The Seymour Foundation Inc

Private foundation · Grantmaker Albany, NY EIN: 83-2352322

The Seymour Foundation Inc is based in Albany, New York, and its IRS filing type is 990T. Its 2024 filing reports 13 grants totaling $1,852,713, primarily to recipients in New York.

Key facts about The Seymour Foundation Inc

In short: The Seymour Foundation Inc gave $1.9M across 13 grants in 2024 (avg $143K), mostly in New York. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
83-2352322
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2024
Annual giving (2024)
$1,852,713
Grants made (2024)
13
Average grant
$142,516
Median grant
$50,000
Total assets
$23,735,911
Primary geography
New York (91% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$23.7M

-4.0% YoY

Annual Giving

$1.9M

+101.4% YoY

Grant Count

13

+30.0% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$143K

+54.9% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Seymour Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $1.4M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

How The Seymour Foundation Inc gives

  • 31% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−8%). Method
  • In 2024 it paid out 136% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2024, the foundation made 13 grants totaling $1,852,713. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $1,000,000, with a median of $50,000. The largest grants included $1,000,000 to the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, $205,000 to Friends of the High Line, $160,000 to Planned Parenthood of Greater NY, $150,000 to Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and $150,000 to Peoples Portfolio Inc. Each grant’s stated purpose was “General Charitable Purposes.”

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The 2024 filing reports that 91% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York and 8% to recipients in New Jersey. It also lists grants to recipients in North Carolina and Colorado, each accounting for 0% of grant dollars as reported.

Grant Distribution by State

7states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.

Cities

New YorkOaklandPhiladelphiaPoughkeepsieAlbanyAspenBostonDenverDurangoDurhamEscondidoHillsboroughSan FranciscoWest OrangeWoodland

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$1M$2M$3M1 grant2020 1 grant2021 11 grants2022 10 grants2023 13 grants2024

From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $920K (2023) to $2.0M (2021). In 2024 it made 13 grants totaling $1.9M.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

American Civil Liberties Union Foundation: $1.0MAmerican Civil Liberties UnionFoundation$1.0MFriends of the High Line: $205KFriends of the High Line$205KPlanned Parenthood of Greater NY: $160KPlanned Parenthood of GreaterNY$160KIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: $150KIcahn School of Medicine atMount Sinai$150KPeoples Portfolio Inc: $150KPeoples Portfolio Inc$150KDalton Schools Inc: $105KDalton Schools Inc$105KFJC: $50KFJC$50KDay One Early Learning Center: $20KDay One Early Learning Center$20KMad Foundation Inc: $5KMad Foundation Inc$5KSouthern Documentary Fund: $5KSouthern Documentary Fund$5K

The largest 2024 recipient was American Civil Liberties Union Foundation ($1.0M). Together the top 10 received $1.9M.

Grant Size Distribution

36 grants across all recorded years

13<$50K5$50–100K13$100–250K1$250–500K$500K–1M4$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 13 grants of 36 (36%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
American Civil Liberties Union Foundation New York, NYGeneral Charitable Purposes$1,000,000
Friends of the High Line New York, NYGeneral Charitable Purposes$205,000
Planned Parenthood of Greater NY New York, NYGeneral Charitable Purposes$160,000
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, NYGeneral Charitable Purposes$150,000
Peoples Portfolio Inc West Orange, NJGeneral Charitable Purposes$150,000
Dalton Schools Inc New York, NYGeneral Charitable Purposes$105,000
FJC New York, NYGeneral Charitable Purposes$50,000
Day One Early Learning Center Poughkeepsie, NYGeneral Charitable Purposes$20,000
Mad Foundation Inc New York, NYGeneral Charitable Purposes$5,150
Southern Documentary Fund Durham, NCGeneral Charitable Purposes$5,000

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grants
2024 $23,735,911 $1,296,721 $1,920,039 $1,852,713
2023 $24,737,047 $823,933 $990,594 $920,000
2022 $25,077,715 $706,257 $2,008,229 $1,955,000
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$1M$2M$3M2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets$23,735,911$24,737,047$25,077,715
Revenue$1,296,721$823,933$706,257
Expenses$1,920,039$990,594$2,008,229
Qualifying Distributions$1,853,672$920,750$1,955,000
Net Investment Income$809,577$646,536$629,425
Distributable Amount$1,365,799$1,297,275$1,338,446

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2024 filing lists Karen Herskovitz as President, Secretary, and Director, and Marisa Kayyem as Treasurer and Director.

The Seymour Foundation Inc is led by Karen Herskovitz, President, Secretary & Director since 2022 (on filings since 2020); none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • Karen Herskovitz

    President, Secretary & Director

    President & Secretary → President, Secretary & Director, 2022

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Marisa Kayyem

    Treasurer & Director

    Treasurer → Treasurer & Director, 2022

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    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.

Contact

Mailing address: C/O Goldman Sachs Ayco PO Box 15201, Albany, NY 12212-5201
Phone: (518) 640-5000

Frequently asked questions about The Seymour Foundation Inc

How much does The Seymour Foundation Inc give each year?

The Seymour Foundation Inc gave $1.9M across 13 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $920K across 10 grants.

What is The Seymour Foundation Inc's typical grant size?

The Seymour Foundation Inc's median grant in 2024 was $50,000, and its average grant was $142,516, across 13 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Where does The Seymour Foundation Inc give grants?

The Seymour Foundation Inc gives mostly in New York: 91% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New Jersey (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (7 grants).

Does The Seymour Foundation Inc give general operating support?

Yes: 100% of The Seymour Foundation Inc's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (13 of 13) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are The Seymour Foundation Inc's largest grantees?

The Seymour Foundation Inc's largest 2024 grantees include American Civil Liberties Union Foundation ($1,000,000), Friends of the High Line ($205,000) and Planned Parenthood of Greater NY ($160,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 74% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.

How large is The Seymour Foundation Inc?

The Seymour Foundation Inc reported $23.7M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.9M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.4M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

How do I apply for a grant from The Seymour Foundation Inc?

The Seymour Foundation Inc has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.

What is The Seymour Foundation Inc's EIN?

The Seymour Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 83-2352322. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

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