Trust for Mutual Understanding

NEW YORK, NY EIN: 13-3212724

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

+46.9% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$32K

-39.4% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Trust for Mutual Understanding reported a distributable amount of $1.8M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

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

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

New York $9.1M (81%)

California $510K (5%)

Maryland $307K (3%)

District of Columbia $290K (3%)

Massachusetts $286K (3%)

Washington $210K (2%)

Arizona $130K (1%)

Montana $96K (1%)

+13 more states

Cities

AnchorageAndoverAshevilleAshfieldBainbridge IslandBaltimoreBerkleyBostonBozemanBronxBrooklynCambridgeChicagoDurhamEugeneKingstonLindenLong Island CityLos AngelesMadison

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

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

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

Foundation

Trust for Mutual Understanding Grant

TRUST FOR MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING

Amount

Approximately US $10,000

Deadline

Rolling / Open

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Residency Unlimited Inc ($144,000), Cec Artslink Inc ($115,000), Center for International Theatre Development Inc ($90,000).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
ACADEMY OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA INC WOODSIDE, NY	GENERAL SUPPORT	$15,000
AFTERIMAGE PUBLIC MEDIA INC SAN FRANCISCO, CA	GENERAL SUPPORT	$25,000
ALMA ON DOBBIN BROOKLYN, NY	GENERAL SUPPORT	$15,000
ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN GEOGRAPHERS WASHINGTON, DC	GENERAL SUPPORT	$25,000
BLACKFOOT CHALLENGE OVANDO, MT	GENERAL SUPPORT	$35,000
CEC ARTSLINK INC NEW YORK, NY	GENERAL SUPPORT	$62,500
CEC ARTSLINK INC NEW YORK, NY	GENERAL SUPPORT	$15,000
CEC ARTSLINK INC NEW YORK, NY	GENERAL SUPPORT	$115,000
CEC ARTSLINK INC NEW YORK, NY	GENERAL SUPPORT	$63,800
CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL THEATRE DEVELOPMENT INC BALTIMORE, MD	GENERAL SUPPORT	$90,000

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

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Trust for Mutual Understanding fund?

How do I apply for a grant from Trust for Mutual Understanding?

**Grant Activity:** The foundation made 51 grants in 2023, totaling approximately $2.4 million in grant distributions. Recent notable grants include: • CEC Artslink Inc.: $388,500 • Residency Unlimited: $349,800 • Movement Research: $221,000 **Grant Types:** TMU provides support for: • Travel and related expenses for exchange projects • Professional exchanges involving direct, in-depth professional interaction • Projects with potential for sustained collaboration • Initiatives showing evidence …

Where does Trust for Mutual Understanding make 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, a…

What size grants does Trust for Mutual Understanding award?

In 2024, Trust for Mutual Understanding awarded 72 grants totaling $2.3M — an average of about $32K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is Trust for Mutual Understanding required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Trust for Mutual Understanding reported a distributable amount of $1.8M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

What is Trust for Mutual Understanding's EIN?

Trust for Mutual Understanding's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-3212724. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.