SJS Partners is a left-of-center grantmaking organization with close ties to the Sandler Foundation. ¹ SJS Partners was founded in 2019 by James Sandler and his late sister, left-wing activist and philanthropist Susan Sandler. ²

In 2022, SJS Partners gave $1.5 million to the Sixteen Thirty Fund, which is managed by left-of-center dark money group Arabella Advisors. ³ SJS Partners made grants of $500,000 to Sixteen Thirty Fund in 2021. ⁴ SJS partners also gave $1 million to the Fund for a Better Future, and $500,000 to the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and the Center for American Progress Action Fund in 2020. ⁵

History and Leadership

SJS Partners was founded in 2019 and received tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in June 2019. ⁶

Steve Daetz is the president and secretary of SJS Partners. Daetz also is the president of the left-of-center Sandler Foundation, where he has overseen the organization’s grantmaking activities and operations since 2007. ⁷ Daetz is on the board of directors of the Center for American Progress, ⁸ ProPublica, ⁹ EarthJustice, ¹⁰ and the Washington Center for Equitable Growth. ¹¹

James Sandler and his late sister, ¹² left-wing activist and philanthropist Susan Sandler, were vice presidents of SJS Partners in the group’s tax return from December 2022. ¹ Both James Sandler and Susan Sandler were the directors of the Sandler Foundation, which has given approximately $1 billion to support left-of-center groups like the Center for American Progress and ProPublica. ^{13 14 15}

SJS Partners co-founder Susan Sandler supported critical race theory-influenced social justice. She also chaired the Susan Sandler Fund, which makes racial justice-related grants, and was a founding member of the left-of-center Democracy Alliance (DA). ¹⁶ She helped create the left-of-center Learning Policy Institute and was an early backer of then-Senator Barack Obama’s (D-IL) 2008 presidential campaign. Sandler was an early financial supporter of the political careers of Vice President Kamala Harris, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Georgia Democratic Party activist Stacey Abrams. ¹⁷

Jim Sandler focuses his efforts with SJS Partners on left-of-center environmentalist and criminal justice-related activities. ¹⁸

Activities and Funding

SJS Partners is a grantmaking organization with close ties to the left-of-center Sandler Foundation. ¹ The organization also does business as SJS Partners Action Fund Inc. ¹⁹

Grantmaking

SJS Partners primarily operates as a grantmaking organization to support and advance left-of-center social causes and initiatives. In 2022, SJS Partners spent at least $1.5 million on initiatives to support what it considers to be a “well-functioning democracy.” ²⁰

SJS partners gave $1.5 million to the Sixteen Thirty Fund, which is managed by left-of-center dark money group Arabella Advisors, in 2022. ³ In 2021, SJS Partners made grants of $500,000 to Sixteen Thirty Fund and $150,000 to Defending Democracy Together. ⁴

In 2020, SJS Partners made grants of $1,000,000 to the left-of-center Fund for a Better Future, $500,000 to the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and $500,000 to the Center for American Progress Action Fund. ⁵

Funding

In 2019, SJS Partners received a grant of $70 million to start its operations. ²¹ As of 2022, SJS Partners’ revenue comes entirely from investment income. ¹

In 2022, SJS Partners reported revenue of $2,011,419 and expenses of $1,535,864. The organization’s revenue came from investment income. In 2021, the organization reported revenue of $238,982 and expenses of $653,643. ¹

1. “SJS Partners Inc.” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990). 2022. Part I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/371907260/202322849349302062/full.
2. “Letter of Determination.” Department of Treasury. Internal Revenue Service. June 24, 2019. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://apps.irs.gov/pub/epostcard/dl/FinalLetter_37-1907260_SJSPARTNERSINC_08272018_01.tif.
3. “SJS Partners Inc.” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990). 2022. Schedule I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/371907260/202322849349302062/full.
4. “SJS Partners Inc.” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990). 2021. Schedule I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/371907260/202203159349303100/full.
5. “SJS Partners Inc.” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990). 2020. Schedule I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/371907260/202123079349303067/full.
6. ^[1] “Letter of Determination.” Department of Treasury. Internal Revenue Service. June 24, 2019. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://apps.irs.gov/pub/epostcard/dl/FinalLetter_37-1907260_SJSPARTNERSINC_08272018_01.tif.
7. “Steve Daetz.” Pro Publica. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://www.propublica.org/people/steve-daetz.
8.  “Board of Directors.” Center for American Progress. Accessed April 21, 2024. https://www.americanprogress.org/about-us/c3-board/.
9. “Leadership.” ProPublica. Accessed April 21, 2024. https://www.propublica.org/leadership/.
10.  “Honorary Life Trustees.” EarthJustice. Accessed April 21, 2024. https://earthjustice.org/about/honorary-life-trustees.
11. Steve Daetz.” Washington Center for Equitable Growth. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://equitablegrowth.org/people/steve-daetz/.
12. “SJS Partners Inc.” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990). 2019. Part VI, Section A, Line 2. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/371907260/202043149349303264/full.
13. “Sandler Foundation.” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990). 2021. Part III. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/943147856/202320959349300902/full.
14. “Steve Daetz.” LinkedIn Profile. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-daetz-15613411/.
15. Kline, Alan, and Kate Berry. “Golden West co-founder Herb Sandler dies at 87, leaving complicated legacy.” American Banker. June 05, 2019. Accessed May 3, 2022. https://www.americanbanker.com/news/golden-west-co-founder-herb-sandler-dies-at-87-leaving-complicated-legacy.
16.  Vogel, Kenneth P. “Donors seek to harness Hollywood to boost liberal causes.” Politico. April 9, 2016. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://www.politico.com/story/2016/04/democratic-donors-hollywood-conference-221764.
17. “Susan.” Sandler Phillips Center. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://www.sandlerphillipscenter.com/susan.
18. Interviews conducted by Martin Meeker. “Jim Sandler Commitment to the Environment in the Sandler Foundation.” The Marion and Herbert Sandler Oral History Project. 2018. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://digitalassets.lib.berkeley.edu/roho/ucb/text/sandler_jim_2019.pdf.
19. “SJS Partners Inc.” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990). 2022. Schedule I. Part I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/371907260/202322849349302062/full.
20. “SJS Partners Inc.” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990). 2022. Part III. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/371907260/202322849349302062/full.
21.  “SJS Partners Inc.” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990). 2019. Part I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/371907260/202043149349303264/full.