The Pinkerton Foundation is a grantmaker focused on helping youth in New York City to develop skills and self-reliance. ¹ It supports nonprofit organizations directly engaged with youth education and aid for young people accused or convicted of crimes. ¹

History and Program Areas

The Pinkerton Foundation was founded in 1966 by Robert Allan Pinkerton, chairman and CEO of the security company Pinkerton’s, Inc. ² The mission of the foundation was to prevent juvenile delinquency. ³

The foundation primarily funds direct service programs for the youth of New York City, ² with a focus on providing the consistent presence of adults and supportive relationships in the lives of young people. ⁴

The Pinkerton Foundation has four main program areas. ¹ The first is after-school and summer learning, where it supports community programs focused on recreational activities, mentoring, and skills building for children. ⁵

The second program area is career readiness, where the Pinkerton Foundation supports internship opportunities, industry certification programs, job-training programs, as well as programs to help children attain “soft” career skills. ⁶

The third program area is education, where the Pinkerton Foundation supports general education, life-skills programs, and college access and retention efforts, with a special focus on single mothers and youth in the foster care system. ⁷

The fourth program area is youth and family justice, where the Pinkerton Foundation supports prisoner reentry programs, employment training, and alternatives to incarceration. ⁸

Additionally, the foundation created the Pinkerton Advanced Leadership Network, accessible only to ethnic minorities, to cultivate future non-white community leaders. ⁹

Grantmaking

The Pinkerton Foundation only awards grants to 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations. Applicants are required to submit a brief letter of inquiry describing their organization, the project needing funding, the program budget, and a list of board members. Those organizations that pass an initial review process will then receive a site visit from the Pinkerton Foundation and a request for further materials. ¹⁰

In 2021, major grants from the Pinkerton Foundation included $850,000 for Good Shepherd Services;  $600,000 for the Center for New York City Affairs at the New School; $550,000 for the John Jay College of Criminal Justice Prisoner Reentry Institute; $425,000 for the Madison Square Boys and Girls Club; $300,000 for Community Connections for Youth Inc.; $300,000 for Friends of the Children of New York;  $300,000 for the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City; $275,000 for Legal Outreach Inc.; $260,000 for Cypress Hills Local Development; $260,000 for Futures and Options Inc; $250,000 for the Center for Family Life in Sunset Park; $246,000 for career readiness programs at the American Museum of Natural History in New York; and many more. ¹¹

People

The president and CEO of the Pinkerton Foundation is Richard M. Smith. Smith is the former editor-in-chief, chairman, and CEO of Newsweek. Smith has been a member of the board of the Pinkerton Foundation since 1995 and became the president in 2010. Smith is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, an invitation-only think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs. ¹²

1. “The Pinkerton Foundation.” The Pinkerton Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2023. https://www.thepinkertonfoundation.org/.
2. “Mission and History.” The Pinkerton Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2023. https://www.thepinkertonfoundation.org/who-we-are/mission-and-history.
3. “Pinkerton at Fifty.” The Pinkerton Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2023. https://www.thepinkertonfoundation.org/chapter/pinkerton-at-fifty
4. “What We Believe – About Youth Programs.” The Pinkerton Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2023. https://www.thepinkertonfoundation.org/what-we-believe/what-we-believe-about-youth-programs.
5. “After-school and Summer Learning.” The Pinkerton Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2023. https://www.thepinkertonfoundation.org/programs/the-national-dance-institute.
6. “Carrer Readiness. The Pinkerton Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2023. https://www.thepinkertonfoundation.org/programs/the-new-york-hall-of-science.
7. “Education.” The Pinkerton Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2023. https://www.thepinkertonfoundation.org/programs/lifelink.
8. “Youth and Family Justice.” The Pinkerton Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2023. https://www.thepinkertonfoundation.org/programs/pinkerton-fellows-serving-and-learning.
9. “Pinkerton Advanced Leadership Network (PALN). The Pinkerton Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2023. https://www.thepinkertonfoundation.org/pinkerton-advanced-leadership-network-paln.
10. “Grant Guidelines.” The Pinkerton Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2023. https://www.thepinkertonfoundation.org/grant-guidelines.
11. The Pinkerton Foundation. Return of an Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990-PF). 2021.
12. “Current Staff.” The Pinkerton Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2023.  https://www.thepinkertonfoundation.org/staff-status/current-staff.