American Council of Learned Societies
The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is a New York-based public charity and a nonprofit federation of 86 scholarly organizations. Formed in 1924, it supports scholarship in the humanities and interpretive social sciences, including through fellowships and grants for individual scholars and scholarly teams.
Key facts about American Council of Learned Societies
In short: American Council of Learned Societies gave $17.4M across 153 grants in 2025 (avg $114K), top state California. 34% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 13-1851145
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $17,423,224
- Grants made (2025)
- 153
- Average grant
- $113,877
- Median grant
- $80,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 34% first-time grantees (51 of 152, 2025)
- Total assets
- $216,962,381
- Primary geography
- California (21% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990 · View filing
Total Assets
$217.0M
+8.3% YoY
Annual Giving
$17.4M
+21.0% YoY
Grant Count
153
+25.4% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$114K
-3.5% YoY
Is American Council of Learned Societies open to new grantees?
34%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 51 of 152 grantees (34%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $80K; repeat grants $132K. How we count
Medians: $78K first-time, $112K repeat.
- 42% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−12%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
ACLS’s mission is to support the creation and circulation of knowledge that advances understanding of humanity and human endeavors, with a view toward improving human experience. Its 2024 filing describes its purpose as advancing humanistic studies across fields of learning and strengthening relations among national societies devoted to those studies.
ACLS awards fellowships and grants for research and educational and cultural exchange. Its stated areas include the humanities and interpretive social sciences; eligible fields may include history, languages and literatures, philosophy, art history, anthropology, sociology, and other disciplines. For social-science proposals, ACLS says projects must use predominantly humanistic approaches and qualitative or interpretive methods. Program eligibility varies, so applicants are directed to check each competition’s requirements.
Its current programs include the ACLS Fellowship Program, Digital Justice Grants, HBCU Faculty Fellowships and Grants, Leading Edge Fellowships, and several discipline- or topic-specific programs. For example, the Digital Justice Development Grants support projects intended to advance justice and equity in digital scholarly practice, including work engaging historically marginalized communities. HBCU Faculty Fellowships support faculty research, while the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation New Professorships in Buddhist Studies supports new teaching positions at institutions of higher education.
Recipients in 2025 included universities and colleges, as well as the United Negro College Fund. UNCF describes its mission as building a pipeline of under-represented students who become college graduates and supporting its member institutions. Pomona College describes its mission as educating students of exceptional promise in a diverse residential community. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not ACLS’s.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, ACLS reported 153 grants totaling **$17,423,224**. Individual grants ranged from **$5,668 to $1,232,000**, with a median of **$80,000**. The largest listed award was **$1,232,000 to the United Negro College Fund** for stipends and fellowships. Other large awards included **$577,000 to Pomona College**, **$546,425 to the University of California, Los Angeles**, **$452,000 to the California State University Foundation**, and **$315,000 to the University of Chicago**; each was listed for stipends and fellowships.
Open Grants
19 open opportunities from American Council of Learned Societies
ACLS Digital Justice Development Grants
American Council of Learned Societies
Amount
US $50,000 - US $100,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
ACLS Digital Justice Seed Grants
American Council of Learned Societies
Amount
US $10,000 - US $25,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
ACLS Fellowships Grant
American Council of Learned Societies
Amount
Up to US $60,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Ready to take the next step with American Council of Learned Societies?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
ACLS supports scholars and scholarly teams around the world. Its 2025 grant dollars were concentrated among recipients in California (21%), New York (16%), Washington, DC (12%), Illinois (7%), and Massachusetts (6%). The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation New Professorships program is open to eligible institutions of higher education worldwide.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 153 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $14.4M (2024) to $19.7M (2022). In 2025 it made 153 grants totaling $17.4M.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was United Negro College Fund Inc ($1.2M). Together the top 10 received $4.3M.
Grant Size Distribution
743 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $50–100K range: 270 grants of 743 (36%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| United Negro College Fund Inc Washington, DC | Stipends/Fellowships | $1,232,000 |
| Pomona College Claremont, CA | Stipends/Fellowships | $577,000 |
| University of California Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | Stipends/Fellowships | $546,425 |
| California State University Foundation Long Beach, CA | Stipends/Fellowships | $452,000 |
| University of Chicago Chicago, IL | Stipends/Fellowships | $315,000 |
| Washington University in St Louis St. Louis, MO | Stipends/Fellowships | $311,000 |
| University of Wisconsin Madison, WI | Stipends/Fellowships | $269,933 |
| University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX | Stipends/Fellowships | $234,000 |
| Duke University Durham, NC | Stipends/Fellowships | $200,000 |
| University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM | Stipends/Fellowships | $199,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $216,962,381 | $38,862,022 | $35,628,415 | $17,423,224 |
| 2024 | $200,277,168 | $45,967,231 | $32,412,698 | $14,402,956 |
| 2023 | $185,729,806 | $32,539,032 | $33,962,271 | $16,188,130 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $216,962,381 | $200,277,168 | $185,729,806 |
| Revenue | $38,862,022 | $45,967,231 | $32,539,032 |
| Expenses | $35,628,415 | $32,412,698 | $33,962,271 |
| Net Investment Income | $10,168,941 | $17,587,689 | $8,798,923 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 14, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 13, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 9, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Joy Connolly as president, Marwan M. Kraidy as chair, Jimena Canales as vice chair, Dana Williams as secretary, and Melani McAlister as treasurer. Directors listed include James H. Averill, Frances Daly Fergusson, Roderick Ferguson, Theodore S. Gonçalves, and Malinda Maynor Lowery (through April 2025).
