Julian Grace Foundation

What Julian Grace Foundation does

The Julian Grace Foundation (JGF) is an entrepreneurial private foundation founded in 2015 by Jessica Sarowitz, the Honduras-born founder of Paylocity, and her family. Headquartered in Highland Park, Illinois with 1-10 employees, JGF conducts high-engagement grantmaking across five focus areas: Immigration & Human Rights, Cultural Heritage Preservation, Health, Educational Opportunity, and Environmental Protection. Grants are distributed exclusively through an invitation-only process via the Foundant Grants Management System, with two annual funding cycles (Spring and Fall), 47 grantees vetted per cycle (averaging 12 hours of vetting per applicant), and a 5-year maximum grantee engagement period. The foundation does not sell products or services; it deploys capital from a family-funded endowment and aims to distribute $100 million to community organizations by 2044.

JGF's product surface extends beyond capital deployment into ecosystem-building programs. The Next Generation Program operates two youth boards (High School Youth Board for grades 10-12, Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy Board for ages 18-24) that participate in actual grantmaking cycles. A Resource Library provides curated tools for nonprofits including anti-racism training, board development, capacity building, leadership development, strategic planning, and fundraising guides. Marketing channels include a blog, quarterly newsletter, resource library, and immersive learning experiences (such as an Arizona/Mexico border trip with Kino Border Initiative). The foundation has no disclosed technology platform, proprietary AI/ML systems, or commercial revenue streams; its competitive position rests on relational engagement, staff with direct nonprofit sector operating experience (25 years for the Executive Director, 17 years for the Director of Impact & Operations), and a BIPOC-led mission-driven identity.

The business model is endowment-funded grantmaking: capital is contributed by the Sarowitz family and deployed through invitation-only grants to US-based nonprofits working at the intersection of hope, unity, and justice. Geographic reach spans 65% Illinois-based grantees, 28% other US states, and 7% international organizations. The foundation is governed by a Board of Directors that approves all grants at board meetings, with funds released 2-3 months post-application. Operating as an independent private foundation with no parent company or institutional investors, JGF is a capacity-building philanthropic vehicle rather than a commercial enterprise.

Name

Julian Grace Foundation

Legal name

The Julian Grace Foundation

Website

https://juliangrace.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Julian Grace Foundation is an entrepreneurial private foundation founded in 2015 by Jessica Sarowitz and her family that conducts high-engagement, invitation-only grantmaking across immigration, health, education, environment, and cultural heritage. It serves US-based BIPOC-led nonprofits and aims to distribute $100 million by 2044.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Highland Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Private Foundation Endowment: The Julian Grace Foundation is an entrepreneurial private foundation funded by Jessica Sarowitz and her family. The foundation distributes grants from its endowment to nonprofit organizations working in its focus areas.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Julian Grace Foundation is a private, family-founded foundation that conducts high-engagement grantmaking to nonprofit organizations working in five focus areas: Immigration & Human Rights, Health, Educational Opportunity, Environmental Protection, and Cultural Heritage Preservation. The foundation distributes unrestricted grants through two annual funding cycles (Spring and Fall), with grantee engagement limited to a maximum of five years. It also operates the Next Generation Program, which trains high school students and young adults in philanthropy and grantmaking.

Product overview

The Julian Grace Foundation operates as a private grantmaking foundation with four main offerings: high-engagement grantmaking services across five program areas (Immigration & Human Rights, Cultural Heritage, Health, Educational Opportunity, Environmental Protection) delivered through two annual funding cycles; the Next Generation Program comprising two youth boards (HSYB for high school students and ELPB for young adults ages 18-24) that participate in grantmaking cycles; a Resource Library providing curated tools for nonprofits; and a Foundant-based application portal for grant submissions. The foundation targets BIPOC-led nonprofits and community organizations working at the intersection of hope, unity, and justice, with a goal of distributing $100,000,000 by 2044.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Next Generation Program: A program offering young people the chance to make a real impact while building valuable skills in philanthropy, grantmaking, and board service. Includes the High School Youth Board (HSYB) and the Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy Board (ELPB).

