The Horowitz Foundation
The Horowitz Foundation, also known as the Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy, is a private foundation based in Rocky Hill, New Jersey. Established in 1997 by Irving Louis Horowitz and Mary Curtis Horowitz, it supports emerging scholars conducting dissertation research in the social sciences, with an emphasis on research relevant to social policy and contemporary issues.
The Horowitz Foundation at a glance
In short: The Horowitz Foundation gave $213K across 33 grants in 2026 (avg $6K), mostly in New Jersey. Source: 2026 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2026)
- $213,000
- +1.2% vs 2025
- Grants made (2026)
- 33
- -13.2% vs 2025
- Average grant
- $6,455
- +16.5% vs 2025
- Median grant
- $7,500
- Total assets
- $2,324,805
- -1.9% vs 2025
- Primary geography
- New Jersey (100% of itemized 2026 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2026 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2026; updated October 2026.
How to apply to The Horowitz Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation directs applicants to submit through its application portal.
- Review Cycle
- The application instructions give a deadline of December 1 at 11:59 p.m. EST. The website says applications for the 2027 awards are open.
- Deadline
- The application instructions give a deadline of December 1 at 11:59 p.m.
- Contact
Application contact: Office
Mailing address: 106 Somerset St 7Th Floor, New Brunswick, NJ 08903
Phone: (908) 445-2280
Website: https://horowitz-foundation.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 The Horowitz Foundation
Who The Horowitz Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2026
The largest 2026 recipient was Joseph Hnath ($13K). Together the top 10 received $101K.
Grant Size Distribution
204 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 204 grants of 204 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s website says applicants may be from any country and any university. In the 2026 filing data, all reported grant dollars went to recipients in New Jersey.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2026 grant dollars across all 33 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How The Horowitz Foundation gives
- Giving held roughly steady from 2023 to 2026 (+0%). Method
- In 2026 it paid out 180% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2026, annual grant giving ranged from $166K (2021) to $213K (2026). In 2026 it made 33 grants totaling $213K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Joseph Hnath Rocky Hill, NJ | Grant for work in major areas of social sciences, including anthropology, economics and other related fields of study | $12,500 |
| Guy Pincus Rocky Hill, NJ | Grant for work in major areas of social sciences, including anthropology, economics and other related fields of study | $10,500 |
| Aditya Srinivasan Rocky Hill, NJ | Grant for work in major areas of social sciences, including anthropology, economics and other related fields of study | $10,000 |
| Audrey Pereira Rocky Hill, NJ | Grant for work in major areas of social sciences, including anthropology, economics and other related fields of study | $10,000 |
| Donghwan Ki Rocky Hill, NJ | Grant for work in major areas of social sciences, including anthropology, economics and other related fields of study | $10,000 |
| Dorit Stein Rocky Hill, NJ | Grant for work in major areas of social sciences, including anthropology, economics and other related fields of study | $10,000 |
| Lilliana Castillo Rocky Hill, NJ | Grant for work in major areas of social sciences, including anthropology, economics and other related fields of study | $10,000 |
| Rohen Shah Rocky Hill, NJ | Grant for work in major areas of social sciences, including anthropology, economics and other related fields of study | $10,000 |
| Sukriti Beniwal Rocky Hill, NJ | Grant for work in major areas of social sciences, including anthropology, economics and other related fields of study | $10,000 |
| Aarushi Shah Rocky Hill, NJ | Grant for work in major areas of social sciences, including anthropology, economics and other related fields of study | $7,500 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
In its 2025 filing, the foundation reported receiving 845 completed, eligible applications.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $2,324,805 | $286,095 | $331,129 | $213,000 | 33 | $311,120 | $268,187 | $172,564 |
| 2025 | $2,369,925 | $160,462 | $332,599 | $210,500 | 38 | $311,203 | $132,401 | $170,871 |
| 2024 | $2,548,631 | $91,312 | $326,437 | $202,050 | 47 | $304,798 | $98,198 | $163,218 |
| 2023 | $3,463,927 | $171,566 | $340,041 | $212,500 | 46 | $321,292 | $154,010 | $179,049 |
| 2022 | $3,894,509 | $223,119 | $291,801 | $193,000 | 40 | $266,649 | $223,119 | $190,709 |
| 2021 | $3,976,980 | $64,207 | $226,681 | $165,500 | 37 | — | $130,532 | $181,176 |
| 2020 | $3,396,382 | $149,847 | $306,492 | $199,000 | 44 | — | $151,732 | $178,857 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Horowitz Foundation reported a distributable amount of $173K for 2026 — 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 foundation aims to support emerging scholars through small grants, promote scholarship with a social policy application, and encourage projects addressing contemporary issues in the social sciences. It evaluates proposals on overall merit, considering factors that include feasibility, applicability, originality, methodology, theoretical grounding or empirical richness, and recommendation forms.
