Funding search · EIN 366078558 · Chicago, IL

The Spencer Foundation

Name: The Spencer Foundation grants, 2021–2024
Creator: PaperOrbit
License: https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/exempt-organization-public-disclosure-and-availability-requirements

A private foundation (files IRS Form 990-PF). Most private foundations do not take unsolicited applications; the route in is usually a program officer.

1,043
grants reported: $93.9M
total given: 2021–2024
filing years: $50,000
median grant

Based on grants this organization reported to the IRS for tax years 2021–2024. This is what they filed, not a complete record of their giving, and recent years may be incomplete because filings lag.

What they fund

education research school students educational community learning black

Funder website ↗Full IRS filings ↗How this is built Report an error

Funding pattern

What this funder pays for, at what size, and how to position adjacent work. Read from their filings, with every number checked against the record.

1 grant matching “higher education access” · $49,834

$49,834
Indian Institute for Human Settlements · 2022
Bridging the gap: Experience and challenges of enabling access to higher education

Top recipients

Repeat recipients are the strongest signal of whether a funder has an open door or quietly re-funds the same organizations.

National Academy of Education6 grants · $12.7M
National Academy of Education2 grants · $4.3M
The Regents of the University of California16 grants · $2.1M
The University of Texas at Austin18 grants · $1.7M
William T Grant Foundation4 grants · $1.6M
New York University14 grants · $1.5M
The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois18 grants · $1.4M
Northwestern University16 grants · $1.3M
William T Grant Foundation2 grants · $1.3M
The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York2 grants · $1.2M

Giving over time

$24.7M

2021

$24.9M

2022

$20.0M

2023

$24.3M

2024

Grant history

The 100 largest of 1,043 grants.

