Vital Projects Fund
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- Vital Projects Fund does not accept unsolicited requests and makes contributions only to organisations it has preselected, so a cold proposal is unlikely to be considered and the first step is finding a route to an invitation.
- If your work already sits within its themes, such as criminal justice reform, death penalty abolition or education, look for a connection that could lead to an introduction, because relationships appear to matter: 65% of its grant dollars to organisations in its latest filing went to organisations it had also funded in an earlier filing.
- Half of its 253 grants across its recent filings were $75,000 or less, so a request sized within its stated grant range of $25,000 to $150,000, and nearer the lower end, is more realistic.
- The filings state no geographic focus, so location alone should not decide whether you apply.
Overview
Vital Projects Fund is a US private foundation based in New York, NY.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2023, TY2022) and web pages about the foundation (fmeproject.org), with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The foundation supports criminal justice reform, particularly death penalty abolition, while also making grants in arts and culture, education, health, human services and international development. Its public description identifies mass incarceration, parole and sentencing reform, and civil rights and legal advocacy among its criminal-justice priorities. It makes contributions to charitable organisations rather than carrying out direct charitable activities itself, and its filing identifies support to other charitable organisations exempt under section 501(c)(3) as its primary purpose. The filed grant purposes are recorded as general support, rather than identifying specific funded projects.
Themes
- Criminal justice reform
- Death penalty abolition
- Arts and culture
- Education
- Health
- Human services
- International development
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in New York, Massachusetts, California, District of Columbia, Louisiana and the United States.
How to apply
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organisations and does not accept unsolicited requests; the filing gives no public submission route.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2023 filing, 65% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022 and TY2023 filings, half of its 253 grants to organisations were $75,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- It identifies death penalty abolition as the primary focus among its criminal-justice priorities. (as reported in other published sources)
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2023.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: 15%
Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 14%
- The largest single recipient received 16% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2023, 65% of grant dollars went to organisations Vital Projects Fund had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 21% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 132 grants in tax year 2023 by size
Median $73,525 (tax year 2023)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Proteus Fund · General support$2,705,0002023 tax year
- New York-Presbyterian Hospital – Weill Cornell Medical School · General support$675,0002023 tax year
- Civil Rights Corps · General support$560,0002023 tax year
- Louisiana Parole Project · General support$500,0002023 tax year
- Portland Institute for Contemporary Art · General support$397,0002023 tax year
- Tulane University · General support$300,0002023 tax year
- Texas Defender Service · General support$300,0002023 tax year
- Investigative Reporters and Editors · General support$282,0002023 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Ronay Menschel — Director
- Lauren E Menschel — Secretary / Director
- Richard L Menschel — Director
- Jay Rivlin — Director
- Marianne Sammarco — Assistant Secretary
- David F Menschel — President / Director / Treasurer
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
2 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $15,563,684 | $14,912,000 | $357,215,240 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $16,501,669 | $15,743,550 | $355,366,296 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
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At a glance
Applying to Vital Projects Fund?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- New York, NY
Applying to Vital Projects Fund?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- New York, NY