Arca Foundation

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: $3.7 million (2023)
• Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed (invitation-only application)
• Decision Time: 6-8 weeks (decisions made 2-3 weeks after semi-annual board meetings)
• Grant Range: $25,000 - $200,000 (typical grants $50,000-$75,000)
• Geographic Focus: Recently focused on Florida, North Carolina, Michigan, and Wisconsin (2021-2024); broader U.S. domestic focus

Contact Details

Website: https://www.arcafoundation.org/
Email: info@arcafoundation.org
Phone: (202) 822-9193
Address: 1730 Rhode Island Ave NW, Suite 606, Washington, DC 20036

Note: The foundation is currently not accepting unsolicited applications. Applications are by invitation only.

Overview

Founded in 1952 by Nancy Susan Reynolds (daughter of tobacco magnate R.J. Reynolds), the Arca Foundation has distributed over $50 million to more than 1,700 organizations over its 70-year history. With assets of approximately $49 million and annual grantmaking of $3.7 million (2023), Arca positions itself as a "seed funder" supporting innovative, early-stage projects on the leading edge of progressive policy. The foundation's name derives from the Latin word for "treasure chest" or the Italian word for "ark." Since 2021, the foundation has strategically prioritized organizations in Florida, North Carolina, Michigan, and Wisconsin that support local people of color and working-class leadership. Arca is a signatory to Philanthropy's Promise, committing to allocate the majority of its grantmaking to marginalized communities and at least 25% to social justice strategies including advocacy, community organizing, and civic engagement.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

General Operating and Project Grants: $25,000 - $200,000
The foundation makes approximately 27-53 grants annually through two semi-annual board meetings. Average grants range from $50,000-$75,000, though some are smaller and a few exceed this range. Applications are accepted by invitation only, with invitations sent in early January (for spring cycle) and early August (for fall cycle).

Rapid Response Grants: $1,000 - $5,000
Small, time-sensitive grants made by invitation only outside of regular grant cycles to address urgent opportunities.

Priority Areas

• Economic and Racial Justice: Challenging concentrated corporate power, financial reform, wealth inequality, and structural economic change
• Inclusive Democracy: Campaign finance reform, civic engagement, voting rights, and community organizing
• Environmental Sustainability: Eliminating toxins, promoting clean environment policies
• Peace and Security: Pentagon budget reform, human rights, U.S. foreign policy
• Free Expression: Media policy reform, access to information, public education

The foundation emphasizes "highly adaptive, results-focused movement building" that is "rooted in communities" and capable of generating collective action and policy solutions.

What They Don't Fund

• Individuals
• Capital projects or endowments
• Scholarships
• Scholarly research
• Government programs
• Direct lobbying activities
• Direct social services

Governance and Leadership

Staff

• Jennifer S. Pae, Executive Director (joined September 2023)
• Sierra Kabir, Grants and Operations Associate

Board of Trustees

• Nicole Bagley, President
• Margery Tabankin, Vice President
• Mike Lux, Secretary
• Janet Shenk, Treasurer (former Special Assistant to the President of the AFL-CIO)
• Nancy R. Bagley
• Amaha Kassa
• Austin Belali Thompson
• Cristina Jiménez Moreta
• Vaughan Bagley
• Mary E. King, Director Emerita

Legal Counsel

Joseph W. Steinberg and Holly Schadler (Trister, Ross, Schadler & Gold, PLLC)

Leadership Quotes

Founder Nancy Susan Reynolds: "Foundations need to be experimental. They need to take risks . . . and face some of the more critical and controversial issues."

Former Executive Director Anna Lefer Kuhn (2008-2023): "What struck the foundation was that there was a robust set of organizations working on inequality issues, but very few that had the capacity and infrastructure to respond to the [2008] crisis."

On emerging movements: "A lot of the most exciting organizing in this moment was nonexistent five years ago. Emerging leaders and organizations are engaging folks in new ways on complicated structural issues... That's the role of smaller foundations: Be in early on issues that may be complicated."

Current Executive Director Jennifer Pae: "This is an exciting and an incredibly important time to work closely with partners in philanthropy and organizations that are making concrete changes in people's lives."

President Nicole Bagley: "Our current and future grantees will be well served by her [Pae's] deep understanding of grassroots organizing, empowering communities, and civic engagement."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The Arca Foundation operates on an invitation-only basis. Organizations are invited to apply in early January (for the spring cycle) and early August (for the fall cycle).

The foundation accepts three types of grant requests:

1. General Support Requests
2. Project Support Requests
3. Fiscally Sponsored Project Requests

All grant requests must be from domestic public charities. The foundation does not provide emergency funding or consider out-of-cycle proposals unless specifically solicited.

