Rita Allen Foundation

The Rita Allen Foundation is a New Jersey-based private grantmaking foundation. The foundation supports left-of-center civic engagement efforts. The foundation also supports the Rita Allen Foundation Scholars program which funds scholars in the sciences. It also funds a young leaders in science program.

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At-A-Glance

Type: Non-profit, 501(c)(3), Private Foundation
Website: ritaallen.org
Location: Princeton, NJ View on map
Tax ID: 13-6116429
Most Recent Filing: 2024
Budget (2024): Assets: $203,250,624 Revenue: $18,487,555 Expenses: $10,103,795

Contents

    The foundation saw a massive infusion of resources in 2008 with the sale of a Park Avenue apartment and everything inside it in New York City. After the sale, the foundation expanded its focus from science education to include civic engagement.

    Foundation Focus

    The foundation is best known for the Rita Allen Foundation Scholars program which supports those in the science field. It also well known for its grants towards scientific endeavors.

    But in recent years it has increased its grants towards civic engagement, often funding left-of-center organizations. The civic engagement funding arose in response to alleged “weakening of traditional and investigative press coverage, the influence of money in politics, and the perception that voting doesn’t matter.” It particularly steers funds towards media projects and new technologies that engage voters. 1

    Civic Engagement Grants

    The foundation funds several liberal organizations. The organization awarded grants to the Sunlight Foundation and the Center for Public Integrity. 2 It also funds the Pew Charitable Trusts. 3

    Leadership

    Elizabeth Good Christopherson is the president and chief executive officer of the foundation. She has been serving in that role since 2009. Previously, she was the executive director of New Jersey’s public broadcasting network and served on the board of PBS. She also served as the president of the New Jersey Women’s Forum. 4

    The foundation has a board of directors that is chaired by investment advisor William Gadsden. Former New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean (R) and former editor of the Des Moines Register and Washington Post columnist Geneva Overholser also serve on the board. 4

    History

    The Rita Allen Foundation was founded in 1953 by Broadway producer Rita Allen Cassel. Her father was a physician and while she was alive, most of her giving was used to advance science and medicine. Rita Allen Cassel would die in the late 1960s. 5

    In 1976, the Rita Allen Foundation Scholars program would be established. The program would award scientists up to $110,000 in order to conduct medical research. 5

    Her husband, Milton Cassel, would administer the foundation in her memory until he died in 2004. Cassel’s second wife, Lucette, would survive him for three years and die in 2007. There were no natural heirs and the entire estate was passed on to the foundation. 5

    In 2008, the Cassel’s Park Avenue apartment was sold. The apartment contained a world-class connection of impressionist art that was sold in London. The assets of the foundation jumped from $20 million to $140 million. 5

    After 2008, the foundation began to focus on more than scientific and medical research. It began to fund civic engagement projects and community building endeavors. 2

    Funding

    According to the 2015 Form 990, the foundation made $2.3 million in investment revenue and spent $9.1 million. It had assets of over $152 million.

    Among the grants made in the year were $200,000 to the Center for Public Integrity, $250,000 to Climate Central, $15,000 to Earthjustice, $50,000 to ProPublica, $250,000 to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, $100,000 to the Sunlight Foundation, and $5,000 to The Nature Conservancy.

    Financial Statistics

    Total Assets

    Total Revenue

    Total Expenses

    YearTotal AssetsTotal RevenueTotal ExpensesFiling
    2024 $203,250,624 $18,487,555 $10,103,795 View
    2023 $189,867,123 $8,340,526 $10,562,214 View
    2022 $175,627,317 $7,613,238 $11,248,065 View
    2021 $219,012,203 $23,878,841 $9,836,624 View
    2020 $192,154,107 $6,416,455 $10,093,012 View

    Prior year filings: 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011

    Expenses Detail

    Employee Compensation

    Highest Earning Employees

    EmployeeTitleTotal Compensation
    Elizabeth G ChristophersonPRESIDENT & CEO$584,825
    Randi ChmielewskiSTRATEGIC ENGAGEMENT$214,157
    Kari A WilliamsFINANCE, TREASURER$190,000
    Katherine BelyiSECRETARY/KNOWLEDGE (THRU JULY 2024)$122,658
    Janie ScurtiEXECUTIVE ASSISTANT$98,697
    Elizabeth A FisherSECRETARY/PROJECT MGMT (FROM DEC 2024)$97,010
    Tamika DavisPROGRAM ADMINISTRATI$83,341
    Nancy KovacevichGRANTS ADMINISTRATIO$55,487
    Attayah DouglasPROGRAM RESEARCH AND$53,713
    William F GadsdenCHAIRPERSON OF THE BOARD$7,000
    Rodney Priestley PhDDIRECTOR$4,000
    Samuel S-H Wang PhDDIRECTOR$4,000
    Carl Nathan MDDIRECTOR$4,000