Products and services

• Grantmaking Services High-engagement grantmaking services distributing unrestricted grants to BIPOC-led and aligned nonprofit organizations through two annual funding cycles (Spring and Fall). Each cycle vets 47 grantees with an average of 12 hours per potential grantee, and grantee engagement is limited to a maximum of 5 years.
• Next Generation Program

Named customers11 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kino Border Initiative (KBI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKBI provides essential services to families arriving at the Mexico side of the border including showers, hot meals, and clean clothes. They support navigation of the asylum request process and help prepare families to cross into the US and navigate CBP processes. The JGF board volunteered at the shelter during their immersive learning trip.
• The Young Center for Immigrant Children's RightscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrantee partner that curated the immersive learning experience to the Arizona/Mexico border for the JGF board and staff. They replicated the journey experience for those seeking asylum, helping the foundation understand immigration issues firsthand.
• Rosalind Franklin Community Care ConnectioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealth grantee providing mobile health clinic services to Lake County community with free healthcare, health literacy, and health navigation services targeting federally designated high economic hardship communities. Connects with over 35 community partners.
• Fenix Family Health CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing health grantee providing quality, culturally competent medical care to Lake County community. Has expanded services to include maternal care, expanded dentistry services, and routine vaccination services for families.
• Morehouse CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHBCU and grantee partner. Executive Director Scott McLellan attended the Morehouse College Candle in the Dark Gala. The foundation supports Black history education and cultural identity programs for youth.
• Sista AfyaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth Board grantee - social enterprise providing community mental wellness care that centers on the experiences of Black women.
• Dion's Chicago DreamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth Board grantee working to improve health outcomes and center health equity through addressing food security at the intersection of last-mile delivery and logistics.
• Josselyn CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth Board grantee providing quality, accessible mental health services including therapy, psychiatry, and other specialized services for over 70 years.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Yellow Chair Foundation (formerly Libra Foundation): A BIPOC-led family foundation focused on racial equity and community organizing grantmaking. Comparable to JGF in its family-foundation structure, BIPOC leadership, and commitment to high-engagement, multi-year support of movement-building nonprofits.
• Borealis Philanthropy: A racial-equity-focused grantmaking intermediary that pools resources from multiple foundations to fund BIPOC-led organizations. Highly comparable to JGF's focus on racial equity, immigration, and BIPOC-led grantees, though structured as a pooled fund rather than a single family foundation.
• Marguerite Casey Foundation: A BIPOC-led family foundation focused on social, racial, and economic justice with multi-year unrestricted grants to community-led organizations. Comparable in mission, BIPOC leadership, and high-engagement grantmaking approach.
• The California Endowment: A large, BIPOC-led health-focused foundation with deep roots in community health grantmaking for underserved populations. Comparable to JGF's health focus area and BIPOC-led identity, though materially larger.
• The Surdna Foundation: A family foundation funding racial equity, environment, and inclusive economy work with multi-year, trust-based grants. Comparable in family-foundation structure and multi-year high-engagement grantmaking philosophy.

Broad incumbents

• The Kresge Foundation: A large private foundation that emphasizes high-engagement, multi-year grantmaking across racial equity, health, education, and environment — closely aligned with JGF's focus areas and relational grantmaking approach, but operating at much greater scale.
• The Ford Foundation: One of the largest U.S. foundations, with major programmatic investments in reducing inequality, immigration, and civic participation — directly overlapping JGF's Immigration & Human Rights, Education, and Health focus areas at substantially greater scale.
• MacArthur Foundation: A major private foundation with significant grantmaking in racial equity, education, and climate — areas that overlap with JGF's focus. Comparable in mission breadth but with vastly greater assets and global footprint.
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: The largest U.S. health-focused foundation, funding health equity, social determinants of health, and community health — directly comparable to JGF's Health focus area and use of multi-year, high-engagement grants.
• Open Society Foundations: A large global foundation with substantial grantmaking in migration, racial justice, and civic engagement — overlapping with JGF's Immigration & Human Rights focus area and its BIPOC-led funding priorities at a materially larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/julian-grace-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments1 record

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