Satter Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Satter Foundation supports education, health and human services, human rights and democracy, the environment, job creation and economic opportunity, veterans and the arts. Its education funding has mainly supported charter schools and youth organizations operating in Chicago, Illinois, as well as job creation and economic opportunity in the Chicago area and elsewhere. Its democracy-related grantmaking centers on work addressing injustice, helping the disenfranchised be heard through inclusion and advocacy for stronger democracies.
IP TAKE: Operating mainly in Chicago, Illinois, the Satter Foundation’s education initiative has supported urban charter school networks and enrichment programs. This funder conducts national and global giving in some areas of giving, while most focus on Chicago. This is not, however, an accessible funder. Nor is it approachable, which is common with many foundations led by former Sachs associates. This is a tough nut to crack.
PROFILE: The Satter Foundation was established in 1997 by then-Goldman Sachs partner Muneer Satter and Kristen Hertel. Born in Texas, Muneer Satter received a B.A. from Northwestern University and J.D. and MBA degrees from Harvard. Satter joined Goldman Sachs in 1988 and moved to London in 1992 to launch the firm’s European merchant banking division. Satter returned to New York in 1997 to head the firm’s mezzanine fund, which eventually became the largest fund of its kind. Satter retired from Goldman Sachs in 2012 and started his own firm, Satter Investment Management, which specializes in healthcare companies. Muneer’s wife, Kristen Hertel, is also a graduate of Northwestern University.
Like many charitable vehicles associated with Goldman Sachs veterans, the Satter Foundation keeps a low profile. Ultimately, it is on a mission to “empower the powerless and to preserve our world’s land and water by investing in bold, tactical, and innovative social entrepreneurs and organizations.” The foundation has awarded over $50 million since its inception in the fields of education, health and human services, human rights and democracy, environment, job creation and economic opportunity, veterans, and the arts.
Grants for K-12 Education
The Satter Foundation does not name specific initiatives for its education philanthropy, but it is a strong supporter of charter schools and education reform in Chicago. Among its past grantees are Chicago’s Academy for Urban School Leadership, a nonprofit that manages 31 urban public schools, and Perspectives Charter Schools, a network of five rigorous, college preparatory schools also operating in Chicago. Satter also supports Chicago chapters of the Boy Scouts of America and Boys and Girls Clubs of America.
Grants for Human Rights, Civic Engagement and Democracy
The Satter Foundation’s giving in the areas of human rights and democracy reflect Muneer Satter’s roots: his father was an immigrant from India and his mother was a civil rights activist. The foundation conducts democracy and civic engagement grantmaking through its focus area dedicated to human rights & democracy, which supports groups that address injustice, help the disenfranchised be heard through inclusion, “advocate for stronger democracies around the world,” and “ensure the oppressed are not forgotten.” One past grantee, Samasource, “connects low-income people in Kenya, Uganda, India and Haiti to internet-based work to help them move out of poverty.” Other past grantees include Human Rights Watch and AmeriCares.
Grants for Work and Opportunity
The Satter Foundation’s economic opportunity grantmaking supports organizations that “help create jobs around the world for small-scale farmers, school proprietors, digital data experts, and more.” Past grantees include The Chicago Community Trust, Robin Hood Foundation, and Samasource.
Grants for Environmental Conservation
The Satter Foundation’s environment grantmaking supports organizations that “use innovative and thoughtful methods to save the environment,” such as by “developing new technologies,” “gaining support from local communities,” or “capitalizing on market forces.” It does not offer articulated grantmaking strategies in this area preferring to fund environmental conservation more broadly. Priorities have included land and resource conservation, as well as support for endangered wildlife. One grantee, the Wildlife Conservation Society, used funding to support its India Tiger Program, which aims to “enable tigers and people to live harmoniously in India.” Another grantee, the Trust for Public Land, created the 606, a trail system for biking, running and walking that connects four Chicago neighborhoods. Other past grantees include the Chicago Zoological Society, The Nature Conservancy, and Wildlife Conservation Society.
Grants for Public Health
The Satter Foundation’s grantmaking for health and human services broadly supports organizations that work to improve the quality and availability of health care services in Illinois and elsewhere. It also supports clinical and scientific research into diagnosis and treatment of cancer, diabetes, and other diseases. Outside of Chicago, the couple have supported the Friedman Brain Institute, the Mayo Clinic, the United Way and the Robin Hood Foundation. Past grantees include Above and Beyond Family Recovery Center, American Kidney Fund, Americares, Assistance in Healthcare, Brain Chemistry Labs, and Gateway for Cancer Research.
Grants for Global Development
The Satter Foundation steadily funds Chicago-based organizations, particularly in education reform. The foundation has also funded organizations like Edify, which works to “improve and to expand sustainable, affordable Christ-centered education in the developing world,” operating in countries like Ghana, Peru, and Rwanda; AmeriCares, a nonprofit disaster relief and global health organization; Doctors Without Borders; Heifer International, an organization “working to end hunger and poverty around the world by providing livestock and training to struggling communities”; One Acre Fund; Samasource, an “enterprise service provider that uses technology to connect marginalized people to dignified work”; and Chicago Lakeshore Global Health Initiative, which provides resources for “global health research initiatives and education programs benefiting medical students, residents, fellows and faculty members of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.”
Important Grant Details:
Grants may range all the way from $5,000 to $500,000. While the foundation has no stated geographical restrictions and supports work all over the globe, it may prioritize the Chicago area and the state of Illinois in certain focus areas, especially education. Grantseekers may review the foundation’s Annual Reports for more information on its past grantmaking efforts.
This funder does not accept unsolicited proposals or inquiries.
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LINKS:
CONTACT:
The Satter Foundation
500 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1700
Chicago, Illinois 60611