Sozosei Foundation Inc
Sozosei Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Princeton, New Jersey, established in 2019 as Otsuka’s philanthropic arm. Its primary focus is increasing access to mental healthcare in the United States to eliminate the inappropriate use of jails and prisons for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness.
Sozosei Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Sozosei Foundation Inc gave $1.6M across 21 grants in 2025 (avg $75K), top state New York. 30% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,584,000
- -42.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 21
- -38.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $75,429
- -7.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $92,000
- Total assets
- $5,187,427
- -37.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 30% first-time grantees (6 of 20, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (43% 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 Sozosei Foundation Inc
- How to Apply
-
Follow the Foundation’s application instructions and submit the requested materials. The filing lists no application deadline.
- Contact
Application contact: Sozosei Foundation
Mailing address: 508 Carnegie Center Dr, Princeton, NJ 08540
Phone: (240) 683-3573
Email: info@sozosei.org
Website: https://sozoseifoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Sozosei Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene Inc ($215K). Together the top 10 received $1.1M.
Grant Size Distribution
238 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $100–250K range: 109 grants of 238 (46%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Resilient Communities Program identifies Baltimore City, Maryland; Stockton, California; and Camden, Newark, Paterson, and Trenton, New Jersey. In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in New York (43%) and Washington, DC (19%), followed by California (9%), Nevada (6%), and Kentucky (6%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 21 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Sozosei Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
30%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 20 grantees (30%) were first-time recipients. With only 20 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $61K; repeat grants $87K. How we count
Medians: $66K first-time, $100K repeat.
- 60% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 82% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 958% of 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
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.6M (2025) to $8.8M (2022). In 2025 it made 21 grants totaling $1.6M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene Inc New York, NY | Building a Lab for Decriminalizing Mental Illness | $215,000 |
| 1 Million Madly Motivated Moms Inc Las Vegas, NV | General Operating Support | $100,000 |
| Drug Policy Alliance New York, NY | General Operating Support | $100,000 |
| Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky Inc Hazard, KY | Sycamore Project | $100,000 |
| Inseparable Inc Washington, DC | General Operating Support | $100,000 |
| International College of Neuroethics and Neuroscience Napa, CA | General Operating Support | $100,000 |
| Judge David L Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law Washington, DC | General Operating Support | $100,000 |
| Legal Action Center of the City of New York Inc New York, NY | General Operating Support | $100,000 |
| National Homeless Law Center Washington, DC | General Operating Support | $100,000 |
| Tulsa Community Foundation Tulsa, OK | General Operating Support for Healthy Minds Policy Initiative | $100,000 |
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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 | $5,187,427 | $294,183 | $3,261,440 | $1,584,000 | 21 | $3,414,486 | $261,460 | $356,576 |
| 2024 | $8,312,519 | $8,163,451 | $5,569,489 | $2,762,415 | 34 | $5,913,496 | $161,056 | $186,551 |
| 2023 | $6,268,958 | $6,426,532 | $6,828,967 | $5,000,000 | 34 | $6,424,434 | $226,532 | $249,803 |
| 2022 | $6,470,793 | $5,056,566 | $12,528,552 | $8,757,501 | 61 | $12,837,379 | $52,698 | $471,939 |
| 2021 | $14,230,474 | — | $7,122,451 | $5,450,300 | 88 | $6,825,206 | — | $936,092 |
| 2020 | $21,080,680 | $13,014,882 | $2,530,791 | $1,819,000 | 18 | — | $14,882 | $458,140 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Sozosei Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $357K 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’s stated aim is to decriminalize mental illness by increasing access to community-based mental healthcare. Its four grantmaking pillars are Access to Care, Arts and Communications, Research, and Scaling What Works. It describes its approach as solution-agnostic and supports organizations at different stages, including start-ups, as well as evidence-grounded work and ideas with potential to build evidence.
The Foundation’s Resilient Communities Program works through community foundation partners in Baltimore City, Maryland; Stockton, California; and Camden, Newark, Paterson, and Trenton, New Jersey. Its listed areas of support include social and legal services, racial justice, mental and physical health, food security, and climate change.
