Supporting Just and Sustainable Communities

Our History

The Surdna Foundation was founded in 1917 by John Emory Andrus to pursue a range of philanthropic purposes. To this day, family stewardship of the Foundation is guided by Andrus’ commitment to serving those in need.

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Programs

Through our investments, we dismantle the barriers that limit opportunities to create more prosperous, enriching, and sustainable communities. Taken together, our investments build capacity, spark innovation, and connect stakeholders while encouraging lesson-sharing between grantees.

Inclusive Economies

We support and invest in the growth of robust, sustainable economies with diverse businesses owned by people of color and the advancement of equitable economic development.

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Sustainable Environments

We support the creation of just and sustainable communities in which low-wealth and communities of color have the power to self-determine the ownership, control and stewardship of land and its infrastructure assets.

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Thriving Cultures

We invest in artists, culture-bearers, designers, and media-makers of color who partner with their communities to radically imagine justice and foster the conditions for just systems and practices to be adopted.

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Latest News & Events Learn More

Featured News
July 2, 2024
High-risk, high-reward impact investments are paying off: Don Chen with Impact Alpha

Last month, Don Chen spoke with Dennis Price of Impact Alpha about the Surdna Foundation's impact investing strategy. Below is an excerpt—Read the full conversation on Impact Alpha.  Surdna Foundation’s Don Chen: High-risk, high-reward impact…

Inclusive Economies
September 5, 2024
NY Small Business Funders Collective Announces New Grant Opportunity

The Collective has previously awarded $1 million to local organizations New York, NY (September 4, 2024) - Small businesses are a vital economic driver in NYC, and the NY Small Business Funders Collective is dedicated to strengthening and funding…

News
August 9, 2024
Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center Presents “Sightlines: Chinatown and Beyond” at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Opening Sept. 7

Safety Jacket: A Mourning in Chinatown, 2018. Terence Nicholson. Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum, 2022. This sculpture was made by artist Terence Nicholson (b. 1968), a 19th-generation disciple of the Wudang Longmen (Dragon Gate) lineage.…

Thriving Cultures
July 1, 2024
Announcing the 2024–2026 Just Tech Fellows

The Just Tech program, a Social Science Research Council (SSRC) project supported in part by the Surdna Foundation, named its third cohort of Just Tech Fellows today. These ten visionaries—Todd Whitney, Miliaku Nwabueze, Danielle Wood, Romi…