Ittleson Foundation

OVERVIEW:  The Ittleson Foundation makes grants for mental health, AIDS and environmental conservation, alternating through these three areas each year. Many of its grants support small grassroots groups.

IP TAKE:  According to a recent statement by Ittlleson’s chairman, this foundation seeks “opportunities to provide seed money for innovative pilot and model programs” and is “willing to take risks on new ideas and inspired yet untested new leaders.” Grants tend to go to smaller outfits doing innovative work in underserved communities. This is a great funder to know if your nonprofit needs are modest. While Ittleson doesn’t offer large grants, it is very supportive, offering technical support and other modes of helping grantees scale or improve outcomes. It can also make important introductions, opening doors to additional funding opportunities.

Ittleson alternates between its three grantmaking areas each year. The foundation accepts letters of inquiry with a due date of September 1. Reach out to this responsive funder with ideas and questions at any time. Note, however, that grantmaking is very competitive due to Ittleson’s risk-taking and supportive nature.

PROFILE: The New York City-based Ittleson Foundation was established in 1932 by Henry Ittleson, the founder of CIT Financial. Today, the foundation is steered by Ittleson’s grandson, H. Anthony Ittleson. Its mission, which has not changed since its founding, is to “serving the needs of the underprivileged and providing resources for organizations.” This funder makes grants for mental health, AIDS and environmental conservation alternating grantmaking areas of interest each year to create a three-year cycle. Grantmaking is national in scope.

Grants for Mental Health

Ittleson’s mental health grantmaking focuses on underserved people with mental health issues and “innovative, pilot, model and demonstration projects” in the field of mental health care. The foundation names the following specific areas of interest:

  • Increasing public awareness of mental health;

  • The use of current knowledge and technology to improve mental health programs and treatments;

  • Expanding access to quality mental health care and

  • Improving preventative care for young people, “with a special focus on strategies that involve parents, teachers, and others in close contact with these populations.”

One recent grant went to the Alongside Network in Minneapolis, which provides counseling and services to families with children who have “experienced a traumatic pediatric medical intervention.” Another grant supported Hesperian Health Guides, which used funding to develop its Mental Health Promotion Guide for Community Health Workers. Other recent grantees include Comedy4Kids!, MindSite News and Sound Mind Live, a Brooklyn organization that addresses mental health issues that emerged during the COVID-19 crisis.

Grants for Public Health and Diseases

This funder names AIDS as a grantmaking priority and focuses its work on preventative programs, school-based sex education and accessibility of treatment for underserved populations.

In a recent round of grantmaking, grants supported Grassroots Health, which provides HIV and health education to middle school students in the Washington, D.C. area, and SERO, a Pennsylvania-based organization that connects newly diagnosed patients with treatments and education.

Grants for the Environment

Ittleson’s environmental grantmaking aims to “move individuals, communities, and organizations from environmental awareness to environmental activism by changing attitudes and behaviors.” The foundation prioritizes programs that support current leadership in the field, as well as those that educate and mentor the “next generation of environmentalists.” Grants focus on work that is conducted at the grassroots or state levels, rather than those that are national in scope. Environmental equity is also a prime concern for the foundation’s work in this area.

In a recent round of funding, the foundation made grants to the Horticultural Society of New York, California’s Resource Renewal Institute and Environmental Advocates of New York, which used funding to decommission gas stations and prevent them from “becoming toxic sites and neighborhood blight.”

Important Grant Details:

Ittleson’s grants range from $15,000 to $83,000.

  • Grants mainly support small- to medium-sized grassroots and community-based organizations in the foundation’s areas of interest.

  • Brief profiles of recent grantees are available on the foundation’s individual program pages.

  • Find additional information about past grantmaking in the foundation’s annual reports.

The Ittleson Foundation “annually alternates its new grantmaking between its Mental Health, AIDS and Environmental program areas.” In 2023, grantmaking will focus on the environment. The foundation accepts short letters of inquiry prior to September 1 of the grantmaking year. Letters should contain information about the organization’s mission, budget and tax-exempt status. The foundation’s staff will reach out with invitations to submit full proposals if the work falls into the foundation's current specific areas of interest. Inquiries may be directed to the foundation’s staff at by telephone at (212) 794-2008.

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