Pew Charitable Trusts

OVERVIEW: The Pew Charitable Trusts makes grants and funds programs and research initiatives in the U.S. and globally, including in health and medical research, land and ocean conservation, public policy, consumer safety, democracy and civics, economic mobility and education. Pew also administers a significant grantmaking program within the Philadelphia area.

IP TAKE: As a public charity and independent nonprofit, the Pew Charitable Trusts is a unique type of funder: The organization makes grants and also receives grants and funding from major donors and foundations. Pew also supports targeted research and policy development initiatives, often in collaboration with universities, research groups, other philanthropies or governmental entities. Across its issue areas, Pew uses its signature “pragmatic, fact-based, and disciplined approach to addressing causes that serve the public.” Notably, Pew Charitable Trusts serves as the primary funder of the Pew Research Center, a separate nonprofit that is a subsidiary of Pew.

The majority of Pew’s grant making is highly selective, proactive and closed to unsolicited queries or submissions. That said, this is a highly transparent funder across all giving areas, and Pew provides detailed contact information for officers within each of its many programs. Information about current grantees can be found within its meticulously detailed annual 990 forms. While most programs are closed to submissions, grant applications are accepted within Pew’s Philadelphia program.

PROFILE: The Philadelphia-based Pew Charitable Trusts employ about 1,000 people at the organization’s headquarters in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and London. Pew originally emerged from seven charitable funds established between 1948 and 1979 by the children of Sun Oil Company founder Joseph Newton Pew and his spouse, Mary Anderson Pew. Today, the Pew Charitable Trusts is the sole beneficiary of these multiple funds. Its grantmaking and programs have evolved substantially over the years. Its turn toward policy work began in the 1980s. In the 1990s, Pew “began working on a robust research portfolio examining state policy, including landmark reports on education, state prisons and election administration.”

Today, Pew operates as an independent nonprofit with grantmaking and programs that are often tied to its in-house research, education and policy development programs, with grantees working as active partners and collaborators rather than primarily as beneficiaries. Pew defines its distinctive approach in this way: “Whether advancing environmental conservation, examining the impact of government policies on taxpayers and communities, or providing information about relevant trends in society, the foundation of our work is careful planning; a consistent focus on facts, science and data; strong partnerships; and a commitment to stewardship, innovation and measurable results.”

Pew names seven overarching projects of interest: Build Communities, Protect Marine Life, Improve Economic Advancement, Improve Federal Policy, Strengthen State Government, Support People and Nature and Advance Health and Well-Being. Across its topics of interest, Pew names over 20 subprojects that involve in-house research, organizational collaborations and funding programs. It also supports multiple fellowship programs, including the Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences and the Pew Fellowships in the Arts. Applications for fellowships are by invitation only.

Grants for Economic Development and Housing

Pew supports work and opportunity in the U.S. via its Improve Economic Advancement program, which aims to “understand and improve the economic health of families across the income spectrum and across generations, assess the impact of policies that seek to improve how much families save, and advance reforms to help consumers get the information and protections they need to safely manage their day-to-day finances.” This program names the following sub-initiatives:

Housing Policy Initiative works to “help policymakers reimagine their approach to housing by illuminating how regulations and statutes drive the housing shortage and rising costs.”
Retirement Savings project examines “federal and state policy efforts to increase retirement plan coverage; studies the feasibility of policies or market practices to help improve retirees’ financial choices and decisions; and works to identify large segments of the contingent workforce that are most likely to want and need an effective retirement savings program.”
Through Pew’s State Fiscal Policy project, Pew is working with policymakers “to reimagine their approach to fiscal management, reaching beyond the budget conditions of today to plan for the risks and investment needs of tomorrow.”

In addition to supporting work in these areas at the Pew Research Center, Pew has made grants to the Benefits Data Trust, Project Home of Philadelphia and the Council of State Governments.

Grants for Higher Education

Some of Pew’s research on higher education intersects with a handful of its giving projects. While many universities become partners or grantees across several of Pew’s giving areas, the Pew Charitable Trusts’ project dedicated to higher education is Student Loans, which “seeks—through research, analysis, and engagement—to promote successful repayment of student debt among those most at risk of default and delinquency, and to continue to help improve the federal student loan repayment system.”

This project once conducted research and funding through two subprograms, student loan research and student borrower success, however, these subprograms merged in 2023.
Higher education grantees include Georgetown University, Suffolk University in Massachusetts, New York University and the State University of New York at Albany.

Grants for Public Health and Mental Health

Health and Well-Being is one of Pew’s largest concerns. This program makes grants for mental health, public health and biomedical research.

Pew’s current areas of interest include biomedical research, public health data improvement, mental health and justice partnerships, substance abuse prevention and treatment and the suicide risk prevention project.

