How to apply
Application, information, and materials requirements posted on website. Contact: Dr Na'llah Suad Nasir, 625 Michigan Ave Suite 1600, Chicago, Il, 3123377000 Deadlines: Deadlines posted on foundation's website, www.spencer.org Restrictions: Information posted on foundation's website, www.spencer.org
Quoted from Part XV of the foundation's 2024 Form 990-PF; the full text is in the filing. Confirm on the foundation's website before you write.
Grants paid in 2024
Top 60 of 214 grants by amount · from Form 990-PF Part XV
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| National Academy of EducationWashington, DC | National academy of education/spencer postdoctoral fellowship programs (cohorts 24-25, 25-26, 26-27) | $2.5M |
| National Academy of EducationWashington, DC | National academy of education/spencer dissertation fellowship programs (cohorts 24-25, 25-26, 26-27) | $1.8M |
| William T Grant FoundationNew York, NY | Support for the 2024 institutional challenge grant program at the william t. grant foundation | $650K |
| William T Grant FoundationNew York, NY | Support for the 2025 institutional challenge grant program at the william t. grant foundation | $650K |
| Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York, NY | Spencer education journalism fellowship program, 2024 - 2028 | $594K |
| Michigan State UniversityEast Lansing, MI | Creating transformative possibility in schools and communities | $483K |
| University of California BerkeleyBerkeley, CA | Linguistic variation and disciplinary action on african american children in schools | $393K |
| University of Kansas Center for Research IncLawrence, KS | The tribal education department capacity building project | $383K |
| Flacso ArgentinaBuenos Aires, AR | History teaching through dialogical controversies | $275K |
| Boston UniversityBoston, MA | Re-imagining alternative education | $251K |
| The University of Texas at AustinAustin, TX | Admission, tuition, and housing | $244K |
| University of Wisconsin-MadisonMadison, WI | Supplement for center for philosophical reflection on educational policy and practice | $230K |
| Indiana University BloomingtonBloomington, IN | Thriving in college | $221K |
| North Carolina State UniversityRaleigh, NC | Examining rural dual language programs | $213K |
| New York UniversityNew York, NY | Organizing family and community | $210K |
| University of Colorado DenverDenver, CO | Developing research capacity to support the assessment of student learning and program outcomes | $202K |
| Russell Sage FoundationNew York, NY | Advancing research on the promotion of educational attainment and economic mobility | $200K |
| University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA | Building a living archive | $200K |
| American Indian College FundDenver, CO | Building collaborative data capacity and investigating college access, persistence, and graduation success | $200K |
| Michigan State UniversityEast Lansing, MI | Postsecondary education | $193K |
| Brown UniversityProvidence, RI | School-supporting non-profits, school resources, and rising inequality | $191K |
| Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA | The black teacher archive | $190K |
| The University of ChicagoChicago, IL | Evaluating global and local relative effectiveness of educational organizations | $188K |
| University of California BerkeleyBerkeley, CA | The role of social safety net programs in community college student success | $181K |
| Stanford UniversityRedwood City, CA | Educating for food sovereignty | $180K |
| University of Illinois at ChicagoChicago, IL | Investigating experiences of educators in chicago | $176K |
| University of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeMilwaukee, WI | Cultivating black autistic youth agency | $170K |
| Drexel UniversityPhiladelphia, PA | Steaming through dance | $169K |
| University of VirginiaCharlottesville, VA | Leveraging out-of-school cultural learning opportunities | $166K |
| Philadelphia Student UnionPhiladelphia, PA | The philadelphia student debt coalition | $165K |
| University of VirginiaCharlottesville, VA | Young african american children animating societal change | $163K |
| American Indian Science and Engineering SocietyAlbuquerque, NM | Leveraging the aises archival database | $158K |
| Arizona State University Foundation for a New American UniversityTempe, AZ | Support early literacy for preschoolers | $156K |
| University of VirginiaCharlottesville, VA | Education for children with autism spectrum disorder | $156K |
| University of Illinois at ChicagoChicago, IL | The transformative work of lgbtq+ intergenerational dialogues | $156K |
| The Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity Park, PA | Approaches to deaf-nondeaf inclusive bilingual education in france | $156K |
| University of Missouri-St LouisSt Louis, MO | Countering the unintended consequences of school reforms | $154K |
| Amalgamated FoundationWashington, DC | Higher ed forward | $150K |
| Amalgamated FoundationWashington, DC | Gty policy working group | $150K |
| New York UniversityNew York, NY | Inequalities in academic advising | $149K |
| Tulane UniversityNew Orleans, LA | Engagement of youth voice in the evaluation of trauma-informed schools | $148K |
| University of California Santa CruzSanta Cruz, CA | Writing with chatgpt | $138K |
| Oakland UniversityRochester Hills, MI | Infant-toddler childcare and resource hub | $138K |
| Stanford UniversityRedwood City, CA | Educational equity in new york state | $138K |
| University of PittsburghPittsburgh, PA | Collaborative research | $135K |
| University of MichiganAnn Arbor, MI | The role of liberal arts education | $131K |
| Wake Forest UniversityWinstonsalem, NC | Reading self-efficacy, leadership development, and community engagement | $129K |
| University Corporation at Monterey BaySeaside, CA | Localization of history and civics in salinas | $127K |
| University of MontanaMissoula, MT | Supporting indigenous children in rural montana | $126K |
| University of VirginiaCharlottesville, VA | Black student experiences | $123K |
| Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, PA | Emerging critical infrastructures during covid-19 | $123K |
| The Education TrustWashington, DC | Edtrust research scholar | $122K |
| University of Georgia Research Foundation IncAthens, GA | Optimal design of experimental studies | $121K |
| University of Nebraska at OmahaOmaha, NE | Community curation and storytelling in local museums | $118K |
| Brown UniversityProvidence, RI | The complex logics of childrearing | $114K |
| Amplify GirlsChattanooga, TN | Can mentoring improve adolescent girls' educational outcomes? | $110K |
| University of California BerkeleyBerkeley, CA | Education policies in a divided, multiracial democracy | $109K |
| University of VirginiaCharlottesville, VA | Waived english learners | $108K |
| The Brookings InstitutionWashington, DC | U.s. school boards | $108K |
| University of SaskatchewanSaskatoon, CA | Transdisciplinary sustainability education | $98K |
By state: District of Columbia 15 · New York 20 · California 26 · Illinois 16 · Michigan 10 · INTL 15
Giving by year
Contributions, gifts, and grants paid, from Form 990-PF via ProPublica.
About this foundation
Spencer Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation in Chicago, Illinois, tax-exempt since 1993. Private foundations must pay out roughly 5% of their assets each year, mostly as grants to 501(c)(3) public charities.
Foundation websiteLatest 990-PF (PDF)All filings on ProPublica
Does Spencer Foundation accept grant applications?
Yes. On its 2024 Form 990-PF the foundation indicates it accepts applications. Application, information, and materials requirements posted on website. Deadlines: Deadlines posted on foundation's website, www.spencer.org.
How much does Spencer Foundation give each year?
In tax year 2024 it paid $24M across 214 grants, a median of $75K.
Where does Spencer Foundation give?
District of Columbia (15 grants), New York (20 grants), California (26 grants) and elsewhere, per its latest filing.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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