OVERVIEW: Tulsa-based Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies supports criminal justice, democracy and voting rights, education, gender and reproductive equity, the Jewish community and community development in Tulsa. Its Israel portfolio supports social services, an inclusive society, public policy and emergency relief.
IP TAKE: With over $2 billion in assets and hundreds of millions in annual grantmaking, Schusterman Family Philanthropies is a major funder with influence both in the U.S. and around the world. In recent years, under the leadership of Stacy Schusterman, the foundation created significant new portfolios in criminal justice reform, gender equity, and democracy and voting rights, cementing Schusterman’s reputation as a supporter of social and racial justice. Schusterman prioritizes organizations that serve BIPOC and other underrepresented groups, and is driven by its underlying mission to pursue “just and inclusive societies.” This funder is also known for its collaborations with other major funders—such as the Justice and Mobility Fund—and its willingness to “move quickly and innovate” when novel challenges arise.
The foundation often provides multiyear, flexible support and may pair grants with help in evaluation, communications, leadership and organizational development. It also funds advocacy and works closely with other major philanthropies. The catch is access. Schusterman does not accept unsolicited proposals or letters of inquiry; staff identify prospects through research and field relationships. A contact form is useful for a specific factual question, not a pitch.
Prospective grantees should study the relevant portfolio, review current partners and build visibility through aligned funders, collaboratives and professional networks. Tulsa organizations may have more opportunities for local relationship-building, but the process remains invitation-only.
PROFILE: Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies was originally founded as the Schusterman Family Foundation in 1987 by Charles Schusterman, a Russian-born Jewish American businessman who invested in oil and gas, and his wife, Lynn. Under Charles’s early leadership, the foundation had a limited focus on Tulsa, as well as Israeli and Jewish culture. After his death in 2000, Lynn became chair of the foundation and went on to define much of its current grantmaking strategy. Their daughter, Stacy Schusterman, became chair in 2018. Under her leadership, the organization launched its criminal justice and gender and reproductive equity portfolios in 2019 and its democracy and voting rights portfolio in 2021.
The foundation’s mission is to “strive for a future in which the United States and Israel live up to their highest ideals and achieve more just and inclusive societies.” In the U.S., the foundation’s work centers on advancing “racial, gender and economic equity as well as to foster a more joyful and diverse Jewish community.”
Focus areas for funding in the U.S. include criminal justice, democracy and voting rights, education, gender and reproductive equity, and the foundation’s hometown of Tulsa. The foundation’s Jewish giving focuses on the Jewish community, leadership development and Israel, where the foundation “work[s] toward a secure homeland for the Jewish people, a thriving democracy and an inclusive society that cares for its most vulnerable.”
Grants for Education
Education has been Schusterman’s largest giving area over the years. The program maintains that “every student—regardless of race, ZIP code or socioeconomic status—deserves an education that prepares them for academic, career and life success.” A main focus of the program is literacy, and specific priorities include foundational skills, access to appropriate texts and reading materials and classroom experiences that are “engaging and affirming.” Beyond these, grantmaking centers around four strategies:
- Grants for High-Quality Teaching target programs for “effective literacy instruction,” including curricular materials and professional development.
- The School System Partnerships support district-level efforts to improve literacy instruction for all students.
- Educator Workforce grants support initiatives to recruit, train and retain “diverse educators, including Black and Latino educators, to improve education outcomes.”
- Grants stemming from the Sharing Lessons Learned subprogram support research, advocacy and policy for “effective education policy” related to literacy and reading instruction.
- Current featured grantees include UnboundEd, Surge Institute, English Learners Success Forum, Teach Plus and Latinos for Education.
Grants for Jewish Causes
The foundation’s Jewish Community program “centers on shaping Jewish experiences that are welcoming and accessible, building a connection with Israel, and promoting a culture of service rooted in the Jewish commitment to pursue justice (tzedek), repair the world (tikkun olam), and treat all people with dignity and respect (derekh eretz).” The program is further subdivided into three initiatives focused on Jewish culture, appreciation and understanding of Israel, and Jewish leadership.
- The Jewish Life and Values initiative supports “organizations committed to making service a defining element of Jewish life and helping young Jews align with Jewish values as they work to shape more just and inclusive societies.”
- The Israel Education and Engagement initiative is distinct from the larger Funding for Israel program. The initiative centers on Birthright Israel, Jewish charities, and child-focused programs in Tulsa. It also works to advance understanding of Israel as a Jewish state, the homeland of the Jewish people, and “the only democracy in the Middle East.”
- The Jewish Leadership initiative supports “rising Jewish leaders” and funds leaders that reflect a diverse Jewish community, including recognizing the role of women, people of color and LGBTQ professionals.
Schusterman’s Funding in Israel grantmaking “is rooted in a proud embrace of the vision of Zionism embedded in Israel’s founding Declaration of Independence.” Specifically, it funds areas where it believes it can make a significant contribution.
- Its Social Affairs focus area supports organizations serving underserved populations in Israel, as well as Holocaust survivors and the LGBTQ+ community.
- The Inclusive Society focus area works to “strengthen education, training and employment opportunities” for the country’s Haredi and Arab communities.
