Foundation for a Just Society
Foundation for a Just Society is a private independent foundation based in New York City that advances the rights of women, girls, and LGBTQI people through strategic grantmaking and movement support. Founded in 2010, the organization operates with a staff of 30 and functions as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Key facts about Foundation for a Just Society
- EIN
- 27-3345774
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024
- Annual giving (2024)
- $63,123,280
- Grants made (2024)
- 357
- Average grant
- $176,816
- Median grant
- $125,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 21% first-time grantees (51 of 242, 2024)
- Total assets
- $1,290,267,836
- Primary geography
- New York (49% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
Who Foundation for a Just Society funds
By grant dollars, the top recipient states for Foundation for a Just Society's 357 itemized 2024 grants were New York (49%), California (7%) and District of Columbia (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (196 grants), Washington, DC (17 grants), Atlanta, GA (9 grants) and San Francisco, CA (9 grants). 28% of grants with a stated purpose were for general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Employee Matching Gift" (30 grants), "To Support Travel to the 2024 Central American Donors Forum" (3 grants) and "To Support the Marea Verde Project" (3 grants).
Is Foundation for a Just Society open to new grantees?
21%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 51 of 242 grantees (21%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $161K; repeat grants $287K. How we count
Medians: $100K first-time, $190K repeat.
- 74% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+19%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 125% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized IRS Form 990-PF grant lists (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Next steps with Foundation for a Just Society
- How to evaluate Foundation for a Just Society as a funder
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Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$1.3B
+3.5% YoY
Annual Giving
$63.1M
+3.1% YoY
Grant Count
357
-9.8% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$177K
+14.4% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Foundation for a Just Society reported a distributable amount of $61.6M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Mission & Focus Areas
Mission: Foundation for a Just Society advances the rights of women, girls, and LGBTQI people and supports gender and racial justice by ensuring those most affected by injustice have the resources they need to cultivate the leadership and solutions that transform our world.
Vision: A world where all people are equally valued and lead self-determined lives.
Core Values:
- Feminism: An expansive, anti-racist framework to understand and address the multiple injustices that shape the lives of women, girls, and LGBTQI people
- Center Those Most Affected by Injustice: Supporting organizations and movements led by people experiencing the deepest forms of oppression to create more effective and enduring solutions
- Collaboration: Cultivating relationships grounded in humility to work together toward a shared vision for transformation
Guiding Philosophy: The foundation was founded on the belief that the liberation of women, girls, and LGBTQI people is essential to just societies. Change happens when people facing injustice come together to build mutual understanding, identify solutions to common problems, and collectively advocate for shared vision. The most effective solutions are grounded in the lived experience of those who face the greatest injustice.
Grantmaking
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation's grantmaking focuses primarily on New York, California, and the District of Columbia, though recent grants indicate international work including support for organizations serving Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and Latin America.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 357 itemized 2024 grant dollars.
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of 2023:
- Total assets: $1,246,192,288
- Total revenues: $23,356,523
- Total expenses: $93,191,391
- Number of employees: 30
As of 2024:
- Total assets: $1,290,267,836
- Total giving: $63,123,280
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $1,290,267,836 | $1,246,192,288 | $1,257,461,093 |
| Revenue | $27,633,286 | $23,356,523 | $151,151,927 |
| Expenses | $76,844,139 | $93,191,391 | $66,003,447 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $76,796,425 | $79,694,721 | $64,746,420 |
| Net Investment Income | $25,206,490 | $13,093,377 | $149,456,823 |
| Distributable Amount | $61,591,456 | $59,087,098 | $57,535,233 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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
1,831 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest recipients include Initiative Sankofa D'Afrique De L'ouest ($1,600,000 across 2 grants), Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors ($1,550,000 across 4 grants), Fondo De Accion Urgente Para America Latina Y El Caribe ($1,536,136 across 5 grants).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| FONDO DE ACCION URGENTE PARA AMERICA LATINA Y EL CARIBE New York, NY | TO PROVIDE GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT | $1,100,000 |
| URGENT ACTION FUND - AFRICA New York, NY | TO PROVIDE GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT | $1,100,000 |
| BOREALIS PHILANTHROPY Minneapolis, MN | TO SUPPORT THE BLACK-LED MOVEMENT FUND | $1,000,000 |
| CAPITAL FOR GOOD USA Paoli, PA | TO SUPPORT THE CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES OF GIRLS FIRST FUND | $1,000,000 |
| FONDO CENTROAMERICANO DE MUJERES FOUNDATION Dover, DE | TO PROVIDE GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT TO ASOCIACION FONDO CENTROAMERICANO DE MUJERES (FCAM) | $1,000,000 |
| FONDO SEMILLAS AC New York, NY | TO PROVIDE GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT | $1,000,000 |
| INITIATIVE SANKOFA D'AFRIQUE DE L'OUEST New York, NY | TO SUPPORT THE CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES OF ISDAO | $1,000,000 |
| ROCKEFELLER PHILANTHROPY ADVISORS New York, NY | TO SUPPORT THE CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES OF COLLABORATIVE FOR GENDER AND REPRODUCTIVE EQUITY (CGRE) | $1,000,000 |
| AMALGAMATED CHARITABLE FOUNDATION Washington, DC | TO SUPPORT THE CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES OF THE BLACK FEMINIST FUND | $850,000 |
| IM-DEFENSORAS | TO PROVIDE GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT | $750,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 IRS filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audrey Cappell | President | 10 | — |
| Jessica Postrozny | Vice President | 3.5 | $13,000 |
| Kyla Barkin | Secretary/Treasurer | 4.5 | $13,000 |
| Kady Safar | Director | 3.5 | $12,000 |
| Elizabeth Simons | Director | 3.5 | — |
| Patricia Weisenfeld | Director; VP Hannah Charitable | 4.5 | $13,000 |
Contact Information
Address: 23 W 20th Street, New York, NY 10011-3701
Website: fjs.org
EIN: 27-3345774
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Foundation for a Just Society fund?
**Mission:** Foundation for a Just Society advances the rights of women, girls, and LGBTQI people and supports gender and racial justice by ensuring those most affected by injustice have the resources they need to cultivate the leadership and solutions that transform our world. **Vision:** A world where all people are equally valued and lead self-determined lives. **Core Values:** • **Feminism:** An expansive, anti-racist framework to understand and address the multiple injustices that shape th…
How do I apply for a grant from Foundation for a Just Society?
**Grant Activity:** • Total giving (2024): $63,123,280 • Typical award range: $100,000 to $1,100,000 • Recent grantees include The AfriWomen Network ($1,000,000 in 2023) and Capital for Good USA ($1,000,000 in 2023) **Focus Areas:** Education, philanthropy, voluntarism and grantmaking, and human services
Where does Foundation for a Just Society make grants?
The foundation's grantmaking focuses primarily on New York, California, and the District of Columbia, though recent grants indicate international work including support for organizations serving Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and Latin America.
What size grants does Foundation for a Just Society award?
In 2024, Foundation for a Just Society awarded 357 grants totaling $63.1M — an average of about $177K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
How much is Foundation for a Just Society required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Foundation for a Just Society reported a distributable amount of $61.6M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is Foundation for a Just Society's EIN?
Foundation for a Just Society's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 27-3345774. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
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Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.