Pew’s biomedical research project “gives young scientists in the United States and Latin America the opportunity to continue their studies, take previous research in new directions, or pursue ideas that spark their intellectual curiosity.” Current grant opportunities include the following:
- Pew-Stewart Scholars for Cancer Research awards four-year grants totaling $300,000 to researchers at the assistant professor level. Applicants must be nominated by participating universities and institutes listed on the program’s page.
- Pew’s Latin American Fellows program supports postdoctoral training for young scientists from Latin America at laboratories in the U.S. through an open program for qualified Ph.Ds and M.Ds.
- The Pew Biomedical Scholars program awards four-year grants totaling $300,000 to doctoral degree holders at the assistant professor level who “run an independent lab” and “demonstrate outstanding promise as contributors in science relevant to human health.”
Pew also names Mental Health and Justice Partnerships as an important area of giving and research. Current areas of interest address access to addiction treatment, the implementation of suicide screening in preventative healthcare and “improving crisis care in communities so people in distress can have access to health-focused treatment instead of the first response coming from law enforcement.” Related initiatives include:
- Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Initiative, which seeks to “expand access to effective treatment for substance use disorders, including increased use of Food and Drug Administration-approved medications and behavioral health therapies.”
- Suicide Risk Reduction Project, aims to make “suicide risk assessment and care a part of routine healthcare in the U.S. and to fill gaps between people at risk of suicide and the care they need by empowering hospitals and health systems to expand the use of evidenced-based screening and interventions.”
Public Health Data Improvement works to develop research into helping public health agencies receive and analyze critical information from healthcare providers.
A project revolving around antibiotic resistance recently concluded in 2024. It conducted research and supported policy development for the appropriate use of antibiotics.

Grants for the Environment and Climate Change

Pew Charitable Trusts’ giving for the environment occurs across two major areas, Nature Conservation and Marine Conservation, as well as a separate area for energy modernization:

Grants for Land Conservation

Pew’s Support People and Nature program spans the “works in the U.S. and across the globe to preserve our natural resources, with a focus on the majestic landscapes of North America, South America, and Australia.”

Much of the work that occurs through this program, and its subprograms listed below, are in partnership with a “robust network of nongovernmental organizations, universities and government agencies.” Subprograms related to land conservation include, but are not limited to:

Grants for Marine and Freshwater Conservation

Pew Charitable Trusts names ocean conservation as another main subtopic of its Protect Marine Life initiative. Pew’s ocean conservation work aims to “create large marine reserves; end illegal fishing; protect key species such as penguins, sharks, tuna and forage fish; and establish policies that protect, maintain and restore the health of marine ecosystems.” Geographic areas of priority include the U.S., Canada, Australia, Chile and the Southern Ocean. Current ocean conservation projects include:

Recently archived projects include:

In addition to research and conservation, the Pew Charitable Trusts run a Fellows Program in Marine Conservation to support mid-career scientists from around the world who are engaged in high-quality research on topics of high impact to ocean conservation. The fellowship amount is $150,000, distributed over a three-year period.

Grants for Climate Change

While the Pew Charitable Trusts doesn’t have dedicated giving for climate change, it does have a related project, Energy Modernization, under its Communities giving umbrella.

This project works with “state and federal policymakers to advance the nation’s transition to electric vehicles; build a clean, reliable electric grid; and expand renewable energy solutions, such as offshore wind.”
In support of the nation’s move toward a “secure energy future, Pew advocates for state and federal policy change, conducts research to address critical gaps, and convenes and mobilizes key stakeholders.”

Grants for Civic Engagement, Democracy, Criminal Justice and Media

Through three programs, Build Communities, Improve Federal Policy and Strengthen State Government, the Pew Charitable Trusts invests in initiatives for civic engagement, democracy, criminal justice and media. While the two programs are separate, each with their own subset of interests, they overlap in their commitment to the improvement of the legal systems and supporting governmental infrastructure. The two programs have been combined here in one section to reflect intersecting democratic interests.

The Courts & Communities project addresses existing inefficiencies of modern court systems and aims to “modernize” state and local courts to “enable judicial and court staff to focus on the cases that require their expertise and attention, allowing them to better serve communities.”
Public Safety Performance Project focuses on juvenile justice, incarceration and crime prevention. This program concluded in 2023.
Broadband Access Initiative works with “state and federal policymakers, researchers and other partners to accelerate the nation’s progress toward universal, affordable high-speed internet service.”

Grants for The Greater Philadelphia Area

Pew Charitable Trusts supports place-based giving for Greater Philadelphia through its Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Research and Policy Initiative projects.

Philadelphia programs are divided into three topic areas:

Arts and Culture: These grants are available through the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, and include fellowships as well as “support for special projects that enhance Philadelphia’s cultural vibrancy and improve the city’s broader economic outlook.”
Civic Initiatives: Pew supports programs that “strengthen the Philadelphia region as a thriving place to live and visit.”
Health and Human Services: Pew administers grants through a designated fund devoted to Philadelphia-area organizations that “support the health and wellbeing of individuals and families in need.”

Important Grant Details:

The Pew Charitable Trusts’ grants tend to range from $5,000 to several million. Most grants range from $50,000 to $500,000 and the average grant size is about $225,000.

Most of Pew’s grantmaking funds large, well-established organizations with which they are involved. For additional information about past grantees, see the foundation’s recent tax filings.
Pew generally does not accept applications for funding, with the exceptions of its Philadelphia program and its fellowships, which require nomination by a participating institution.
Pew tends to archive previous projects, so exploring the site can be helpful to get an idea of interests, past and present. Overall, grantmaking “is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today’s most challenging problems,” and in recent years, has addressed the environment, work and opportunity, public health, civics, scientific research and higher education.
Pew does, however, invite interested parties to contact the communications officers of individual programs via email.
General inquiries may be directed to Pew’s staff via telephone at (202) 552-2000.

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