Anderson-Rogers Foundation
OVERVIEW: The Anderson-Rogers Foundation broadly funds efforts in the fields of reproductive rights, sex education, agriculture, food and the separation of church and state in the United States. It also funds environmental and wildlife conservation work around the world.
IP TAKE: This funder prefers to fund smaller, local and grassroots organizations rather than larger national organizations. While there are no explicit geographical limitations on its grantmaking, its taxes reveal a tendency to fund New York-based groups. Overall, this funder is less likely to invest in what it deems risky endeavors, preferring organizations with strong reputations and proven results. In addition to financial support, Anderson-Rogers provides its grantees with organizational and administrative support.
An accessible funder, Anderson-Rogers accepts brief LOIs via email at any time. By its own account, the foundation declines most submissions, but will reach out within 12 weeks for additional information if the board decides to move forward with the application. Guidelines for full proposals are provided on the organization’s website.
PROFILE: The descendants of John and Sallie Haynes Anderson and Bertha Harper Rogers founded the Anderson-Rogers Foundation in 2001. Porter W. Anderson, who was the co-inventor of a bacterial meningitis vaccine, provided the initial endowment. The foundation supports “organizations that address a variety of social and environmental needs,” focusing on reproductive health and abortion rights, access to contraception and sex education, reducing teen pregnancy, environmental education and activism, environmentally sound agricultural practices and food systems and the promotion of humanist values and separation of church and state.
Grants for Environmental Conservation and Wildlife
The Anderson-Rogers Foundation’s grantmaking for environmental education and activism prioritizes “programs to preserve and restore habitat and protect endangered animals.” Past Anderson-Rogers environmental conservation grantees include SeedTree, which received funding for its environmental restoration and education projects in Nepal and Peru; the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, which received a grant for its work educating voters on climate change and environmental conservation; and the International Otter Survival Fund, to support projects to protect otters in the wild.
Grants for Public Health and Women and Girls
One of the Anderson-Rogers Foundation’s main priorities is reproductive and abortion rights, as well as access to contraception and sex education. The foundation is particularly interested in “programs aimed at reducing teen pregnancy rates.” Past grantees in this space include Emergency Medical Assistance, which received funding for its healthcare and reproductive rights programs for women in need, and the National Network of Abortion Funds, which received a grant for its work promoting access to abortion in the U.S. South.
Grants for Food Systems and Sustainable Agriculture
The Anderson-Rogers Foundation supports programs that promote “environmentally sound agricultural practices and food systems.” The foundation supports both small and large scale projects. Grantees include Grow NYC’s “Learn It, Grow It, Eat It” program; Other Worlds, for its work “on behalf of land rights and food sovereignty in Haiti and Honduras”; and Environment New York, to support the Bee Friendly Food Alliance.
Grants for Civic Engagement and Democracy
The Anderson-Rogers Foundation’s giving in the field of democracy and civic engagement primarily centers around the separation of church and state. It gives regularly to organizations working to reduce the influence of religion on politics in the United States. Grantees include the Freedom from Religion Foundation, American Humanist Association, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Important Grant Details:
Grant amounts typically range from $1,000 to $25,000. This funder generally shows a preference for organizations based in New York City, but it often funds programs throughout the United States. Only its environmental and wildlife grants fund work outside the United States. To learn more about types of organizations Anderson-Rogers supports, examine its latest IRS documents.
The Anderson-Rogers Foundation accepts unsolicited letters of inquiry. Submission must be no more than two pages. The foundation warns potential grantseekers that this “pre-application letter is not an optional step.” Organizations must complete this process for funding consideration.
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