The Carol & Gene Ludwig Family Foundation

Private foundation · EIN 56-2305290 · since 2003ludwigfamilyfoundation.org·District of Columbia, Massachusetts, New York, United States·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$8.2M

Annual giving, 2024 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$2,500 to $240k

Grant range

From grants in the 990-PF filings

$25,000

Typical grant (median)

51 grants in the latest filing

Invitation only

Unsolicited applications are not accepted

This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.

Key takeaways

This Washington, DC-based foundation funds by invitation only and does not accept unsolicited requests, so a speculative approach is unlikely to succeed and organisations should wait to be approached rather than submit a cold application.
Its interests span medical research into neurodegeneration and Alzheimer's disease, education support for young people from low-income backgrounds (college persistence, broader post-secondary pathways and career and workforce training, plus selected higher-education programmes preparing young people for public service), and general operating support for community organisations, with geographic priority given to Washington, DC; Martha's Vineyard, MA; New York City, NY; and national.
Most grants are modest: half of its 207 grants across recent filings were $20,000 or less, and about 8 in 10 fall between $2,500 and $240,000, so a modest request is realistic, though a small number of much larger grants (up to around $5,350,000) do occur.
The foundation looks relationship-led rather than open to general competition, since 87% of its grant dollars went to organisations it had already funded in the previous two filings, meaning new applicants face a field dominated by established relationships.
Given its invitation-only process, organisations without an existing connection should not send in unsolicited applications.

Overview

The Carol & Gene Ludwig Family Foundation is a US private foundation based in Washington, DC.

What they fund

Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.

Priority Areas

The foundation makes strategic charitable investments in medical research, education and community engagement. In medical research, it supports a multidisciplinary network of researchers advancing understanding of neurodegeneration, particularly Alzheimer’s disease, to accelerate treatment development; it also occasionally supports exceptional investigators outside this field where scientific need is urgent. Its education grantmaking primarily empowers young people from low-income backgrounds through college persistence, broader post-secondary pathways and career and workforce training, as well as selected higher-education programmes preparing young people for public service and government. In community engagement, it provides general operating support to organisations in multiple regions, including communities where its founders live and work.

Themes

Medical research
Education
Community engagement

Geographic Focus

Priority: Washington, DC; Martha’s Vineyard, MA; New York City, NY; national.

How to apply

The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests.

Application success factors

Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 87% 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 207 grants to organisations were $20,000 or less.

What the foundation says:

It targets a select, multidisciplinary group of researchers whose work advances understanding of neurodegeneration, particularly Alzheimer’s disease, and can contribute to future treatment development.
Seed funding accelerates high-risk, high-reward research, while larger initiatives encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and high-impact findings.

Where grants go

From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.

Grant dollars by state

Connecticut44%

Massachusetts18%

New York11%

California10%

District of Columbia7%

Maryland2%

6 other states: 7%

The largest single recipient received 38% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2024, 87% of grant dollars went to organisations The Carol & Gene Ludwig Family Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
<1% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.

Grants

51 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $25,000

How much do they typically give?

Share of 51 grants in tax year 2024 by size

Under $1k2%

$1k–$2.5k12%

$2.5k–$5k6%

$5k–$10k16%

$10k–$25k14%

$25k–$50k12%

$50k–$100k6%

$100k–$250k22%

$250k–$500k8%

$500k–$1M0%

$1M and over4%

Median $25,000 (tax year 2024)

The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:

Yale Law School · General operating support - general
$3,000,0002024 tax year
Yale School of Medicine · General operating support - general
$1,433,3332024 tax year
University of California San Francisco · General operating support - general
$450,0002024 tax year
Harvard Medical School · General operating support - general
$445,5802024 tax year
Gladstone Institutes · General operating support - general
$400,0002024 tax year
Boston University · General operating support - general
$383,2872024 tax year
Mit Picower Institute For Learning And Memory · General operating support - general
$210,0002024 tax year
New York University Grossman School of Medicine · General operating support - general
$200,0002024 tax year

Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.

Officers and directors

Matthew Giacomini — Vice President
Robert B Barnett Esq — Director
Eugene A Ludwig — Secretary / Treasurer / Director
Carol Ludwig — President / Director

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

3 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$11,228,445	$10,360,290	$169,930,632	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$11,935,165	$11,252,806	$199,553,287	Filing for 2023 tax year
2024 tax year	$9,383,593	$8,161,375	$278,947,133	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.