The Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation
The Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation is a private foundation headquartered in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Established in 1977 by Nancy Lurie Marks, the Foundation operates as one of the largest supporters of autism-related initiatives globally. The organization is committed to understanding autism from a scientific perspective, increasing opportunities and services available to the autism community, and educating the public about autism.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$120.6M
+1.0% YoY
Annual Giving
$5.2M
+61.8% YoY
Grant Count
37
+37.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$140K
+18.1% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The Foundation's mission is to help people with autism lead fulfilling and rewarding lives.
The Foundation supports programs across five primary areas:
- Research — Scientific investigations into the biological basis of autism, including genetics and neuroscience
- Clinical Care — Programs providing direct services and medical support
- Policy — Advocacy for legal rights and access to support services
- Education — Public awareness and community understanding initiatives
- Advocacy — Programs increasing community openness to inclusion
The Foundation also supports civic, educational, arts, and community causes beyond its primary autism focus.
Grantmaking
The Foundation utilizes a proactive strategy to identify organizations that fit funding criteria. All grant inquiries and applications for funding are by invitation only. Due to the high volume of requests received, the Foundation is unable to respond to unsolicited requests. The Foundation does not accept donations and is unable to make grants directly to individuals.
Grant Range
$25,000
How to Apply
**
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Foundation funds projects globally, with particular concentration in:
- Massachusetts
- District of Columbia
- New York
The Foundation has funded projects at institutions worldwide, including Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Children's Hospital Boston, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Oxford University, Cambridge University, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, MIT Media Lab, Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, Syracuse University, and Brandeis University.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets & Giving (as of October 2023-2024):
- Total assets: $120,575,235
- Total annual giving: $5,163,976 (2024)
- Total revenues: $2,518,269 (2023)
- Total expenses: $7,334,399 (2023)
- Investment income and dividends: $2,360,057 (2023)
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $120,575,235 | $119,423,809 | $126,792,031 |
| Revenue | $9,972,092 | $2,518,269 | $15,512,998 |
| Expenses | $9,302,278 | $7,334,399 | $7,410,979 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $7,217,630 | $5,330,187 | $5,538,282 |
| Net Investment Income | $8,072,283 | $589,531 | $13,336,969 |
| Distributable Amount | $7,317,320 | $7,160,234 | $7,617,572 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
153 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Board & Key Staff:
- Nancy L. Marks — Trustee
- Cathy J. Lurie — Trustee
- Jeffrey R. Lurie — Trustee
- Michelle M. Porter — Trustee
- Harvey E. Cushing — Trustee
- Prof. C. Schutt, Ph.D. — Director & Chief Scientific Officer
- Richard B. Denning, CPA — Chief Operating Officer
- Judith Chan — Director of Communications & Program Officer
- Elizabeth Zwick — Director of Community Relations & Program Officer
- Kenneth Farber, JD — Special Advisor for Research Programs
- Eleonora Silayeva — Executive Associate for Administration
The Foundation employs 6 staff members.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| CATHY J LURIE | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| JEFFREY R LURIE | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| MICHELLE M PORTER | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| HARVEY E CUSHING | TRUSTEE | 20 | $154,500 |
| NANCY L MARKS | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| RICHARD B DENNING | TRUSTEE | 20 | $169,133 |
| CLARENCE SCHUTT | DIRECTOR | 40 | $430,700 |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
The Foundation has established the Lurie Autism Institute in partnership with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Health System, and the Perelman School of Medicine. This institute aims to drive discoveries having a transformative impact on those living with autism spectrum disorder.
Lurie Autism Institute awards first Nancy Lurie Marks Prize for Autism ...The Foundation launched the Nancy Lurie Marks Prize for Autism Research, with Dr. Huda Zoghbi announced as the inaugural recipient. This prize recognizes outstanding contributions to autism research.
Lurie Autism Institute awards first Nancy Lurie Marks Prize for Autism ...The Foundation awarded a three-year grant to Advocates/Autism Alliance of MetroWest for the Autism Welcoming Library Certification Project, extending autism-welcoming training initiatives into public libraries with focus on autistic adults and aging autistic adults.
Contact Information
Address: 60 William Street, Suite 110 Wellesley, Massachusetts 02481
Phone: (781) 237-1311 Fax: (781) 237-0271 Website: www.nlmfoundation.org
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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