Chiaroscuro (kee-ahr-uh-skoor-oh), an artistic technique characterized by strong contrasts between light and dark, describes the foundation’s aspiration to reflect God’s light in an often dark world.
The Chiaroscuro Foundation is a 501(c)3 private foundation located in New York City with staff in Princeton, New Jersey and Washington DC.
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
We promote a proper understanding of human sexuality that reconnects sex and procreation.
Boy Lighting a Candle by El Greco
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | |
| FEMM | $0.00 | $0.00 | $1,000,000.00 | $1,000,000.00 |
| World Youth Alliance | $370,000.00 | $430,000.00 | $320,000.00 | $320,000.00 |
| Center for Bioethics and Culture Network | $0.00 | $0.00 | $148,000.00 | $195,000.00 |
| Saint Peter's Foundation | $0.00 | $0.00 | $25,000.00 | $175,000.00 |
| Sisters of Life | $200,000.00 | $200,000.00 | $500,000.00 | $150,000.00 |
| National Abstinence Education Foundation | $25,000.00 | $75,000.00 | $50,000.00 | $150,000.00 |
| AAPLOG | $0.00 | $0.00 | $40,000.00 | $130,000.00 |
| Courage | $100,000.00 | $100,000.00 | $100,000.00 | $125,000.00 |
| Chiaroscuro Institute | $0.00 | $73,0000.00 | $80,000.00 | $100,000.00 |
| Holy Family School of Faith | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $100,000.00 |
| Family Life Respect Life Office | $120,000.00 | $120,000.00 | $100,000.00 | $80,000.00 |
| Reproductive Research Audit | $0.00 | $0.00 | $45,172.00 | $80,000.00 |
| Morality in Media | $0.00 | $0.00 | $50,000.00 | $75,000.00 |
| Holy Cross Church | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $73,000.00 |
| Bethany Christian Services | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $70,000.00 |
| Avail, NYC | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $51,500.00 |
| Program Reach | $0.00 | $50,000.00 | $50,000.00 | $50,000.00 |
| Seymour Institute | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $50,000.00 |
| Susan B. Anthony List Education Fund | $150,000.00 | $150,000.00 | $40,000.00 | $40,000.00 |
| Ave Maria University | $0.00 | $50,000.00 | $50,000.00 | $25,000.00 |
| Love and Fidelity Network | $20,000.00 | $20,000.00 | $20,000.00 | $25,000.00 |
| Jonah International | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $20,000.00 |
| Essential in Education | $0.00 | $0.00 | $75,000.00 | $0.00 |
| FACTS | $0.00 | $0.00 | $60,000.00 | $0.00 |
| C-FAM | $0.00 | $0.00 | $20,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Expectant Mother Care | $425,000.00 | $175,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Women's Reproductive Health Foundation | $150,000.00 | $50,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Manto de Guadalupe | $100,000.00 | $25,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Live Action | $100,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
EDUCATION
We support efforts to emphasize parents’ primary responsibility for their children’s education and minimize state interference.
Rembrandt’s Aristotle with a Bust of Homer
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | |
| Ashoka University | $0.00 | $100,000.00 | $30,000.00 | $500,000.00 |
| Witherspoon Institute | $0.00 | $0.00 | $237,500.00 | $490,000.00 |
| Austin Institute | $0.00 | $0.00 | $250,000.00 | $200,000.00 |
| Institue for American Values | $0.00 | $0.00 | $100,000.00 | $175,000.00 |
| Philanthropy Roundtable | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $75,000.00 |
| Centre for Civil Society | $200,000.00 | $200,000.00 | $200,000.00 | $50,000.00 |
| Empire Center | $0.00 | $0.00 | $25,000.00 | $50,000.00 |
| Common Core Watch | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $50,000.00 |
| The Claremont Institute | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $50,000.00 |
| American Media Institute | $0.00 | $0.00 | $125,000.00 | $40,000.00 |
| South Bronx Educational Foundation | $0.00 | $0.00 | $60,000.00 | $25,000.00 |
| Seton Education Partners | $35,000.00 | $20,000.00 | $75,000.00 | $0.00 |
| School Choice Foundation | $0.00 | $50,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Foundation for Educational Choice | $50,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
EVANGELIZATION
We support vibrant individuals transformed by God’s saving grace who spread God’s word in the modern world, and we recognized that the Universal Catholic Church founded by Jesus Christ, with the apostolic tradition and the communion of saints, is uniquely qualified to communicate the full depth of God’s word.
