The Thomas J Edelman Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- The Thomas J Edelman Foundation makes grants only to organisations it has preselected and does not accept unsolicited requests, so a cold application is unlikely to be considered.
- Its grants have spanned education, culture, community, conservation and welfare work, so your fit depends on the foundation already knowing your organisation rather than on matching a stated programme.
- Most of its grants are small, with half at $2,500 or less and a median of $2,500, so a modest request suits it best; its typical band runs from $500 to $100,000, but its largest grant was about $785,000, so that band is not a ceiling.
- Almost all of its grant dollars to organisations went to groups it had funded in earlier filings, so a personal introduction is a sensible route, while location alone should not decide whether you try, since no geographic focus is stated even though its grants have mainly gone to Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania.
Overview
The Thomas J Edelman Foundation is a US private foundation based in New York, NY.
What they fund
Profile based on the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) only: no website or other web source for the foundation was found. Every statement is checked against the filings. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
Across the recorded grants, the foundation supported a varied mix of charitable organisations rather than a single named field. Recipients included schools and colleges, a wildlife conservation organisation, neighbourhood and social-service organisations, congregations, museums and historical or community groups, as well as animal-welfare and food-assistance organisations. The stated purpose in the filings is to help the activities of public charitable institutions exempt under section 501(c)(3), rather than to identify a narrower programme or beneficiary group. The record therefore shows broad support for charitable institutions, with education, cultural, community, conservation and welfare organisations among the kinds represented. It does not set out a public application route beyond contributions to preselected organisations.
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania.
How to apply
The foundation contributes only to preselected charitable organisations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 99% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 76 grants to organisations were $2,500 or less.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
3 other states: <1%
- The largest single recipient received 47% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 99% of grant dollars went to organisations The Thomas J Edelman Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 14% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 24 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $4,000 (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Hotchkiss School · To help activities of var public char inst which are exempt under 501 (c)(3)$785,4822024 tax year
- Wildlife Conservation Society · To help activities of var public char inst which are exempt under 501 (c)(3)$150,0002024 tax year
- New York School of Interior Design · To help activities of var public char inst which are exempt under 501 (c)(3)$50,0002024 tax year
- Lenox Hill Neighborhood House · To help activities of var public char inst which are exempt under 501 (c)(3)$35,0002024 tax year
- Sarah Lawrence College · To help activities of var public char inst which are exempt under 501 (c)(3)$25,0002024 tax year
- Columbia Law School · To help activities of var public char inst which are exempt under 501 (c)(3)$25,0002024 tax year
- Congregation Emmanuel · To help activities of var public char inst which are exempt under 501 (c)(3)$21,2502024 tax year
- Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons · To help activities of var public char inst which are exempt under 501 (c)(3)$10,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Cornelia S Edelman — Director
- Thomas J Edelman — President
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $1,412,901 | $1,248,229 | $20,659,345 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $1,186,236 | $1,086,097 | $24,455,998 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $1,296,278 | $1,139,629 | $31,031,951 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
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At a glance
Applying to The Thomas J Edelman Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- New York, NY
Applying to The Thomas J Edelman Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- New York, NY