Skip to content
Sy Syms Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Sy Syms Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$2.4M
Granted FY2025still arriving
1
Grants FY2025still arriving
1
States reached
$2.4M
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0199% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2021 to 2025.

Arts & Culture$4.1MPhilanthropy$3.2MEducation$2.1MHealth$1.4MHuman Services$723kCommunity Improvement$465kFood & Nutrition$400kPublic Safety & Disaster$400kOther$0
02FY2025 · 1 grant

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$2,362,380
Median grant
1
States reached
$28M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
CONTRIBUTIONS 512024 - 4302025 - DETAIL AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST$2,362,380
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY21–24, $303k) land where the poverty rate runs at 15%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 77% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%Childrens Global Health Fund: $35k → 9%Childrens Global Health Fund: $35k → 9%WOMEN'S ENEWS: $108k → 17%WOMEN'S ENEWS: $50k → 17%WOMEN'S ENEWS: $50k → 17%WOMEN'S ENEWS: $25k → 17%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.

Which US states its grants reach

NY
MA
OH
NJ
CT
CA
CO
AZ
DC
FL
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

68%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$9.7M · 52 repeat orgs$4.6M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +19% since the first grant, against +12% for those funded once.

52 repeat relationships: 0 still active in FY2025, 52 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

52
38

Total granted

$9.7M
$2.2M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+19%
+12%

Still filing today

48%
29%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 0% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $2.4M went to new ones.

50%100%’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’21’22’23’24’25
Arts & CultureInternationalHealthHuman ServicesFood & NutritionEducationOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO INC
    4× · 2021–2024 · $1.1M · revenue +23%
  • AF
    American Friends of Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
    3× · 2022–2024 · $405k · revenue +19%
  • PROJECT SUNSHINE INC
    4× · 2021–2024 · $240k · revenue +41%

Funded once

  • WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INCgraduated
    one grant, 2021 · $200k · revenue +167%
  • BM
    BOWERY MISSION - NEW YORK NY RELIEF EFFORTS
    one grant, 2021 · $200k
  • C
    CITYMEALS-ON-WHEELS
    one grant, 2021 · $200k · revenue -6%
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Public Media Nj Inc

To bring quality public television programs and resources to communities throughout new jersey and its tri-state neighbors. its content, both on-air and online, aims to reflect the diverse

Arts & Culture
2
The Paris Review Foundation Inc

The mission of the organization is to foster the development of creative individuals as writers and artists and to promote public appreciation of excellence in the literary and graphic arts by publishing a magazine containing fiction,…

Education
3
Npr Foundation

The npr foundation ("foundation") is organized and operated exclusively for the benefit of its sole supported organization, national public radio, inc. ("npr inc."). the foundation supports npr inc. through various activities such as…

—
4
Manhattanville University

To educate students to be ethical and socially responsible leaders in a global community.

Education
5
United States Naval Institute

Provide an independent forum for those who dare to read, think, speak, and write to advance the professional, literary, and scientific understanding of sea power and other issues critical to global security.

—
6
New York Foundation for the Arts Inc

Established in 1971, the mission of the new york foundation for the arts (nyfa) is to empower artists in all disciplines, as well as cultural workers, to achieve success on their own terms by providing critical support, resources, and…

Arts & Culture
7
The Jewish Museum

The mission of the jewish museum is to collect, preserve, exhibit and interpret art and jewish culture. see schedule o for more information.

Arts & Culture
8
Manhattan Institute for Policy Research Inc

The manhattan institute is a community of scholars, journalists, activists, and civic leaders dedicated to advancing opportunity, individual liberty, and the rule of law in america and its great cities.

Public Benefit
9
University Associates in Obstetrics and Gynecology University Faculty Pract ice Corporation

Provide clinical instruction to and supervision of medical school students, interns and residents and, incident thereto, rendering professional services.

