The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation
The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, NY. It makes charitable grants to preselected organizations; its 2025 filing lists support for organizations working in areas including education, the arts, environmental conservation, and philanthropy.
The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation at a glance
In short: The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation gave $10.8M across 38 grants in 2025 (avg $284K), mostly in New York. 29% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $10,801,000
- +14.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 38
- -5.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $284,237
- +20.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $100,000
- Total assets
- $17,179,785
- +55.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 29% first-time grantees (11 of 38, 2025)
- Primary geography
- New York (62% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests; it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 408 West 14Th Street 4Th Floor, New York, NY 10014
Phone: (212) 441-4900
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was National Philanthropic Trust ($2.4M). Together the top 10 received $8.7M.
Grant Size Distribution
119 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $100–250K range: 37 grants of 119 (31%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, recipients in New York received 62% of grant dollars and recipients in Pennsylvania received 25%. Smaller shares went to recipients in California (3%), Illinois (3%), and Virginia (2%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 38 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation open to new grantees?
29%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 11 of 38 grantees (29%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $267K; repeat grants $291K. How we count
Medians: $50K first-time, $100K repeat.
- 58% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 2982% from 2022 to 2025. 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 (2022–2025). 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 2022 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $351K (2022) to $10.8M (2025). In 2025 it made 38 grants totaling $10.8M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| National Philanthropic Trust Jenkintown, PA | Charitable | $2,435,000 |
| New York Presbyterian Fund New York, NY | Charitable | $2,000,000 |
| Success Academy Charter Schools New York, NY | Charitable | $1,100,000 |
| Guild Hall of East Hampton East Hampton, NY | Charitable | $1,000,000 |
| Environmental Defense Fund New York, NY | Charitable | $500,000 |
| Downtown Community TV Center New York, NY | Charitable | $400,000 |
| Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, NY | Charitable | $385,000 |
| University of Chicago Chicago, IL | Charitable | $300,000 |
| Peconic Land Trust Southampton, NY | Charitable | $300,000 |
| Alliance for Decision Education Bala Cynwyd, PA | Charitable | $250,000 |
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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 | $17,179,785 | $17,012,727 | $10,849,801 | $10,801,000 | 38 | $10,806,059 | $7,050,786 | $605,968 |
| 2024 | $11,016,859 | $1,073,985 | $9,498,205 | $9,439,680 | 40 | $9,445,168 | $1,030,412 | $889,120 |
| 2023 | $19,441,079 | $14,213,538 | $9,833,252 | $9,817,095 | 30 | $9,819,225 | $674,189 | $582,830 |
| 2022 | $15,060,793 | $10,415,731 | $350,750 | $350,500 | 11 | $350,750 | $115,477 | $445,811 |
| 2021 | $4,995,812 | $4,995,812 | — | — | — | — | — | $14,200 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation reported a distributable amount of $606K 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
No mission statement or specific funding priorities are stated. The 2025 grantees include organizations with varied missions. For example, Success Academy Charter Schools says it provides New York City children with a high-quality education, while Guild Hall of East Hampton describes itself as a museum, performing arts, and education center. Environmental Defense Fund says it works to preserve natural systems through science- and economics-guided solutions, and Peconic Land Trust says it conserves Long Island farms, natural lands, and heritage. National Philanthropic Trust describes its work as helping donors achieve philanthropic goals and administering donor-advised funds.
Grantmaking
The foundation reported 38 grants totaling $10,801,000 in 2025. Grants ranged from $2,500 to $2,435,000, with a median of $100,000. Among the largest were $2,435,000 to National Philanthropic Trust, $2,000,000 to New York Presbyterian Fund, $1,100,000 to Success Academy Charter Schools, $1,000,000 to Guild Hall of East Hampton, and $500,000 to Environmental Defense Fund.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Howard Marks is listed as a trustee.
The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation is led by Howard Marks, Trustee on every filing since 2021 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Howard Marks
Trustee
On filings since 2021
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 The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation
How much does The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation give each year?
The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation gave $10.8M across 38 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $9.4M across 40 grants.
What is The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation's typical grant size?
The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $100,000, and its average grant was $284,237, across 38 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation that year got $267K on average.
Where does The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation give grants?
The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation gives mostly in New York: 62% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Pennsylvania (25%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (17 grants), Washington, DC (3 grants), East Hampton, NY (2 grants) and Los Angeles, CA (2 grants).
Does The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 38 grants with a stated purpose on The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (38 grants).
Who are The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation's largest grantees?
The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include National Philanthropic Trust ($2,435,000), New York Presbyterian Fund ($2,000,000) and Success Academy Charter Schools ($1,100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 51% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation?
The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation reported $17.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $10.8M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $606K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation fund?
No mission statement or specific funding priorities are stated. The 2025 grantees include organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests; it 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 The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation's EIN?
The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 87-3980068. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Does The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS July 25, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 11, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 12, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-howard-and-nancy-marks-foundation-morg_223620ac31d04a939ce4581c7bc993a8
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_873980068_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-howard-and-nancy-marks-foundation-morg_223620ac31d04a939ce4581c7bc993a8},
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 The Howard and Nancy Marks 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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