THE PERSHING SQUARE FOUNDATION
Annual Giving
$10.9M-48% YoY
Grants
56
Median Grant
$250K
Organizations Funded
48
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Foundation Overview
Mission
The Pershing Square Foundation (PSF) was established in 2006 to support exceptional leaders and innovative organizations that tackle important social issues and deliver scalable and sustainable global impact. They bet on innovative leaders solving humanity's big societal, environmental, and health challenges, providing risk capital to talented entrepreneurs who have the vision to dream.
Focus Areas
Grant Types
Funded Initiatives
$5.25M Ovarian Cancer Challenge Grant to seven scientists at five institutions; $4.5 million in 2025 Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Prizes to six winners ($750,000 each); MIND Prize of $750,000 over three years for neuroscience research; Over $49 million to 77 scientists at 14 institutions in Alliance; Oxford-Pershing Square Graduate Scholarships with £7.8m endowment.
How to Apply
Multi-stage process: Stage 1: Letter of Intent (LOI) - one-page document; Stage 2: Full-Length Proposal (FLP) by invitation only; Stage 3: Presentation by finalists. 2026 PSSCRA Cancer Prize opens September 29, 2025, LOI deadline November 3, 2025 by 5:00pm ET. Awards $750,000 over three years.
Does Not Fund
PSSCRA Prize: Assistant/Associate Professors with 2-6 years independent experience, full-time tenure-track faculty at 501(c)3 research institutions. Applicants may only apply twice. Non-U.S. citizens must assure visa status provides sufficient time to complete project in United States.
Based on publicly available information from the foundation's 990 filings and website.
Giving History
$10.9M
Grants
56
Median
$250K
States
9
$21.2M
Grants
68
Median
$200K
States
12
$15.2M
Grants
41
Median
$200K
States
10
Grant Size Distribution
$250K
Typical Grant (Median)
$8K
Smallest
$173K
25th Pctile
$250K
75th Pctile
$750K
Largest
Excludes grants ≤ $5K. Half fall between $173K and $250K.
Largest Recent Grants
$750K
2024
THE BROAD INSTITUTE OF MIT AND HARVARD
MA · RESEARCH PROJECT: "PROGRAMMABLE THERAPEUTICS: BUILDING THE FOUNDATION FOR THE NEXT WAVE OF MEDICINE"
$500K
2024
AMCHAI
FL · GENERAL SUPPORT
$300K
2024
THE ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY
NY · SUPPORT FOR RESEARCH PROJECT ENTITLED, STIMULATING SYNAPTIC PROTEIN DEGRADATION FOR THE TREATMENT OF NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES
$250K
2024
TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK
NY · PERSHING SQUARE SOHN PRIZE FOR YOUNG INVESTIGATORS IN CANCER RESEARCH
$250K
2024
THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA (UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS
CA · PERSHING SQUARE SOHN PRIZE FOR YOUNG INVESTIGATORS IN CANCER RESEARCH
Geographic Focus
Top states by total grant dollars. Based on IRS filing data.
Financial Overview
Grants paid shown as percentage of total assets
Data sourced from IRS 990 and 990-PF filings and publicly available foundation websites. Grant data, financial figures, and organizational details reflect historical filings and may not represent current operations or funding priorities. Verify directly with the foundation before applying. See an issue? Let us know.