Decision Timeline

• Board Meetings: Semi-annually (April-June and November-December)
• Invitation Timing: Early January (spring cycle) and early August (fall cycle)
• Proposal Deadlines: February 1 (spring) and August 1 (fall)
• Decision Notification: Email notification within 2-3 weeks following board meetings
• Total Timeline: Approximately 3-4 months from invitation to decision

Success Rates

Specific success rates are not publicly disclosed. In 2023, the foundation made 51 grants; in 2022, it made 53 grants totaling $3.9 million. In 2024, the foundation made 27 grants totaling $2.4 million.

Reapplication Policy

The foundation does not automatically renew grants. Each proposal is evaluated independently, and previous grantees are not guaranteed future funding. However, the foundation may fund former grantees if the work merits continued funding. There is no specified waiting period for reapplication for invited organizations.

Application Success Factors

Based on the foundation's stated priorities and approach:

What Arca Looks For:

• Early-stage innovation: As a "seed funder," Arca prioritizes new projects or organizations on the leading edge of progressive policy rather than providing long-term sustaining support
• Structural change focus: Organizations that address root causes and work to "unrig the rules" of the economy and democracy, not just symptoms
• Grassroots power: Projects that blend policy expertise with authentic grassroots organizing and community leadership
• Movement building: Highly adaptive, results-focused approaches rooted in communities and capable of generating collective action
• Racial and economic justice integration: Work that explicitly addresses how financial practices and economic structures impact communities of color

Recent Grant Examples (2024):

• Tides Foundation's Center for Working Families Fund: $200,000
• Blueprint North Carolina: $150,000 (general support)
• We the People (Southfield, Michigan): $150,000 (general support)
• United for Respect Education Fund (Brooklyn): $100,000 (general support)
• PowerSwitch Action's Athena Coalition (Oakland): $100,000

Geographic Preferences (2021-2024 strategy): During this period, Arca prioritized organizations in Florida, North Carolina, Michigan, and Wisconsin working on democratic inclusion, wealth, poverty, and race at the local and state level.

Foundation's Self-Description: Arca seeks "a movement away from the influence of concentrated corporate power on the policy agenda and toward the equitable engagement of historically under-represented communities."

Key Advice from the Foundation:

• Do not attempt to schedule meetings with staff
• Wait for email notifications about proposal status
• Understand that being a previous grantee does not ensure future funding
• Focus on demonstrating capacity for systemic change, not just service delivery

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Invitation-only process: There is no public application process; you must be invited to apply. Monitor their website or maintain relationships with foundation staff for potential future invitation opportunities.
• Seed funding philosophy: Position your request as early-stage, innovative work rather than ongoing operational support. Arca sees itself as launching new initiatives, not sustaining established programs.
• Structural change emphasis: Frame your work around systemic change and "unrigging the rules" rather than addressing symptoms. Policy impact and grassroots organizing are highly valued.
• Geographic strategy shifts: The foundation periodically adjusts geographic focus; recent emphasis was on Florida, North Carolina, Michigan, and Wisconsin (2021-2024). Watch for announcements about future strategic directions.
• Moderate grant sizes: Most grants range from $50,000-$75,000, with some as low as $25,000 and others up to $200,000. Budget requests accordingly.
• Patient timeline: With semi-annual board meetings and 2-3 week notification periods, expect 3-4 months from invitation to decision.
• No automatic renewals: Even successful grantees must make the case for continued funding with each new proposal; past support is not a guarantee of future grants.

References

• The Arca Foundation official website: https://www.arcafoundation.org/ (accessed January 2026)
• About Us page: https://www.arcafoundation.org/about-us/ (accessed January 2026)
• For Grant Applicants page: https://www.arcafoundation.org/for-grant-applicants/ (accessed January 2026)
• FAQs page: https://www.arcafoundation.org/for-grant-applicants/faqs/ (accessed January 2026)
• Board & Staff page: https://www.arcafoundation.org/about-us/board-staff/ (accessed January 2026)
• Press Release - Jennifer Pae appointment: https://www.arcafoundation.org/press-release/ (accessed January 2026)
• Inside Philanthropy, "What's Next for the Arca Foundation?": https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/whats-next-for-the-arca-foundation (accessed January 2026)
• Inside Philanthropy, "Unrigging the Rules: How This Funder Is Taking on Inequality": https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2017-11-28-unrigging-the-rules-arca-foundation-structural-inequality-grants (accessed January 2026)
• Arca Foundation profile, Instrumentl: https://www.instrumentl.com/990-report/arca-foundation (accessed January 2026)
• Arca Foundation, Cause IQ: https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/arca-foundation,132751798/ (accessed January 2026)
• Arca Foundation, ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/132751798 (accessed January 2026)
• Arca Foundation Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arca_Foundation (accessed January 2026)