$3.7M
National Academy of Education · Washington, DC · 2022
NAEd/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (Cohorts 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24)
$2.6M
National Academy of Education · Washington, DC · 2022
NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship Program (Cohorts 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24)
$2.5M
National Academy of Education · Washington, DC · 2024
National academy of education/spencer postdoctoral fellowship programs (cohorts 24-25, 25-26, 26-27)
$2.5M
National Academy of Education · Washington, DC · 2021
NAEd/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (Cohorts 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24)
$1.8M
National Academy of Education · Washington, DC · 2024
National academy of education/spencer dissertation fellowship programs (cohorts 24-25, 25-26, 26-27)
$1.7M
National Academy of Education · Washington, DC · 2021
NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship Program (Cohorts 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24)
$1.3M
National Academy of Education · Washington, DC · 2023
National Academy of Education/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship Programs (Cohorts 24-25, 25-26, 26-27)
$876,521
National Academy of Education · Washington, DC · 2023
National Academy of Education/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship Programs (Cohorts 24-25, 25-26, 26-27)
$671,438
Pomona College · Claremont, CA · 2022
Don't Take That Tone With Me': Linguistic Variation and Disciplinary Action on African American Children in Schools
$650,000
William T Grant Foundation · New York, NY · 2024
Support for the 2024 institutional challenge grant program at the william t. Grant foundation
$650,000
William T Grant Foundation · New York, NY · 2024
Support for the 2025 institutional challenge grant program at the william t. Grant foundation
$650,000
William T Grant Foundation · New York, NY · 2021
Support for the 2022 Institutional Challenge Grant program at the William T. Grant Foundation
$649,678
William T Grant Foundation · New York, NY · 2023
Support for the 2023 Institutional Challenge Grant Program at the William T. Grant Foundation
$593,600
Columbia University in the City of New York · New York, NY · 2024
Spencer education journalism fellowship program, 2024 - 2028
$592,869
Columbia University in the City of New York · New York, NY · 2023
Spencer Education Journalism Fellowship Program, 2020-2024
$588,872
The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York · New York, NY · 2022
Spencer Education Journalism Fellowship Program, 2020-2024
$583,755
The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York · New York, NY · 2021
Spencer Education Journalism Fellowship Program, 2020-2024
$483,044
Michigan State University · East Lansing, MI · 2024
Creating transformative possibility in schools and communities
$400,000
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana · 2022
A Community Path to Higher Education: Pluriepistemic Research-Practice for Designing the Biocultural Indigenous University of the Inga People of Colombia
$399,730
Governing Council of the University of Toronto · 2022
Pedagogies of Community Engagement: Strengthening the Practice of Facilitation in Community-Based Projects and Partnerships
$399,006
University of Kwazulu-Natal · 2021
Comprehensive Sexuality Education Curriculum in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: A community-based participatory approach to contextually relevant programming
$392,629
University of California Berkeley · Berkeley, CA · 2024
Linguistic variation and disciplinary action on african american children in schools
$382,906
University of Kansas Center for Research · Lawrence, KS · 2024
The tribal education department capacity building project
$374,947
Governing Council of the University of Toronto · 2022
The Effects of Sustained Cash Transfers on Children's Education Outcomes
$315,312
Martin Chautari · 2023
History of the Public School Education in Nepal,1900-1990
$314,561
The Ohio State University · Columbus, OH · 2021
Longitudinal Peer Social Networks and Early Language Development: Transforming Understanding of Critical Features of Young Children's Classroom Experiences
$312,918
University of California Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA · 2023
Merit Financial Aid for Low-Income Students and Social Mobility
$310,440
The Ohio State University · Columbus, OH · 2022
Longitudinal Peer Social Networks and Early Language Development: Transforming Understanding of Critical Features of Young Children's Classroom Experiences
$309,617
Humboldt State University Sponsored Programs Foundation · Arcata, CA · 2022
Renewed Approaches to Education: Expanding Natinixwe Indigenous Language Resurgence
$306,773
The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania · Philadelphia, PA · 2021
Don't Take That Tone With Me': Linguistic Variation and Disciplinary Action on African American Children in Schools
$305,190
New York University · New York, NY · 2023
Organizing Family and Community: Collective Parent Action and Intergenerational Learning
$295,250
The Ohio State University · Columbus, OH · 2023
Longitudinal Peer Social Networks and Early Language Development: Transforming Understanding of Critical Features of Young Childrens Classroom Experiences
$288,687
New York University · New York, NY · 2022
Organizing Family and Community: Collective Parent Action and Intergenerational Learning
$276,458
The Regents of the University of California · Los Angeles, CA · 2021
