The Meg And Bennett Goodman Family Foundation

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: $29.6 million (2023)
• Total Assets: $69.8 million (2023)
• Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
• Grant Range: Varies widely - $15,000 to $25 million
• Geographic Focus: National, with focus on economic mobility and workforce development
• EIN: 31-1702105
• Foundation Type: Supporting organization to National Philanthropic Trust

Contact Details

Goodman Philanthropies

• Website: https://goodmanphilanthropies.org
• Contact Page: https://goodmanphilanthropies.org/contact
• Phone: Not publicly listed
• Email: Available through contact form on website

The Meg And Bennett Goodman Family Foundation

• Address: 165 Township Line Rd Ste 1200, Jenkintown, PA 19046
• Principal Officer: Christina Hack
• Trustees: Bennett J. Goodman and Margaret Louise Ehrich Goodman

Overview

The Meg And Bennett Goodman Family Foundation was established in 2000 as a supporting organization to National Philanthropic Trust (NPT). The foundation reported total assets of $69.8 million and distributed $29.6 million in grants in 2023. Operating under the Goodman Philanthropies umbrella, the foundation is dedicated to improving economic mobility in the United States, focusing its grantmaking around wage-building and wealth-building initiatives that contribute to their mission of dismantling barriers to upward mobility.

Bennett Goodman, co-founder of GSO Capital Partners (the credit arm of Blackstone) and Hunter Point Capital, is described as "living proof of the American promise of economic mobility, coming from very humble beginnings." Together with his wife Meg, and alongside their children, they focus on identifying barriers to economic mobility and developing solutions through strategic, impact-driven philanthropy. To date, Goodman Philanthropies has committed more than $70 million in grant funding. The foundation has received a Four-Star rating (94%) from Charity Navigator, reflecting its strong financial health and commitment to transparency.

Since 2015, the foundation has awarded 136 individual grants totaling $22.2 million across various focus areas, though economic mobility has emerged as the primary strategic priority in recent years.

Funding Priorities

Primary Focus: Economic Mobility

Goodman Philanthropies supports innovative, evidence-based solutions that expand economic mobility across the United States, prioritizing approaches that combine rigor, innovation, and scale to move the needle on poverty and opportunity.

Wage Building Initiatives

The foundation funds the design, pilot, scale, and efficacy research for U.S. career education and training programs and policies that:

• Lead to family-sustaining wages
• Cultivate career pathways and wage growth over time
• Connect diverse talent to employment opportunities
• Integrate education with workforce development

Wealth Building Initiatives

The foundation supports new and innovative tools, policies, and ideas that enable more low to moderate income Americans to participate in asset-building as a mechanism for sustained, intergenerational economic mobility.

Additional Focus Areas

The foundation has also provided grants in the areas of:

• Arts and Culture: Long-time supporters of Whitney Museum of American Art and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
• Religion: Support for Jewish American causes
• Human Services: Community support programs
• Health: New York Presbyterian Hospital & Health System
• Education: Charitable and educational purposes aligned with NPT's mission

Notable Grant Recipients

• Year Up (2022): $25 million gift ($15 million for innovative pilot programs, $10 million to endow the Garrett Moran Scholars fund)
• JVS Boston (2025): $1.8 million three-year grant for English 2 Employment program integrating ESOL instruction with workforce training

Governance and Leadership

Foundation Trustees

• Bennett J. Goodman - Co-Founder, GSO Capital Partners and Hunter Point Capital; Board member of Whitney Museum, Lincoln Center, Central Park Conservancy, and New York-Presbyterian Hospital
• Margaret Louise Ehrich Goodman (Meg) - Co-trustee
• Both serve without compensation

Goodman Philanthropies Leadership

• Pam Harder - Executive Director of Goodman Philanthropies, leads the organization's mission to expand economic mobility. Prior to this role, she led go-to-market sales strategy at Guild Education, a leading upskilling and career mobility platform for working adults. She has built her career at the intersection of education, workforce development, and financial inclusion.

