Rise8 Foundation

OVERVIEW:  The Rise8 Foundation primarily funds grantmaking related to educational, medical, and humanitarian causes.

IP TAKE: The foundation lacks a website and transparency, which limits information available on its grantmaking priorities and activities. This funder is not very approachable and does not provide a clear way to get in touch, leaving grantseekers with the need to network here.

PROFILE: The Rise8 Foundation was established in 2008. It was founded by financier Feroz Dewan and his wife Erica, who’s worked for Teach For America, as a consultant at McKinsey & Company, and later started a family-owned real estate investment company. Feroz ran the Public Equity funds at Tiger Global Management and became CEO of Arena Holdings Management. The foundation does not maintain a website, which makes it difficult to locate further information on its priority areas and grantmaking strategies. According to tax filings, the Rise8 Foundation primarily funds grantmaking related to educational, medical and humanitarian causes.

Grants for Higher Education

The Dewans have also directed seven-figure sums to Teach for America, where Erica once worked. Dewan studied engineering and mathematics at Princeton and the family also has an interest in STEM education.

Grants for Community Development and New York City

Feroz serves as chair of the board of Character Lab, a Philadelphia based nonprofit which uses “psychological science to help children thrive.” Erica is also a board member of the nonprofit, which recently received a seven-figure gift from the couple via their foundation.

Past grantees include Liberty Science Center, KIPP New York, Columbia Children’s Gala, which works for Columbia University Children’s Health, and Hospital for Special Surgery.

Important Grant Details

Grants range widely from $1,000 to $1.11 million with an average grant size of about $50,000. This funder gives very few grants, but when it does give, grants can be sizable. In a recent fiscal year, the foundation gave away around $3.3 million.

The Rise8 Foundation keeps a low profile and does not accept unsolicited proposals. 

PEOPLE:

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CONTACT:

Rise8 Foundation
119 Fifth Ave, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10003