Nick Simons Foundation

Foundation · Grantmaker New York, NY EIN: 20-3101239 Website

The Nick Simons Foundation is a private family foundation established in 2006 in New York to honor the memory of Nick Simons and his love for Nepal. The foundation focuses on improving health and medical care, particularly in rural and remote communities in developing countries, with special emphasis on Nepal.

Key facts about Nick Simons Foundation

EIN: 20-3101239
Latest 990 filing: Form 990-PF, 2024
Annual giving (2024): $15,603,857
Grants made (2024): 21
Average grant: $743,041
Median grant: $25,000
Total assets: $223,718,450
Primary geography: New York (88% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
Accepts unsolicited proposals: No
How to apply: The foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026. Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Nick Simons Foundation funds

By grant dollars, the top recipient states for Nick Simons Foundation's 21 itemized 2024 grants were New York (88%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (3 grants). 38% of grants with a stated purpose were for general or operating support.

How Nick Simons Foundation gives

80% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−1%). Method
In 2024 it paid out 153% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

Estimate from itemized IRS Form 990-PF grant lists (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 Nick Simons Foundation

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Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$223.7M

+0.3% YoY

Annual Giving

$15.6M

-5.5% YoY

Grant Count

-27.6% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$743K

+30.5% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Nick Simons Foundation reported a distributable amount of $10.9M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

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

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation's mission is to improve health and medical care in Nepal, especially for rural and remote populations. Key focus areas include:

Development and advancement of the Universal Anesthesia Machine (UAM), a low-cost trolley-based workstation providing inhalation anesthesia
Training for rural health care workers
Curricula development and training site start-ups
Programs to help retain health care workers in rural settings
Implementation modeling and validation to accelerate tuberculosis elimination in Nepal
General operating support for health initiatives in Nepal

Grantmaking

The foundation makes grants to support its mission-aligned work. Recent grant activity includes:

How to Apply

**: The foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

Grant Distribution by State

New York $13.8M (88%)

Massachusetts $194K (1%)

California $125K (1%)

Vermont $50K (0%)

North Carolina $25K (0%)

All other $1.4M (9%)

Share of all 21 itemized 2024 grant dollars.

States

California Colorado Florida Massachusetts North Carolina New York Texas Vermont West Virginia

Cities

New YorkBostonChapel HillDenverOaklandSan FranciscoWaterburyCambridgeFranklinSt AugustineCoppellWestfield

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Nick Simons Foundation (EIN: 20-3101239)

Total Assets: $223,718,450 (2024)
Total Revenue: $4,168,653 (2024)
Total Expenses: $7,744,486 (2024)
Total Liabilities: $17,800,000 (2024)
Total Giving: $15,603,857

Nick Simons Foundation International (EIN: 47-2836360)

Total Assets: $34,533 (2024)
Total Revenue: $3,500,000 (2024)
Total Expenses: $3,502,779 (2024)

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$223,718,450	$223,066,773	$230,924,638
Revenue	$4,168,653	$2,971,387	$12,723,775
Expenses	$7,744,486	$15,948,141	$16,008,141
Qualifying Distributions	$16,712,784	$17,509,288	$15,162,680
Net Investment Income	$3,842,246	$144,600,252	$12,492,377
Distributable Amount	$10,925,563	$10,883,288	$10,304,168

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

March 1, 2026 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

109 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest recipients include Gradian Health Systems ($8,500,000), Nick Simons Foundation International ($5,260,000), Patan Hospital ($560,213).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
GRADIAN HEALTH SYSTEMS New York, NY	TO SUPPORT GRADIAN'S MISSION TO SUPPLY MEDICAL EQUIPMENT IN LOW-RESOURCE HOSPITALS GLOBALLY (FY 2024-2026).	$8,500,000
NICK SIMONS FOUNDATION INTERNATIONAL New York, NY	PROGRAM AND GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT FOR THE NICK SIMONS INSTITUTE IN NEPAL.	$5,260,000
PATAN HOSPITAL	TO SUPPORT THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE HOSTEL BLOCK FOR THE SCHOOL OF NURSING AND MIDWIFERY AT SANEPA, LALITPUR.	$560,213
NYAYA HEALTH NEPAL	TO PROVIDE RESTRICTED OPERATING SUPPORT FOR HOSPITAL SERVICES AND PROGRAMS AT BAYALPATA HOSPITAL, AND SERVICE EXPANSION IN THE DISTRICT OF ACHHAAM, FAR-WESTERN, NEPAL.	$500,000
MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL Boston, MA	TO SUPPORT DEVELOPING LOCAL EVALUATION AND RESEARCH CAPACITY AT THE NICK SIMONS INSTITUTE.	$189,150
CPCS INTERNATIONAL	TO PROVIDE PROVIDE FOOD, HOUSING, AND MEDICAL CARE TO CHILDREN AT RISK AND IN STREET SITUATIONS IN NEPAL.	$150,000
BHASKAR-TEJSHREE MEMORIAL FOUNDATION	TO SUPPORT THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE BHASKAR MEMORIAL FOUNDATION BUILDING AND PROGRAM SUPPORT.	$126,047
AMERICAN HIMALAYAN FOUNDATION San Francisco, CA	TO SUPPORT PROGRAM AND GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT FOR WORK IN NEPAL.	$100,000
HIMALAYAN CATARACT PROJECT Waterbury, VT	TO PROVIDE PROGRAM SUPPORT FOR NEPAL-BASED ACTIVITIES.	$50,000
NEPAL MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY	TO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO SOCIETY TO SOCIETY (S2S): STRENGTHENING MATHEMATICS EDUCATION PROGRAM IN NEPAL.	$39,947

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

Marilyn Hawrys Simons: President and Secretary of Nick Simons Foundation International
Marina Shmoukler: Chief Financial Officer of Nick Simons Foundation International

The foundation was founded by James Simons, founder and former CEO of Renaissance Technologies. James and Marilyn Simons have committed to The Giving Pledge, pledging to give away at least half of their wealth to philanthropy.

Compensation Overview

No officer or director reported compensation in the available filings.

From 2024 IRS filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
James Simons	Co-President & Treasurer (Thru 5/2024)	2	—
Marilyn Simons	Co-President & Secretary	2	—
Caitlin Heising	Trustee	0.5	—
Mark Heising	Trustee	0.5	—
Audrey Cappell	Trustee	0.5	—
Laura Baxter-Simons	Trustee	0.5	—
Elizabeth Simons	Trustee	0.5	—
Nathaniel Simons	Trustee	0.5	—
Jacob Cappell	Trustee	0.5	—

Contact Information

Phone: 646-968-1888
Website: nicksimonsfoundation.org
Address: 149 5th Ave, Floor 5, New York City, NY 10010-6801
Tax-Exempt Status: 501(c)(3), tax-exempt since September 2006

Subject Areas

Focus areas based on grantmaking activity

Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Nick Simons Foundation fund?

The foundation's mission is to improve health and medical care in Nepal, especially for rural and remote populations. Key focus areas include: • Development and advancement of the Universal Anesthesia Machine (UAM), a low-cost trolley-based workstation providing inhalation anesthesia • Training for rural health care workers • Curricula development and training site start-ups • Programs to help retain health care workers in rural settings • Implementation modeling and validation to accelerate tu…

How do I apply for a grant from Nick Simons Foundation?

The foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What size grants does Nick Simons Foundation award?

In 2024, Nick Simons Foundation awarded 21 grants totaling $15.6M — an average of about $743K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is Nick Simons Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Nick Simons Foundation reported a distributable amount of $10.9M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.