Surdna Foundation is a U.S. family foundation that funds nonprofit partners to foster sustainable communities, with grantmaking centered on inclusive economies, sustainable environments, and thriving cultures.
The Surdna Foundation aims to foster sustainable communities in the United States that are grounded in social justice and marked by healthy environments, inclusive economies, and thriving cultures.
Surdna Foundation was established in 1917 by John Emory Andrus to pursue a range of philanthropic purposes. The foundation describes itself as a family foundation and notes that its governance has been shaped over generations by descendants of John E. Andrus, reflecting an ongoing family stewardship tradition. Over time, Surdna’s work has been framed around fostering sustainable communities in the United States, with social justice serving as a guiding principle for its internal operations and grantmaking partnerships.
Surdna makes grants to nonprofit organizations in three stated priority areas: Inclusive Economies, Sustainable Environments, and Thriving Cultures. The foundation emphasizes long-term relationships with organizations, communities, and movements working toward racial justice in the United States, which it notes may lead to an invitation to apply for funding. Surdna states it does not accept unsolicited letters of inquiry. In addition to grantmaking, Surdna describes using additional tools such as impact investing, including mission-related investments (MRIs) and program-related investments (PRIs), and it reports making program-related investments by invitation only for select ventures aligned with one of its program areas.
Surdna reports a 2018–2024 grantmaking snapshot that includes 1,124 grants and $297.5M in total grants, and it lists an average grant size of $275K for that period. The foundation also reports that 64% of its total grantmaking is unrestricted and 76% is multiyear. It states that impact investing works alongside grantmaking to support the foundation’s mission and reports $230M committed to impact investments since launching the portfolio in 2017.
Surdna describes partnerships and collaborations connected to capacity support for grantees, including leadership development with the Institute for Nonprofit Practice, financial resilience coaching with BDO’s Nonprofit & Grantmaker Advisory team, and fundraising coaching with Thread Strategies.