Russell Sage Foundation
The Russell Sage Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, New York. Established in 1907, it supports social science research intended to document and understand pressing social, political, and economic problems in the United States.
Russell Sage Foundation at a glance
In short: Russell Sage Foundation gave $6.4M across 137 grants in 2025 (avg $47K), top state California. 21% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $6,412,899
- -11.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 137
- -19.9% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $46,809
- +9.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $37,500
- Total assets
- $492,645,457
- +5.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 21% first-time grantees (17 of 82, 2025)
- Primary geography
- California (22% 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 Russell Sage Foundation
- How to Apply
Applicants should select a program, review its requirements and deadlines, consult the foundation’s applicant resources, create an account in its online application portal, prepare materials, and submit by the program…
Applicants should select a program, review its requirements and deadlines, consult the foundation’s applicant resources, create an account in its online application portal, prepare materials, and submit by the program deadline. Applications must be submitted by an eligible principal investigator or co-principal investigator; late or incomplete applications are not reviewed. Applications receive internal review for fit and quality, followed by external review if they pass. Requirements vary by grant type. For substantial support for new data collection, investigators must provide a plan for publicly releasing data and documentation, with exceptions considered for proprietary and qualitative data. Supported randomized controlled trials must be preregistered. The foundation may reserve usage rights over intellectual property produced with its support, subject to its stated terms.
- Next open deadline
- October 28, 2026 (Core Research Grants - Future of Work)
- Contact
Application contact: Rsf Programs Dept
Mailing address: 112 E 64Th Street, New York, NY 10065-7307
Phone: (212) 750-6000
Email: programs@rsage.org
Website: https://russellsage.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
13 open opportunities from Russell Sage Foundation
Causal Research on the Criminal Justice System Grant
Russell Sage Foundation
Amount
Up to US $100,000
Deadline
Deadline not published
Core Research Grants - Behavioral Science and Decision Making in Context
Russell Sage Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Core Research Grants - Future of Work
Russell Sage Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
October 28, 2026
Listed date — confirm with the funder
Who Russell Sage Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Stanford University ($326K across 4 grants). Together the top 10 received $2.1M.
Grant Size Distribution
750 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 498 grants of 750 (66%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s stated research priorities concern social conditions in the United States. In filing year 2025, California received 22 percent of grant dollars, New York 16 percent, the District of Columbia 9 percent, Illinois 6 percent, and Massachusetts 5 percent.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 137 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Russell Sage Foundation open to new grantees?
21%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 17 of 82 grantees (21%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $67K; repeat grants $81K. How we count
Medians: $75K first-time, $60K repeat.
- 62% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+6%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $5.1M (2019) to $7.3M (2024). In 2025 it made 137 grants totaling $6.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC | Police exposure and socioeconomic well-being among african American men | $117,364 |
| Brookings Institution Washington, DC | Can transfer pathways promote diversity after the 2023 supreme court deci... | $109,000 |
| National Academy of Sciences Washington, DC | Global Forced Migration and U.S. Resettlement | $100,000 |
| Stanford University Stanford, CA | A Public Platform for Open Mixed-Methods Research | $100,000 |
| University of California Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | Political solidarity and political action among people of color | $100,000 |