A Cross-Cultural Study of Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy in Global Perspective
$275,544
University of Maryland at College Park · College Park, MD · 2022
Disparities in Investment in Children and Youth in the United States
$274,540
Flacso Argentina · 2024
History teaching through dialogical controversies
$267,696
University of Maryland at College Park · College Park, MD · 2021
Disparities in Investment in Children and Youth in the United States
$266,004
Metropolitan State University of Denver · Denver, CO · 2023
Centering Trauma-Informed Practices (TIP) to Sustain TIP Knowledge and Reduce Secondary Traumatic Stress in Novice Teachers: An Interdisciplinary Research-Practice Partnership.
$262,684
The Regents of the University of California · Los Angeles, CA · 2022
A Cross-Cultural Study of Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy in Global Perspective
$262,340
The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois · Chicago, IL · 2021
Leadership Activity in the Era of the Equity Director: Racial-Historical Contexts, Proliferation, and District Organizational Change
$258,750
Learning Policy Institute · Palo Alta, CA · 2021
Support for Two Post-Doctoral Scholars at the Learning Policy Institute
$251,425
The Education Trust · Washington, DC · 2021
Support for Two Post-Doctoral Scholars at The Education Trust
$250,947
The Regents of the University of California at Berkeley · Berkeley, CA · 2021
Transformative Justice at the Intersection of Schools and Teacher Education
$250,850
Boston University · Boston, MA · 2024
Re-imagining alternative education
$246,806
Boston University · Boston, MA · 2023
Re-imagining Alternative Education: Designing for Geographies of Care and Responsibility
$243,904
The University of Texas at Austin · Austin, TX · 2024
Admission, tuition, and housing
$242,956
Arizona State University Foundation for a New American University · Tempe, AZ · 2023
EYEPlay ADAPT:Expanding A University - Theater - School District Partnership to Support Early Literacy for Preschoolers with Diverse Abilities through Drama
$242,886
Trustees of Boston University · Boston, MA · 2022
Re-imagining Alternative Education: Designing for Geographies of Care and Responsibility
$242,668
University of Southern California · Los Angeles, CA · 2021
Race-related Messages, Traumatic Events Online and the Protective Function of Critical Media Literacy
$237,926
Trustees of Boston University · Boston, MA · 2021
Re-imagining Alternative Education: Designing for Geographies of Care and Responsibility
$233,519
University of Washington · Seattle, WA · 2021
Unpacking the Effects of Dual Credit Coursework on College Opportunity and Equity: A Mixed-Methods Comparative Study of Different Course Delivery Contexts
$229,772
University of Wisconsin-Madison · Madison, WI · 2024
Supplement for center for philosophical reflection on educational policy and practice
$225,000
William T Grant Foundation · New York, NY · 2021
Support for the 2021 Institutional Challenge Grant program at the William T. Grant Foundation
$221,301
Indiana University Bloomington · Bloomington, IN · 2024
Thriving in college
$220,508
The University of Texas at Austin · Austin, TX · 2021
Teacher Turnover and School Improvement: Examining the Mechanisms Through Which Instability Disrupts Schools, and How to Mitigate It
$217,568
University of Missouri - St Louis · Saint Louis, MO · 2023
Countering the Unintended Consequences of School Reforms: Communally-bonded Schools Reconnecting Black Students, Strengthening Communities, and Improving Educational Outcomes
$217,568
Curators of the University of Missouri On Behalf of the University of Misso · Saint Louis, MO · 2022
Countering the Unintended Consequences of School Reforms: Communally-bonded Schools Reconnecting Black Students, Strengthening Communities, and Improving Educational Outcomes
$217,568
Curators of the University of Missouri On Behalf of the University of Misso · Saint Louis, MO · 2021
Countering the Unintended Consequences of School Reforms: Communally-bonded Schools Reconnecting Black Students, Strengthening Communities, and Improving Educational Outcomes
$215,009
The University of Texas at Austin · Austin, TX · 2022
Do Campus Contexts Make Black Women Faculty Sick? A National Study of Black Women Academics Health Outcomes at Historically Black and Predominantly White Postsecondary Institutions
$212,830
North Carolina State University · Raleigh, NC · 2024
Examining rural dual language programs
$209,723
New York University · New York, NY · 2024
Organizing family and community
$205,794
University of California Berkley · Berkeley, CA · 2023
Race-conscious education policies and adaptive anti-discrimination in a divided, multiracial democracy
$204,961
The Regents of the University of California · Irvine, CA · 2021
Disrupting Racism in Schools: A Mixed Methods Study of Educators' Racial Dispositions and Organizational Change
$202,437
American Indian College Fund · Denver, CO · 2021
American Indian and Alaska Native College Students: Building Collaborative Data Capacity and Investigating College Access, Persistence, and Graduation Success
$202,377
University of Colorado Denver · Denver, CO · 2024
Developing research capacity to support the assessment of student learning and program outcomes
$202,285
The Regents of the University of California at Berkeley · Berkeley, CA · 2022
Student Supports: The Role of Social Safety Net Programs in Community College Student Success
$200,083
The Regents of the University of California · Irvine, CA · 2021
Orange County Educational Advancement Network: Facilitating a Network of RPPs at County Scale to Better Support Housing Insecure and Foster Youth
