The Arcus Foundation is a private grantmaking institution headquartered in New York City with an additional office in Cambridge, United Kingdom. Founded in 2000 by Jon Stryker, the foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to advancing social justice and conservation globally. The foundation has established itself as a significant funder in two distinct but complementary areas: LGBTQ human rights and the conservation and respect of great apes and gibbons.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
—
Annual Giving
$31.3M
+10.2% YoY
Grant Count
365
+13.4% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$86K
-2.8% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation's mission is to achieve social justice that is inclusive of sexual orientation, gender identity, and race, while ensuring conservation and respect of the great apes and gibbons. The foundation operates under the belief that people can live in harmony with one another and the natural world, and that respect for diversity among people and in nature is essential to a positive future for the planet and all its inhabitants.
U.S. Social Justice Program
The foundation provides grants to organizations advancing four broad and often interrelated goals for LGBTQ people:
- Increased Safety: Reducing vulnerability to violence and expanding accountability for violence
- Increased Social Inclusion: Creating more inclusive societies through engagement with faith leaders and communities, media, and the public
- Increased Protections: Changing laws, policies, and practices to improve lives
- Strong Movements: Ensuring that LGBTQ movements have the capacity to advance agendas for change
Great Apes and Gibbons Program
The foundation's conservation strategy focuses on ensuring conservation and respect for great apes and gibbons in the wild and in captivity.
Additional Activities
The foundation engages in thought leadership and education activities, including the publication of the "State of the Apes" book series designed to drive thought leadership for ape conservation. The foundation also generates online and offline storytelling assets in multiple media formats to amplify the impact of grantee work and raise awareness among audiences in the United States and globally.
Grantmaking
The foundation has awarded nearly 3,000 grants totaling approximately $600 million to hundreds of organizations across its two priority funding areas. The foundation operates program-related investments in wildlife conservation alongside its grant programs.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation partners with experts and activists in 29 countries that face ongoing challenges related to habitat destruction endangering great apes and gibbons, and injustice threatening LGBTQ people. The foundation maintains a global focus with headquarters in New York City and Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of 2024:
- Total Assets: $301.97 million
- Total Revenue: $44.04 million
- Total Expenses: $45.93 million
- Total Liabilities: $32.3 million
- Number of Employees: 35
Historical Data (2015):
- Revenue: $32.72 million
- Expenses: $39.71 million
- Assets: $179.15 million
The foundation maintains offices in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada, with workforce distribution across these locations.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | — | — | — |
| Revenue | — | — | — |
| Expenses | — | — | — |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | — | — | — |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
250 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Arcus Foundation
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
- Annette Lanjouw - Chief Executive Officer (compensation: $449,059)
- Thomas W. Nichols - Chief Operating Officer (compensation: $421,862)
- Jon L. Stryker - Board President and Founder
- Kevin Jennings - Chief Executive Officer
- Adrian Relu Coman - Program Director, International Social Justice
- Bryan Simmons - Vice President Communications
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| JON L STRYKER | BOARD PRESIDENT | 20 | — |
| STEPHEN BENNETT | BOARD MEMBER | 7 | $20,000 |
| EVELYNN HAMMONDS | BOARD MEMBER | 7 | $20,000 |
| JANET MOCK-CURIEL | BOARD MEMBER | 7 | $20,000 |
| CATHERINE PINO | BOARD MEMBER | 7 | $20,000 |
| SLOBODAN RANDJELOVIC | BOARD MEMBER | 7 | — |
| CLAIRE STRYKER | BOARD MEMBER | 7 | — |
| ADAM SWEIDAN | BOARD MEMBER | 7 | — |
| ANNETTE LANJOUW | CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER | 50 | $449,059 |
| THOMAS W NICHOLS | CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER | 50 | $421,862 |
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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