The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc
The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Manlius, New York, established in 1948. It funds tax-exempt organizations primarily serving Central New York, with education as its leading grantmaking priority and additional support for arts and culture, community initiatives, and youth programs.
The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc gave $322K across 39 grants in 2025 (avg $8K), mostly in New York. 34% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $321,775
- +22.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 39
- +8.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $8,251
- +12.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $10,519,243
- +17.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 34% first-time grantees (13 of 38, 2025)
- Primary geography
- New York (100% 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 The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- Yes
- How to Apply
-
The Foundation accepts unsolicited proposals from qualifying organizations through its online application system. Applicants submit a letter of inquiry first; if invited, they submit a full grant application. The Foundation may request additional information, an interview, or a site visit. Approved applicants must sign a grant acceptance agreement before funds are granted.
- Review Cycle
- The stated timetable calls for letters of inquiry between December 1 and February 1, grant applications by April 1 for invited applicants, and decisions by July 1. The 2026 application deadlines and decision date have passed.
- Deadline
- The stated timetable calls for letters of inquiry between December 1 and February 1, grant applications by April 1 for…
- Contact
Application contact: Jonathan L Snow
Mailing address: 131 West Seneca Street Suite B 215, Manlius, NY 13104
Phone: (315) 632-2559
Website: https://johnbensnow.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 John Ben Snow Foundation Inc
Who The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Cayuga Museum of History and Art ($20K). Together the top 10 received $120K.
Grant Size Distribution
209 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 209 grants of 209 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Foundation primarily supports organizations serving Central New York, defined as Onondaga County and the surrounding counties of Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, and Oswego. All 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 39 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
34%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 13 of 38 grantees (34%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $9K; repeat grants $8K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $8K repeat.
- 45% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−13%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 97% 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 (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $254K (2019) to $370K (2022). In 2025 it made 39 grants totaling $322K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Cayuga Museum of History and Art Auburn, NY | Creative Explorers Education Programming | $20,000 |
| Volunteer Lawyers Project of CNY Inc Syracuse, NY | Access to Justice Fellowship | $14,000 |
| Joseph's House for Women Inc Syracuse, NY | Lifecycle Assessment and Organizational Readiness Review | $13,025 |
| YMCA of Syracuse & Onondaga County Syracuse, NY | Power Scholars Academy | $12,500 |
| Center for Community Alternatives Syracuse, NY | Youth Violence Prevention and Peer Leadership Program | $10,000 |
| Child Advocacy Center of Oswego County Fulton, NY | Safe Harbor Program | $10,000 |
| Clear Path for Veterans Inc Chittenango, NY | Empowering Veterans and Military Families | $10,000 |
| Everson Museum of Art Syracuse, NY | Educational Outreach | $10,000 |
| Fulton Family YMCA Fulton, NY | Technology Infrastructure Impreovements | $10,000 |
| Huntington Family Centers Inc Syracuse, NY | Supporting Youth Programs | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc?
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 | $10,519,243 | $716,333 | $563,420 | $321,775 | 39 | $465,283 | $629,819 | $478,850 |
| 2024 | $8,920,164 | $404,112 | $496,031 | $263,557 | 36 | $399,657 | $309,228 | $432,691 |
| 2023 | $8,675,317 | $413,397 | $545,406 | $311,250 | 39 | $439,955 | $312,296 | $413,585 |
| 2022 | $8,267,581 | $554,738 | $601,032 | $369,800 | 47 | $495,249 | $455,283 | $430,768 |
| 2021 | $9,719,606 | $636,152 | $563,618 | $348,050 | 48 | $455,350 | $535,325 | $485,395 |
| 2020 | $9,300,553 | $582,184 | $463,534 | $277,768 | 40 | — | $509,077 | $399,551 |
| 2019 | $8,912,055 | $419,878 | $446,485 | $254,000 | 43 | — | $345,271 | $380,196 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $479K 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
The Foundation’s primary grantmaking priority is education, including primary and secondary education, literacy, and vocational training. Its stated education strategy includes support for early childhood education, tutoring, college access, internships, scholarships, fellowships, and journalism focused on underrepresented populations and first-generation students.
