What Trust for Mutual Understanding does

Trust for Mutual Understanding (TMU) is a private, New York-based nonprofit grantmaking foundation established in 1985 by Sandra Ferry Rockefeller. Its mandate is to fund cross-border professional collaboration in the arts and the environment — and at the intersection of the two — between practitioners in the United States and counterparts in 30 eligible countries spanning Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe; the Baltic states; the Caucasus; Central Asia; and Mongolia.

TMU disburses grants to US-based 501(c)(3) and tribal 7871 nonprofit organizations that facilitate these international exchanges. Its products are three grant programs (Arts Grants, Environment Grants, and Arts + Environment Intersection Grants — the latter including explicit support for Indigenous-led collaborations), accessed via a two-step application process: a Letter of Inquiry submitted through the Fluxx.io platform, reviewed within two to three weeks, followed by an invited Full Proposal. Deadlines run bi-annually (May 1 / August 1 and November 1 / February 1). Grants typically cover travel, accommodations, per diem, visas, translation/interpretation, artist fees, and administrative costs. In the 2025 grant year, TMU awarded $1,728,354 across 47 grantees.

The foundation's revenue is derived from its endowment and investment returns rather than commercial activity. It operates with a small team of five staff members (Executive Director, Regional Representative, Senior Program Officer, Program Officer, Program Associate) supported by a board of trustees and advisors that includes former Ford Foundation president Susan Berresford and Rockefeller family members. TMU does not sell products or services, does not disclose grant amount tiers publicly, and has no commercial go-to-market motion — its only 'channel' is the direct application process. The foundation underwent a 2020 rebrand away from the TMU acronym toward its full name, executed in collaboration with MICA and MOME.

Name

Trust for Mutual Understanding

Legal name

The Trust for Mutual Understanding

Website

https://tmuny.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Trust for Mutual Understanding is a private New York-based grantmaking foundation, founded in 1985, that awards grants to US nonprofits facilitating cross-border professional collaboration in the arts and environment with 30 eligible countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ), Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grantmaking
• International cultural exchange
• Arts and environment funding
• Cross-border nonprofit grants
• Foundation grant programs

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Grantmaking: TMU is a private grantmaking foundation that awards funds to organizations supporting international collaboration in the arts and environment. Revenue is derived from the foundation's endowment and investment returns, distributed as grants to eligible organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Trust for Mutual Understanding is a private grantmaking foundation that awards grants to US-based 501(c)(3) and tribal 7871 nonprofit organizations to support cross-cultural professional collaborations in the arts, environment, and their intersection between US professionals and counterparts in 30 eligible countries across Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Mongolia. Funding covers international travel, accommodations, per diem, visas, translation/interpretation, artist fees, and administrative costs for collaborative projects including residencies, exchanges, conferences, and joint research.

Product overview

Trust for Mutual Understanding is a private grantmaking foundation established in 1985, not a technology product company. Its offerings consist of grant programs supporting cross-cultural collaboration in the arts, environment, and their intersection. The organization operates a two-step application process (Letter of Inquiry followed by Full Proposal) for awarding grants to US nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations facilitating international professional exchanges with counterpart organizations in 30 eligible countries. TMU does not offer a software product, platform, or technology service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Arts Grants Grant awards supporting cross-cultural professional collaborations in contemporary dance, music, theater, visual arts, and language and cultural preservation between US professionals and counterparts in 30 eligible countries in Central/Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Mongolia. For US-based 501(c)(3) and tribal 7871 nonprofit organizations.
• Environment Grants Grant awards supporting stewardship and resilience of lands and waters, including protection of threatened land- and sea-scapes, through collaborative projects between US environmental professionals and counterparts in 30 eligible countries. For US-based 501(c)(3) and tribal 7871 nonprofit organizations.
• Arts + Environment Intersection Grants

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with MICA faculty and student teams in Baltimore, Maryland for a two-year rebranding process. The relationships built and skills developed by participants were cited as a significant outcome of this engagement.
• Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (MOME)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with MOME faculty and student teams in Budapest, Hungary for the two-year rebranding process. This engagement was reflective of TMU's mission of bringing people together across borders to work on common issues.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• American Councils for International Education: American Councils administers international exchange and training programs across Eurasia and beyond. It is a much larger, broadly-incumbent peer with overlapping international cultural exchange activity, including in TMU's target geographies.
• Henry Luce Foundation: Henry Luce Foundation is a major US private foundation supporting arts, education, and Asian studies. While larger and US/Asia focused, it shares TMU's commitment to cultural exchange and cross-cultural understanding.
• Ford Foundation: Ford Foundation is one of the largest US private foundations with global programming including arts, environment, and international equity. Its former president (Susan Berresford) chairs TMU's board, evidencing institutional overlap in the philanthropic ecosystem.
• IREX: IREX is a larger, established international development organization working across the same Eurasian region as TMU. It is a broader incumbent with overlapping cultural and educational exchange programming, though operating at much greater scale.

Direct peers

• Trust for Civil Society in the Balkans: A regional grantmaking trust supporting civil society and cross-border collaboration in the Balkans—part of TMU's geographic footprint. It shares TMU's small-staff trust-based grantmaking model focused on a specific Eurasian region.
• CEC ArtsLink: CEC ArtsLink operates international arts exchange and residency programs between US artists and counterparts in Central/Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Caucasus—overlapping precisely with TMU's geographic and thematic focus. CEC ArtsLink is both a TMU grantee and a peer organization with shared mission.
• Rockefeller Brothers Fund: Rockefeller Brothers Fund is a family-led foundation supporting international peace, education, and sustainable development. TMU shares the Rockefeller philanthropic DNA and overlapping international/cultural focus, with shared board connections through Valerie Rockefeller.
• Eurasia Foundation: Eurasia Foundation funds programs that build civic engagement, economic development, and cross-border cooperation across the Eurasian region—the same geography as TMU. It is a direct peer in international grantmaking targeting post-Soviet states.
• Trust for African Rock Art: A grantmaking trust funding heritage preservation and cultural collaboration across geographies. It shares TMU's small-staff trust model, focus on cross-cultural preservation, and grantmaking structure, though in a different geographic region.

Emerging players

• Christensen Fund: Christensen Fund supports Indigenous-led cultural and environmental stewardship globally. It shares TMU's arts-environment intersection focus and Indigenous-centered grantmaking approach, but with broader geographic scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Trust for Mutual Understanding