The Argosy Foundation engages in process-based support.  Foundation Trustees look for projects that add value to a field and also may contain features applicable to other philanthropic programs, such as innovative learning methods, assessment strategies, simplified documentation techniques, etc.  We look for leverage in everything we do; every program is a learning experience.  Our role as a partner with the grantee is to maximize the likelihood of success, as well as gain knowledge and best practice information that can be made available to others.  As a private family foundation, we try to address needs that are less likely to be addressed by governments or public foundations, in a way that may be difficult or impossible for other support/grantor organizations to provide. While the Foundation does not operate with concrete program categories, there are certain areas to which Argosy currently directs the bulk of its funding.  They include, but are not limited to, education, arts and culture, health and human services, and the environment.

Visit the Foundation Center's web site at http://www.foundationcenter.org, which provides access to private foundation information and various other resources for grant seekers.

Yes, the Argosy Foundation also supports organizations and projects as a consultant, researcher and convener.  Click here to find Argosy research related to various initiatives.

All funding is solely at the discretion of the Trustees.

The headquarters of the Argosy Foundation is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We also have additional offices and staff members in Boulder, Colorado;  Birmingham, Alabama; and Shelburne, Vermont.  

Not necessarily, but much of the giving reflects areas that are familiar to the Trustees.

Please use the Contact form. We welcome your feedback, and our staff would be happy to answer questions.

Grants can only be awarded to 501(c) 3 public charities and schools.

There are no set timelines for reviewing proposals that Argosy has solicited (Argosy does not accept unsolicited proposals). Each Trustee makes his/her own decisions on an individual basis and at their discretion.

The significance of the name is not the typical usage of the word (nor how it is regularly used by Shakespeare).   The root means, literally, 'boat'.   Later the word came to be associated with an early form of venture capital - invest in people, capital, and tools, send them on a boat to some presumably resource-rich destination, and hope they hit pay dirt.  The sense in which we mean it for the Foundation is most analogous to the Argonauts in Greek mythology - a heroic task (or problem) being effectively solved through an extraordinary collaboration of diversely skilled adventurers, (or staffed) by the most effective and appropriate people (notably Hercules and Jason, in this case) equipped with exactly the right resources (boat by Athena, etc.).

The logo is a Fibonacci Spiral representing a numeric pattern – a “dynamic balance” – that is useful in mathematics and manifests itself throughout nature and art. The logo is a representation of our search for the best possible, most elegant and efficient solutions to challenges that affect our world. The spiral is also a reminder to us that solutions to problems can apply across disciplines and in unexpected ways.