Scherman Foundation Inc

What Scherman Foundation Inc does

The Scherman Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation established in 1941 by Harry Scherman, founder of the Book of the Month Club, and headquartered at 16 East 52nd Street in New York City. The foundation makes grants across five program areas — Arts, Democracy, Environmental & Climate Justice, Reproductive Justice, and Strengthening New York Communities — with a stated focus on organizing, power-shifting, and movement-building in BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities. Core grantmaking operates through a periodic Letter of Inquiry (LOI) process providing multi-year general operating and project support; complementary Response Fund and Future Fund programs offer rapid-response and innovation grants by invitation. In June 2025, the board approved increasing the annual payout from 6% to 10% — double the 5% required for private foundations — unlocking an additional $10 million over two years in response to attacks on civil society.

The foundation operates with a small staff (1–10 employees) and a board of directors that has transitioned from family-led governance to an independent, majority person-of-color composition. Under President and CEO Mike Pratt (1996–2026), the foundation shifted from direct service grantmaking to systemic change and movement infrastructure. In 2025, the foundation made 162 grants totaling $11.68 million. The foundation is not a commercial enterprise: it has no proprietary technology products, APIs, or pricing model, and its economic activity is governed by its endowment, payout policy, and grantmaking process. Revenue is derived from investment returns on the endowment, which is implied at roughly $115–$120 million based on the 10% payout and 2025 disbursement levels.

Name

Scherman Foundation Inc

Legal name

Scherman Foundation

Website

https://scherman.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1941

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Scherman Foundation is a New York-based private foundation, founded 1941, that makes multi-year grants in Arts, Democracy, Environmental and Climate Justice, Reproductive Justice, and New York Communities, focused on organizing and movement-building in BIPOC communities, with a 10% payout and $10M Response Fund launched in 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Racial justice grants
• Arts philanthropy
• Environmental justice funding
• Nonprofit grantmaking foundation

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

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Scherman Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation that distributes grants to nonprofit organizations working at the intersection of racial justice and systemic change. It operates three funding mechanisms: (1) Core Grantmaking Programs spanning five areas (Arts, Democracy, Environmental & Climate Justice, Reproductive Justice, and Strengthening New York Communities) providing multi-year general operating and project support; (2) a two-year, $10 million Response Fund providing rapid emergency grants to organizations defending civil society; and (3) a Future Fund seeding long-term movement-building innovation.

Product overview

The Scherman Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation that does not offer traditional technology products or services. Its primary offerings are grantmaking programs focused on racial justice and equity. The Foundation manages three key funding mechanisms: (1) Core Grantmaking Programs spanning five areas (Arts, Democracy, Environmental & Climate Justice, Reproductive Justice, and Strengthening New York Communities) providing multi-year general operating and project grants to community organizations; (2) the Response Fund, a two-year $10 million rapid response initiative providing emergency grants to organizations defending civil society; and (3) the Future Fund supporting innovation in movement-building. The Foundation increased its annual payout to 10% (double the required 5% for private foundations) to fund these additional programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Core Grantmaking Programs Multi-year general operating and project grants supporting nonprofit organizations working at the intersection of racial justice and systemic change through organizing and movement-building. Covers five core program areas: Arts, Democracy, Environmental & Climate Justice, Reproductive Justice, and Strengthening New York Communities. Grantees are selected through a periodic Letter of Inquiry (LOI) process.
• Response Fund A two-year, $10 million rapid response fund providing special one-time grants to help grantees and their ecosystems weather crises, including budget deficits from canceled government contracts, civil society defense, and litigation to defend communities under attack. Additional rounds are by invitation only and continue through 2026.
• Future Fund A fund that seeds innovation and supports adaptation needed to build stronger movements in the long term, complementing the Response Fund's immediate support with investment in bold, long-term organizing and movement-building infrastructure, as well as innovative culture and narrative shift strategies.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• CandidminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation partners with Candid, a nonprofit organization that provides information about nonprofits and foundations, likely for transparency and research purposes.
• Change Capital FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation participates in the Change Capital Fund collaborative, a funders' consortium focused on community development and organizing.
• Environmental Grantmakers Association (EGA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation is a member of the Environmental Grantmakers Association, a network of funders focused on environmental issues.
• Funders Committee for Civic Issues (FCCP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation participates in FCCP, a network of funders working on civic engagement and democracy issues.
• Grantmakers in the Arts (GIA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation is a member of GIA, an organization supporting arts philanthropy.
• Philanthropy New YorkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation is a member of Philanthropy New York, a regional association of funders in the New York area.
• National Funders for Reproductive Equity (F.R.E.)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation participates in F.R.E., a collaborative of funders focused on reproductive equity and justice.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Borealis Philanthropy: Philanthropic intermediary pooling resources from multiple foundations to support racial-justice movement infrastructure — a complementary collaborator and structural peer in funding BIPOC-led organizing.

Broad incumbents

• Open Society Foundations: Large progressive foundation funding democracy, rights, and justice globally — overlapping meaningfully with Scherman's democracy, reproductive justice, and civil-society programming.
• Ford Foundation: Large, established private foundation with deep programming in racial justice, civic engagement, and arts/culture — a much larger incumbent operating in the same thematic space as Scherman.
• MacArthur Foundation: Major private foundation supporting inclusive institutions, climate solutions, and creative cities — broader in scope but overlapping with Scherman on democracy, climate justice, and arts grantmaking.

Regional players

• New York Foundation: NYC-focused private foundation supporting community organizing and grassroots power building — directly comparable to Scherman's Strengthening New York Communities portfolio and George Suttles' existing board role.

Direct peers

• Wellspring Philanthropic Fund: Private foundation that supports global and domestic movement building, democracy, and human rights — highly comparable to Scherman's funding of organizing, civic engagement, and rights-based work.
• Arcus Foundation: Private foundation focused on social justice and LGBTQ+ rights, with grantmaking concentrated on movement building and BIPOC communities — closely aligned with Scherman's organizing-centric, racial-justice framework.
• Hill-Snowdon Foundation: Family-founded private foundation supporting organizing, movement building, and racial justice through multi-year general operating support — a direct model-peer in trust-based, organizing-focused grantmaking.
• Libra Foundation: Private foundation focused on movement building, democracy, and racial equity — comparable in programmatic emphasis on power-building and long-term organizing infrastructure.
• Panta Rhea Foundation: Small private foundation prioritizing grassroots organizing and movement building across intersecting social-justice issues — directly comparable in scale and organizing-centric approach to Scherman.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/schermanfdn
• Facebookfacebook.com/SchermanFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scherman-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Scherman Foundation Inc