Schusterman’s Jewish community and Israel-based grantees include the American Israel Education Foundation; Honeymoon Israel; Birthright Israel, the Israel on Campus Coalition; Israel21C, Asylum Arts (“a global network for Jewish culture”); Hebrew Union College; IsraAid, the Natan Fund, and the David Project, among many others.
Grants for Criminal Justice Reform
The foundation’s Criminal Justice program works to end overcriminalization, prioritize community health and safety, and reduce harm. Its grantmaking is conducted through three sub-initiatives:
The Ending Overcriminalization initiative works to shrink the “criminal legal system’s footprint by addressing the complex web of policies and practices perpetuating the criminalization cycle,” particularly as it impacts low-income communities of color.
The Community-Centered Health and Safety initiative supports “efforts led by Black and brown communities to shape restorative alternatives to criminalization, improve crisis response, and support mental health infrastructure and work with lawmakers to prioritize community-centered care.”
The Reducing and Repairing Harm initiative makes grants to “organizations and initiatives committed to building the opportunities and systems that help people directly impacted by mass incarceration to thrive, drive policy change and shape public discourse.”
Schusterman gave $20 million to Enterprise Community Partners, a Maryland organization working to increase housing supply, advance racial equity and build resilience and upward mobility in the community.
- Other featured grantees include Fines and Fees Justice Center, The Marshall Project, Equal Justice USA and the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls.
Grants for Democracy and Voting Rights
Schusterman’s Democracy and Voting Rights supports voting access, civic participation and trustworthy election administration. It gives particular attention to communities that have historically faced barriers to political participation, including voters of color, young people, seniors and veterans.
- Funding supports election reform, voter protection, poll-worker and election-administrator infrastructure, grassroots organizing and efforts to counter voter suppression and election subversion.
- Grantees include Fair Fight Action, All Voting is Local, and Protect Democracy, which works to address foreign interference in U.S. elections and prevent authoritarian threats to U.S. democracy.
Grants for Gender and Reproductive Equity
Schusterman’s Gender and Reproductive Equity program supports reproductive autonomy, women’s economic and political power, and freedom from gender-based violence. Its work particularly centers people most affected by structural inequities, including Black, Indigenous and other women of color, transgender and gender-expansive people, and women struggling to make ends meet. Like the foundation’s other programs, it is subdivided into four smaller initiatives:
The Reproductive Freedom and Power initiative supports both regional and national groups working to restore and protect women’s reproductive freedom. It centers BIWOC in these efforts and prioritizes support for organizations led by Black women and women of color.
The Economic Power initiative “focuses on advancing paid family leave, accessible child care and equal pay for women, including living wages for low-wage women and women of color who disproportionately work in underprotected or unprotected labor markets.”
The Safety and Security initiative seeks to shift the narrative surrounding violence and abuse, and enact structural changes toward violence prevention, particularly for women of color and transgender people who “are often harmed when they access systems such as law enforcement, which can trigger unjust arrest and incarceration, immigration detention, or child protective services.”
The Political Power and Leadership initiative works to empower women by encouraging women’s political engagement and power-building.
- Current featured partners include the Collaborative for Gender and Reproductive Equity and In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda.
Grants for Tulsa
Finally, Schusterman supports smaller groups and projects that serve Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Tulsa program supports the city’s “critical systems,” which include public education, higher education, social services and housing. Its three subinitiatives focus on providing “opportunities for positive youth experiences and education; pathways to college and careers that prepare young adults to earn a living wage; and efforts to set up families and communities to thrive.”
The Youth Experiences and Education initiative supports local school and nonprofit leaders’ efforts to provide K-12 students with high-quality educational opportunities.
The Pathways to College and Workforce initiative backs projects and organizations working to provide access to and prepare Tulsa students for higher education.
The Family and Community Support initiative supports underrepresented and marginalized groups in the local community by expanding access to quality, affordable housing; alleviating hunger, preventing child maltreatment; protecting and supporting immigrants; amplifying community organizers; and improving conditions and support for Black entrepreneurs.
- Grantees include Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance, Teach For America–Tulsa, City Year Tulsa, Oklahomans for Equality and Any Given Child–Tulsa.
Important Grant Details:
In 2025, Schusterman Family Philanthropies reported $470 million in total giving across the United States and Israel and more than $4 billion in cumulative giving since 1987. It holds over $2 billion in assets. Awards vary significantly by portfolio and recipient. Publicly disclosed grants include six-figure awards to individual organizations and multimillion-dollar, often multiyear commitments to major institutions, emergency initiatives and funding collaboratives.
- Geography: Schusterman’s geographic footprint spans the United States and Israel. Most U.S. portfolios fund organizations and policy work nationally, while Tulsa receives a dedicated place-based program. Its Jewish community giving supports national organizations with local and global reach, and its Israel portfolio funds organizations working throughout the country.
- Application Procedures: Schusterman does not accept unsolicited proposals or requests from organizations or individuals. Staff identify prospective applicants through research and invite a limited number to submit proposals.Prospective grantees should concentrate on field visibility, strong results, alignment with a clearly defined portfolio strategy and relationships with current grantees, funding collaboratives and aligned foundations.
- Contact: General inquiries may be submitted through the foundation’s contact form.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
LINKS:
Last updated on