Cognizant US Foundation
Cognizant US Foundation was a private foundation based in Teaneck, New Jersey. Its website described work to help historically excluded, underrepresented, underserved, and unemployed or underemployed people access industry-relevant education, technical skills training, and pathways into the digital economy. The foundation’s 2022 filing is marked as its final return: it adopted a termination plan, made a final distribution of assets on December 20, 2022, and signed a certification of dissolution on December 23, 2022. It therefore appears to have wound down and stopped grantmaking.
Cognizant US Foundation at a glance
In short: Cognizant US Foundation gave $51.0M across 36 grants in 2022 (avg $1.4M), mostly in Massachusetts. 44% of 2022 grantees were new. Source: 2022 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2022)
- $50,987,055
- +149.9% vs 2021
- Grants made (2022)
- 36
- -39.0% vs 2021
- Average grant
- $1,416,307
- +309.5% vs 2021
- Median grant
- $300,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 44% first-time grantees (15 of 34, 2022)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (74% of itemized 2022 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2022 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2022; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Cognizant US Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation stated that it made contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and did not accept unsolicited requests for funds. This is not a current application route because the foundation terminated.
- Contact
Mailing address: 300 Frank W Burr Blvd 6Th Fl St, Teaneck, NJ 07666
Phone: (914) 336-1401
Website: https://www.cognizantusfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Cognizant US Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2022
The largest 2022 recipient was BNY Mellon Charitable Gift Fund ($35.6M). Together the top 10 received $44.8M.
Organizations only. It also paid 2 grants to individuals ($450,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
132 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $250–500K range: 36 grants of 132 (27%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2022 filing reported that Massachusetts received 74% of grant dollars, New York 12%, Colorado 3%, and California 2%. A further 4% was assigned to an unidentified recipient-state category in the filing data. The foundation’s website also described a $5.5 million grant announcement involving organizations in the United States and Canada.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2022 grant dollars across all 36 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Cognizant US Foundation open to new grantees?
44%
first-time grantees, 2022
In 2022, 15 of 34 grantees (44%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $2.8M; repeat grants $500K. How we count
Medians: $350K first-time, $300K repeat.
- 53% of 2022 grantees were also funded in 2021. Method
- In 2022 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2022). 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 2020 to 2022, annual grant giving ranged from $13.9M (2020) to $51.0M (2022). In 2022 it made 36 grants totaling $51.0M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| BNY Mellon Charitable Gift Fund Boston, MA | Transfer of funds to newly created daf to finalize the dissolution of the cognizant us foundation legal entity. | $35,591,821 |
| Teach for America New York, NY | Expansion of computer science education and support for educators | $2,000,000 |
| Northeastern University Boston, MA | Support the center for inclusive growth to develop transfer pathways for computer science students | $1,696,750 |
| Cornell University New York, NY | Technology training, education programs and career pathways for women | $1,286,000 |
| Donorschooseorg New York, NY | Overcoming the Technology Needs Gap in America's Classrooms | $1,000,000 |
| Turing School Denver, CO | Technology Training for Individuals from Historically Excluded Communities | $1,000,000 |
| Code Path San Francisco, CA | Computer science education in partnership with higher education institutions | $750,000 |
| Ada Developers Academy Seattle, WA | Technology training and career pathways for women and gender expansive adults | $500,000 |
| City of University NY New York, NY | Strengthen Industry Partnerships and Career Pathways | $500,000 |
| Code NATION(SCRIPTED) New York, NY | Computer Science Education for High School Students | $500,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Cognizant US Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The 2022 filing states that the foundation adopted a resolution of dissolution on May 20, 2022, and completed its final asset distribution on December 20, 2022.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | — | $670,939 | $41,018,282 | $50,987,055 | 36 | $51,198,051 | $670,727 | $2,093,063 |
| 2021 | $53,711,221 | $1,081,755 | $18,976,803 | $20,405,173 | 59 | $20,887,380 | $1,081,434 | $3,180,635 |
| 2020 | $74,566,048 | $1,626,010 | $15,285,094 | $13,861,350 | 37 | — | $1,630,809 | $5,209,457 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Cognizant US Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.1M for 2022 — 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 website stated its vision as a world where all communities can participate in and benefit from the digital economy. It described partnering with employers, educators, policymakers, and thought leaders to identify workforce needs and develop solutions. Its reported grant purposes included computer science education, technology training, educator support, workforce research, and career pathways, including for women and people from historically excluded communities.