| George Washington University Washington, DC | How does application assistance affect the receipt of unemployment benefi... | $99,996 |
| University of Chicago Chicago, IL | How Homeownership Stabilizes and Destabilizes Womens Lives | $99,036 |
| New York University New York, NY | Bay Area Thriving Families: Qualitative Assessment | $98,816 |
| Syracuse University Syracuse, NY | Growing up in Court | $98,512 |
| University of California San Diego La Jolla, CA | The geography of race and ethnicity in the united states | $97,511 |
Ready to take the next step with Russell Sage Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The foundation files Form 990-PF. In its 2024 filing, it reported direct charitable activities including its visiting scholar program, direct support for social science research projects at universities, and publication of seven books and six journal issues.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $492,645,457 | $46,830,494 | $20,738,651 | $6,412,899 | 137 | $22,317,756 | $41,791,489 |
| 2024 | $466,906,661 | $11,141,450 | $19,918,400 | $7,280,552 | 171 | $18,491,591 | $6,415,042 |
| 2023 | $423,159,958 | $42,228,265 | $19,389,715 | $6,343,919 | 155 | $17,561,111 | $38,659,214 |
| 2022 | $391,503,640 | $12,817,899 | $16,263,507 | $6,061,825 | 143 | $16,374,238 | $10,124,268 |
| 2021 | $452,099,373 | $49,378,419 | $17,434,432 | $7,224,398 | 144 | — | $45,973,787 |
| 2020 | $373,940,427 | $37,481,294 | $16,832,563 | $6,085,258 | 135 | — | $35,730,902 |
| 2019 | $337,324,093 | $15,557,423 | $18,486,748 | $5,059,867 | 101 | — | $11,531,130 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation was established for “the improvement of social and living conditions in the United States.” Its four core research priorities are Behavioral Science and Decision Making in Context, Future of Work, Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration, and Social, Political, and Economic Inequality. It also supports time-limited initiatives, including work on immigration and immigrant integration, the effects of the 2023 Supreme Court decision banning race-conscious college admissions, and causal research on the criminal justice system. Its Margaret Olivia Sage Grants are intended for multidisciplinary teams studying major challenges with generational consequences for social and living conditions in the United States.
The foundation funds research through grants and supports researchers in residence through its Visiting Scholar, Visiting Researcher, and Visiting Journalist programs. Among its 2025 grantees, the Brookings Institution describes itself as a nonprofit public policy organization conducting independent research to develop ideas for societal problems. The National Academy of Sciences describes its work as furthering science for the general welfare. The University of Chicago says its mission includes communicating and creating knowledge and fostering a community of scholars and students.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 137 grants totaling $6,412,899. Grant amounts ranged from $1,671 to $117,364, with a median of $37,500. Notable grants included $117,364 to North Carolina State University for research on police exposure and socioeconomic well-being among African American men; $109,000 to the Brookings Institution for research on transfer pathways and diversity after the 2023 Supreme Court decision; and $100,000 to the National Academy of Sciences for work on global forced migration and U.S. resettlement. Other grants of $100,000 went to Stanford University for a public platform for open mixed-methods research and to the University of California, Los Angeles, for research on political solidarity and political action among people of color.
The website describes Core Research Grants of up to $200,000 for PhD holders, with funds available for salary support and research expenses under the foundation’s budget guidelines. Grants over $75,000 include 15 percent in indirect costs. Other listed programs include dissertation research grants, early-career pipeline grants, and causal research grants focused on the criminal justice system.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Jennifer Richeson as chairman, Earl Lewis as vice-chairman, and David Laibson as treasurer. Trustees are Marianne Bertrand, Cathy Cohen, James Druckman, Jason Furman, Michael Jones-Correa, and David Leonhardt. Jeffry Haber is listed as a non-voting committee member.
