Sanders Foundation
Sanders Foundation is a private foundation based in Bethesda, Maryland. In its 2024 filing, the foundation stated that it is funded exclusively by its founders, does not solicit funds from the public, and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
Sanders Foundation at a glance
In short: Sanders Foundation gave $419K across 71 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), top state Maryland. 8% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $419,442
- +19.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 71
- -7.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $5,908
- +29.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $5,376,364
- +30.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 8% first-time grantees (6 of 71, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Maryland (32% 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 Sanders Foundation
- 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: 4990 Sentinel Drive 306, Bethesda, MD 20816
Phone: (301) 656-0795
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Sanders Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Manna Food Center ($26K). Together the top 10 received $128K.
Grant Size Distribution
345 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 345 grants of 345 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, Maryland received the largest share of grant dollars, at 32%, followed by the District of Columbia at 18%, New York at 10%, and Michigan and Virginia at 8% each.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 71 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Sanders Foundation open to new grantees?
8%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 71 grantees (8%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $6K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 89% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 32% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 82% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. 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 $266K (2021) to $419K (2025). In 2025 it made 71 grants totaling $419K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Manna Food Center Gaithersburg, MD | Provide Nutritious Foods to People in Need | $26,000 |
| Jewish Society Service Agency Rockville, MD | Support Holocaust Survivor Program | $17,881 |
| World Central Kitchen Washington, DC | First to the frontlines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises. We build resilient food systems with locally led solutions | $13,500 |
| Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society - Hias Silver Spring, MD | Provides Humanitarian Aid and Assistance to Refugees. | $11,000 |
| Sibley Foundation Washington, DC | Provide technology, education, patient care and research for the best care of the community | $11,000 |
| A Wider Circle Center for Community Service Silver Spring, MD | Provide food and shelter to needy families and provide job training to adults | $10,000 |
| ADL Anti Defamation League New York, NY | Adl is the worlds leading expert on antisemitism and is on the front lines, shining a light on all forms of antisemitism and empowering individuals and communities with tools to address this age-old hate | $10,000 |
| Amfriends of NIR-Oz Israel Rockville, MD | Program aims to provide tangible support to the kibbutz, which was devastated by the attacks | $10,000 |
| Homes for Our Troops-Hoft Tauton, MA | Help build and donate specially adapted custom homes for injured post 9/11 veterans. | $10,000 |
| Jesuit Refugee Service USA Washington, DC | Support and Advocate on Behalf of Refugees. | $9,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Sanders Foundation?
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 | $5,376,364 | $2,443,258 | $485,567 | $419,442 | 71 | $419,442 | $1,698,093 | $512,454 |
| 2024 | $4,118,588 | $858,870 | $436,880 | $351,424 | 77 | $351,424 | $248,378 | $435,066 |
| 2023 | $4,239,671 | $1,808,783 | $394,765 | $351,512 | 72 | $351,512 | $1,297,114 | $313,047 |
| 2022 | $3,289,159 | $339,437 | $367,897 | $317,258 | 67 | $317,258 | — | $346,114 |
| 2021 | $4,664,950 | $883,677 | $318,916 | $265,594 | 58 | — | $476,843 | $315,163 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Sanders Foundation reported a distributable amount of $512K 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
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of charitable organizations. For example, MANNA Food Center says it works to end hunger through education, advocacy, and food distribution; World Central Kitchen says it provides meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises; and Project Zawadi says it works to ensure Tanzanian children and youth have access to quality education.
Other 2025 grantees describe work including helping people experiencing homelessness and providing legal representation to people facing poverty. These are the grantees’ stated missions and should not be read as the foundation’s own mission.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 71 grants totaling $419,442. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $26,000, with a median of $5,000.
Among the largest reported grants were $26,000 to MANNA Food Center, $17,881 to Jewish Social Service Agency for its Holocaust survivor program, and $13,500 to World Central Kitchen. Other grants included $11,000 each to Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society and Sibley Foundation, and $10,000 each to A Wider Circle Center for Community Service, ADL Anti-Defamation League, AmFriends of Nir-Oz Israel, and Homes for Our Troops.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Filip S Sanders, Josephine E Sanders-Levie, Elkan D Sanders, Hans G Sanders, and Paula D Kales as trustees. It lists Sara E Sanders and Annelieske J Sanders as directors.
Sanders Foundation's 2025 filing lists 7 officers; none of the 7 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Elkan D. Sanders
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Filip S. Sanders
Trustee
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Hans G. Sanders
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Josephine E. Sanders - Levie
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Paula D. Kales
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sara E. Sanders
Director
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Annelieske J. Sanders
Director
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
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 Sanders Foundation
How much does Sanders Foundation give each year?
Sanders Foundation gave $419K across 71 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $351K across 77 grants.
What is Sanders Foundation's typical grant size?
Sanders Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $5,908, across 71 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Sanders Foundation that year got $4K on average.
Where does Sanders Foundation give grants?
Sanders Foundation's top state is Maryland, with 32% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were District of Columbia (18%) and New York (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (13 grants), Bethesda, MD (7 grants), New York, NY (5 grants) and Rockville, MD (4 grants).
Does Sanders Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 71 grants with a stated purpose on Sanders Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Sanders Foundation's largest grantees?
Sanders Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Manna Food Center ($26,000), Jewish Society Service Agency ($17,881) and World Central Kitchen ($13,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 14% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Sanders Foundation?
Sanders Foundation reported $5.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $419K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $512K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Sanders Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of charitable organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Sanders Foundation?
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 Sanders Foundation's EIN?
Sanders Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 31-6653312. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Does Sanders 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 Sanders Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Sanders Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/sanders-foundation-morg_9dc29adf26c948f78d1eb1bb0987c80c
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_316653312_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Sanders Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/sanders-foundation-morg_9dc29adf26c948f78d1eb1bb0987c80c},
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 Sanders 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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