Health
10
University of New Haven

The University of New Haven is a student-centered comprehensive university with an emphasis on excellence in liberal arts and professional education. Our mission is to prepare our students to lead purposeful and fulfilling lives in a…

Education
11
New York School of Interior Design

New york school of interior design provides the most innovative, immersive, and transformative interior design education in the world, demonstrating the impact of professionally designed interiors on the health, happiness, and well-being…

Education
12
Neurology Associates of Stony Brook University Faculty Practice Corp

Provide clinical instruction to and supervision of medical school students, interns and residents and, incident thereto, rendering professional services.

Health
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Ms Foundation for Women Inc; the most unlike its peers is Museum of the City of New York. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

38 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 38 of the 93 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

2
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
38/38
Grantees still filing
23/38
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

CONTRIBUTIONS 512024 - 4302025 - DETAIL AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST: $2,362,380 · OtherCONTRIBUTIONS 512024 - 4302025 - DETAIL AVAILABLE UPON REQUESTYESHIVA UNIVERSITY NEW YORK NY - SY SYMS BUSINESS SCHOOL: $1,350,000 · OtherYESHIVA UNIVERSITY NEW YORK NY - SY SYMS BUSINESS SCHOOLMARKETPLACE FROM AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA LOS ANGELES CA: $625,000 · OtherMARKETPLACE FROM AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA LOS ANGELES CACOLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW: $422,500 · OtherJDC: $400,000 · OtherGesher Foundation USA: $325,000 · Other+59 more: $3,415,800 · Other+59 moreNATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO INC: $1,050,000 · Arts & CultureNATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO INCWNET: $899,460 · Arts & CultureWNETPEN AMERICAN CENTER INC: $425,000 · Arts & CulturePEN AMERICAN CENTER INCAmerican Friends of Israel Philharmonic Orchestra: $405,000 · Arts & CultureAmerican Friends of Israe…MANHATTAN THEATRE CLUB INC: $130,000 · Arts & CultureMUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK: $110,000 · Arts & Culture+5 more: $220,000 · Arts & Culture+5 moreBARROW NEUROLOGICAL FOUNDATION: $400,250 · HealthPROJECT SUNSHINE INC: $240,000 · HealthPLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC: $135,000 · HealthAMERICAN COMMITTEE FOR THE WEIZMANN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE INC: $225,200 · InternationalWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $200,000 · InternationalISRAEL TENNIS CENTERS FOUNDATION INC: $40,000 · InternationalMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $30,000 · International+1 more: $5,000 · InternationalCITYMEALS-ON-WHEELS: $200,000 · Food & NutritionCITY HARVEST INC: $200,000 · Food & NutritionWOMEN'S E-NEWS: $232,500 · Human ServicesCHILDRENS GLOBAL HEALTH FUND INC: $70,000 · Human Services+1 more: $10,000 · Human ServicesTIKVA CORP: $125,000 · EducationNEW YORK SCHOOL OF THE ARTS INC: $55,000 · EducationPresident and Fellows of Harvard College: $20,000 · EducationTHE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK: $10,000 · Education
Other$8,900,680Arts & Culture$3,239,460Health$775,250International$500,200Food & Nutrition$400,000Human Services$312,500Education$210,000

