Samerian Foundation, INC

What Samerian Foundation, INC does

Samerian Foundation, INC is a private 501(c)(3) family foundation established in 2003 by Cindy Simon Skjodt and Paul Skjodt, and named after their three children (Samantha, Erik, and Ian — forming "SAMERIAN"). The foundation is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, and operates with a small core team of 1–10 personnel including a Chair (Cindy Simon Skjodt), President (Paul Skjodt), COO/VP of Grants & Giving (Betsy Niedermeyer), a Grants Administrator/Accounting Associate (Tammy Owen), and Director Emeritus (Fonda Crandall), with the three Skjodt children serving on the board. The foundation's primary activity is grant-making to tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organizations operating in Central Indiana, focused on education, economic development, health, youth sports, community organizations serving the underserved, animal welfare, and humanitarian projects, alongside a secondary scholarship program with four named awards for Indiana University students.

The foundation runs two core service offerings: a Grant Making Program with a simple online application reviewed quarterly by the Board of Directors, and four named scholarships (Paul and Cindy Simon Skjodt Scholarship for global studies; Erik M. Skjodt Scholarship for business; Samantha B. Skjodt Scholarship for technology for women; Ian J. Skjodt Scholarship for media studies). There is no proprietary technology platform; the foundation's "technology" is a web-based application portal hosted at samerianfoundation.org and a personal-visitation accountability process for each grant recipient. First-time grant requests are typically capped at $5,000, with no fees, pricing, or revenue from products or services.

The foundation's business model is philanthropic rather than commercial: revenue is generated from endowment returns and family contributions, and is distributed outward via grants and scholarships rather than captured. Since inception, the foundation has distributed approximately $93.4 million across 2,105 grant requests, including landmark gifts of $40 million to Indiana University Athletics (2013, largest in IU Athletics history, renaming Assembly Hall), $20 million to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (2015, establishing the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide), $5 million to the Indianapolis Zoo (2014), and $3.8 million to Riley Hospital for Children (2016). The foundation is concentrated primarily in Central Indiana, with selective national and occasional international projects, and reaches grantees through its website, regional earned media, and the extensive personal board-service network of its founder.

Name

Samerian Foundation, INC

Legal name

Samerian Foundation, INC

Website

https://samerianfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Samerian Foundation is a 501(c)(3) family foundation founded in 2003 by Cindy and Paul Skjodt that grants funds to 501(c)(3) organizations and scholarships to Indiana University students in Central Indiana. Since inception it has distributed approximately $93.4 million across 2,105 grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Grantmaking Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grant making
• Charitable scholarships
• Nonprofit foundation
• Humanitarian giving
• Community grant funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Carmel

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Giving and Grant-Making: The Samerian Foundation operates as a private family foundation that makes grants and scholarships to qualifying charitable organizations. Founded by Cindy and Paul Skjodt, the foundation has distributed approximately $93.4 million across 2,105 grant requests since 2003. The foundation's primary activity is distributing funds through a grant-making process for education, economic development, health, youth sports, community organizations serving the underserved, and humanitarian projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Samerian Foundation is a private 501(c)(3) family foundation that distributes charitable grants to tax-exempt organizations supporting education, health, youth sports, community services for the underserved, and humanitarian projects. It also administers named scholarship programs for Indiana University students in global studies, business, technology, and media studies.

Product overview

Samerian Foundation, Inc. is a charitable foundation founded in 2003 by Cindy and Paul Skjodt. The foundation operates two primary service offerings: a grant-making program that distributes funds to 501(c)(3) organizations supporting education, health, youth sports, community development, and humanitarian projects; and a scholarship program offering four named scholarships for Indiana University students. The foundation has granted approximately 2,105 requests totaling nearly $93.4 million, primarily serving Central Indiana.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grant Making Program A philanthropic grant-making program that provides funds to 501(c)(3) charitable organizations for education, economic development, health, youth sports, community organizations serving the underserved, and humanitarian projects. First-time applicants are typically limited to requests not exceeding $5,000.
• Paul and Cindy Simon Skjodt Scholarship Scholarship for students pursuing a degree in the global studies program at Indiana University Bloomington's School of Global and International Studies. Requires demonstrated financial need and Indiana residency.
• Erik M. Skjodt Scholarship Scholarship for students pursuing a business degree at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business. Requires demonstrated financial need and Indiana residency.
• Samantha B. Skjodt Scholarship Scholarship for women pursuing a technology degree at Indiana University in computer science, informatics, or similar majors. Requires demonstrated financial need and Indiana residency.
• Ian J. Skjodt Scholarship Scholarship for students pursuing a media studies degree at Indiana University's Media School. Requires demonstrated financial need and Indiana residency.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,105 grant requests fulfilled totaling approximately $93.4 million since foundation inception in 2003

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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 flagship and core.

