About the foundation
Foundation story
The Geoffrey and Sarah Gund Foundation is named for Geoffrey deC. Gund and Sarah Gund, whose decades of giving have been guided by personal conviction and deep care for their communities. That history is where the foundation begins. Today it operates as a professional grantmaking institution with a defined mission, dedicated leadership, and a focus on equity. We are building on what they started, with our attention on the work ahead.
Geoffrey deC. Gund
Geoffrey deC. Gund grew up in Cleveland and founded the Geoffrey and Sarah Gund Foundation in 1986. For more than four decades he has approached giving in a personal, relationship-driven way, supporting institutions in the arts, education, health, and community life across New York, Cleveland, and Martha's Vineyard. He taught history at the Dalton School in New York for 35 years and served the George Gund Foundation in Cleveland for 43 years, including 25 as president of its board. The foundation carries the name of his late wife, Sarah Gund, an educator who devoted her career to children with learning differences. As the foundation enters its next chapter under professional leadership, the spirit of their giving remains its starting point.
Sarah Gund (1942-2023)
Sarah Gund grew up in Riverdale, New York, and built a decades-long career as an education specialist working with children with learning differences. She gave her time to the institutions that shaped her and the Riverdale community she made her home, serving on the boards of Sarah Lawrence College, Bank Street College, Wave Hill, and the Riverdale Neighborhood House, and as Chair Emeritus of the Putney School. She is remembered for her warmth, her humor, and her conviction that every child can learn.
Our approach
We believe good grantmaking starts with relationships. Rather than relying on applications and grant reports alone, we take time to understand the organizations we support: their work, their leadership, and the communities they serve. Our grantmaking is equity-focused. We prioritize organizations expanding opportunity for people who have faced structural barriers. Where it makes sense, we make multi-year commitments, because real change rarely happens on a one-year timeline. We concentrate our work in four communities, Philadelphia, New York City, Cleveland, and Martha's Vineyard, where we can be a genuine partner rather than a distant funder.
Geoff Gund
Geoff Gund leads the foundation as Executive Director. The son of its founder, Geoffrey deC. Gund, he brings the next generation of the family into the work his father began. He has seen philanthropy from both sides: as a grantee at Benefits Data Trust, where he worked on organizational strategy and board operations, and as a grantor since 2022 as a Trustee and Governance Committee member of the George Gund Foundation. He holds a Master of Public Administration from the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance. He is committed to building GSGF into a grantmaking institution that earns the trust of its partners and the communities it serves.
Board of Directors
- Geoffrey deC. Gund
- Zachary Gund