Awards go to individuals, not institutions. Applicants must be current PhD or DrPH candidates working on a dissertation, must have defended their proposal or had their topic approved by their department, and must not already hold a PhD. Applicants may be from any country or university. Beginning in 2023, applicants may apply only once; those who applied before 2023 may apply again.
Grantmaking
The foundation’s website describes each award as totaling $10,000, with $7,500 awarded initially and $2,500 paid upon completion of the project after the recipient provides evidence such as dissertation acceptance, peer-reviewed article acceptance, or an invitation to publish a book chapter. Grants are non-renewable, and recipients have five years from the award announcement to complete the project and claim the final payment.
For filing year 2026, the foundation reported 33 grants totaling $213,000. The grants ranged from $2,500 to $12,500, with a median of $7,500. The largest reported grants were $12,500 and $10,500; seven others were $10,000. The filing describes these grants as supporting work in major areas of the social sciences, including anthropology, economics, and related fields.
The website’s application instructions call for an online application with personal details, a project overview, a 750-word project description, a CV, and recommender contact information. Applications and recommendation forms must be complete and in English. Awards are announced in June. Grants are issued upon receipt of an acceptance letter; if a grant is processed through an institution, an overhead waiver is required. Recipients are expected to acknowledge the foundation’s support in publications and notify it of publication details.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2026 filing lists Ayse Akincigil as chairperson and Jonathan D. Breul as treasurer. Trustees listed on that filing are Jos Vaessen, Richard Edwards, Mary Curtis Horowitz, Mary M. McKay, Allison Zippay, Michal Grinstein-Weiss, Nandini Ramanujam, and William Rogers.
The Horowitz Foundation is led by Ayse Akincigil, Chairperson since 2024 (on filings since 2020); none of the 16 officers listed in 2026 report compensation.
Officers on the 2026 filing
Ayse Akincigil
Chairperson
Trustee → Chairperson, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jos Vaessen
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mary M. McKay
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michal Grinstein-Weiss
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nandini Ramanujam
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ray C. Rist
Trustee
Vice Chairman → Trustee, 2025
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Richard L. Edwards
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mary Curtis Horowitz
Trustee
Chairman → Trustee, 2024
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Hans-Martin Boehmer
Trustee
On filings since 2022
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
William Strong
Trustee
On filings since 2022
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Allison Zippay
Trustee
On filings since 2025
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Peter Moskos
Trustee
On filings since 2025
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ryan Watkins
Trustee
On filings since 2025
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
William Rogers
Trustee
New on the 2026 filing
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jonathan D. Breul
Treasurer
Trustee → Treasurer, 2022
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Maggie Schneiderman
Vice Chairperson
Trustee → Vice Chairman, 2025
Vice Chairman → Vice Chairperson, 2026
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (9)
- Former: Bill Rogers (2025) — Trustee
- Former: Bill Strong (2025) — Trustee
- Former: Dick Edwards (2025) — Trustee
- Former: Melissa Jonson-Reid (2020–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Pearl Eliadis (2020–2024) — Trustee
- Former: William M. Rodgers III (2020–2024) — Trustee
- Former: David J. Armor (2020–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Jonathan D. Bruel (2020) — Trustee
- Former: Mary E. Curtis (2020) — Chairman
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2026. "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 The Horowitz Foundation
How much does The Horowitz Foundation give each year?
The Horowitz Foundation gave $213K across 33 grants in 2026, according to its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2025 it gave $211K across 38 grants.
What is The Horowitz Foundation's typical grant size?
The Horowitz Foundation's median grant in 2026 was $7,500, and its average grant was $6,455, across 33 grants on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Horowitz Foundation give grants?
The Horowitz Foundation gives mostly in New Jersey: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Rocky Hill, NJ (33 grants).
Does The Horowitz Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2026: none of the 33 grants with a stated purpose on The Horowitz Foundation's 2026 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are The Horowitz Foundation's largest grantees?
The Horowitz Foundation's largest 2026 grantees include Joseph Hnath ($12,500), Guy Pincus ($10,500) and Aditya Srinivasan ($10,000), according to its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 15% of its itemized 2026 grant dollars.
How large is The Horowitz Foundation?
The Horowitz Foundation reported $2.3M in total assets on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $311K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $173K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Horowitz Foundation fund?
The foundation aims to support emerging scholars through small grants, promote scholarship with a social policy application, and encourage projects addressing contemporary issues in the social sciences. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Horowitz Foundation?
The foundation directs applicants to submit through its application portal. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Horowitz Foundation's EIN?
The Horowitz Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 31-1612153. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2026.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2026 (received by the IRS July 15, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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