MJS Foundation Inc logo

MJS Foundation Inc

Private foundation · Grantmaker New York, NY EIN: 45-3826353 Website

MJS Foundation Inc is a private family foundation formed in 2011 and based in New York, NY. It focuses its support in the New York City area, aiming to reach communities in need and enhance the quality of education, social services, and health care.

MJS Foundation Inc at a glance

In short: MJS Foundation Inc gave $22.7M across 58 grants in 2025 (avg $391K), mostly in New York. 10% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$22,667,665
-29.0% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
58
-12.1% vs 2024
Average grant
$390,822
-19.2% vs 2024
Median grant
$102,500
Total assets
$48,016,627
-35.0% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
10% first-time grantees (5 of 48, 2025)
Primary geography
New York (78% 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 MJS Foundation Inc

Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to Apply

The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.

Contact

Mailing address: 149 5Th Ave 5Th Fl, New York, NY 10010
Phone: (646) 968-1888
Website: https://mjsfoundation.org

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

Who MJS Foundation Inc funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Robin Hood Foundation: $5.0MRobin Hood Foundation$5.0MFidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund: $3.5MFidelity InvestmentsCharitable Gift Fund$3.5MIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: $3.0M across 2 grantsIcahn School of Medicine atMount Sinai$3.0M · 2 grantsStony Brook Foundation: $1.3M across 2 grantsStony Brook Foundation$1.3M · 2 grantsFelicity House Inc: $1.0MFelicity House Inc$1.0MPark Avenue Synagogue: $1.0MPark Avenue Synagogue$1.0MThe Center for Discovery: $1.0MThe Center for Discovery$1.0MUniversity of California Berkeley Foundation: $1.0M across 2 grantsUniversity of CaliforniaBerkeley Foundation$1.0M · 2 grantsEast Harlem Tutorial Program: $605K across 3 grantsEast Harlem Tutorial Program$605K · 3 grantsNew York Public Library: $500KNew York Public Library$500K

The largest 2025 recipient was Robin Hood Foundation ($5.0M). Together the top 10 received $17.8M.

Grant Size Distribution

327 grants across all recorded years

81<$50K38$50–100K79$100–250K62$250–500K25$500K–1M35$1–5M7$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 81 grants of 327 (25%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation says its support focuses on the New York City area and lists NYC Community and Long Island as philanthropic interests. In 2025, 78% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York, 16% to Massachusetts, and 5% to California; Florida and Washington, DC each accounted for less than 1% in the reported state breakdown.

Grant Distribution by State

10states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 58 itemized grants.

Cities

New YorkStony BrookCold Spring HaborBellportLos AngelesJerichoAnnandaleonhudsonSetauketAventuraBostonMenandsNew Hyde ParkHarrisRandolphWashingtonBerkeleyBrooklynCold Spring HarborPort JeffersonPrinceton

Is MJS Foundation Inc open to new grantees?

10%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 5 of 48 grantees (10%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $273K; repeat grants $495K. How we count

Medians: $25K first-time, $150K repeat.

  • 83% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−7%). 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 (2020–2025). 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

$0$10M$20M$30M$40M59 grants2020 61 grants2021 70 grants2022 72 grants2023 66 grants2024 58 grants2025

From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $22.7M (2025) to $36.6M (2020). In 2025 it made 58 grants totaling $22.7M.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Robin Hood Foundation New York, NYGeneral Operating Support for RHF'S Grantmaking Programs$5,000,000
Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund Boston, MAGift to a donor-advised fund to help mjs administer smaller gifts to charities$3,469,880
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, NYPledged gift to support the tisch cancer hospital and lung cancer center of excellence$2,000,000
Felicity House Inc New York, NYGift to support community space devoted to women with autism$1,000,000
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, NYGift to support the dr. Martin feuer pulmonary educational fund$1,000,000
Park Avenue Synagogue New York, NYGift in Honor of Jim Simons Yahrzeit$1,000,000
The Center for Discovery Harris, NYPledged Gift to Support the Endowment Campaign$1,000,000
Stony Brook Foundation Stony Brook, NYGift to Support the MJS Challenge$933,710
University of California Berkeley Foundation Berkeley, CAGift to Support the Climatenginuity Hub Pilot Program$700,000
New York Public Library New York, NYGift to Support the Annual Fund$500,000
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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
2025$48,016,627$1,013,725$21,796,155$22,667,66558$25,378,526$1,215,569$392,025
2024$73,921,189$79,225,565$23,255,933$31,921,60066$33,844,472$211,141$417,430
2023$29,457,691$18,808,905$26,802,946$29,370,69872$31,161,147$112,970$331,133
2022$42,958,423$44,310,653$34,298,189$24,273,07870$25,914,304—$407,820
2021$23,800,314$31,094,027$32,622,681$23,351,77861$24,310,137$19,065$255,330
2020$16,740,864$31,815,537$24,742,391$36,596,68459——$226,828