Examples from the 2025 grants illustrate the range of supported organizations. Inseparable describes its work as improving mental health policy; the Drug Policy Alliance says it expands health and addiction services while reducing arrests and incarceration; and Tradeoffs describes its work as helping the public have more informed health policy conversations. The Foundation also awarded support to the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky, whose stated mission is to foster community collaboration and charitable giving in eastern Kentucky, and to New York University, whose stated missions include education, research and scholarship, and patient care.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the Foundation reported 21 grants totaling $1,584,000. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $215,000, with a median of $92,000. The largest grant listed was $215,000 to the Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene for building a lab for decriminalizing mental illness. Other notable awards included $100,000 each to 1 Million Madly Motivated Moms, the Drug Policy Alliance, the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky for the Sycamore Project, Inseparable, the International College of Neuroethics and Neuroscience, the Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, the Legal Action Center of the City of New York, the National Homeless Law Center, and Tulsa Community Foundation for general operating support for its Healthy Minds Policy Initiative.
The Foundation’s website says it makes open calls for proposals throughout the year. Its 2025 opportunities are past cycles. The application instructions call for a letter of request on letterhead describing the need, target population, timeline, partners, and long-term funding strategy, along with a project budget that lists other requested and potential funding sources. Applications are not considered until all required materials are submitted; submission does not guarantee an award. The Foundation’s filing states that its giving is not restricted to preselected organizations and lists no award restrictions.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists William Carson, MD, as chairman and director; Kenita Barrow as secretary; and Melissa Beck as executive director. James Sauer served as treasurer until September 16, 2025, when Tammy Chen became treasurer. The filing also lists Mary Michael, Tarek Rabah, and Dr. Altha Stewart, MD, as directors.
Sozosei Foundation Inc is led by Melissa Beck, Executive Director on every filing since 2020; 1 of 8 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Melissa Beck
Executive Director
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
No compensation reported
William Carson MD
Chairman & Director
On filings since 2020
20 hrs/week
$125K (2020) → $125K (2025)
Mary Michael
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tarek Rabah
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Altha Stewart MD
Director
Director - → Director, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James Sauer
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kenita Barrow
Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tammy Chen
Treasurer
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Kabir Nath (2020–2022) — Director
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 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $125K, to William Carson MD (Chairman and Director).
Frequently asked questions about Sozosei Foundation Inc
How much does Sozosei Foundation Inc give each year?
Sozosei Foundation Inc gave $1.6M across 21 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $2.8M across 34 grants.
What is Sozosei Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Sozosei Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $92,000, and its average grant was $75,429, across 21 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Sozosei Foundation Inc that year got $61K on average.
Where does Sozosei Foundation Inc give grants?
Sozosei Foundation Inc's top state is New York, with 43% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were District of Columbia (19%) and California (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (8 grants) and Washington, DC (3 grants).
Does Sozosei Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 67% of Sozosei Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (14 of 21) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Sozosei Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Sozosei Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene Inc ($215,000), 1 Million Madly Motivated Moms Inc ($100,000) and Drug Policy Alliance ($100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 26% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Sozosei Foundation Inc?
Sozosei Foundation Inc reported $5.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $3.4M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $357K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Sozosei Foundation Inc fund?
The Foundation’s stated aim is to decriminalize mental illness by increasing access to community-based mental healthcare. Its four grantmaking pillars are Access to Care, Arts and Communications, Research, and Scaling What Works. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Sozosei Foundation Inc?
Follow the Foundation’s application instructions and submit the requested materials. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Sozosei Foundation Inc's EIN?
Sozosei Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 84-3915935. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 23, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Sozosei Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/sozosei-foundation-inc-morg_2c3dd15d4a17490ea60165836e0d296d
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_843915935_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Sozosei Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/sozosei-foundation-inc-morg_2c3dd15d4a17490ea60165836e0d296d},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Sozosei 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.
Sozosei Foundation Inc down — hundreds of funders to go?