Posner Foundation

Private foundation · EIN 25-6055022 · since 1965posnerfoundation.org·International, Pittsburgh·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$25.4M

Annual giving, 2024 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$25,000 to $500k

Grant range

From grants in the 990-PF filings

$100k

Typical grant (median)

112 grants in the latest filing

Invitation only

Unsolicited applications are not accepted

This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.

Key takeaways

The foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals, so start with its contact form rather than sending a written request out of the blue.
Your work fits if it falls within its stated areas of education, environment, civil society, global issues or Jewish life, with a worldwide focus and Pittsburgh as its stated priority.
Most of its grants are modest: about 8 in 10 fall between $25,000 and $500,000, the median is $100,000, and half of its grants to organisations are $100,000 or less, so a request in that region is the realistic size.
In the filing, 86% of its grant dollars went to organisations it had also funded in earlier filings, and it says it values strong partner relationships, so a first approach should be patient and built on existing contact.
Groups with no route in to the foundation are unlikely to be considered through an unsolicited approach.

Overview

Posner Foundation is a US private foundation based in Pittsburgh, PA.

What they fund

Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.

Priority Areas

The foundation invests in organisations across the globe and in Pittsburgh, seeking high-leverage opportunities for long-term structural solutions to social, economic and environmental challenges. Its stated priority areas are education, environment, civil society, global initiatives and Jewish life. In education, it supports first-generation students' access to and completion of college, education for vulnerable young people affected by displacement, and literacy across learning stages. Its environmental work includes food-waste prevention, climate resilience, climate-smart agriculture and landfill diversion. Civil-society work includes support for immigrant and refugee neighbours, journalism, gun-violence reduction and voting rights. Global initiatives address displacement, public health, civil society and migrants' rights; Jewish-life giving supports Jewish populations and congregations, youth education, historic preservation, archiving and research. It values strong partner relationships and invests in long-term visions, including where others may not.

Themes

Education
Environment
Civil society
Global issues
Jewish life

Geographic Focus

Across the globe. Priority: Pittsburgh.

How to apply

The foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals; interested parties may use its contact form to communicate with it.

Application success factors

Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 86% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 266 grants to organisations were $100,000 or less.

What the foundation says:

It seeks high-leverage opportunities for long-term structural solutions to social, economic and environmental challenges.
It values strong relationships with partners and seeks to invest in their long-term visions.
It seeks opportunities to invest where others may not.

Where grants go

From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.

Grant dollars by state

Pennsylvania41%

New York21%

District of Columbia9%

Connecticut4%

Washington4%

California4%

6 other states: 13%

Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 5%

The largest single recipient received 16% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2024, 86% of grant dollars went to organisations Posner Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
2% of grant dollars went directly to organisations outside the US (United Kingdom).
4% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.

Grants

112 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $100k

How much do they typically give?

Share of 112 grants in tax year 2024 by size

$25k–$50k21%

$50k–$100k27%

$100k–$250k25%

$250k–$500k14%

$500k–$1M7%

$1M and over6%

Median $100k (tax year 2024)

The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:

Carnegie Mellon University · Unrestricted/ general use
$3,050,0002024 tax year
ACLU Foundation · Unrestricted/ general use
$2,000,0002024 tax year
ReFED · Unrestricted/ general use
$1,250,0002024 tax year
Union for Reform Judaism · Unrestricted/ general use
$1,075,0002024 tax year
Simmons University · Unrestricted/ general use
$1,000,0002024 tax year
Save the Children · Unrestricted/ general use
$1,000,0002024 tax year
Primary Care Health Services · Unrestricted/ general use
$1,000,0002024 tax year
Village Capital · Unrestricted/ general use
$800,0002024 tax year

Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.

Officers and directors

John F Hensler — Trustee
Anne M Molloy — Trustee
Paul M Posner — Trustee
Henry Posner III — Trustee

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

3 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$21,695,625	$18,030,717	$278,100,954	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$20,703,667	$17,092,753	$304,555,270	Filing for 2023 tax year
2024 tax year	$29,659,320	$25,443,473	$332,481,651	Filing for 2024 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.