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetNATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO INC: $1,050,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetWNET: $899,460 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetPEN AMERICAN CENTER INC: $425,000 over 3y, 0.9% of budgetAmerican Friends of Israel Philharmonic Orchestra: $405,000 over 3y, 5.0% of budgetBARROW NEUROLOGICAL FOUNDATION: $400,250 over 4y, 0.3% of budgetPROJECT SUNSHINE INC: $240,000 over 4y, 1.5% of budgetWOMEN'S E-NEWS: $232,500 over 4y, 75% of budgetAMERICAN COMMITTEE FOR THE WEIZMANN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE INC: $225,200 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $200,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetCITYMEALS-ON-WHEELS: $200,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetCITY HARVEST INC: $200,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetPLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC: $135,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetMANHATTAN THEATRE CLUB INC: $130,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetTIKVA CORP: $125,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetMUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK: $110,000 over 2y, 0.6% of budgetLEGAL MOMENTUM: $100,000 over 1y, 5.1% of budgetGirl Scouts of Greater NY Inc: $95,000 over 4y, 0.3% of budgetCHILDRENS GLOBAL HEALTH FUND INC: $70,000 over 2y, 3.5% of budgetTHE JEWISH WOMEN'S ARCHIVE INC: $70,000 over 4y, 2.9% of budgetWOMEN'S FORUM OF NEW YORK INC: $65,000 over 3y, 11% of budgetNEW YORK SCHOOL OF THE ARTS INC: $55,000 over 3y, 1.2% of budgetMUSEUM OF ARTS AND DESIGN: $55,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetVETERAN FEMINISTS OF AMERICA: $45,000 over 2y, 38% of budgetJAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER INC: $40,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetTHE YOUNG MEN'S AND YOUNG WOMEN'S HEBREW ASSOCIATION: $40,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetISRAEL TENNIS CENTERS FOUNDATION INC: $40,000 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetLOWER EAST SIDE TENEMENT MUSEUM: $35,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $30,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMS FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetNEW YORK YOUTH SYMPHONY INC: $20,000 over 3y, 0.6% of budgetTHE LEGAL AID SOCIETY: $20,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPresident and Fellows of Harvard College: $20,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE SYMPHONY SPACE INC: $15,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetSANCTUARY FOR FAMILIES INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSEEDS OF PEACE INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE AUTHORS GUILD INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetPUBLIC COMMUNICATORS INC: $2,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

  • Who funds NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO INC ↗
  • Who funds WNET ↗
  • Who funds PEN AMERICAN CENTER INC ↗
  • Who funds American Friends of Israel Philharmonic Orchestra ↗
  • Who funds BARROW NEUROLOGICAL FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds PROJECT SUNSHINE INC ↗
  • Who funds WOMEN'S E-NEWS ↗
  • Who funds AMERICAN COMMITTEE FOR THE WEIZMANN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE INC ↗
  • Who funds WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC ↗
  • Who funds CITYMEALS-ON-WHEELS ↗
  • Who funds CITY HARVEST INC ↗
  • Who funds PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC ↗
  • Who funds MANHATTAN THEATRE CLUB INC ↗
  • Who funds TIKVA CORP ↗
  • Who funds MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK ↗
  • Who funds LEGAL MOMENTUM ↗
  • Who funds Girl Scouts of Greater NY Inc ↗
  • Who funds CHILDRENS GLOBAL HEALTH FUND INC ↗

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

The Ford FoundationAmerican Online Givin…National Philanthropi…Fidelity Investments …Donor Advised Charita…Amazonsmile Foundation
The Ford FoundationNY12.7× affinity4 shared granteesties to 5 of 5Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Ford Foundation · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Amazonsmile Foundation

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization Sy Syms Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Sy Syms Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 30%5%19%42%75%funder's share of their income ↑0%10%20%30%40%share of the org’s income from government →median 7%
  • President and Fellows of Harvard College: 7% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
3get no government money at all
9report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–40%
typical government reliance, FY20–25
How this is measured
Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.
05Through Plinth

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to Sy Syms Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Sy Syms Foundation through trustees and officers whose names appear on both boards. Search for your organization and Plinth traces the shortest route it can evidence.

Each link is a name appearing on two organizations’ public IRS 990 filings, matched on that name and, where the filings support it, on location. A same-state match has geographic support, which is a second matching feature rather than confirmation that the two are one person; a cross-state one is the likeliest to be two people who share a name. Every hop shows its tier, low-confidence and distant paths are held back rather than guessed, and it is worth confirming the person before you use the introduction.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 93 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Sy Syms’ filings →

More from the funding graph

The unnamed billions
grants reported with no recipient in the public record
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
The endowment market
who holds foundation money, and what just moved
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home