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Redlich Horwitz Foundation

Annual Giving
$3.5M
Grant Range
$10K - $0.3M

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $3.5 million
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
  • Decision Time: Varies by process (initial meeting → concept note → full application)
  • Grant Range: $10,000 - $300,000
  • Geographic Focus: New York State only

Contact Details

Overview

Established in 1986 by Catherine Redlich and Robert Horwitz, the Redlich Horwitz Foundation (RHF) is a family foundation with total assets of approximately $34.7 million. The foundation distributes approximately $3.5 million annually through 50 grants focused exclusively on transforming New York's child welfare and foster care systems. RHF takes an active, partnership-based approach to grantmaking, moving beyond transactional relationships to build deep, trusting connections with community groups aligned in movement building. The foundation centers lived-experience experts in leadership roles and prioritizes equity-centered work conducted by community-led organizations. One of the founders' three children is a former foster youth, and both Catherine and Rob are licensed foster parents in Columbia County, bringing personal commitment to their philanthropic work.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

RHF makes grants typically ranging from $10,000 to $300,000, with most grants being multi-year commitments. The median grant size is approximately $38,000. Recent grants have ranged from $4,000 to $170,000. The foundation gives approximately 50 grants per year.

Recent initiatives include:

  • Family First Readiness Initiative: Providing up to 27 counties with individualized consultation and grant-making support to implement the Family First Prevention Services Act
  • Open call for proposals for local community-based and grassroots organizations (first-ever open call, supporting counties outside NYC)
  • Participatory grantmaking initiatives (e.g., Youth and Families Forward)

Priority Areas

RHF's grantmaking focuses on three core strategic areas:

1. Permanency

  • Decreasing time in foster care through timely reunification, adoption, or kinship guardianship
  • Reducing re-entries into foster care by providing post-permanency supports to families
  • Ensuring every youth who ages out of the system is connected with a supportive adult committed to a lifelong, permanent relationship

2. System Change & Policy Reform

  • Advocating for reforms in child welfare reporting and institutional placements
  • Improving access to education for youth in foster care
  • Data-driven reforms and public policy initiatives
  • Reducing congregate care placements (target: maximum 12% of children in foster care)
  • Increasing certified kinship care (target: minimum 30% in approved kinship homes)
  • Supporting advocacy, storytelling, grassroots movement-building, and lobbying activities

3. Child Well-Being

  • Supporting mental, emotional, physical, and economic well-being
  • Addressing challenges facing youth aging out of foster care
  • Addressing root causes that bring families to the attention of child protective services (access to childcare, poverty reduction through tax credits, reduction of school suspensions)

Cross-cutting priorities:

  • Centering lived-experience experts in leadership, priority setting, and strategy implementation
  • Supporting community-led organizations that reflect the communities they serve
  • Championing the voices of system-impacted youth and families
  • Promoting shared power and decision-making

What They Don't Fund

  • Organizations outside New York State
  • Unsolicited proposals (see application process below)

Governance and Leadership

Board of Trustees:

  • Catherine Redlich (Co-Founder): Holds bachelor's and master's degrees in English literature from University of Michigan and a law degree from Harvard Law School. Following a federal judicial clerkship, she became the first woman partner at her New York law firm and co-founded Driscoll & Redlich, specializing in complex criminal litigation and regulatory matters. Licensed foster parent in Columbia County.

  • Robert Horwitz (Co-Founder): Graduate of University of Michigan and Harvard Business School. Worked on Wall Street, founding the high-yield bond department at Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette, and started RH Capital Associates, an investment management firm that operated a hedge fund for 23 years. Licensed foster parent in Columbia County.

The couple has three children, including one who is a former foster youth. Their daughters Jane and Grace Horwitz stay current on the foundation's work.

Staff:

  • Jessica Maxwell (Executive Director): Joined RHF as program officer in August 2021 and was appointed Executive Director in November 2023. Previously founded and led the Fostering Youth Success Alliance at Children's Aid in New York City, a statewide coalition focusing on budget, policy, and legislative reform. Her policy analysis expertise includes strategic leadership of high-impact legislative campaigns that have secured over $51 million in targeted state funding. Holds Master of Science in Urban Affairs from Hunter College with focus in Public Policy and Nonprofit Management.

  • Sarah Chiles (Senior Advisor): Joined the foundation in 2013 as its first executive director, serving for ten years. In partnership with the board of trustees, helped develop the foundation's strategic direction. Now serves as Senior Advisor.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Redlich Horwitz Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. The foundation states it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds."

