The Palette Fund

What The Palette Fund does

The Palette Fund is a private philanthropic foundation established in 2008 by Terrence Meck and Peter Benassi to honor the legacy of Rand Harlan Skolnick, who lost his battle to pancreatic cancer in July 2008. The foundation operates as a grant-making partnership rather than a check-writing entity, providing multi-year grants (typically 2-5 years) alongside active technical assistance, networking, and platform amplification for its grantees. Since inception, The Palette Fund has disbursed over $15 million to nearly 200 non-profit organizations across three defined verticals: LGBTQ community support (the primary focus), pancreatic cancer patient services and research, and the Provincetown, Massachusetts community, where the foundation relocated its offices in 2016.

The foundation's core 'products' are its three grant programs - LGBTQ Community Grants, Pancreatic Cancer Grants, and Provincetown MA Community Grants - supplemented by a Digital RFP Video process introduced in 2017 that allows non-profits to submit video proposals rather than paper applications, with the dual intent of streamlining intake and creating reusable assets for grantees' broader fundraising. Underlying technology is minimal: the foundation is supported by a Squarespace-hosted website and downloadable Word document reporting forms, with no proprietary software, API, or mobile application. The foundation earns no product or service revenue; instead it is funded through its founders' contributions and endowment, with the Skolnick Family Charitable Trust operating as a related financial partner.

The Palette Fund serves a grantee base composed almost entirely of non-profit organizations, with disclosed grant sizes ranging from $60,000 three-year commitments (e.g., Lambda Legal, Mazzoni Center) to a $500,000 five-year commitment to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. Notable grantees include the True Colors Fund, Ruth Ellis Center, Hetrick-Martin Institute, Point Source Youth, Campus Pride, and the Center for Anti Violence Education. The foundation is governed by a small board with Meck as Co-Founder and President, Benassi as Board Chairman, and Kristin Resnansky (Founder of Casco Capital) serving as Treasurer and Secretary, supported by Board Members Todd Sears (Founder of Out Leadership) and Blaire Meck (Head of HR at Chilton Trust). The foundation claims both national and international reach, though nearly all named grantees are based in the United States.

Name

The Palette Fund

Legal name

The Palette Fund

Website

https://thepalettefund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Palette Fund is a private philanthropic foundation founded in 2008 that provides 2-5 year grants to non-profits working in LGBTQ community support, pancreatic cancer research, and Provincetown, MA, having disbursed over $15 million to nearly 200 organizations via its innovative Digital RFP Video application process.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Foundation / Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL), Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grantmaking
• LGBTQ community grants
• Nonprofit foundation
• Pancreatic cancer grants
• Community development funding

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, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Foundation Endowment and Philanthropic Giving: The Palette Fund operates as a private foundation funded through its founders' contributions and endowment. The foundation provides grants to non-profit organizations working in LGBTQ community support, pancreatic cancer research, and Provincetown community development. Since 2008, the foundation has provided over $15 million in grants to nearly 200 organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Palette Fund is a private philanthropic foundation that provides multi-year grants (typically two to five years) to non-profit organizations working in LGBTQ community support, pancreatic cancer research and patient services, and Provincetown, Massachusetts community development. The foundation operates an innovative Digital RFP Video application process and positions itself as a true partnership-based grantmaker, providing guidance, technical assistance, and platforms to amplify grantee voices beyond financial support.

Product overview

The Palette Fund is a philanthropic foundation offering grant programs rather than a technology product. The organization operates four core grant programs: LGBTQ Community Grants supporting organizations addressing youth homelessness, family acceptance, and health equity; Pancreatic Cancer Grants honoring co-founder Rand Harlan Skolnick; Provincetown MA Community Grants for local initiatives; and a Digital Request For Proposal Videos system for grant applications. Supporting resources include downloadable grantee reporting forms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LGBTQ Community Grants Multi-year grant program (typically 2-3 years) supporting non-profit organizations working at the forefront of education, advocacy, and community building for LGBTQ communities. Addresses barriers including youth homelessness, family acceptance, substance abuse, HIV stigma, and access to education and workforce. Recent grantees include True Colors Fund ($75K, 3 years), Ruth Ellis Center ($100K, 3 years), and Mazzoni Center ($60K, 3 years).
• Pancreatic Cancer Grants Long-term grant program (5 years) honoring co-founder Rand Harlan Skolnick's legacy, supporting patient services, education, public policy, and research for individuals and families facing pancreatic cancer. Primary grantee is the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, which received a 5-year $500K grant.
• Provincetown, MA Community Grants Local funding initiative supporting creative ideas and initiatives tackling Provincetown's challenges (high cost of living, seasonal economic issues) while fostering healthy community spirit. Supports arts, culture, and community organizations such as Provincetown 400 (2020 400th Anniversary), Provincetown Commons, and various local creative programs.
• Digital Request For Proposal Videos Innovative grant application process that eliminates traditional paper RFP submissions, allowing non-profit organizations to submit video-based grant proposals to The Palette Fund. Designed to help grantees create videos that serve both The Palette Fund's review process and outreach to additional donors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $15 million in grants provided to nearly 200 organizations since 2008

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Borealis Philanthropy: Foundation intermediary pooling resources from multiple funders to support LGBTQ racial equity and other progressive causes. Directly comparable to The Palette Fund in supporting LGBTQ nonprofits via pooled, multi-funder grantmaking.
• Arcus Foundation: Large private foundation focused on LGBTQ rights and social justice, with a programmatic grantmaking approach. Comparable to The Palette Fund on LGBTQ grantmaking strategy and grantee capacity-building orientation.
• Gill Foundation: Major private foundation dedicated to LGBTQ equality, founded by Tim Gill. Directly comparable to The Palette Fund in mission focus on LGBTQ communities, with overlapping grantee types and a similar multi-year grant-making model.
• Tawani Foundation: Private foundation that supports LGBTQ+ causes alongside cultural, educational, and health initiatives. Closely comparable to The Palette Fund's multi-pillar grantmaking model with both LGBTQ and health (including cancer) priorities.
• Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice: Philanthropic foundation focused on LGBTQI+ communities globally, with a partnership-driven grantmaking model. Directly comparable in mission and the use of multi-year, trust-based grants to grassroots organizations.
• Horizons Foundation: Foundation focused exclusively on LGBTQ communities, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area. Comparable to The Palette Fund in mission and place-based orientation, with multi-year grants to LGBTQ social service and advocacy organizations.

Others

• Movement Advancement Project (MAP): Independent nonprofit think tank providing research and analysis to advance LGBTQ equality. Connected to The Palette Fund via co-founder Terrence Meck's board service and shares the LGBTQ policy/advocacy mission space.
• Victory Fund: Political organization working to elect openly LGBTQ candidates. Connected to The Palette Fund via co-founder Terrence Meck's board service and shares the broader LGBTQ advancement mission.
• Pancreatic Cancer Action Network: Leading national organization dedicated to fighting pancreatic cancer through research, patient services, and advocacy. Directly comparable as a recurring beneficiary of The Palette Fund's pancreatic cancer grants over a multi-year period.

Broad incumbents

• Tides Foundation: Large progressive philanthropy platform offering fiscal sponsorship, donor-advised funds, and grantmaking services. Comparable to The Palette Fund in supporting progressive nonprofits but at much larger scale and with broader thematic scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PaletteFund
• Facebookfacebook.com/thepalettefund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about The Palette Fund