Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation
Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation is a private foundation located in New York, NY. Its 2025 filing reports $1,125,000 in grants to 17 organizations.
Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation at a glance
In short: Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation gave $1.1M across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $66K), top state New York. 71% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,125,000
- -5.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- -10.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $66,176
- +6.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $30,000
- Total assets
- $435,607
- -68.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 71% first-time grantees (12 of 17, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (33% 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 Saks Fifth Avenue 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 for funds. Its 2024 filing names Emily Essner as the contact.
- Contact
Application contact: Emily Essner
Mailing address: 225 Liberty Street 31St Floor, New York, NY 10281
Phone: (973) 932-4926
Website: https://saksfifthavenuefoundation.org/
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation
Who Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Columbia University Department Of Psychiatry ($150K). Together the top 10 received $965K.
Grant Size Distribution
89 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 49 grants of 89 (55%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s 2025 grant dollars went to organizations in several states. New York received 33% of the total, California 28%, Nevada 13%, Florida 9%, and Washington 9%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation open to new grantees?
71%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 12 of 17 grantees (71%) were first-time recipients. With only 17 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $35K; repeat grants $140K. How we count
Medians: $25K first-time, $150K repeat.
- 24% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+0%). 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 (2021–2025). 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 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.1M (2022) to $1.8M (2021). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $1.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Columbia University Department Of Psychiatry New York, NY | Charity | $150,000 |
| Girls Inc New York, NY | Charity | $150,000 |
| Inspiring Children Foundation Las Vegas, NV | Charity | $150,000 |
| Trevor Project West Hollywood, CA | Charity | $150,000 |
| Bring Change To Mind San Francisco, CA | Charity | $100,000 |
| Global Womens Mental Health Fund (Panorama Global) Seattle, WA | Charity | $100,000 |
| Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Jacksonville Beach, FL | Charity | $75,000 |
| Kid's Count in Alachua County Gainesville, FL | Charity | $30,000 |
| The Rowan Center Stamford, CT | Charity | $30,000 |
| You Gotta Believe New York, NY | Charity | $30,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $435,607 | $411,408 | $1,367,460 | $1,125,000 | 17 | $1,125,000 | $55,237 | $60,520 |
| 2024 | $1,391,659 | $926,121 | $1,394,162 | $1,185,000 | 19 | $1,185,000 | $70,074 | $73,795 |
| 2023 | $1,859,700 | $2,408,107 | $1,817,363 | $1,525,000 | 20 | $1,525,000 | $23,531 | $67,733 |
| 2022 | $1,268,956 | $1,537,269 | $1,438,950 | $1,122,500 | 15 | $1,122,500 | $123 | $59,743 |
| 2021 | $1,170,637 | $923,127 | $1,915,812 | $1,822,500 | 18 | — | $3,110 | $67,040 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation reported a distributable amount of $61K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The earlier profile describes the foundation’s mission as prioritizing mental health in every community, with support for programs that increase awareness, bolster education, and improve access to care, particularly in underserved communities.
The grantees’ own mission statements show the range of work supported. Girls Inc. says it inspires girls to be strong, smart, and bold through direct service and advocacy. The Trevor Project says its mission is to end suicide among LGBTQ+ young people. Inspiring Children Foundation describes its work as mentoring, education, positive social life, and leadership development. Other 2025 grantees describe work in sexual-violence prevention and survivor support, tutoring and student enrichment, mindfulness, and gender and racial justice.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 17 grants totaling $1,125,000. Grants ranged from $15,000 to $150,000, with a median of $30,000. Among the largest were $150,000 each to Columbia University Department of Psychiatry, Girls Inc., Inspiring Children Foundation, and the Trevor Project; and $100,000 each to Bring Change To Mind and Global Womens Mental Health Fund (Panorama Global). Other reported grants included $75,000 to Tom Coughlin Jay Fund and $30,000 each to Kid’s Count in Alachua County, The Rowan Center, and You Gotta Believe.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Richard Baker as president, Marc Metrick as director, Emily Essner as treasurer, and Andrew Woodworth as secretary.
Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation is led by Richard Baker, President on every filing since 2021; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Richard Baker
President
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Marc Metrick
Director
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Emily Essner
Treasurer
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Andrew Woodworth
Secretary
New on the 2025 filing
No compensation reported
Former officers (6)
- Former: Nicole Schoenberg (2021–2024) — Director
- Former: Sarah Garber (2021–2024) — Director
- Former: Sunny Park (2021–2024) — Secretary
- Former: Cara Chacon (2023–2024) — Director
- Former: Vince Phelan (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Lori Spicer Robertson (2021) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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 Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation
How much does Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation give each year?
Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation gave $1.1M across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.2M across 19 grants.
What is Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation's typical grant size?
Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $30,000, and its average grant was $66,176, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation that year got $35K on average.
Where does Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation give grants?
Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation's top state is New York, with 33% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were California (28%) and Nevada (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (3 grants) and Brooklyn, NY (2 grants).
Does Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 17 grants with a stated purpose on Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charity" (17 grants).
Who are Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation's largest grantees?
Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Columbia University Department Of Psychiatry ($150,000), Girls Inc ($150,000) and Inspiring Children Foundation ($150,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 40% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation?
Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation reported $436K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $61K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation fund?
The earlier profile describes the foundation’s mission as prioritizing mental health in every community, with support for programs that increase awareness, bolster education, and improve access to care, particularly in underserved communities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation's EIN?
Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 63-1207483. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Does Saks Fifth Avenue 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/saks-fifth-avenue-foundation-morg_4eda87bef12144099517e6c79df612dc
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_631207483_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/saks-fifth-avenue-foundation-morg_4eda87bef12144099517e6c79df612dc},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. 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 Saks Fifth Avenue 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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