Surgo Foundation US
Surgo Foundation US is a private foundation based in New York, NY. Its website describes Surgo Foundation as a privately funded “action tank” that combines behavioral science, technology, and data to help organizations and governments address global development challenges.
Surgo Foundation US at a glance
In short: Surgo Foundation US gave $8.8M across 20 grants in 2025 (avg $438K), top state New York. 67% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $8,764,576
- +58.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 20
- +25.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $438,229
- +26.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $282,500
- Total assets
- $122,407,531
- +33.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 67% first-time grantees (12 of 18, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (49% 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 Surgo Foundation US
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 920 Broadway 9Th Floor, New York, NY 10010
Phone: (646) 265-9840
Website: https://surgo-foundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Surgo Foundation US funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was UNICEF USA - Child Nutrition Fund ($2.5M). Together the top 10 received $8.4M.
Grant Size Distribution
70 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 23 grants of 70 (33%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in New York (49%), Virginia (23%), Washington, DC (17%), California (6%), and an unreported state or location (5%). The foundation’s website describes work in Uttar Pradesh, India, and work on COVID-19 response in the United States and United Kingdom.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 20 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Surgo Foundation US open to new grantees?
67%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 12 of 18 grantees (67%) were first-time recipients. With only 18 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $465K; repeat grants $531K. How we count
Medians: $198K first-time, $314K repeat.
- 28% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 132% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 174% 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 $2.5M (2023) to $8.8M (2025). In 2025 it made 20 grants totaling $8.8M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| UNICEF USA - Child Nutrition Fund New York, NY | Health - Child Nutrition | $2,500,000 |
| Just Rights for Children International Washington, DC | Health - Child Rights | $1,230,000 |
| Global Impact Alexandria, VA | Citizenship - Digital Public Infrastructure | $1,000,000 |
| Global Impact Alexandria, VA | ARTS | $500,000 |
| Global Impact Alexandria, VA | Citizenship - Justice Reform | $500,000 |
| UNICEF USA New York, NY | Health - child nutrition - general donation to unicef | $500,000 |
| Women Donors Network San Francisco, CA | Health - Reproductive Justice | $500,000 |
| World Health Foundation New York, NY | Health - East Africa Emergency Supplies Hub | $500,000 |
| NPT Transatlantic Limited | Education | $328,076 |
| Mayday Medicines Inc DBA Mayday Health New York, NY | Health - Reproductive Rights | $300,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Surgo Foundation US?
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 | $122,407,531 | $17,660,499 | $8,781,616 | $8,764,576 | 20 | $8,780,911 | $160,499 | $5,060,144 |
| 2024 | $91,501,790 | $346,084 | $5,645,115 | $5,533,329 | 16 | $5,672,649 | $346,084 | $4,153,708 |
| 2023 | $72,100,276 | $418,517 | $2,849,645 | $2,535,158 | 15 | $2,535,158 | $674,540 | $3,601,248 |
| 2022 | $65,528,041 | $-18,970,185 | $4,086,331 | $3,781,500 | 10 | $3,840,905 | $847,817 | $2,326,310 |
| 2021 | $88,565,551 | $13,150,449 | $5,954,982 | $5,824,542 | 9 | $5,846,353 | $17 | $4,214,298 |
| 2020 | $76,963,289 | $33,873 | $5,541,692 | $4,290,002 | 10 | — | $33,873 | $2,785,282 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Surgo Foundation US reported a distributable amount of $5.1M 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
Surgo Foundation describes its approach as uncovering why people behave as they do and how complex systems work, then partnering with organizations and governments and supplementing existing programs with funding, expertise, and tools. Its website describes a reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and child health program in Uttar Pradesh, India, and an initiative testing causal machine learning methods for public-health and development data.
Grant records show awards for health-related purposes, including child nutrition, child rights, reproductive justice and rights, and emergency health supplies, as well as education, arts, justice reform, and digital public infrastructure.
Among 2024 grantees, Women Donors Network says it advances a just, equitable, and sustainable world through philanthropy, women’s leadership, and collective and individual action. Mayday Medicines says it provides education and information on reproductive health care, including medication, abortion, contraception, and gender-affirming care. The ACLU Foundation describes its mission as cultivating and spreading understanding of civil liberties and civil rights protected by law.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 20 grants totaling $8,764,576. Grant amounts ranged from $15,000 to $2,500,000, with a median of $282,500. The largest awards included $2,500,000 to UNICEF USA – Child Nutrition Fund for child nutrition; $1,230,000 to Just Rights for Children International for child rights; and $1,000,000 to Global Impact for digital public infrastructure. Other notable awards included $500,000 each to Global Impact for arts and justice reform, UNICEF USA for child nutrition, Women Donors Network for reproductive justice, and World Health Foundation for an East Africa emergency supplies hub.
The foundation also made 16 grants totaling $5,533,329 in 2024 and 15 grants totaling $2,535,158 in 2023. In 2024, it awarded $500,000 to the ACLU Foundation and $500,000 to Women Donors Network, among other grants.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Carl Haarmann and Mala Gaonkar as trustees, and Lucas Haarmann as a trustee beginning in May 2025. Surgo Foundation’s website identifies Dr. Sema Sgaier as co-founder and executive director, responsible for the foundation’s strategy, operations, and partner relations.
Surgo Foundation US's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Carl Haarmann
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mala Gaonkar
Trustee
On filings since 2020
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lucas Haarmann
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (4)
- Former: Emmanuel Roman (2020–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Malcolm Gladwell (2020–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Katherine Gamlin (2022–2023) — Officer
- Former: Amy Collins (2020–2021) — Officer
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.
Frequently asked questions about Surgo Foundation US
How much does Surgo Foundation US give each year?
Surgo Foundation US gave $8.8M across 20 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $5.5M across 16 grants.
What is Surgo Foundation US's typical grant size?
Surgo Foundation US's median grant in 2025 was $282,500, and its average grant was $438,229, across 20 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Surgo Foundation US that year got $465K on average.
Where does Surgo Foundation US give grants?
Surgo Foundation US's top state is New York, with 49% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Virginia (23%) and District of Columbia (17%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (8 grants), Alexandria, VA (3 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does Surgo Foundation US give general operating support?
Occasionally: 5% of Surgo Foundation US's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 20) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Arts" (3 grants).
Who are Surgo Foundation US's largest grantees?
Surgo Foundation US's largest 2025 grantees include UNICEF USA - Child Nutrition Fund ($2,500,000), Global Impact ($2,000,000 across 3 grants) and Just Rights for Children International ($1,230,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 65% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Surgo Foundation US?
Surgo Foundation US reported $122.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $8.8M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $5.1M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Surgo Foundation US fund?
Surgo Foundation describes its approach as uncovering why people behave as they do and how complex systems work, then partnering with organizations and governments and supplementing existing programs with funding, expertise, and tools. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Surgo Foundation US?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Surgo Foundation US's EIN?
Surgo Foundation US's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 61-1733092. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Surgo Foundation US 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 September 2026.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS December 5, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Surgo Foundation US's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Surgo Foundation US funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/surgo-foundation-us-morg_1dd0040563ca45509aaf0cff29fbc3ad
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_611733092_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Surgo Foundation US funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/surgo-foundation-us-morg_1dd0040563ca45509aaf0cff29fbc3ad},
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 Surgo Foundation US'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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