Trust for Mutual Understanding (TMU)

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: $3,947,880 (2024)
• Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
• Decision Time: 2-3 weeks for initial inquiry response
• Grant Range: $4,000 - $173,000 (median: $25,000)
• Geographic Focus: USA-based applicants funding exchanges with 25 countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Contact Details

• Website: tmuny.org
• Address: 28 Hubert Street, New York, NY 10013
• Application Portal: tmuny.fluxx.io
• Contact Page: tmuny.org/contact

Overview

The Trust for Mutual Understanding (TMU) was founded in 1984 by Sandra Ferry Rockefeller as a private grantmaking foundation dedicated to promoting improved communication, closer cooperation, and greater respect between the people of the United States and nations of the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. TMU holds assets of approximately $25.7 million and distributed approximately $3.9 million in grants across 72 awards in 2024.

TMU's mission is rooted in a deep conviction that international, person-to-person contact and collaboration supports global harmony. The foundation funds professional exchanges in the arts, the environmental sciences, and at the intersection of these two fields between US-based professionals and counterparts in 25 countries across Eastern Europe and Central Asia. TMU places particular emphasis on building long-term, trust-based relationships and combating isolationism.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

• Professional Exchange Grants: $4,000 - $173,000 - Supports exchanges in arts, environment, and their intersection between US and Eastern Europe/Central Asia (Application via online portal with bi-annual deadlines)

Priority Areas

• Contemporary dance, music, theater, and visual arts collaborations
• Environmental stewardship: biodiversity preservation, ecosystem protection, environmental science
• Indigenous and Native community-led activities connecting traditional knowledge with environmental and artistic practice
• Projects with sustained collaboration potential and direct professional interaction
• Network-building for nongovernmental arts and environmental organizations

What They Don't Fund

• Exchanges focused on architecture, film, video, or literature
• Projects where primary participants are students or youth
• Direct grants to individuals or non-US institutions
• Projects outside the specified 25-country geographic focus
• One-time events without ongoing relationship plans

Governance and Leadership

Executive Director: Barbara Lanciers Board Chair: Susan Berresford (Former President, Ford Foundation) Notable Trustees: Valerie Rockefeller (Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors), Elizabeth Campbell (Rockefeller Brothers Fund)

TMU's founding conviction: "We continue to believe strongly in the conviction of our donor, Sandra Ferry Rockefeller, that supporting international, person-to-person contact and collaboration supports global harmony."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Two-stage application process via online portal at tmuny.fluxx.io:

1. Initial Inquiry: Submit online before deadline
2. Full Proposal: By invitation only after inquiry approval

US 501(c)(3) or tribal 7871 status required, or work through a fiscal sponsor. Administrative costs may not exceed 30% of total eligible direct expenses.

Decision Timeline

• Cycle 1: Inquiry by May 1 → Full Proposal by August 1 (projects starting January 1+)
• Cycle 2: Inquiry by November 1 → Full Proposal by February 1 (projects starting July 1+)
• Initial inquiry review: 2-3 weeks with email notification

Success Rates

72 grants made in 2024. Application numbers not disclosed, but competition is meaningful given relatively small number of annual awards.

Reapplication Policy

Unsuccessful applicants may reapply in subsequent cycles (two opportunities per year).

Application Success Factors

Based on TMU's documented priorities:

1. Demonstrate sustained collaboration potential: Frame the exchange as part of a long-term partnership, not a one-time event
2. Show professional accomplishment: Lead with participant credentials and artistic/environmental significance
3. Community rootedness: Show how the exchange engages local communities on both sides
4. Use TMU's language: "reciprocity," "trust," "mutual understanding," "people-to-people connection"
5. Stay within eligible fields: Avoid architecture, film, video, literature
6. Adult professionals only: Make clear all key participants are adult professionals
7. Budget properly: Keep administrative costs within 30% cap

Recent major grantees include Young Visual Artists Award Program ($173,000), Residency Unlimited Inc ($144,000), and CEC ArtsLink Inc ($115,000).

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Highly focused funder with non-negotiable geographic (25 specific countries) and thematic (arts/environment) parameters
• Median grant is $25,000; budget requests should be proportionate to exchange scale
• Two fixed application cycles per year - missing inquiry deadline means waiting months
• US 501(c)(3) status or fiscal sponsorship required before application
• Indigenous/Native-led projects at arts-environment intersection are a growing priority
• Board reflects deep Rockefeller philanthropic network ties
• Plan for action-oriented photo documentation of exchanges for final reports

References

• Trust for Mutual Understanding official website: tmuny.org - accessed February 2026
• TMU Application Portal: tmuny.fluxx.io - accessed February 2026
• ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer - Trust For Mutual Understanding: projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/133212724 - 2024 Form 990-PF data
• Grantmakers.io Profile: grantmakers.io/profiles/v1/133212724 - 2024 grant statistics
• Cause IQ Profile: causeiq.com/organizations/trust-for-mutual-understanding,133212724 - 2023 grant data
• FundsforNGOs: Trust for Mutual Understanding Grant Program details - accessed February 2026
• Instrumentl: Trust for Mutual Understanding Grant information - accessed February 2026