Trust for Mutual Understanding
The Trust for Mutual Understanding is a private foundation based in New York City dedicated to fostering international exchange and understanding through the arts and environmental conservation. Established in 1984 by an anonymous American philanthropist, the foundation supports American nonprofit organizations in conducting cultural and environmental exchanges with international partners, with a particular emphasis on direct, person-to-person professional collaboration.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$25.7M
+0.4% YoY
Annual Giving
$2.3M
-11.0% YoY
Grant Count
72
+46.9% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$32K
-39.4% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation's mission centers on promoting improved communication, closer cooperation, and greater respect between people of the United States and other countries, particularly in Eastern and Central Europe, Russia, and Central Asia. The foundation operates from the conviction that creative international collaboration encourages global harmony and that supporting international, person-to-person contact combats isolationism.
Primary Focus Areas:
- Arts and Culture: Visual and performing arts, dance, theater, music, museums, historical activities, and historic preservation
- Environment: Natural resources, biodiversity, and wildlife conservation
- Culture at the Intersection: Projects exploring how the arts and environment relate to cultural expression, identity, meaning, and shared values
The foundation defines culture as an expression of identity, meaning, and shared values, and a shared understanding of how a global community can live and work together. TMU supports leaders and organizations that share values of international collaboration and the importance of building relationships across borders.
Grantmaking
The foundation made 51 grants in 2023, totaling approximately $2.4 million in grant distributions. Recent notable grants include:
Grant Types
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Trust for Mutual Understanding supports exchanges between the United States and the following countries:
Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
Within the United States, the foundation funds projects in various cities including New York, Los Angeles, and Seattle.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of 2023:
- Total Assets: $25,581,664
- Total Revenues: $3,572,093
- Total Expenses: $4,573,317
- Staff: 4 employees
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $25,676,371 | $25,581,664 | $27,906,740 |
| Revenue | $3,838,936 | $3,572,093 | $2,584,429 |
| Expenses | $4,291,399 | $4,573,317 | $4,203,437 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $3,947,880 | $4,303,453 | $3,984,999 |
| Net Investment Income | $3,501,791 | $2,366,825 | $1,395,752 |
| Distributable Amount | $1,846,626 | $1,759,626 | $1,801,787 |
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
102 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Trust for Mutual Understanding
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
- Barbara A. Lanciers — Director
- Valerie Rockefeller — Trustee
- Joel Motley — Trustee
The foundation was established by Sandra Ferry Rockefeller, whose philanthropic conviction shaped the organization's commitment to international collaboration and cultural exchange.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| BARBARA A LANCIERS | DIRECTOR | 40 | $294,657 |
| IRINA YURNA | REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE | 40 | $155,859 |
| ALINA ENGGIST | SENIOR PROGRAM OFFICER | 40 | $161,459 |
| CAROLINE MABEE | PROGRAM OFFICER | 40 | $112,604 |
| VALERIE ROCKEFELLER | TRUSTEE | 2 | $19,390 |
| JOEL MOTLEY | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| ELIZABETH C CAMPBELL | TRUSTEE | 2 | $19,390 |
| SUSAN V BERRESFORD | TRUSTEE | 6 | $19,390 |
| BLAIR A RUBLE | TRUSTEE | 2 | $19,390 |
Contact Information
- Website: tmuny.org
- Address: PO Box 5016, New York City, NY 10185-5016
- Telephone: 212-549-5544
- Email: tmu@tmuny.org
- EIN: 13-3212724
Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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