The Spencer Foundation

• Your work fits if it is education research, research training or field building, since those are the foundation's programmes, and it looks for rigorous, intellectually ambitious work aimed at lasting knowledge for policy, practice or educational discourse.
• Most of its grants are modest: about 8 in 10 fall between $7,500 and $170,000, and half of its grants to organisations were $50,000 or less, so a request in that region is typical, not a ceiling.
• Applications must come from an administering organisation with an IRS non-profit determination, such as a university, college, research organisation, school district or non-governmental organisation, and organisations outside the United States may also apply, but the foundation does not award grants directly to individuals.
• It accepts applications on a rolling basis, and an organisation not already in its database must ask to be added at least three business days before a deadline.
• Repeat giving is strong, with 81% of its grant dollars to organisations going to groups it had also funded in earlier filings, so a first approach should be carefully prepared and any existing relationship with the foundation is worth building before you ask.

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

• National Academy of Education · National academy of education/spencer postdoctoral fellowship programs (cohorts 24-25, 25-26, 26-27)
  $2,532,8352024 tax year
• National Academy of Education · National academy of education/spencer dissertation fellowship programs (cohorts 24-25, 25-26, 26-27)
  $1,753,0422024 tax year
• William T Grant Foundation · Support for the 2024 institutional challenge grant program at the william t. grant foundation
  $650,0002024 tax year
• William T Grant Foundation · Support for the 2025 institutional challenge grant program at the william t. grant foundation
  $650,0002024 tax year
• Columbia University in the City of New York · Spencer education journalism fellowship program, 2024 - 2028
  $593,6002024 tax year
• Michigan State University · Creating transformative possibility in schools and communities
  $483,0442024 tax year
• University of California Berkeley · Linguistic variation and disciplinary action on african american children in schools
  $392,6292024 tax year
• University of Kansas Center for Research · The tribal education department capacity building project
  $382,9062024 tax year

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

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.