However, the foundation proactively identifies potential grantees through several pathways:

1. Invitation-Based Process:

  • Engagement begins with an initial meeting or phone call with foundation staff
  • If the foundation determines alignment with their goals, organizations are invited to submit a one-page "concept note" outlining details of the organization and project
  • Following initial review of the concept note, selected organizations are invited to submit a full application
  • The foundation evaluates full applications to choose new grantees

2. Targeted Open Calls:

  • The foundation occasionally launches open calls for proposals for specific initiatives (e.g., their first-ever open call for local community-based and grassroots organizations working in counties outside NYC)
  • These open calls are announced on their website and through sector networks

3. County-Based Initiatives:

  • Through the Family First Readiness Initiative, RHF provides individualized consultation and capacity-building support to counties, which may lead to grant opportunities

Getting on Their Radar

The Redlich Horwitz Foundation takes a proactive approach to identifying potential grantees. Based on their documented approach:

Sector Engagement:

  • The foundation is deeply involved in New York's child welfare sector through partnerships with government agencies (particularly the Office of Children and Family Services)
  • Foundation staff actively participate in coalitions and collaborative funding efforts
  • They identify organizations through their work in convening sector stakeholders

Collaborative Networks:

  • RHF has been involved in funding collaborative efforts like the Fair Futures initiative, working alongside government and other funders
  • They recruit grantees through their extensive network in the child welfare reform space

Lived Experience Leadership:

  • The foundation prioritizes organizations with lived-experience experts in leadership roles
  • Organizations led by those with direct experience in the foster care system may be more likely to come to the foundation's attention

Documentation of Impact:

  • Organizations conducting county-level systems change work or producing research and reports relevant to foster care reform may be noticed by foundation staff
  • Success in securing state funding or implementing innovative approaches to child welfare may attract foundation interest

Decision Timeline

Timeline varies depending on the pathway:

  • Initial meetings with foundation staff precede formal application
  • Concept note review period not publicly disclosed
  • Full application review period not publicly disclosed
  • Multi-stage process suggests timeline of several months from initial contact to funding decision

Success Rates

The foundation makes approximately 50 grants per year from total assets of $34.7 million. Specific application-to-award ratios are not publicly disclosed.

Reapplication Policy

Not publicly disclosed. Given the multi-year nature of most grants and the invitation-based application process, relationship-building with foundation staff is key.

Application Success Factors

Based on the foundation's documented priorities and approach:

1. Centering Lived Experience RHF explicitly funds organizations "that centers on lived-experience experts in leadership, priority setting, and strategy implementation roles." Organizations with foster youth, parents with child welfare system involvement, or other directly impacted individuals in leadership positions are prioritized.

2. Community-Led and Equity-Centered The foundation "prioritizes funding equity-centered work conducted by community-led organizations with experienced nonprofit professionals that reflect the community it seeks to serve."

3. Alignment with Systems Change Goals Successful projects align with RHF's specific targets:

  • Reducing congregate care to maximum 12% of children in foster care
  • Increasing certified kinship care to minimum 30% in approved kinship homes
  • Supporting timely permanency through reunification, adoption, or kinship guardianship

4. Partnership Approach Sarah Chiles noted a key lesson: "witnessing how this committee prioritized building deep, trusting relationships with community groups, and in the process shifted us from a more transactional approach to grantmaking to one that is truly aligned and supportive in movement building." The foundation seeks partners, not just grantees.

5. Demonstrated Policy Impact Organizations with track records in advocacy, securing state funding, or influencing policy reform are valued. Jessica Maxwell's background in securing "$51 million in targeted state funding" reflects the foundation's appreciation for policy impact.

6. Championing Youth and Family Voice The foundation "champions the voices of system-impacted youth and families and encourages shared power and decision-making to identify concrete solutions that uphold parental rights, expand community resources, and shift the system's focus from surveillance to support."

7. Example Funded Organizations Recent grantees include:

  • You Gotta Believe (older youth adoption and permanent connections)
  • The Door (comprehensive youth services)
  • Heartshare St. Vincent's Services (child welfare services)

8. Grassroots and Local Focus While RHF funds statewide coalitions, they also prioritize "local grassroots organizations" and "community-support efforts," particularly in counties outside NYC.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Relationship building is essential: With no public application process, getting on RHF's radar requires active engagement in New York's child welfare sector and demonstrating alignment with their values
  • Lived experience in leadership is non-negotiable: Organizations must demonstrate that people with direct foster care/child welfare system experience are in meaningful leadership roles, not just advisory positions
  • Think systems change, not services alone: RHF prioritizes work that transforms systems, influences policy, and scales successful approaches—not just providing direct services
  • Multi-year commitment: Most grants are multi-year, suggesting RHF invests in sustained partnerships rather than one-off projects
  • Geographic specificity matters: Focus must be exclusively on New York State; the foundation is particularly interested in supporting counties outside NYC
  • Family First Act alignment: Demonstrating connection to reducing congregate care and increasing kinship care aligns with current foundation priorities
  • Collaborative approach: RHF values organizations that work in coalition with others and can leverage foundation funding to secure additional public or private resources

References

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