Secondary areas are community initiatives, arts and culture, and youth initiatives. The Foundation also considers proposals concerning people with disabilities and universal access, the environment, and historic preservation; it describes these as non-core areas where funding is often limited and gives priority to proposals with an educational focus.
Examples of supported organizations reflect varied services and programs. The Volunteer Lawyers Project of CNY describes its mission as providing access to justice through volunteer legal service. Joseph’s House for Women describes providing long-term residential care for pregnant and parenting women facing homelessness. The Center for Community Alternatives describes work promoting reintegrative justice and reducing reliance on incarceration. Other 2025 grantees include arts, youth, veteran-support, and community-health organizations.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the Foundation reported 39 grants totaling $321,775. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $20,000, with a median of $10,000. The Foundation’s website says awards generally range from $5,000 to $20,000, with most around $10,000; first-time grants typically range from $5,000 to $10,000.
Among the largest 2025 grants were $20,000 to Cayuga Museum of History and Art for its Creative Explorers Education Programming; $14,000 to Volunteer Lawyers Project of CNY for an Access to Justice Fellowship; and $13,025 to Joseph’s House for Women for a lifecycle assessment and organizational readiness review. The Foundation also awarded $12,500 to YMCA of Syracuse & Onondaga County for Power Scholars Academy. Each of these grants went to a New York recipient.
The Foundation prefers proposals for new or enhanced programs, short-term support while a program stabilizes, matching grants, and final funding toward a capital campaign. It will not accept proposals from individuals or for-profit organizations. It does not encourage proposals from religious organizations or requests for endowments, contingency funding, or debt reduction.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Jonathan L. Snow as president, David H. Snow as vice president and treasurer, and Keegan Snow as secretary. Directors listed are James Macfie, Marion Hancock Fish, Angus M. Burton, Valerie A. Macfie, and Emelie M. Williams. The Foundation’s website lists Elizabeth Snow as program officer.
The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc is led by Jonathan L. Snow, President on every filing since 2019; all 8 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Jonathan L. Snow
President
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
$22K (2019) → $28K (2025)
Angus M. Burton
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$1K (2020) → $2K (2025)
Emelie M. Williams
Director
Secretary → Director, 2022
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$3K (2019) → $2K (2025)
Marion Hancock Fish
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$1K (2020) → $2K (2025)
Valerie A. Macfie
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$1K (2019) → $2K (2025)
James Macfie
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
$1K (2022) → $2K (2025)
David H. Snow
Vice President & Treasurer
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
$8K (2019) → $8K (2025)
Keegan Snow
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2022
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$1K (2020) → $3K (2025)
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 $28K, to Jonathan L Snow (President). 8 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc
How much does The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc give each year?
The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc gave $322K across 39 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $264K across 36 grants.
What is The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $8,251, across 39 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc that year got $9K on average.
Where does The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc give grants?
The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc gives mostly in New York: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Syracuse, NY (21 grants), Auburn, NY (3 grants), Fulton, NY (3 grants) and Oswego, NY (2 grants).
Does The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 39 grants with a stated purpose on The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Cayuga Museum of History and Art ($20,000), Volunteer Lawyers Project of CNY Inc ($14,000) and Joseph's House for Women Inc ($13,025), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 15% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc?
The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc reported $10.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $465K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $479K (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 The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc fund?
The Foundation’s primary grantmaking priority is education, including primary and secondary education, literacy, and vocational training. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc?
The Foundation accepts unsolicited proposals from qualifying organizations through its online application system. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc's EIN?
The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-6112704. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc accept unsolicited proposals?
Yes, 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
(4)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS September 8, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS June 20, 2023)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 27, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-john-ben-snow-foundation-inc-morg_b23584cb54494e088115fafbac4b008b
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_136112704_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-john-ben-snow-foundation-inc-morg_b23584cb54494e088115fafbac4b008b},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-22. 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 John Ben Snow 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.
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