Bennett Goodman's Perspective

"Our foundation's primary mission is to improve social mobility. Matching diverse talent to opportunity is the quickest path to sharing economic prosperity." - Bennett Goodman

The Goodmans' children advocated for the family foundation to focus on making significant donations to nonprofits addressing issues such as income inequality, believing this approach would have a more substantial impact than spreading smaller donations across multiple groups.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Goodman Philanthropies operates primarily through a strategic, proactive grantmaking approach rather than accepting unsolicited proposals through a formal open application process. Organizations interested in working with the foundation are encouraged to submit their information through the contact form on the Goodman Philanthropies website (https://goodmanphilanthropies.org/contact).

The foundation's website states: "If you're interested in working together or have a grant proposal you'd like to submit, fill out some info and we'll be in touch shortly."

Application Method: Contact form submission through website
Type: Primarily strategic/invitation-based with some openness to proposals
Response: Foundation indicates they will respond swiftly to inquiries

Getting on Their Radar

While the foundation does not have a traditional open application process, they appear open to learning about organizations working in their focus areas. Based on their grantmaking patterns:

• Focus on evidence-based approaches: Organizations should be able to demonstrate measurable impact and outcomes in workforce development or wealth building
• Scale potential: The foundation is interested in approaches that can "move the needle" - programs with potential for significant scale and replication
• Innovation: They seek organizations piloting new approaches or improving upon existing models with fresh insights
• Research and evaluation: Strong evaluation components and commitment to efficacy research appear valued
• Economic mobility alignment: Clear connection to helping low to moderate income Americans achieve family-sustaining wages or build wealth

The foundation's portfolio page (https://goodmanphilanthropies.org/portfolio) may provide insights into current grantees and funding priorities.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly disclosed. The foundation awarded 17 grants in 2023, 20 grants in 2022, and 7 grants in 2021, suggesting they evaluate and approve grants on an ongoing basis rather than fixed cycles.

Success Rates

Specific success rates are not publicly available. However, with 136 grants awarded over 8+ years (since 2015), the foundation makes selective, strategic investments rather than high-volume grantmaking. The concentration of resources into fewer, larger grants in recent years suggests an increasingly strategic approach.

Reapplication Policy

Not publicly disclosed. Given the foundation's strategic approach and relationship-based grantmaking, organizations should maintain communication with foundation leadership and provide updates on program outcomes and impact.

Application Success Factors

Strategic Alignment is Critical

Organizations seeking funding from Goodman Philanthropies should demonstrate:

1. Clear Economic Mobility Impact: Articulate how your program creates pathways to family-sustaining wages or enables wealth building for low to moderate income individuals. As Bennett Goodman stated, the foundation's "primary mission is to improve social mobility."

2. Evidence-Based Approach: The foundation is "committed to taking an evidence-based approach towards identifying and scaling what works, while spurring innovation, new insights, and fresh ideas." Include data, outcomes, and research backing your approach.

3. Scale and Rigor: Programs should "combine rigor, innovation, and scale to move the needle on poverty and opportunity." Demonstrate both your program's effectiveness and potential for broader impact.

4. Matching Talent to Opportunity: The foundation is particularly interested in programs that connect "diverse talent to opportunity" as the "quickest path to sharing economic prosperity."

5. Workforce Development Excellence: Recent grants to Year Up and JVS Boston demonstrate interest in comprehensive workforce development models that combine training, education, and employer connections.