    Grant Activity

    All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $330,000
    • Number of Grants: 1
    • Number of Funders: 1

    Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years:

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $330,0002020 Coefficient GivingTo two Rita Allen Foundation Award in Pain Scholars identified as excellent researchers in the fields of pain and anesthesiology

    All-time grants given statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $79,616,665
    • Number of Grants: 1,105
    • Number of Recipients: 361

    Selection of highest value grants given from the last seven years:

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $300,0002022 Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Inc.Science Philanthropy Alliance
    $250,0002020 Hopewell FundScience in Society Funder Collaborative
    $200,0002024 MultiplierCIVIC SCIENCE FUNDERS COLLABORATIVE
    $200,0002020 Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Inc.Fund for Shared Insight
    $190,0002024 Brandeis UniversityANNUAL SUPPORT
    $190,0002023 Brandeis UniversityWILL-MANDATED GIVING 2023
    $190,0002022 Brandeis UniversityAnnual Giving
    $180,0002021 Brandeis UniversityAnnual Giving
    $180,0002020 Hillel at Brandeis IncAnnual Giving
    $175,0002024 ResearchamericaSTAC TASK FORCE TO ADVANCE U.S. COMPETITIVENESS IN THE 21ST CENTURY
    $175,0002022 ResearchamericaCivic Science: Microgrant, Science Communications, and Convenings
    $150,0002022 Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Inc.Fund for Shared Insight
    $150,0002020 Fulbright US-Uk FoundationCivic Science Fellows Program
    $150,0002020 Future Proof Institute, Inc.C/Corps
    $150,0002020 Media Impact Funders IncBuilding the Knowledge and Capacity of Funders Supporting Public Engagement with Evidence
    $125,0002023 Hopewell FundSCIENCE IN SOCIETY FUNDER COLLABORATIVE
    $125,0002022 ResearchamericaCivic Science: Microgrant, Science Communications, and Convenings
    $120,0002023 Climate Central, Inc.CIVIC SCIENCE FELLOW
    $120,0002023 Regents of the University of California – San DiegoUCLA CENTER FOR SMART HEALTH CIVIC SCIENCE FELLOW
    $120,0002023 Research Foundation of the City University of New YorkCUNY ADVANCED SCIENCE RESEARCH CENTER CIVIC SCIENCE FELLOW
    $120,0002023 The Franklin InstituteCIVIC SCIENCE FELLOW
    $110,0002024 Harvard Medical SchoolRITA ALLEN FOUNDATION SCHOLARS PROGRAM
    $110,0002024 Harvard UniversityRITA ALLEN FOUNDATION SCHOLARS PROGRAM
    $110,0002024 Regents of the University of MichiganRITA ALLEN FOUNDATION SCHOLARS PROGRAM
    $110,0002024 Rutgers the State University of NjRITA ALLEN FOUNDATION SCHOLARS PROGRAM

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    Financials, employee compensation, and grant information provided by Candid.

    Mentioned in this Article

    References

    1. “Civic Engagement”. 2019. Rita Allen Foundation. Accessed August 19. http://ritaallen.org/civic-engagement/.
    2. Fox, Barbara Figge. 2012. “‘Shy Midas’ No More, Rita Allen Makes Its Mark”. Princeton Info. https://princetoninfo.com/shy-midas-no-more-rita-allen-makes-its-mark/.
    3. Angermiller, Michele. 2013. “Princeton’s Rita Allen Foundation Extends Charity Locally And Globally”. Times Of Trenton. https://www.nj.com/mercer/2013/09/princetons_rita_allen_foundation_extends_charity_locally_and_globally.html.
    4. Morsch, Mike. 2015. “PRINCETON: Rita Allen Foundation Passionate About Funding Breakthrough Solutions To Significant Problems”. Central Jersey. http://www.centraljersey.com/news/princeton-rita-allen-foundation-passionate-about-funding-breakthrough-solutions-to/article_c884650c-4b4b-11e5-95b8-8bf57a371ab6.html.
    5. Fox, Barbara Figge. 2012. “‘Shy Midas’ No More, Rita Allen Makes Its Mark”. Princeton Info. https://princetoninfo.com/shy-midas-no-more-rita-allen-makes-its-mark/.