• Riley Children's Foundation / Riley Hospital for Children at IU HealthflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 May 2016Samerian Foundation made a $3.8 million donation to establish the Simon Skjodt Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Unit at Riley Hospital. This partnership ensures comprehensive care for Indiana's children with mental and behavioral health needs, relocating the adolescent behavioral health program to Riley's state-of-the-art facility.
• Indiana Sports CorpcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 April 2015Co-funder of the Susan Williams CHAMPS (Champions in Life) Grants program which supports youth-serving organizations providing sports, fitness activities, and life skills programming to underserved youth. Since 1988, Youthlinks Indiana has generated over $6.5 million for youth sports programs.
• United States Holocaust Memorial MuseumflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 February 2015$20 million endowment gift to name the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide. This transformative gift ensures the museum can build its leadership in genocide prevention and help make prevention a global priority.
• Indianapolis ZoocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 May 2014$5 million cornerstone gift to the Campaign for Conservation and Community: Saving the Orangutans. The Simon Skjodt International Orangutan Center was named in recognition of this gift to support endangered orangutan conservation.
• Indiana University AthleticsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2013$40 million gift - the largest in IU Athletics history - to renovate Assembly Hall and launch the 'Catching Excellence: The Campaign for Indiana University Athletics' capital campaign. The building was renamed Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in recognition of this landmark gift.
• Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2013The Simon family contributed a $50 million gift to establish the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center in Indianapolis.
• Herron School of Art and Design (IUPUI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 December 2013$2 million donation to endow a chair in the Art Therapy Program, the only program of its kind in Indiana. The gift aligns with interest in therapeutic counseling, mental health, and neurological research, particularly for military veterans.
• Indiana University Lilly Family School of PhilanthropycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2013$1.5 million gift to create the Melvin Simon Chair in Philanthropy in honor of Cindy Simon Skjodt's late father. The gift helps the school attract and retain world-class faculty for cutting-edge research.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Indiana University Foundation: University-affiliated fundraising and grantmaking organization for Indiana University. Comparable as a recipient/partner relationship rather than a competitor, given Samerian's heavy giving into IU Athletics, Herron, and the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

Direct peers

• Hancock Family Foundation: Central Indiana family foundation making grants to community causes. Comparable as a regional family-led grantmaking foundation with multi-generational family involvement and Indianapolis-area roots.
• Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF): Indianapolis-based community foundation serving Central Indiana. Directly comparable as a Central Indiana grantmaking entity distributing funds to 501(c)(3) organizations across education, health, and community development.
• The Duke Endowment: Major private foundation supporting higher education, health care, children's services, and rural United Methodist churches. Comparable as a private foundation distributing multi-million-dollar program and capital grants to nonprofit institutions.
• The Joyce Foundation: Mid-sized private foundation supporting education, economic opportunity, gun violence prevention, and the environment. Comparable as a private foundation executing structured grantmaking programs across multiple thematic areas with similar portfolio breadth to Samerian.
• Lilly Endowment: Indianapolis-based private foundation focused on religion, education, and community development. Highly comparable as a large Indiana-based private foundation with deep giving into education, youth, and community causes across long time horizons.
• The Fairbanks Foundation: Indianapolis-based private foundation funding education, economic vitality, and community well-being. Comparable in geographic focus, mission areas, and role as an Indianapolis-centered private family foundation.

Regional players

• The Allen Hamilton Foundation: Indiana-focused family philanthropy supporting community, education, and youth programs. Comparable as a regional private foundation with overlapping focus areas but operating primarily in Hamilton County rather than broader Central Indiana.

Broad incumbents

• Kresge Foundation: Major U.S. private foundation with grantmaking across education, health, environment, and community development. Comparable as a private foundation executing structured grant cycles to nonprofits across multiple cause areas.
• Walton Family Foundation: Large U.S. private family foundation supporting education, environment, and community. Comparable as a multi-generational family-controlled foundation executing strategic grantmaking programs with named institutions, though operating at significantly greater scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/samerian-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Samerian Foundation, INC