Jay and Kelly Sugarman Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker New York, NY EIN: 20-0911399

The Jay and Kelly Sugarman Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, NY. It reported giving $330,549 in grants to 13 organizations in 2024.

Jay and Kelly Sugarman Foundation at a glance

In short: Jay and Kelly Sugarman Foundation gave $331K across 13 grants in 2024 (avg $25K), top state New York. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2024)
$330,549
+27.9% vs 2023
Grants made (2024)
13
+8.3% vs 2023
Average grant
$25,427
+18.0% vs 2023
Median grant
$15,000
Total assets
$10,454
-70.1% vs 2023
Primary geography
New York (43% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026.

How to apply to Jay and Kelly Sugarman Foundation

Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to Apply

The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. No application process or materials are specified.

Contact

Mailing address: 1114 Avenue Of The Americas, New York, NY 10036
Phone: (212) 930-9400

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Jay and Kelly Sugarman Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Princeton University: $110KPrinceton University$110KSouthampton Playhouse Inc: $50KSouthampton Playhouse Inc$50KScripps Spelling Bee: $38KScripps Spelling Bee$38KFirst Church of Christ Scientist: $36KFirst Church of ChristScientist$36KElephant Club: $25KElephant Club$25KColumbia University: $25KColumbia University$25KSignature Theatre Company: $15KSignature Theatre Company$15KPhiladelphia Union Foundation: $14KPhiladelphia Union Foundation$14KHamptons Art Camp: $10KHamptons Art Camp$10KWatermill Center: $3KWatermill Center$3K

The largest 2024 recipient was Princeton University ($110K). Together the top 10 received $326K.

Grant Size Distribution

44 grants across all recorded years

37<$50K4$50–100K3$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 37 grants of 44 (84%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The 2024 grant dollars went to recipients in New York (43%), New Jersey (33%), Ohio (11%), California (8%) and Pennsylvania (4%).

Grant Distribution by State

8states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.

Cities

New YorkCincinnatiSan ClementeWatermillChesterSouthamptonPrincetonAlexandriaBronxBrooklynHigh PointMountain ViewSag HarborSan FranciscoTucsonWashington

How Jay and Kelly Sugarman Foundation gives

  • 23% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
  • Giving grew 87% from 2021 to 2024. Method
  • In 2024 it paid out 150% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2024). 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

$0$100K$200K$300K$400K1 grant2020 9 grants2021 9 grants2022 12 grants2023 13 grants2024

From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $177K (2021) to $331K (2024). In 2024 it made 13 grants totaling $331K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Princeton University Princeton, NJTo provide students with advanced learning through scholarships, research, and quality teaching.$110,000
Southampton Playhouse Inc Southampton, NYTo give the community of Southampton a place to experience first rate cinema and live events.$50,000
Scripps Spelling Bee Cincinnati, OHInspiring the exploration of words to illuminate pathways of lifelong curiosity, celebrates academic achievement and enriches communities.$37,563
First Church of Christ Scientist New York, NYTo promote the teaching of Christian science.$36,000
Elephant Club San Clemente, CATo raise awareness of the African Elephant crisis.$25,000
Columbia University New York, NYTo educate those who attend through a broad range of innovative multidisciplinary programs.$25,000
Signature Theatre Company New York, NYA place where individuals can come together to form meaningful connections and create cultural and artistic experiences.$15,000
Philadelphia Union Foundation Chester, PATo promote positive change in underserved communities through the power of soccer.$14,063
Hamptons Art Camp Sag Harbor, NYTo help the under privileged residents of the Hamptons through home repair, hunger and crisis intervention.$10,290
Watermill Center Watermill, NYTo provide the community with a space to create and inpire through the arts.$3,068
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2024$10,454$306,156$330,614$330,54913$330,549$121,338$220,128
2023$34,912$2,629,321$258,583$258,50012$258,500$25,797$145,267
2022$8,174$3,085,026$325,485$325,4389$325,438$14,679$38,957
2021$145,214$109,525$176,783$176,6089$176,718$19,460$48,532
2020$212,472$235,291$220,555$215,5091—$12,245$33,682

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Jay and Kelly Sugarman Foundation reported a distributable amount of $220K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants include support for universities, arts organizations, a spelling bee, a Christian Science church, an elephant-conservation organization, and community programs.

Grantees describe their own work in varied terms. Signature Theatre Company says it celebrates playwrights and gives them an artistic home. The Philadelphia Union Foundation says its programs support underserved communities and families with resources for education, soccer and well-being. South Bronx United says it uses soccer to support young people’s character, teamwork, leadership, educational achievement, health and wellness.

Grantmaking

In 2024, the foundation gave 13 grants totaling $330,549. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $110,000, with a median of $15,000.

Among its 2024 grants were $110,000 to Princeton University for student scholarships, research and teaching; $50,000 to Southampton Playhouse Inc. for cinema and live events; $37,563 to Scripps Spelling Bee; and $36,000 to First Church of Christ Scientist to promote the teaching of Christian Science. Other grants included $25,000 each to Elephant Club and Columbia University, $15,000 to Signature Theatre Company, $14,063 to Philadelphia Union Foundation, and $1,065 to South Bronx United. High Point University received $1,000.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2024 filing lists Jay Sugarman as president and treasurer and Kelly Sugarman as vice president.

Jay and Kelly Sugarman Foundation is led by Jay Sugarman, President & Treasurer on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • Jay Sugarman

    President & Treasurer

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Kelly Sugarman

    Vice President

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Jay and Kelly Sugarman Foundation

How much does Jay and Kelly Sugarman Foundation give each year?

Jay and Kelly Sugarman Foundation gave $331K across 13 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $259K across 12 grants.

What is Jay and Kelly Sugarman Foundation's typical grant size?

Jay and Kelly Sugarman Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $15,000, and its average grant was $25,427, across 13 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Where does Jay and Kelly Sugarman Foundation give grants?

Jay and Kelly Sugarman Foundation's top state is New York, with 43% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New Jersey (33%) and Ohio (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (4 grants).

Does Jay and Kelly Sugarman Foundation give general operating support?

Not in 2024: none of the 13 grants with a stated purpose on Jay and Kelly Sugarman Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.

Who are Jay and Kelly Sugarman Foundation's largest grantees?

Jay and Kelly Sugarman Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Princeton University ($110,000), Southampton Playhouse Inc ($50,000) and Scripps Spelling Bee ($37,563), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 60% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.

How large is Jay and Kelly Sugarman Foundation?

Jay and Kelly Sugarman Foundation reported $10K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $331K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $220K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Jay and Kelly Sugarman Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants include support for universities, arts organizations, a spelling bee, a Christian Science church, an elephant-conservation organization, and community programs. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Jay and Kelly Sugarman Foundation?

The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is Jay and Kelly Sugarman Foundation's EIN?

Jay and Kelly Sugarman Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-0911399. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

Does Jay and Kelly Sugarman 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 September 2026.

Data update history

(1)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Jay and Kelly Sugarman Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/jay-and-kelly-sugarman-foundation-morg_2ef9efa26bfd4c7281820111d6f0de06

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_200911399_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Jay and Kelly Sugarman Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/jay-and-kelly-sugarman-foundation-morg_2ef9efa26bfd4c7281820111d6f0de06},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 Jay and Kelly Sugarman 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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