Who’s Behind the Seed the Dream Foundation and What Does It Support?

Holocaust education is one focus. Photo: diy13/shutterstock

Based in the Philadelphia suburb of Gladwyne, the Seed the Dream Foundation is a unique funder focused on very specific aspects of education. This private grantmaking foundation has four distinct giving areas and wants to improve educational opportunities for people of all ages.

Here’s a look at the philanthropists who created the Seed the Dream Foundation (SDF) and what it supports in the Philadelphia area and beyond.

The founders

Joel Greenberg, one of the founders of the Susquehanna International Group, and his wife, Marcy Gringlas, created the Seed the Dream Foundation around 2011. Greenberg is a well-known local billionaire and top political donor who has supported mayoral and gubernatorial campaigns and founded a super PAC. The couple have also been increasingly interested in supporting Holocaust education to help people today learn from the past. Over the years, they have provided emergency aid to Holocaust survivors in need and have supported educational opportunities around current manifestations of antisemitism.

At SDF, an education focus

The Seed the Dream Foundation itself is a single-issue funder that is exclusively dedicated to education. It works through four initiatives to pursue its goals. Educational access involves providing high-quality education in underserved communities in the U.S. and Israel. Educational engagement funding enhances lifelong connections with Israel, while educational awareness funding is centered on integrating contemporary antisemitism lessons into Holocaust education. The fourth SDF initiative is educational empowerment, which funds programming to prevent gender-based violence and promote access to medical care, mental health services and technology for survivors of sexual violence.

SDF also has an impact investment program called Seed the Impact to invest in projects that offer educational and employment opportunities to underprivileged and underrepresented communities. Past grantees in Philadelphia include the Chabad Jewish Center for the Students of the Arts, Chabad Serving Drexel University and Gershman Y. Grants typically support the general operating needs of SDF grantees.

The application process

Grantseekers in the Philadelphia area and elsewhere in the U.S. should know that SDF accepts grant proposals on an invitation-only basis. The foundation seeks out and invites a small number of organizations to apply for grants biannually. SDF has an online application system, but only invited organizations are allowed to access it.

This is an accessible foundation, however, so nonprofits may reach out via email at any time with general questions and make an initial connection. Marcy Gringlas is the foundation’s president and director, while Joel Greenberg serves as the foundation’s secretary, treasurer and director. The foundation also has an executive director, grants manager, financial manager and U.S. portfolio manager on staff.

Learn more about this funder in IP’s full profile of the Seed the Dream Foundation, and check out our Jewish funders guide and Philadelphia and Pennsylvania funding guide for information about other funders that share common interests with SDF.