Program Models That Resonate

Based on funded organizations:

• Career education and training programs leading to family-sustaining wages
• Programs serving young adults from underserved backgrounds
• Integration of education/language instruction with workforce development
• Programs with strong employer partnership networks
• Leadership development components (e.g., Garrett Moran Scholars at Year Up)
• National or multi-site programs with proven scalability

Key Differentiators

• Long-term commitment: The JVS Boston grant was structured as a three-year, $1.8 million commitment, suggesting openness to multi-year funding
• Pilot support: The Year Up grant included $15 million specifically for innovative pilot programs
• Endowment thinking: The $10 million endowed scholarship fund at Year Up demonstrates interest in sustainable, long-term impact
• Systems-level change: Interest in "tools, policies, and ideas" that enable participation in asset-building, not just direct services

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• This is a strategic, relationship-based funder: Don't expect a traditional RFP process. Focus on building awareness of your work through the contact form and demonstrating exceptional results.

• Think big and demonstrate scale potential: Recent grants range into the millions. This foundation is interested in significant investments that can create transformational change in economic mobility.

• Economic mobility must be central, not peripheral: While they support arts and culture personally, Goodman Philanthropies' institutional focus is laser-focused on wage building and wealth building for low to moderate income Americans.

• Evidence matters intensely: This is a data-driven, results-oriented funder. Come prepared with strong outcomes data, evaluation frameworks, and demonstrated impact.

• The family is personally engaged: The Goodmans and their children are actively involved in strategic decisions. Understanding their personal story (Bennett's own economic mobility journey) helps contextualize their philanthropic priorities.

• Innovation within proven models: They seek fresh approaches but grounded in evidence. The "English 2 Employment" grant to JVS Boston exemplifies this - it's described as "the nation's first comprehensive effort" combining ESOL and workforce development.

• Relationship building is essential: With Pam Harder as Executive Director, there is dedicated philanthropic leadership. Organizations should invest in building relationships and keeping the foundation updated on progress and outcomes.

References

1. Cause IQ - The Meg and Bennett Goodman Family Foundation profile. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/the-meg-and-bennett-goodman-family-foundation,311702105/ (Accessed February 2026)

2. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer - The Meg And Bennett Goodman Family Foundation (EIN 31-1702105). https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/311702105 (Accessed February 2026)

3. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer - Meg And Bennett Goodman Family Foundation (EIN 46-5316788). https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/465316788 (Accessed February 2026)

4. Charity Navigator - The Meg and Bennett Goodman Family Foundation Rating. https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/311702105 (Accessed February 2026)

5. Goodman Philanthropies - About Page. https://goodmanphilanthropies.org/about (Accessed February 2026)

6. Goodman Philanthropies - Contact Page. https://goodmanphilanthropies.org/contact (Accessed February 2026)

7. Goodman Philanthropies - Portfolio Page. https://goodmanphilanthropies.org/portfolio (Accessed February 2026)

8. Inside Philanthropy - Bennett and Meg Goodman profile. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/wall-street-donors/bennett-and-meg-goodman (Accessed February 2026)

9. Year Up press release - "Year Up Receives $25 Million from Meg and Bennett Goodman Family." https://www.yearup.org/about/newsroom/press/year-receives-25-million-gift-meg-and-bennett-goodman-family-foundation (Accessed February 2026)

10. JVS Boston - "Goodman Philanthropies Awards $1,800,000 Grant To Jewish Vocational Services (JVS) Boston To Launch New Program, English 2 Employment." https://www.jvs-boston.org/goodman-philanthropies-grant/ (Accessed February 2026)

11. The Chronicle of Philanthropy - "Financier and Wife Give $25 Million to Work-Force Development Charity." https://www.philanthropy.com/article/financier-and-wife-give-25-million-to-work-force-development-charity (Accessed February 2026)

12. Foundation Search - The Meg and Bennett Goodman Family Foundation. https://www.foundationsearch.com/topsp/3/the-meg-and-bennett-goodman-family-foundation-311702105.html (Accessed February 2026)

13. Whitney Museum of American Art - Board of Trustees. https://whitney.org/about/trustees (Accessed February 2026)

14. LinkedIn - Pam Harder profile. https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamharder/ (Referenced February 2026)