The Marcus Foundation
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersDenver, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Marcus Foundation does
The Marcus Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation established in New York City by Grace and Alan Marcus in 2009, having spun off from The Grace R. and Alan D. Marcus Foundation originally founded in 1990. It is governed by two trustees — Amy Halperin Wood (Denver, CO) and Jonathan J. Halperin (Chevy Chase, MD) — operating with a lean staff of 1–10 employees and contact offices in Denver, Colorado and Chevy Chase, Maryland. The foundation explicitly notes it is not affiliated with an Atlanta-based foundation of the same name.
The foundation operates a grantmaking and strategic-partnership model concentrated in two program areas: (1) community food resources, supporting organizations that raise awareness of hunger and deliver short-term food assistance; and (2) sustainability, supporting efforts to remove structural obstacles to mainstreaming sustainable practices. Its website describes a "partner plus funder" posture in which the foundation co-funds with other funders, brokers grantee–vendor relationships, and places its own officers on short-term assignments with grantees. Recent programmatic activity includes a five-year, $21.9 million NeuroBridge AI Core grant to Georgia State University's TReNDS Center (2026) and Phase 1 clinical trial funding to Secretome Therapeutics for STM-01 in dilated cardiomyopathy (2025), alongside a long-standing base of smaller grants to organizations such as the Natural Resources Defense Council, Audubon Naturalist Society, CERES, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, MAZON, GRIST, City Harvest, and the Jewish Family Service of Colorado.
The foundation does not have commercial products, pricing models, or disclosed revenue; it is funded by returns on its endowment, and revenue is not publicly disclosed. The underlying technology footprint is minimal — the public website is built on the Drupal CMS — and the foundation does not advertise APIs, applications, or proprietary AI/ML systems. Its economic engine is therefore its endowment and the grantmaking velocity it can sustain, rather than any technology or service revenue stream.
The Marcus Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Marcus Foundation
- Legal name
- The Marcus Foundation
- Website
- https://marcusfound.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Marcus Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Philanthropic Foundation
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)
Keywords
Where The Marcus Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Denver
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Marcus Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Grantmaking and Philanthropy: The Marcus Foundation operates as a private foundation that provides grants and partnerships to organizations working in sustainability and community food resources. The foundation was created in 2009 when it became independent from The Grace R. and Alan D. Marcus Foundation (originally founded in 1990). It generates returns from its endowment to fund grantmaking activities.
The Marcus Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Marcus Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation that provides grants and strategic partnerships to nonprofit organizations working in two areas: (1) community food resources, including awareness of hunger and delivery of food resources to meet critical short-term needs, and (2) sustainability, including efforts to change structural obstacles that hinder mainstream adoption of sustainable practices. The foundation funds and partners with organizations committed to innovative approaches in these focus areas.
Product overview
The Marcus Foundation is a philanthropic grant-making organization, not a product or technology company. It funds and partners with organizations focused on two primary areas: (1) assisting organizations that work to increase awareness of hunger and deliver food resources to meet critical short-term needs, and (2) supporting efforts to change underlying structural obstacles and incentives that hinder sustainable practices. The foundation operates as a grant-maker and strategic partner rather than a product or service provider.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Community Food Resources Grants and Partnerships Grant funding and strategic partnerships for nonprofit organizations, food banks, and community groups addressing hunger and food insecurity. The foundation provides financial support and operational collaboration to enhance grantee impact.
- Sustainability Grants and Partnerships Grant funding and strategic partnerships for environmental organizations and sustainability initiatives working to address structural obstacles that hinder mainstream adoption of sustainable practices.
Companies that use The Marcus Foundation
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Marcus Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Marcus Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.
- TReNDS Center (Georgia State University)majorGeorgia State University's TReNDS Center leads the NeuroBridge AI Core in a five-year, $21.9 million study funded by The Marcus Foundation and Marcus Autism Center to research autism biomarkers. The project will enroll 7,500 children from birth to age 12 and integrate neuroimaging, behavioral, and genomic data to identify biological pathways and predictors of treatment response.
- Marcus Autism CentercoreMarcus Autism Center co-funds the NeuroBridge AI Core research initiative with The Marcus Foundation to research autism biomarkers and enable precision-medicine interventions for children with profound autism.
- Audubon Naturalist SocietyminorRecent grant recipient of The Marcus Foundation
- CERESminorRecent grant recipient of The Marcus Foundation focused on sustainability
- Chesapeake Bay FoundationminorRecent grant recipient of The Marcus Foundation focused on environmental sustainability
- MAZONminorRecent grant recipient of The Marcus Foundation addressing hunger issues
- GRISTminorRecent grant recipient of The Marcus Foundation focused on climate and sustainability
- Institute for Agriculture and Trade PolicyminorRecent grant recipient of The Marcus Foundation
- Global Alliance for the Future of FoodminorCollaborated with The Marcus Foundation on sessions prior to Chesapeake Food Summit
- The Emerson CollectiveminorCollaborated with The Marcus Foundation on sessions prior to Chesapeake Food Summit
- Jewish Family Service of ColoradominorRecent grant recipient and former employer of Amy Halperin Wood, current trustee of The Marcus Foundation
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Marcus Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Strengths4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
The Marcus Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceThe Marcus Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Marcus Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
The Marcus Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Marcus Foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments4 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Marcus Foundation
What does The Marcus Foundation do?
The Marcus Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation that provides grants and strategic partnerships to nonprofit organizations working in two areas: (1) community food resources, including awareness of hunger and delivery of food resources to meet critical short-term needs, and (2) sustainability, including efforts to change structural obstacles that hinder mainstream adoption of sustainable practices. The foundation funds and partners with organizations committed to innovative approaches in these focus areas.
Is The Marcus Foundation a public or private company?
The Marcus Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Marcus Foundation founded?
The Marcus Foundation was founded in 2009. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Marcus Foundation based?
The Marcus Foundation is headquartered in Denver, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Marcus Foundation make money?
One revenue line is on record: grantmaking and Philanthropy.
Does The Marcus Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Marcus Foundation.
What industry is The Marcus Foundation in?
The Marcus Foundation's product category is Philanthropic Foundation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAA, Private Foundations, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAM, Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 8300.