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Private foundation (trust)EIN 366078558Est. 1993-07

THE SPENCER FOUNDATION

CHICAGO, IL 60611

Accepts unsolicited proposals
WebsiteDraft an application for THE SPENCER FOUNDATION

Total Assets

$664.8M

FY 2024

Annual Giving

$24.3M

FY 2024

Grants Made

214

FY 2024

Avg Grant

$114K

FY 2024

Grant Range

$5K–$2.5M

Typical

Deadlines

Deadlines posted on foundation's websi…

Applications

Programs & Activities

Program 1

$927K

Members of the program staff, working individually and in small teams, conduct independent educational research that produces knowledge to help the spencer foundation and other foundations and institutions engaged in education research and related fields to improve their policies and practices. These staff members produce internal documents, publications, and presentations aimed at a broader audience of education researchers and , when relevant, practitioners and policymakers.

Focus Areas

Education

Financial Snapshot

2024 filing

Total Revenue

$235.6M

Total Expenses

$36.1M

Qualifying Distributions

$36.7M

Distributable Amount

$30.1M

Min. Investment Return

$33.2M

Payout rate 100%Arc chart showing what share of IRS distributable amount was paid out as qualifying distributions in the latest filing.100%

Payout rate

Qualifying distributions as a share of distributable amount.

Grant Range

214 grants

Grant sizes from minimum $5K through median $75K to maximum $2.5M, shown on a logarithmic scale.

Logarithmic scale — typical grant portfolios span orders of magnitude, so distances are proportional to multiplicative change, not dollar gaps.

Giving Over Time

3 years

Giving over time from 2022 to 2024. Peak $24.3M in 2024. Hover bars for details.

Total dollars recorded per filing year. Scale adjusts to the foundation's range.

Top Recipients

500 grants

NATIONAL ACADEMY OF EDUCATION
$12.7M
6 grants
WILLIAM T GRANT FOUNDATION
$1.9M
3 grants
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
$1.7M
14 grants
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
$1.3M
9 grants
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK
$1.2M
2 grants
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
$1.1M
8 grants
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
$1.1M
9 grants
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
$914K
12 grants

Grant Size Distribution

500 grants

<$10K
48
grants
$10–50K
194
grants
$50–250K
227
grants
$250K–1M
26
grants
$1–5M
5
grants
$5M+—

Geographic Focus

41 states

District of Columbia
$14.3M
26% of total
California
$6.9M
13% of total
New York
$6.8M
12% of total
Illinois
$2.8M
5% of total
Massachusetts
$2.7M
5% of total
Texas
$2.1M
4% of total
Pennsylvania
$2.1M
4% of total
Michigan
$1.6M
3% of total
Virginia
$1.3M
2% of total
North Carolina
$1.2M
2% of total

+31 more states

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