S & L Marx Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- This foundation only accepts applications by invitation and does not accept unsolicited requests, so a cold approach is unlikely to succeed; focus instead on building a relationship that might lead to an invitation.
- Its giving is broad, spanning universities and schools, health and social services, arts and culture, Jewish community organisations, environmental conservation, food assistance, literacy and youth programmes, so many types of charitable work could in principle fit.
- Most grants are modest: about 8 in 10 of its 277 grants fall between $1,000 and $75,000, the median grant is $5,000, and half of its grants are $5,000 or less, so a modest request is realistic, even though it has made one grant as large as $1,500,000.
- The pattern of giving looks strongly relationship-led rather than open-competition, as 99% of its grant dollars went to organisations it had also funded the previous year, so new applicants face a steep climb without an existing connection.
- No geographic focus is stated, though its grants have mainly gone to organisations in Connecticut, New York and California.
Overview
S & L Marx Foundation is a US private foundation based in Wilmington, DE.
What they fund
Profile based on the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2023, TY2022) only: no website or other web source for the foundation was found. Every statement is checked against the filings. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
Its grants went to a broad range of charitable organisations. They supported universities and schools through research, library, scholarship, student-support, college-access and faculty-development purposes. Health and social-service grants included medical research, patient care, social-work training and family services. Other grants supported arts and cultural activity, including museums and music education, as well as Jewish community organisations, environmental conservation, food assistance, literacy and youth programmes. Some grants supported facilities, endowments or programme development; others were unrestricted or for general operating support. The record includes recipients across multiple states.
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in Connecticut, New York and California.
How to apply
The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2023 filing, 99% 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 277 grants to organisations were $5,000 or less.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2023.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: 2%
- The largest single recipient received 35% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2023, 99% of grant dollars went to organisations S & L Marx Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 2% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 136 grants in tax year 2023 by size
Median $5,000 (tax year 2023)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Yale University · Data Science Library fund$1,500,0002023 tax year
- Stanford University - GSB · BOLD Fellows Fund for Student Support$250,0002023 tax year
- Jewish Board Of Family & Childrens Services Inc · Social Work Residency program$250,0002023 tax year
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine · Einstein Aging Study Research Program$250,0002023 tax year
- Hospital for Special Surgery Fund · Musculoskeletal Research fund under the direction of Dr. Ugur Ayturk, PhD$200,0002023 tax year
- Lets Get Ready Inc · expansion of College Access and Success Program$150,0002023 tax year
- Williams College · Tutorial Endowment fund$150,0002023 tax year
- Child Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut · Outdoor Treatment and Family Respite Area$125,0002023 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Sylvia Marx — Director, President
- Sarah Better — Director
- Nancy M Better — Executive Director, Secretary
- James Better — Director, Treasurer
- David Better — Director
- Charles Better — Director
- Laura Weintraub Beck — Director
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
2 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $5,364,257 | $4,699,300 | $90,977,105 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $5,375,670 | $4,694,550 | $100,490,494 | 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
Registers and filings
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At a glance
Applying to S & L Marx Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Wilmington, DE
Applying to S & L Marx Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Wilmington, DE