on the building reflects the apex of a sustained philanthropic relationship: years of $245,000–$250,000 annual gifts to Queens Museum, combined with board leadership. In February 2025, Silvercup Studios (which Alan Suna chairs) partnered with local Queens schools to donate 300 pieces of equipment worth $120,000+ to school film/television programs — blending corporate and philanthropic community investment. The Silvercup Studios sale to an investment group for approximately $500M (reported 2024–2025) represents a major liquidity event that could significantly expand the Suna Family Foundation's corpus in coming years, potentially increasing grant capacity well beyond the current ~$949K annual run rate. Cornell University's Sibley Dome Renovation campaign, to which the foundation contributed $500,000 in 2024, reflects ongoing engagement with Alan Suna's alma mater and architectural heritage.

The Suna Family Foundation explicitly states it does not accept unsolicited applications and makes grants only to preselected organizations. Cold outreach will not succeed. For organizations seeking support, here is what the 990 data and relationship patterns reveal:

Who gets funded: Institutions with a direct personal or board connection to Alan or Joanne Suna. Queens Museum (Alan is a board member), Cornell University (Alan's alma mater, with postgraduate work at MIT/Harvard/Columbia), UJA Federation (family Jewish community anchor), child welfare organizations in Westchester and NYC, and causes aligned with the Suna family's civic identity in Long Island City.

Pathway to consideration: (1) Pursue a board seat or advisory role at Queens Museum — it is the clearest pipeline to the Suna network. (2) Engage Cornell alumni networks, particularly the College of Architecture, Art and Planning (AAP) where Alan Suna studied. (3) Seek introductions through existing grantees: Child Mind Institute, JCCA, Montefiore Einstein, or Ossining Children's Center may know family contacts. (4) Attend Queens cultural events and civic functions in Long Island City where Alan Suna is active. (5) Note that the Silvercup Studios sale may prompt new philanthropic relationships if the Sunas diversify their giving beyond current anchor grantees.

Grant sizing expectations: First-time grantees in the secondary tier receive $5,000–$25,000. Anchor relationships earning repeated support receive $100,000+. Capital naming gifts ($500,000) require multi-year cultivation and formal campaign alignment. The grantee list has been remarkably stable since 2021 — new entrants are rare.