The Inspiration of Saint Matthew by Caravaggio
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | |
| Sophia Institute | $0.00 | $0.00 | $140,000.00 | $280,000.00 |
| Catholic Voices | $0.00 | $0.00 | $250,000.00 | $250,000.00 |
| John Paul II Center for Women | $40,000.00 | $25,000.00 | $50,000.00 | $150,000.00 |
| Ethics and Public Policy Center | $0.00 | $75,000.00 | $75,000.00 | $130,000.00 |
| Focus | $400,000.00 | $250,000.00 | $250,000.00 | $101,000.00 |
| Carmel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary | $70,000.00 | $100,000.00 | $100,000.00 | $100,000.00 |
| Endow | $0.00 | $20,000.00 | $100,000.00 | $100,000.00 |
| Dominican Foundation | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $100,000.00 |
| First Things | $0.00 | $0.00 | $100,000.00 | $100,000.00 |
| Catholic University School of Business | $0.00 | $0.00 | $150,000.00 | $100,000.00 |
| Faith and Reason Institute | $95,000.00 | $65,000.00 | $60,000.00 | $90,000.00 |
| Lumen Christi Institute | $50,000.00 | $50,000.00 | $80,000.00 | $80,000.00 |
| Dietrich von Hildebrand Legacy Project | $0.00 | $0.00 | $62,000.00 | $80,000.00 |
| Thomas More College of the Liberal Arts | $100,000.00 | $200,000.00 | $0.00 | $75,000.00 |
| Catholic Finance Association | $0.00 | $0.00 | $76,442.00 | $59,450.00 |
| Carl Schmitt Foundation | $59,000.00 | $51,350.00 | $50,000.00 | $50,000.00 |
| Catholic Leadership Institute | $25,000.00 | $25,000.00 | $25,000.00 | $50,000.00 |
| New York Encounter | $0.00 | $0.00 | $50,000.00 | $50,000.00 |
| The Word Proclaimed Institute | $0.00 | $0.00 | $25,000.00 | $50,000.00 |
| Magis Center | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $50,000.00 |
| Corazon Puro | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $37,500.00 |
| Dominican House of Studies | $0.00 | $20,000.00 | $35,000.00 | $35,000.00 |
| Thomas Aquinas College | $0.00 | $25,000.00 | $25,000.00 | $25,000.00 |
| Acton Institute | $0.00 | $0.00 | $25,000.00 | $25,000.00 |
| Miles Christi | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $25,000.00 |
| Catholic University School of Philosophy | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $20,000.00 |
| Collegium Institute | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $20,000.00 |
| The New Criterion | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $20,000.00 |
| Catholic Information Center | $25,000.00 | $75,000.00 | $0.00 | $10,000.00 |
| National Bible Association | $0.00 | $85,000.00 | $20,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Curran Principal Academy | $0.00 | $75,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Catholic Distance University | $0.00 | $25,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Bishop's Education Commission of Belize | $50,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Catholic Advocacy Network | $25,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Network of Politically Active | $25,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Yale Divinity School | $25,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences | $20,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Holy Innocents Church, NYC | $0.00 | $0.00 | $50,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Catholic Vote | $0.00 | $0.00 | $25,000.00 | $0.00 |
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
We support the unconditional equal protection under the law of all religions as the best way to accommodate a religiously pluralistic society.
St. John the Baptist by Caravaggio
| 2011 | 2012 | 2012 | 2014 | |
| Becket Fund for Religious Liberty | $100,000.00 | $110,000.00 | $260,000.00 | $200,000.00 |
| Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund | $0.00 | $0.00 | $105,000.00 | $128,000.00 |
PRO-LIFE
We defend human life from conception until natural death.
Rembrandt’s The Holy Family
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | |
| Patients Rights Council | $150,000.00 | $150,000.00 | $150,000.00 | $150,000.00 |
| Clergy for Better Choices | $138,000.00 | $94,000.00 | $160,000.00 | $100,000.00 |
| Fidelis Center for Law and Policy | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $100,000.00 |
| Neonatal Hospice at Columbia University | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $100,000.00 |
| Institute for Family Studies | $0.00 | $0.00 | $25,000.00 | $75,000.00 |
| Women's Rights without Frontiers | $0.00 | $0.00 | $25,000.00 | $50,000.00 |
| Terri Schiavo Life and Hope Network | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $50,000.00 |
| Vermont Center for Independent Living | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $43,000.00 |
| Students for Life | $0.00 | $77,500.00 | $0.00 | $37,000.00 |
| Human Life Foundation | $0.00 | $0.00 | $23,300.00 | $35,000.00 |
| National Review Institute | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $35,000.00 |
| The Howard Center | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $35,000.00 |
| Center for Study of Technology and Society | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $25,000.00 |
| ICMC, Inc. | $0.00 | $0.00 | $100,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Galileo Forum | $0.00 | $0.00 | $50,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Good Counsel, Inc. | $0.00 | $0.00 | $25,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Americans United for Life | $25,000.00 | $0.00 | $20,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Institute for Leadership | $46,751.56 | $50,900.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Life Issues Institute | $0.00 | $50,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Ridge Foundation | $0.00 | $35,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
HUMANITARIAN
We help meet the basic needs of the poor.