American Council of Learned Societies is led by Joy Connolly, President on every filing since 2019; 8 of 23 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Joy Connolly
President
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$258K (2020) → $619K (2025)
Marwan M. Kraidy
Chair
Director → Chair, 2024
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
John Christy
Director of Public Program
Director of Public Programs → Director of Public Program, 2023
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$125K (2019) → $189K (2025)
Heather Mangrum
Director of Communications
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$126K (2021) → $167K (2025)
Jovonne Bickerstaff
Director & Intentional Design for Equit. Academy
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$153K (2025)
Frances Daly Fergusson
Director
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
James H. Averill
Director
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michele Lamont
Director
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Malinda Maynor Lowery
Director
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Theodore S. Gonzalves
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Desiree Pedescleaux
Director
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Roderick Ferguson
Director
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Carlos Alberto Contreras
Director
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Edward Cohen
Director
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
James Q. Whitman
Director
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lisa Fagin Davis
Director
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
James Shulman
Vice President & COO
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$152K (2019) → $399K (2025)
Mary Richter
Chief Development Officer
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$129K (2020) → $226K (2025)
Kelly Buttermore
Chief of Staff
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$144K (2022) → $181K (2025)
Matthew Sapienza
Chief Financial Officer
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$224K (2023) → $266K (2025)
Jimena Canales
Vice Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2023
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Melani McAlister
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2024
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Dana A. Williams
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (28)
- Former: Carl Pforzheimer III (2019–2024) — Director
- Former: Peter Baldwin (2019–2024) — Director
- Former: Richard J. Powell (2019–2024) — Director
- Former: William C. Kirby (2019–2024) — Director
- Former: Deena Ragavan (2023–2024) — Director of International Program
- Former: Suzanne Preston Blier (2023–2024) — Director
- Former: Steven R. Smith (2024) — Director
- Former: Ann Fabian (2019–2023) — Secretary
- Former: Michele Moody-Adams (2019–2023) — Treasurer
- Former: John F. Kutsko (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Andrzej Tymowski (2019–2022) — Director of International Programs
- Former: Nicola Courtright (2019–2022) — Vice Chair
- Former: Simon Guzman (2019–2022) — Director of Finance
- Former: Alexandra Lord (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Pauline Yu (2019–2021) — Former President - Emeritus
- Former: Daniel Menelsohn (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Robert Keo (2021) — Digital & It Manager
- Former: Amy Ferrer (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Dorothy Hodgson (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Matthew Goldfeder (2019–2020) — Director of Fellowships Programs
- Former: Minh Kauffman (2019–2020) — Ceevn Director
- Former: Candace Frede (2019) — Director of Web & Infor. Sys.
- Former: Donald Brenneis (2019) — Director
- Former: Elaine Sisman (2019) — Director
- Former: James Grossman (2019) — Director
- Former: Karl Eikenberry (2019) — Director
- Former: Steven Wheatley (2019) — Senior Adviser
- Former: Terry Castle (2019) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $619K, to Joy Connolly (President). 8 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Contact
Mailing address: 633 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Phone: (212) 697-1505
Website: https://acls.org
Frequently asked questions about American Council of Learned Societies
How much does American Council of Learned Societies give each year?
American Council of Learned Societies gave $17.4M across 153 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $14.4M across 122 grants.
What is American Council of Learned Societies's typical grant size?
American Council of Learned Societies's median grant in 2025 was $80,000, and its average grant was $113,877, across 153 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from American Council of Learned Societies that year got $80K on average.
Where does American Council of Learned Societies give grants?
American Council of Learned Societies's top state is California, with 21% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were New York (16%) and District of Columbia (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (15 grants), Washington, DC (11 grants), Chicago, IL (7 grants) and Los Angeles, CA (6 grants).
Does American Council of Learned Societies give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 153 grants with a stated purpose on American Council of Learned Societies's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Stipends/Fellowships" (153 grants).
Who are American Council of Learned Societies's largest grantees?
American Council of Learned Societies's largest 2025 grantees include United Negro College Fund Inc ($1,232,000), Pomona College ($577,000) and University of California Los Angeles ($546,425), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 14% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is American Council of Learned Societies?
American Council of Learned Societies reported $217.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $38.9M.
What does American Council of Learned Societies fund?
ACLS’s mission is to support the creation and circulation of knowledge that advances understanding of humanity and human endeavors, with a view toward improving human experience. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from American Council of Learned Societies?
American Council of Learned Societies has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check acls.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is American Council of Learned Societies's EIN?
American Council of Learned Societies's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-1851145. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Here's the math on researching American Council of Learned Societies by hand.
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