Russell Sage Foundation is led by Sheldon Danziger, President on every filing since 2019; all 17 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Sheldon Danziger
President
On filings since 2019
35 hrs/week
$580K (2019) → $708K (2025)
Bruce Western
President & Starting
New on the 2025 filing
35 hrs/week
$403K (2025)
Jennifer Richeson
Chairman
Trustee → Vice Chairman, 2024
Vice Chairman → Chairman, 2025
On filings since 2020
0.6 hrs/week
$9K (2020) → $13K (2025)
Cathy Cohen
Trustee
On filings since 2019
0.6 hrs/week
$6K (2019) → $10K (2025)
Jason Furman
Trustee
On filings since 2019
0.6 hrs/week
$10K (2019) → $11K (2025)
Michael Jones-Correa
Trustee
Trustee → Chairman, 2021
Chairman → Trustee, 2024
On filings since 2019
0.6 hrs/week
$11K (2019) → $8K (2025)
Hazel Markus
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.6 hrs/week
$9K (2020) → $11K (2025)
Marianne Bertrand
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.6 hrs/week
$11K (2020) → $14K (2025)
David Leonhardt
Trustee
On filings since 2021
0.6 hrs/week
$7K (2021) → $8K (2025)
Thomas Sugrue
Trustee
On filings since 2022
0.6 hrs/week
$7K (2022) → $10K (2025)
James Druckman
Trustee
On filings since 2023
0.6 hrs/week
$11K (2023) → $13K (2025)
Tracey Meares
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
0.6 hrs/week
$8K (2025)
David Laibson
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
0.6 hrs/week
$10K (2019) → $11K (2025)
Leana Chatrath
Secretary
On filings since 2021
35 hrs/week
$29K (2021) → $224K (2025)
Celeste Watkins-Hayes
Treasurer
Trustee → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2023
0.6 hrs/week
$10K (2023) → $11K (2025)
Jeffry Haber
Non-Voting Committee Member
On filings since 2023
0.6 hrs/week
$600 (2023) → $600 (2025)
Earl Lewis
Vice Chairman
Treasurer → Vice Chairman, 2025
On filings since 2024
0.6 hrs/week
$15K (2024) → $9K (2025)
Former officers (17)
- Former: Jennifer Lee (2021–2024) — Chairman
- Former: Robert Denham (2023–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Larry Bartels (2019–2023) — Vice Chairman
- Former: Kathyrn Edin (2023) — Trustee
- Former: Karen Cook (2019–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Kathryn Edin (2019–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Mario Luis Small (2019–2022) — Trustee
- Former: William Moon (2019–2022) — Assistant Treasurer
- Former: Claire Gabriel (2019–2021) — Secretary
- Former: Marth Minow (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Nicholas Lemann (2019–2021) — Vice Chairman
- Former: Claude M. Steele (2019–2020) — Chairman
- Former: Hirokazu Yoshikawa (2019–2020) — Trustee
- Former: Lawrence Katz (2019–2020) — Trustee
- Former: Peter Orzag (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Sara McClanahan (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Shelley Taylor (2019) — Treasurer
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $708K, to Sheldon Danziger (President Until 6-1-25). 17 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Russell Sage Foundation
How much does Russell Sage Foundation give each year?
Russell Sage Foundation gave $6.4M across 137 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $7.3M across 171 grants.
What is Russell Sage Foundation's typical grant size?
Russell Sage Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $37,500, and its average grant was $46,809, across 137 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Russell Sage Foundation that year got $67K on average.
Where does Russell Sage Foundation give grants?
Russell Sage Foundation's top state is California, with 22% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (16%) and District of Columbia (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (13 grants), Washington, DC (8 grants), Chicago, IL (6 grants) and Los Angeles, CA (5 grants).
Does Russell Sage Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 137 grants with a stated purpose on Russell Sage Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Russell Sage Foundation's largest grantees?
Russell Sage Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Stanford University ($326,206 across 4 grants), University of California Berkeley ($272,709 across 5 grants) and Brown University ($232,090 across 5 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 13% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Russell Sage Foundation?
Russell Sage Foundation reported $492.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $46.8M.
What does Russell Sage Foundation fund?
The foundation was established for “the improvement of social and living conditions in the United States.” Its four core research priorities are Behavioral Science and Decision Making in Context, Future of Work, Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration, and Social, Political, and Economic Inequality. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Russell Sage Foundation?
Applicants should select a program, review its requirements and deadlines, consult the foundation’s applicant resources, create an account in its online application portal, prepare materials, and submit by the program… Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Russell Sage Foundation's EIN?
Russell Sage Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-1635303. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 5, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 8, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Russell Sage Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Russell Sage Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 9, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/russell-sage-foundation-morg_34aefab9abd14bb6b60311d4e402ee84
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_131635303_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Russell Sage Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/russell-sage-foundation-morg_34aefab9abd14bb6b60311d4e402ee84},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-09. 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 Russell Sage 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.
Russell Sage Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?