Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation
The Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, NY. Its 2025 filing says it makes contributions to other charitable organizations and gives only to preselected organizations.
Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation gave $940K across 49 grants in 2025 (avg $19K), top state New York. 26% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $939,531
- -10.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 49
- +14.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $19,174
- -21.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $4,990
- Total assets
- $631,299
- +11.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 26% first-time grantees (12 of 46, 2025)
- Primary geography
- New York (46% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 15 West 81St Street 14Fh, New York, NY 10024
Phone: (212) 877-1721
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Georgetown University ($253K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $787K.
Grant Size Distribution
208 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 170 grants of 208 (82%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, recipients in New York received 46% of grant dollars, those in Washington, DC, received 31%, and those in Massachusetts received 13%. Recipients in California received 6% and those in New Jersey received 3%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 49 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation open to new grantees?
26%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 12 of 46 grantees (26%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $27K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 67% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 21% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF 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.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $816K (2019) to $1.2M (2022). In 2025 it made 49 grants totaling $940K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Georgetown University Washington, DC | General- fields of the future, msb initiaives & endowment | $250,000 |
| Pioneer Works & Arts Foundation Brooklyn, NY | Village Fete, General and Science Content Strategist Support | $117,500 |
| Harvard University - President & Fellows Cambridge, MA | Harvard School of Business and Fellowship Fund | $100,000 |
| The Shed New York, NY | General | $100,000 |
| Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) Woodland Hills, CA | General | $50,000 |
| NYU Langone Health New York, NY | General - Empathy in Medicine | $50,000 |
| Freedom to Learn Advocates Washington, DC | Direct Relief in School Communities | $25,000 |
| New Profit Boston, MA | General | $25,000 |
| The Shed New York, NY | Gala Honoring Lew Franfort | $22,140 |
| Center for Communications Brooklyn, NY | General | $20,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $631,299 | $1,010,169 | $947,445 | $939,531 | 49 | $939,871 | $709,518 | $3,949 |
| 2024 | $568,575 | $58,912 | $1,072,445 | $1,044,871 | 43 | $1,072,445 | $58,912 | $58,655 |
| 2023 | $1,582,108 | $3,495,411 | $1,093,082 | $1,071,788 | 37 | $1,093,082 | $1,654,221 | $16,844 |
| 2022 | $786,878 | $2,673,163 | $1,199,258 | $1,185,035 | 38 | $1,199,258 | $1,221,763 | $9,701 |
| 2021 | $531,646 | $1,003,093 | $881,217 | $861,450 | 41 | $881,217 | $1,003,093 | $42,466 |
| 2020 | $1,142,750 | $2,610,010 | $969,781 | $964,170 | 35 | — | $838,315 | $7,716 |
| 2019 | $258,269 | $1,053,010 | $822,693 | $816,295 | 36 | — | $523,750 | $17,419 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $4K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s filing does not state a separate mission. Its 2025 grants show support for universities, cultural organizations, health-related organizations, and other nonprofits. Georgetown University describes its work as academic and research-focused; TARGET ALS Foundation says it works to advance research toward effective ALS treatments; and Poets & Writers says it supports poets and writers’ professional development and the wider literary community. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 49 grants totaling $939,531. Grant amounts ranged from $275 to $250,000, with a median of $4,990. Its largest awards included $250,000 to Georgetown University for “Fields of the Future, MSB Initiatives & Endowment,” $117,500 to Pioneer Works & Arts Foundation for “Village Fete, General and Science Content Strategist Support,” and $100,000 each to Harvard University for its School of Business and Fellowship Fund and to The Shed for general support. Other grants included $50,000 each to Motion Picture & Television Fund and NYU Langone Health, the latter for “Empathy in Medicine.”
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Richard Sarnoff and Ann Sarnoff as trustees.
Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Ann Sarnoff
Trustee
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Richard Sarnoff
Trustee
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
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.
Frequently asked questions about Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation
How much does Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation give each year?
Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation gave $940K across 49 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.0M across 43 grants.
What is Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $4,990, and its average grant was $19,174, across 49 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation that year got $3K on average.
Where does Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation give grants?
Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation's top state is New York, with 46% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were District of Columbia (31%) and Massachusetts (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (29 grants), Washington, DC (4 grants), Brooklyn, NY (3 grants) and Princeton, NJ (2 grants).
Does Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 65% of Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (32 of 49) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Georgetown University ($252,500 across 2 grants), The Shed ($122,140 across 2 grants) and Pioneer Works & Arts Foundation ($117,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 52% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation?
Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation reported $631K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $940K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $4K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation fund?
The foundation’s filing does not state a separate mission. Its 2025 grants show support for universities, cultural organizations, health-related organizations, and other nonprofits. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation's EIN?
Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-6673225. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 12, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 22, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/ann-and-richard-sarnoff-family-foundation-morg_cbad3bf86fd04978b78ca9932a664ec0
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_206673225_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Ann \& Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/ann-and-richard-sarnoff-family-foundation-morg_cbad3bf86fd04978b78ca9932a664ec0},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-04. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Ann & Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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