The Sonja Foundation
The Sonja Foundation is a private foundation based in Greenwich, Connecticut. In 2025, it gave $84,000 through 10 grants to charitable organizations.
The Sonja Foundation at a glance
In short: The Sonja Foundation gave $84K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $8K), top state New York. 60% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $84,000
- -46.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- -23.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $8,400
- -30.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $8,000
- Total assets
- $123,018
- -37.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 60% first-time grantees (6 of 10, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (46% 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 Sonja Foundation
- 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.
- Contact
Mailing address: C/O John Ferguson-25 Field Pt Rd, Greenwich, CT 06830
Phone: (203) 661-5222
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Sonja Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Ave Maria School of Law ($20K). Together the top 10 received $84K.
Grant Size Distribution
69 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 65 grants of 69 (94%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, grant dollars went to recipients in New York (46%), Florida (24%), Massachusetts (12%), Connecticut (12%), and the District of Columbia (6%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Sonja Foundation open to new grantees?
60%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 10 grantees (60%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $7K; repeat grants $10K. How we count
Medians: $8K first-time, $8K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $84K (2025) to $247K (2023). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $84K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Ave Maria School of Law Naples, FL | Education | $20,000 |
| Amfar New York, NY | General Contribution | $10,000 |
| The Ouiment Fund Norton, MA | General Contribution | $10,000 |
| Southhampton Animal Shelter Hampton Bays, NY | General Contribution | $10,000 |
| Sacred Heart Greenwich, CT | Educational | $10,000 |
| Go Charity Brooklyn, NY | General Contribution | $6,000 |
| Fordham Law School New York, NY | Educational | $5,000 |
| National Review Institute New York, NY | General Contribution | $5,000 |
| Federal Law Enforcement Fund Washington, DC | General Contribution | $5,000 |
| Danny Butler Memorial Fund Rye, NY | General Contribution | $3,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Sonja Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $123,018 | $48,280 | $90,694 | $84,000 | 10 | $46,086 |
| 2024 | $195,362 | $2,646 | $174,381 | $157,250 | 13 | $71,529 |
| 2023 | $212,883 | $5,362 | $277,845 | $247,400 | 20 | $64,442 |
| 2022 | $531,945 | $9,879 | $232,984 | $223,550 | 10 | $12,134 |
| 2021 | $909,534 | $12,498 | $164,321 | $136,600 | 16 | — |
| 2020 | $941,169 | $9,867 | $210,193 | $192,500 | 10 | — |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grantees included educational organizations and organizations receiving general contributions. Ave Maria School of Law describes its mission as “educating students leading to a juris doctorate degree.” National Review Institute describes its mission as “expand the understanding of conservative principles and philosophy in society and culture.”
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation awarded 10 grants totaling $84,000. Grants ranged from $3,000 to $20,000, with a median of $8,000. Notable grants included $20,000 to Ave Maria School of Law, $10,000 each to amfAR, The Ouiment Fund, Southhampton Animal Shelter, and Sacred Heart, and $5,000 each to Fordham Law School, National Review Institute, and Federal Law Enforcement Fund.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists John J Ferguson and Gundmundur A Brigisson as trustees.
The Sonja Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Gundmundur A. Brigisson
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
John J. Ferguson
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 Sonja Foundation
How much does The Sonja Foundation give each year?
The Sonja Foundation gave $84K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $157K across 13 grants.
What is The Sonja Foundation's typical grant size?
The Sonja Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $8,000, and its average grant was $8,400, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Sonja Foundation that year got $7K on average.
Where does The Sonja Foundation give grants?
The Sonja Foundation's top state is New York, with 46% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Florida (24%) and Massachusetts (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (3 grants).
Does The Sonja Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 70% of The Sonja Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (7 of 10) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Sonja Foundation's largest grantees?
The Sonja Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Ave Maria School of Law ($20,000), Amfar ($10,000) and The Ouiment Fund ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 48% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Sonja Foundation?
The Sonja Foundation reported $123K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $48K.
What does The Sonja Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grantees included educational organizations and organizations receiving general contributions. Ave Maria School of Law describes its mission as “educating students leading to a juris doctorate degree.” See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Sonja 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 Sonja Foundation's EIN?
The Sonja Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-7371356. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Sonja 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 September 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 28, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Sonja Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-sonja-foundation-morg_3db2a713476747d79f5dee8ba27f49ee
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_137371356_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Sonja Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-sonja-foundation-morg_3db2a713476747d79f5dee8ba27f49ee},
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 Sonja 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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