Kessler Foundation Inc
East Hanover, NJ · EIN 31-1562134. Reported 91 grants totalling $4,434,900 to 64 organizations across tax years 2021-2024, on Form 990 Schedule I.
Does this grantmaker accept applications?
Its tax return does not say, and we will not guess. Private foundations file Form 990-PF, which asks outright whether they fund only organizations they select themselves -- 78% say yes, and that one answer is what lets the rest of this site tell you which foundations are worth approaching. Grantmaking charities like this one file a regular Form 990 instead, and the IRS never puts the question to them. Anyone claiming to know the answer from the filing is inventing it.
Three things in the filing do bear on it:
- What kind of organization it is. For Kessler Foundation Inc, the IRS classifies it under human services rather than as a grantmaker (NTEE P20) -- it is an operating charity that also makes grants.
- How spread out its giving is. 64 distinct organizations, with 17% of the dollars going to the largest single recipient. That is genuinely spread out -- the mark of a funder making many independent decisions rather than underwriting one institution.
- How much its list changes. 28% of one year's grantees are funded again the next, across 3 year-to-year transitions. That is below the 57% median for grantmaking charities, and well below the 67% private foundations manage. A list that turns over this much is one a newcomer can realistically join.
How big are its grants?
The median reported grant is $32,000. Half of what it reported fell between $20,000 and $40,000; the smallest was $6,000 and the largest $398,941. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong organization.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by the EIN the filer reported, not by name, so an organization that was typed differently in two years appears once rather than twice.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University System of New Hampshire | Concord, NH | $735,941 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation | Washington, DC | $500,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| University of Massachusetts Boston | Boston, MA | $499,199 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Rutgers University Foundation | New Brunswick, NJ | $139,200 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Association of University Centers on Disabilities | Silver Spring, MD | $128,839 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Jewish Family Service of Atlantic County Inc | Margate City, NJ | $125,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars | Washington, DC | $120,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Disability Lead | Chicago, IL | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Lester and Rosalie Anixter Center | Chicago, IL | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Shrm Foundation Inc | Alexandria, VA | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| State of Vermont Division of Vocational Rehabilit | Waterbury, VT | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Habcore Inc | Red Bank, NJ | $95,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| B L E S S E D Ministries Inc | Newark, NJ | $80,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Visions Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired | New York, NY | $80,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Funders Together to End Homelessnes S Inc | Boston, MA | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Montclair State University Foundation Inc | Montclair, NJ | $60,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Center for Family Services Inc | Voorhees, NJ | $55,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| American Association of People With Disabilities | Washington, DC | $50,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Adler Aphasia Center | Maywood, NJ | $40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Arc of Camden County Inc | Berlin, NJ | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Cheshire Home Inc | Florham Park, NJ | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Easter Seals New Jersey Inc | Jamesburg, NJ | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Georgian Court University | Lakewood, NJ | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Shore Clubhouse | Long Branch, NJ | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Township of Evesham | Marlton, NJ | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Perlman Music Program Inc | New York, NY | $38,700 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Abilities of Northwest Jersey Inc | Washington, NJ | $38,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Alliance for Disabled in Action Inc | Edison, NJ | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Best Buddies International Inc | Miami, FL | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Calais School | Whippany, NJ | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Camden City Garden Club Inc | Camden, NJ | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Career Opportunity Development Inc | Egg Harbor City, NJ | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Center for Educational Advancement | Flemington, NJ | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Community Options Enterprises Inc | Princeton, NJ | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Cornell University | Ithaca, NY | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Family Resource Associates Inc | Red Bank, NJ | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey Inc | Brooklyn, NY | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Jersey Cape Diagnostic Training and Opportunity Center Inc | Cape May Ch, NJ | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Kingsway Services Inc | Moorestown, NJ | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| National Organization on Disability | New York, NY | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Arc of New Jersey Inc | N Brunswick, NJ | $34,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| World Institute on Disability | Berkeley, CA | $32,521 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Alternatives Inc | Raritan, NJ | $32,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Arc of Cape May County Inc | Cape May Ch, NJ | $31,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Bancroft a New Jersey Nonprofit Corporation | Cherry Hill, NJ | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Portlight Strategies Inc | Bakersville, NC | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| University of Louisville Kentucky Spinal Cord Inj | Louisville, KY | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Rutgers the State University | Piscataway, NJ | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| County of Union | Elizabeth, NJ | $21,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Challenged Athletes Inc | San Diego, CA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Count Basie Theatre Inc | Red Bank, NJ | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| County of Hudson - Office of Disability Services | Jersey City, NJ | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Marblejam Kids Inc | Hackensack, NJ | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| The Impossible Dream Inc | New York, NY | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Arc of New Jersey Inc | West Deptford, NJ | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey Inc | North Brunswick, NJ | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Bergen County - Division of Disability Services | Hackensack, NJ | $13,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Prevention Resources Inc | Flemington, NJ | $12,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Road Runners Club of America | Ridgewood, NJ | $12,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Childrens Aid and Family Services Inc | Paramus, NJ | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Eatontown Lions Club Foundation | Eatontown, NJ | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Kennedy Health Care Foundation Inc | Philadelphia, PA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Mane Stream Inc | Oldwick, NJ | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Policyworks Inc | Tallahassee, FL | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
20 of 64 (31%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold. Remember the $5,000 floor: an organization funded every year at $3,000 shows up here as never funded at all.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose column of its filings, largest first. This is the closest thing to a statement of what it funds, in its own words.
- State of Vermont Division of Vocational Rehabilit
WORK VT 2.0 STATE WIDE IMPLEMENTATION - National Organization on Disability
Special Initiative, Promotion & Awareness
What kind of organizations it funds
By each recipient's own IRS classification, for the 43 of 64 recipients we could match to a registered organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses -- Schedule I reports the recipient's EIN, so this is a lookup rather than a name match.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants reported | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 50 | $1,808,051 | $31,500 |
| 2022 | 20 | $1,037,649 | $32,500 |
| 2023 | 8 | $977,409 | $88,204 |
| 2024 | 13 | $611,791 | $28,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- Form 990 arrives about a year after the year it covers, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a grantmaker winding down.
Where its money goes
34% of its giving went to organizations in New Jersey. Community foundations and federated funds are usually the most geographically bounded funders there are -- being outside the footprint is normally disqualifying in a way that a weak programme fit is not.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These grantmakers and private foundations gave to organizations this one also funded. Shared grantees are the strongest signal available that two funders have overlapping priorities -- and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.
How to approach this grantmaker
- Look for a published programme first. Unlike most private foundations, organizations of this kind often do run open, deadlined grant cycles with written guidelines. Its own website is the authority on that; this page is the authority on who it has actually paid.
- Check you are its size. The median reported grant is $32,000 -- and because grants under $5,000 need not be reported, it very likely writes smaller cheques than this page can see.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving concentrates in New Jersey.
- Read the recipient list for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer and a cheap one to get.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Kessler Foundation Inc's own Form 990 Schedule I filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Nothing here is scraped, inferred or estimated.
On its most recent return it told the IRS it made grants to 13 section 501(c)(3) organizations and 0 other organizations. That is the filer's own count for one year; the totals above cover every year we hold.
Address of record on the latest return: 120 Eagle Rock Ave Suite 100, East Hanover, NJ, 07936.
EIN 31-1562134 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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