Grantees’ own descriptions illustrate the kinds of organizations supported. Code.org described its work as expanding access to computer science and increasing participation by young women and underrepresented groups. Ada Developers Academy described its mission as preparing women and gender-expansive adults to become software developers while advocating for inclusive work environments. Achieving the Dream described its work as supporting community colleges’ institutional transformation to improve student outcomes.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2022, the foundation reported 36 grants totaling $50,987,055. Grant amounts ranged from $30,000 to $35,591,821, with a median of $300,000. The largest distribution, $35,591,821 to BNY Mellon Charitable Gift Fund, was the final distribution of the foundation’s assets as part of its dissolution—not a typical program grant. Other large grants included $2 million to Teach for America for computer science education and educator support, $1,696,750 to Northeastern University for transfer pathways for computer science students, and $1,286,000 to Cornell University for technology training, education programs, and career pathways for women. DonorsChoose.org received $1 million for work addressing technology needs in classrooms, and Turing School received $1 million for technology training for people from historically excluded communities.
The foundation’s website also reported grant announcements of $6.3 million to 13 organizations and institutions and $5.5 million to 13 organizations in the United States and Canada. It described these grants as supporting education access, computer science and STEM learning, and pathways into technology careers.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2022 filing listed Rajesh Nambiar as president and director; Kristen Titus as executive director and board director; Fred Cardone as treasurer; and Becky Schmitt, Gaurav Chand, Tobi Young, Katie Royce, and Ursula Morgenstern as directors.
Cognizant US Foundation is led by Kristen Titus, Executive Director & Board Director on every filing since 2020; 1 of 8 officers listed in 2022 is compensated.
Officers on the 2022 filing
Kristen Titus
Executive Director & Board Director
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$196K (2020) → $74K (2022)
Rajesh Nambiar
President & Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Becky Schmitt
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gaurav Chand
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tobi Young
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Katie Royce
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ursula Morgenstern
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Fred Cardone
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (6)
- Former: Harry Demas (2020–2021) — Secretary · Filing note: Thru December 2021
- Former: Dharmendra Kumar Sinhathru Apr (2021) — President & Director
- Former: Carol Cohen (2020) — Director · Filing note: Thru May 2020
- Former: Dharmendra Kumar Sinha (2020) — President & Director
- Former: Issam Allen (2020) — Director · Filing note: Thru May 2020
- Former: Meera Krishnamurthy (2020) — Director · Filing note: Thru May 2020
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2022. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2022 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2022 filing was $74K, to Kristen Titus (Exec. DIR. & Board DIR.).
Frequently asked questions about Cognizant US Foundation
How much does Cognizant US Foundation give each year?
Cognizant US Foundation gave $51.0M across 36 grants in 2022, according to its 2022 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2021 it gave $20.4M across 59 grants.
What is Cognizant US Foundation's typical grant size?
Cognizant US Foundation's median grant in 2022 was $300,000, and its average grant was $1,416,307, across 36 grants on its 2022 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Cognizant US Foundation that year got $2.8M on average.
Where does Cognizant US Foundation give grants?
Cognizant US Foundation gives mostly in Massachusetts: 74% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2022 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (8 grants), Boston, MA (3 grants) and Seattle, WA (2 grants).
Does Cognizant US Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2022: none of the 36 grants with a stated purpose on Cognizant US Foundation's 2022 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Cognizant US Foundation's largest grantees?
Cognizant US Foundation's largest 2022 grantees include BNY Mellon Charitable Gift Fund ($35,591,821), Teach for America ($2,000,000) and Northeastern University ($1,696,750), according to its 2022 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 2 grants to individuals ($450,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 77% of its itemized 2022 grant dollars.
What does Cognizant US Foundation fund?
The foundation’s website stated its vision as a world where all communities can participate in and benefit from the digital economy. It described partnering with employers, educators, policymakers, and thought leaders to identify workforce needs and develop solutions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Cognizant US Foundation?
The foundation stated that it made contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and did not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
How much is Cognizant US Foundation required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2022, Cognizant US Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.1M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is Cognizant US Foundation's EIN?
Cognizant US Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 82-5385478. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2022.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2022
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