The Essex Avenue Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organisations, so a charity should not send a cold proposal and should first find a route to an invitation.
- No geographic focus is stated, although the grant record is mainly in New York and California, so do not assume that an area excludes you.
- Most of its grants fall between $20,000 and $700,000 and the median is $145,000, so a request of that order fits its record, but the largest grant was about $5,000,000 and that band is not a ceiling.
- Repeat giving is strong, with 64% of grant dollars to organisations going to groups it had also funded in the prior filing, so the foundation looks relationship-led and new applicants face a demanding route in.
- Confirm the current invitation process in the filing before investing time in an approach.
Overview
The Essex Avenue Foundation is a US private foundation based in Wilmington, DE.
What they fund
Profile based on the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2023, TY2022) only: no website or other web source for the foundation was found. Every statement is checked against the filings. Sources read on 12 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The available grant record shows a varied pattern of organisational support, with many awards recorded as general and unrestricted. Recipients include schools and education bodies, housing and homelessness services, environmental organisations, food programmes, health and behavioural-health providers, refugee and asylum-seeker support groups, and cultural and public institutions. This describes the recorded recipients and purposes rather than a published statement of funding priorities. The grant record is concentrated in New York, with additional awards to organisations in other states. It makes contributions only to preselected charitable organisations.
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in New York and California.
How to apply
The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2023 filing, 64% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022 and TY2023 filings, half of its 124 grants to organisations were $145,000 or less.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2023.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: 4%
- The largest single recipient received 19% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2023, 64% of grant dollars went to organisations The Essex Avenue Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- <1% of grant dollars went directly to organisations outside the US (Zambia).
- 1% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 68 grants in tax year 2023 by size
Median $210k (tax year 2023)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Escuela Comunitaria del Bronx Bronx Community School · General & Unrestricted$2,851,9372023 tax year
- Breaking Ground Housing Development Fund Corporation · 2030 Fund$2,000,0002023 tax year
- Council on the Environment · Composting Program$1,300,0002023 tax year
- Oyate Group · General & Unrestricted$1,000,0002023 tax year
- City and Country School · General & Unrestricted$1,000,0002023 tax year
- New York Foundling · Home of Integrated Behavioral Health program and Road to Success Program$1,000,0002023 tax year
- Coalition for the Homeless · Eviction Prevention Fund and General support$700,0002023 tax year
- Trees for the Future · Senegal program$525,0002023 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Elizabeth Lasorte — Treasurer
- Sophia Jenkins — Director
- Michael Jenkins — Director
- Leo Jenkins — Director
- Greta Jenkins — Director
- Ann Jenkins — Director, President
- Valerie Crosswhite — Secretary
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
2 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $17,651,298 | $17,445,002 | $561,283,191 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $23,643,818 | $23,412,426 | $697,736,935 | Filing for 2023 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
Registers and filings
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At a glance
Applying to The Essex Avenue Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Wilmington, DE
Applying to The Essex Avenue Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Wilmington, DE