Ted Snowdon Foundation

Ted Snowdon Foundation

OVERVIEW: The foundation's LGBTQ grantmaking prioritizes New York City. LGBTQ grantmaking spans advocacy and policy, health and more.

IP TAKE: The foundation keeps a low public profile, and does not accept unsolicited proposals. Instead, applicants must first submit a one-page letter of introduction requesting the grant application procedure. Grantseekers will want to look over the foundation’s tax records to get a good look at Snowdon’s funding history.

PROFILE: The Ted Snowden Foundation is the philanthropic vehicle of Tony-award winning Edward ("Ted") W. Snowdon Jr.. He received his B.S. in speech and drama from Syracuse University and his M.F.A. in directing from Catholic University. He has produced several Broadway plays and musicals, such as the Tony Award winning "The Elephant Man" and "Spring Awakening." The foundation invests in LGBTQI issues that affect advocacy and policy, health and more.

Grants for LGBTQ

Tax filings reveal a strong interest in LGBTQI causes. The foundation seeks to "provide financial aid and assistance to organizations attending principally to the concerns and needs of the lesbian and gay community." Past advocacy and policy grantees include Lambda Legal Defense Education Fund, "a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy work"; the Gay Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation; the Hetrick-Martin Institute, which provides services which includes counseling and legal assistance to LGBT youth; and Truth Wins Out, a "nonprofit organization that counters antigay propaganda, exposes the “ex-gay” myth and educates the public about gay life." Snowdon has also steadily supported the Astrea Foundation for Justice. Furthermore, the foundation also invests in marriage equality and has supported Freedom to Marry.

The foundation’s health and human services grantees include Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) and TrueChild, which "helps donors, policy-makers and practitioners reconnect race, class and gender through "gender transformative" approaches that challenge rigid gender norms and inequities."

Important Grant Details

The Ted Snowdon Foundation made about $800,000 in grants in a recent year, with most grants ranging from $10,000 to $100,000. The foundation’s average grant size is about $15,000, and grantmaking appears to prioritize organizations operating in the greater New York City area.

The Ted Snowdon Foundation has two annual granting periods, one in the spring and another in the fall. Grantseekers should submit a one-page letter of inquiry via email or mail at the address provided below.

PEOPLE:

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CONTACT:

The Ted Snowdon Foundation
50 Riverside Dr., No. 15-C
New York City, NY 10024

E-mail: snowdonfound@aol.com

Tel./Fax: (212) 787-2413