Vital Projects Fund Inc

NEW YORK, NY EIN: 13-3711340

Vital Projects Fund Inc is a private foundation based in New York, NY that operates as a grantmaking organization. Established in 1992 and funded in 2006, the fund was created from the estate of stockbroker Horace W. Goldsmith and the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation. The foundation distributes half of its net assets to support charitable organizations across the United States.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$362.9M

+2.1% YoY

Annual Giving

$15.1M

-3.8% YoY

Grant Count

120

-9.1% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$126K

+5.8% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Vital Projects Fund Inc reported a distributable amount of $17.4M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The Vital Projects Fund supports a diverse range of charitable areas including:

Arts and Culture: Performing arts, dance, theater, music, museums, and visual arts
Criminal Justice Reform: Particularly known for supporting death penalty abolition efforts and criminal justice policy advocacy
Education: Higher education and educational initiatives
Health: Hospital care, in-patient medical care, rehabilitation, and diseases and conditions including HIV and AIDS
Human Services: Basic and emergency aid, homeless services, and support for special populations
International Development: International relations and development initiatives
Environment: Natural resources and environmental protection
Support for People with Disabilities

The fund has a particular emphasis on left-of-center advocacy and criminal justice policy. As stated by leadership, the fund opposes the death penalty and provides grants to help end it.

Grantmaking

The foundation operates through trustee-directed grantmaking rather than formal grant programs with published guidelines. The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications and operates on an invitation-only basis. No public application process or contact information for grant inquiries has been published.

Grant Range

$25,000 - $150,000

How to Apply

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The fund primarily supports organizations in:

New York
California
District of Columbia

The fund operates across numerous cities and states in the United States, including major urban centers like Los Angeles and Chicago.

Grant Distribution by State

New York $23.8M (68%)

District of Columbia $2.0M (6%)

California $1.4M (4%)

North Carolina $882K (3%)

Colorado $810K (2%)

Pennsylvania $790K (2%)

Illinois $675K (2%)

Louisiana $600K (2%)

+23 more states

Cities

AmherstAnn ArborArlingtonAtlantaAustinBaltimoreBaton RougeBedfordBerkeleyBostonBoulderBronxBrooklynBurlingtonCalabasasCambridgeChapel HillChicagoCincinnatiClaysville

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Assets:

$355,366,295 (as of 2023)
$362,947,737 (as of 2024)

Annual Giving:

$15,743,550 (2023)
$15,142,525 (2024)

Revenue and Expenses:

Total revenues: $59,706,442 (2023)
Total expenses: $16,501,669 (2023)
Investment income and dividends: $11,201,461 (2023)

Staffing: The organization operates with 5 employees.

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$362,947,737	$355,366,295	$357,215,240
Revenue	$50,271,344	$59,706,442	$7,084,980
Expenses	$17,089,845	$16,501,669	$15,563,684
Qualifying Distributions	$16,547,373	$17,086,018	$16,154,741
Net Investment Income	$49,612,069	$58,530,859	$8,372,111
Distributable Amount	$17,432,633	$16,520,922	$17,659,414

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Grant Size Distribution

201 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Community Funds Inc ($900,000), Duke University ($340,000), Hopewell Fund ($262,000).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
ABILITY CENTER OF VIRGINIA VIRGINIA BEACH, VA	GENERAL SUPPORT	$15,000
ABOLITIONIST LAW CENTER PITTSBURGH, PA	GENERAL SUPPORT	$75,000
ACLU OF MICHIGAN FOUNDATION DETROIT, MI	GENERAL SUPPORT	$225,000
ACLU OF NEW JERSEY FOUNDATION NEWARK, NJ	GENERAL SUPPORT	$100,000
ADVANCING REAL CHANGE BALTIMORE, MD	GENERAL SUPPORT	$75,000
ADVERTISING COUNCIL NEW YORK, NY	GENERAL SUPPORT	$25,000
ALABAMA APPLESEED MONTGOMERY, AL	GENERAL SUPPORT	$80,000
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION NEW YORK, NY	GENERAL SUPPORT	$100,000
ARCHIVES OF AMERICAN ART WASHINGTON, DC	GENERAL SUPPORT	$25,000
ARIZONA CAPITAL REPRESENTATION PROJECT TUCSON, AZ	GENERAL SUPPORT	$150,000

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

David F. Menschel serves as President, Director, and Treasurer. He is a Yale Law School graduate and former attorney at the Innocence Project.

Other directors include Marianne Sammarco and Jay Rivlin.

The fund is connected to the Menschel family philanthropic interests, which include arts and culture, education, health, New York City community, and human rights and criminal justice.

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
DAVID F MENSCHEL	PRESIDENT/DIRECTOR/TREASURER	25	$100,000
MARIANNE SAMMARCO	ASSISTANT SECRETARY	20	$75,000
JAY RIVLIN	DIRECTOR	2	$40,000
LAUREN E MENSCHEL	SECRETARY/DIRECTOR	0.25	—

Contact Information

Address: 375 Park Ave Ste 3601 New York City, NY 10152-3700

Telephone: 973-472-6250

Tax ID: 13-3711340

Tax-Exempt Status: 501(c)(3) Private Foundation

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Vital Projects Fund Inc fund?

The Vital Projects Fund supports a diverse range of charitable areas including: • **Arts and Culture**: Performing arts, dance, theater, music, museums, and visual arts • **Criminal Justice Reform**: Particularly known for supporting death penalty abolition efforts and criminal justice policy advocacy • **Education**: Higher education and educational initiatives • **Health**: Hospital care, in-patient medical care, rehabilitation, and diseases and conditions including HIV and AIDS • **Human Ser…

How do I apply for a grant from Vital Projects Fund Inc?

**Grant Characteristics:** • Typical grant range: $25,000 - $150,000 • Full range: $10,000 - $2,705,000 • Annual giving: Approximately $15-17 million • Number of grants: Approximately 132 grants annually **Application Process:** The foundation operates through trustee-directed grantmaking rather than formal grant programs with published guidelines. The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications and operates on an invitation-only basis. No public application process or contact informati…

Where does Vital Projects Fund Inc make grants?

The fund primarily supports organizations in: • New York • California • District of Columbia The fund operates across numerous cities and states in the United States, including major urban centers like Los Angeles and Chicago.

What size grants does Vital Projects Fund Inc award?

In 2024, Vital Projects Fund Inc awarded 120 grants totaling $15.1M — an average of about $126K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is Vital Projects Fund Inc required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Vital Projects Fund Inc reported a distributable amount of $17.4M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.