The Sagner Family Foundation
The Sagner Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 2024, it gave 23 grants totaling $1,769,091 to organizations whose stated work included philanthropy, constitutional rights, social justice, Indigenous peoples’ rights, and dance.
Key facts about The Sagner Family Foundation
In short: The Sagner Family Foundation gave $1.8M across 23 grants in 2024 (avg $77K), top state District of Columbia. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 22-1711646
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,769,091
- Grants made (2024)
- 23
- Average grant
- $76,917
- Median grant
- $1,050
- Total assets
- $15,961,210
- Primary geography
- District of Columbia (42% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to apply
- The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$16.0M
+7.2% YoY
Annual Giving
$1.8M
+90.7% YoY
Grant Count
23
+2200.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$77K
-91.7% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Sagner Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $964K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
How The Sagner Family Foundation gives
- Giving grew 67% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 206% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grantees describe a range of work: the Center for Constitutional Rights says it advances and protects constitutional and human rights and stands with social justice movements; Possibility Labs says it works to support self-determination in Black, Indigenous, people of color, and historically low-income communities; and the Indian Law Resource Center says it provides legal assistance and advocacy to Indigenous peoples of the Americas.
Other grantees describe work in philanthropy and organizational support. Amalgamated Charitable Foundation says it supports philanthropy through grants and donor education, while Tides Center says it provides fiscal sponsorship and capacity-building support to community-led organizations. Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival says it supports dance creation, presentation, education, and preservation.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 23 grants totaling $1,769,091. The grants ranged from $53 to $750,000, with a median of $1,050. The largest awards included $750,000 to Amalgamated Charitable Foundation and $500,000 to the Center for Constitutional Rights. It also gave $100,000 each to Proteus Fund, Possibility Labs, Indian Law Resource Center, Tides Center, and We Are Purposeful. The listed grants were for general support.
How to Apply
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. The filing lists Deborah Sagner as the contact and says application forms and materials are not applicable.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, the largest stated shares of grant dollars went to recipients in Washington, DC (42%), New York (29%), California (11%), Massachusetts (6%), and Montana (6%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 23 itemized grants.
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $928K (2023) to $1.8M (2024). In 2024 it made 23 grants totaling $1.8M.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Amalgamated Charitable Foundation ($750K). Together the top 10 received $1.8M.
Grant Size Distribution
27 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 16 grants of 27 (59%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Amalgamated Charitable Foundation Washington, DC | General Support | $750,000 |
| Center for Constitutional Rights New York, NY | General Support | $500,000 |
| Proteus Fund Inc Waltham, MA | General Support | $100,000 |
| Possibility Labs San Francisco, CA | General Support | $100,000 |
| Indian Law Resource Center Helena, MT | General Support | $100,000 |
| Tides Center San Francisco, CA | General Support | $100,000 |
| We Are Purposeful Inc Beltsville, MD | General Support | $100,000 |
| National Kidney Foundation Inc New York, NY | General Support | $7,500 |
| Unity Amp Power IN Philadelphia, PA | General Support | $2,500 |
| Actblue Philadelphia, PA | General Support | $2,075 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants | Grant count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $15,961,210 | $3,592,641 | $2,325,803 | $1,769,091 | 23 |
| 2023 | $14,887,023 | $378,081 | $1,330,325 | $927,897 | 1 |
| 2022 | $15,428,175 | $619,901 | $1,486,365 | $1,136,513 | 1 |
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $15,961,210 | $14,887,023 | $15,428,175 |
| Revenue | $3,592,641 | $378,081 | $619,901 |
| Expenses | $2,325,803 | $1,330,325 | $1,486,365 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $1,980,907 | $977,807 | $1,157,372 |
| Net Investment Income | $3,287,856 | $73,531 | $237,607 |
| Distributable Amount | $963,870 | $999,191 | $1,044,514 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Deborah Sagner as president and Rachel Buurma and Jacob Buurma as trustees.
The Sagner Family Foundation is led by Deborah Sagner, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Deborah Sagner
President
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
$100K (2020) → $0 (2024)
Jacob Buurma
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Rachel Buurma
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2020 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2020 filing was $100K, to Deborah Sagner (President).
Contact
Application contact: Deborah Sagner
Mailing address: 210 Central Park South, New York, NY 10019
Phone: (908) 305-1020
Frequently asked questions about The Sagner Family Foundation
How much does The Sagner Family Foundation give each year?
The Sagner Family Foundation gave $1.8M across 23 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $928K across 1 grant.
What is The Sagner Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Sagner Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $1,050, and its average grant was $76,917, across 23 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Sagner Family Foundation give grants?
The Sagner Family Foundation's top state is District of Columbia, with 42% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (29%) and California (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (5 grants), Philadelphia, PA (5 grants) and San Francisco, CA (2 grants).
Does The Sagner Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Sagner Family Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (23 of 23) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Sagner Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Sagner Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Amalgamated Charitable Foundation ($750,000), Center for Constitutional Rights ($500,000) and Proteus Fund Inc ($100,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 76% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Sagner Family Foundation?
The Sagner Family Foundation reported $16.0M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.0M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $964K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Sagner Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Sagner Family Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Sagner Family Foundation's EIN?
The Sagner Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 22-1711646. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Sagner Family Foundation 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 October 2026.
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