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, MJS Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $392K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

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

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation states that it aims to reach communities in need and enhance education, social services, and health care. Its grants show support for, among other things, cancer and pulmonary care, a community space for women with autism, a public library’s annual fund, school operating support, and a climate hub pilot program.

Among its grantees, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai describes its mission as advancing science, medicine, and health care delivery. The Center for Discovery says it provides educational, clinical, residential, social, and creative arts experiences for individuals with disabilities and medical frailties and their families.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation reported 58 grants totaling $22,667,665. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $5,000,000, with a median of $102,500. The largest grant was $5,000,000 to Robin Hood Foundation for general operating support for its grantmaking programs. Other large grants included $3,469,880 to Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund for a donor-advised fund to help administer smaller gifts to charities; $2,000,000 to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai for the Tisch Cancer Hospital and Lung Cancer Center of Excellence; and $1,000,000 each to Felicity House, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Park Avenue Synagogue, and The Center for Discovery.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Marilyn Simons as President and Board Chair; Joseph Cosmai as Treasurer and Secretary/Director; and Jeffrey Wacksman and Susan E Gibbons as Directors. The foundation’s website identifies James H. Simons, Ph.D. (1938–2024) as Chair Emeritus.

MJS Foundation Inc is led by Marilyn Simons, President & Board Chair since 2024 (on filings since 2020); none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Marilyn Simons

    President & Board Chair

    Co-President → President, 2021

    President → President & Board Chair, 2024

    On filings since 2020

    40 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Susan E. Gibbons

    Director

    On filings since 2023

    0.3 hrs/week

    $1K (2024) → $0 (2025)

  • Jeffrey Wacksman

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    0.3 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Joseph Cosmai

    Treasurer, Secretary & Director

    On filings since 2020

    0.3 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

Former officers (1)
  • Former: James Simons (2020–2024) — Board Chair Emeritus

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

Susan E Gibbons — Director: $1KSusan E GibbonsDirector$1K

The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $1K, to Susan E Gibbons (Director).

Frequently asked questions about MJS Foundation Inc

How much does MJS Foundation Inc give each year?

MJS Foundation Inc gave $22.7M across 58 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $31.9M across 66 grants.

What is MJS Foundation Inc's typical grant size?

MJS Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $102,500, and its average grant was $390,822, across 58 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from MJS Foundation Inc that year got $273K on average.

Where does MJS Foundation Inc give grants?

MJS Foundation Inc gives mostly in New York: 78% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Massachusetts (16%) and California (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (33 grants), Stony Brook, NY (3 grants), Cold Spring Harbor, NY (3 grants) and Berkeley, CA (2 grants).

Does MJS Foundation Inc give general operating support?

Yes: 17% of MJS Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (10 of 58) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Gift to Support the Mission of the Organization" (3 grants).

Who are MJS Foundation Inc's largest grantees?

MJS Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Robin Hood Foundation ($5,000,000), Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund ($3,469,880) and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai ($3,000,000 across 2 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 51% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is MJS Foundation Inc?

MJS Foundation Inc reported $48.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $25.4M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $392K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does MJS Foundation Inc fund?

The foundation states that it aims to reach communities in need and enhance education, social services, and health care. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from MJS Foundation Inc?

The foundation 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 MJS Foundation Inc's EIN?

MJS Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 45-3826353. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.

Does MJS Foundation Inc 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

(7)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS July 28, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS October 6, 2022)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS June 30, 2023)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS July 11, 2024)
  5. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS July 2, 2025)
  6. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 26, 2026)
  7. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2023

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). MJS Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/mjs-foundation-inc-morg_fe0f09f4127a44108b98295a5041ac16

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_453826353_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{MJS Foundation Inc funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/mjs-foundation-inc-morg_fe0f09f4127a44108b98295a5041ac16},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 MJS Foundation Inc'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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