The Seven Works of Mercy by Caravaggio
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | |
| African Mission Health Foundation | $300,000.00 | $300,000.00 | $302,218.00 | $300,000.00 |
| Blas F. Ople Policy Center & Training Institute | $0.00 | $0.00 | $50,000.00 | $200,000.00 |
| CEFPS Brazil | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $40,000.00 |
We believe that every life has equal value and everyone deserves an opportunity to flourish. We defend those who lack the protection of the law and are unable to protect themselves. We offer the poor healthcare and educational opportunities that they need to thrive. We offer the saving grace of Jesus to all while defending everyone’s unalienable right to exercise the religion of their own choosing.
The Chiaroscuro Foundation is led by a lean staff of successful scholars, businessmen and entrepreneurs committed to the fundamental values of life, liberty and justice.
Sean Fieler, 
Chairman of the Chiaroscuro Foundation, is President of Equinox Partners, LP. Mr. Fieler graduated from Williams College in 1995 with a degree in Political Economy and was the 1994 recipient of the Branson Memorial Scholarship. He is the Chairman of the American Principles Project and a member of the board of Witherspoon Institute, the Manhattan Institute-, and the Dominican Foundation, among others.
Greg Pfundstein
is President of the Chiaroscuro Foundation. Greg is a graduate of Thomas Aquinas College and holds a Licentiate in Philosophy from the Catholic University of America. He is a member of the board of the Patients Rights Council, FEMM Foundation, the Chiaroscuro Institute, and the National Abstinence Education Foundation.
We believe that every life has equal value and everyone deserves an opportunity to flourish. We defend those who lack the protection of the law and are unable to protect themselves. We offer the poor healthcare and educational opportunities that they need to thrive. We offer the saving grace of Jesus to all while defending everyone’s unalienable right to exercise the religion of their own choosing.
The Chiaroscuro Foundation is led by a lean staff of successful scholars, businessmen and entrepreneurs committed to the fundamental values of life, liberty and justice.
Sean Fieler, Chairman of the Chiaroscuro Foundation, is President of Equinox Partners, LP. Mr. Fieler graduated from Williams College in 1995 with a degree in Political Economy and was the 1994 recipient of the Branson Memorial Scholarship. He is the Chairman of the American Principles Project and a member of the board of Witherspoon Institute, the Manhattan Institute-, and the Dominican Foundation, among others.
Greg Pfundstein is President of the Chiaroscuro Foundation. Greg is a graduate of Thomas Aquinas College and holds a Licentiate in Philosophy from the Catholic University of America. He is a member of the board of the Patients Rights Council, FEMM Foundation, the Chiaroscuro Institute, and the National Abstinence Education Foundation.
Chiaroscuro’s advisory board provides the foundation with expertise drawn from backgrounds in managing business and nonprofit enterprises. Its members do not have responsibility for approving grants and may not support all the positions adopted by the Foundation.
The Research Advisory Board assists the Chiaroscuro Foundation in its efforts to understand data and evaluate the effectiveness of programs and interventions. With an array of statistical and scientific expertise, the Board helps us make informed decisions.
Professor of Law, George Mason University School of Law BS Villanova; MA Theology Catholic University of America; JD Cornell
Professor of Medicine, Brown Univerity Director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Rhode Island and The Miriam Hospitals and Brown Medical School BA Dartmouth; MD Cornell
Researcher, Department of Health, New Brunswick, Canada BA Yale; PhD Educational Management, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
Professor of Political Science, University of Alabama BA Dartmouth; MA Statistics, Stanford; PhD Political Science, Stanford
Assistant Professor of Business & Economics, Ave Maria University BA UPenn; MA Economics, Harvard; PhD Economics, Harvard
Partner in Practice, Huntington Long Island BS Bucknell; MBA Duke; MD Wake Forest
The Research Advisory Board assists the Chiaroscuro Foundation in its efforts to understand data and evaluate the effectiveness of programs and interventions. With an array of statistical and scientific expertise, the Board helps us make informed decisions.
Professor of Law, George Mason University School of Law BS Villanova; MA Theology Catholic University of America; JD Cornell
Professor of Medicine, Brown Univerity Director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Rhode Island and The Miriam Hospitals and Brown Medical School BA Dartmouth; MD Cornell
Researcher, Department of Health, New Brunswick, Canada BA Yale; PhD Educational Management, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
Professor of Political Science, University of Alabama BA Dartmouth; MA Statistics, Stanford; PhD Political Science, Stanford
Assistant Professor of Business & Economics, Ave Maria University BA UPenn; MA Economics, Harvard; PhD Economics, Harvard
Partner in Practice, Huntington Long Island BS Bucknell; MBA Duke; MD Wake Forest
If you would like to make a donation, you can do so online here.