$200,000
Russell Sage Foundation · New York, NY · 2024
Advancing research on the promotion of educational attainment and economic mobility
$199,915
University of Pennsylvania · Philadelphia, PA · 2024
Building a living archive
$199,696
Rhode Island College · Providence, RI · 2022
Schools and Communities Organizing for Racial Equity (SCORE) Expansion Project
$199,515
American Indian College Fund · Denver, CO · 2024
Building collaborative data capacity and investigating college access, persistence, and graduation success
$198,634
American Indian College Fund · Albuquerque, NM · 2023
American Indian and Alaska Native College Students: Building Collaborative Data Capacity and Investigating College Access, Persistence, and Graduation Success
$198,448
The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University · Redwood City, CA · 2022
Evaluation of a preschool socio-emotional curriculum: Testing effectiveness and drivers of change in a large, urban school district
$197,818
The University of Texas at Austin · Austin, TX · 2023
Do Campus Contexts Make Black Women Faculty Sick? A National Study of Black Women Academics Health Outcomes at Historically Black and Predominantly White Postsecondary Institutions
$197,779
American Indian College Fund · Albuquerque, NM · 2022
American Indian and Alaska Native College Students: Building Collaborative Data Capacity and Investigating College Access, Persistence, and Graduation Success
$197,278
University of Colorado Denver · Denver, CO · 2023
Developing Research Capacity to Support the Assessment of Student Learning and Program Outcomes in Action Civics Programming
$196,399
New York University · New York, NY · 2021
Organizing Family and Community: Collective Parent Action and Intergenerational Learning
$195,653
Massachusetts Institute of Technology · Cambridge, MA · 2021
Understanding the Impact of Integration Policies in New York City Public Schools
$193,377
Michigan State University · East Lansing, MI · 2024
Postsecondary education
$190,777
Brown University · Providence, RI · 2024
School-supporting non-profits, school resources, and rising inequality
$190,113
The Regents of the University of California at Berkeley · Berkeley, CA · 2021
Student Supports: The Role of Social Safety Net Programs in Community College Student Success
$189,896
Harvard University · Cambridge, MA · 2024
The black teacher archive
$189,255
University of California Berkley · Berkeley, CA · 2023
Student Supports: The Role of Social Safety Net Programs in Community College Student Success
$188,273
The University of Chicago · Chicago, IL · 2024
Evaluating global and local relative effectiveness of educational organizations
$188,006
The Regents of the University of California · Los Angeles, CA · 2021
Urban Dual-Language Immersion and Linguistic Minority Students: Issues of Access and Inclusion
$186,184
Michigan State University · East Lansing, MI · 2021
Understanding marginalized youth's secondary education experiences: A mixed-methods study of Colombia, India, and Malawi
$184,106
The Regents of the University of California at Berkeley · Berkeley, CA · 2022
Race-conscious education policies and adaptive anti-discrimination in a divided, multiracial democracy
$182,616
Harvard University · Cambridge, MA · 2023
The Black Teacher Archive: Charting New Paths in Digital Humanities and the History of African American Education
$181,239
The Regents of the University of Colorado · Boulder, CO · 2022
The Credit Consequences of College Attendance
$180,760
University of California Berkeley · Berkeley, CA · 2024
The role of social safety net programs in community college student success
$180,692
American Indian Science and Engineering Society · Albuquerque, NM · 2023
Leveraging the AISES Archival Database: Mixed Methods Study on Native STEM Success
$179,586
Stanford University · Redwood City, CA · 2024
Educating for food sovereignty
$178,804
The Regents of the University of Michigan · Ann Arbor, MI · 2021
The Urban Learning & Leadership Collaborative: Leveraging a Community-Based Research Alliance for Dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline Intruding on Detroit
$178,223
The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois · Chicago, IL · 2021
Persistence and resistance: The role of social-emotional competencies in the education and career paths of under-resourced, racial/ethnic minority young adults
$177,519
Montclair State University · Montclair, NJ · 2021
Teacher Diversity, Retention, and Muslim-American Teachers
$175,910
Northwestern University · Evanston, IL · 2021
Spencer Large Grant: A modernizing engineering education within a traditional Islamic society: A study of knowledge, learning, and identity in the early life of Sharif University of Technology, 1966-1979
$175,831
University of Illinois at Chicago · Chicago, IL · 2024
Investigating experiences of educators in chicago
$172,750
Drexel University · Philadelphia, PA · 2023
STEAMing through Dance: A Multimodal Exploration of Black Girls Intersectional Identities and STEAM Literacies within a Transdisciplinary STEAM Counterspace.
$170,794
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · Chapel Hill, NC · 2021
A statewide analysis of the relationships between school based health centers and academic outcomes
$170,001
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee · Milwaukee, WI · 2024
Cultivating black autistic youth agency

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Source: IRS Form 990-PF, Part XV, as filed by the foundation. These are grants already paid — a record of what this funder backs, not an open call.