# William T. Grant Foundation

William T. Grant Foundation is an Endowment / Foundation based in New York, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Endowment / Foundation
- **Headquarters:** New York, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** 60 E. 42nd Street, 43rd Fl., New York, NY 10165, United States
- **Founded:** 1936
- **Assets under management:** 387 (Altss estimate)
- **Website:** wtgrantfoundation.org
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/wtgrantfdn

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

The William T. Grant Foundation was established in 1936 by William Thomas Grant, who built the W. T. Grant chain of variety stores. Its mandate centers on funding research rather than direct operations or family wealth preservation. The foundation allocates roughly 15.5 percent of assets to private equity and maintains positions in public equities through external managers. Confirmed holdings include Makena Capital Management and Riverside Micro-Cap Fund VI. It also holds equity in Silvercrest Asset Management Group, Eagle Capital Management, Silchester International Investors, Baillie Gifford, and BlackRock. Geographic exposure centers on the United States with limited international equity exposure. The organization employs 27 professionals and maintains its headquarters in New York. It belongs to Philanthropy New York, the Council on Foundations, and Independent Sector. In December 2024 the foundation hosted a webinar outlining application procedures for grants focused on research evidence use. Governance separates the grant-making function from investment execution through a board of trustees that includes former public pension leadership. Service providers include PKF O'Connor Davies as auditor, BNY Mellon as custodian, and Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler as legal counsel since 1974.

## Sectors

- Education
- Research

## People

- Adam Gamoran — President
- Scott Evans — Chair of the Board of Trustees

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at William T. Grant Foundation?

Scott Evans chairs the board of trustees and previously served as CIO of the New York City Retirement System. Day-to-day investment oversight is executed through external managers rather than an internal team.

### What investment stages does William T. Grant Foundation typically target?

Disclosed strategies include buyout, growth, venture, secondaries, and distressed debt. The 15.5 percent private equity allocation spans multiple stages through fund commitments.

### How is William T. Grant Foundation related to other philanthropies?

It has partnered on research initiatives with the Bezos Family Foundation, Doris Duke Foundation, and Spencer Foundation. These relationships involve co-funding of specific studies rather than shared governance.

### What is William T. Grant Foundation's known posture on co-investments alongside external GPs?

No direct co-investment activity is disclosed. The foundation's private equity exposure occurs exclusively through fund commitments and secondaries.

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/william-t-grant-foundation

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