The Sarah Ralston Foundation
Philadelphia, PA · EIN 23-1387107. Reported 100 grants totalling $5,577,178 to 60 organizations across tax years 2023-2024, 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 The Sarah Ralston Foundation, the IRS classifies it under human services rather than as a grantmaker (NTEE P810) -- it is an operating charity that also makes grants.
- How spread out its giving is. 60 distinct organizations, with 7% 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. 80% of one year's grantees are funded again the next, across 1 year-to-year transition. That is well above the 57% median for grantmaking charities, and above the 67% private foundations manage. This list is close to settled, so a newcomer has to displace someone rather than fill a gap.
How big are its grants?
The median reported grant is $50,000. Half of what it reported fell between $25,000 and $75,000; the smallest was $7,500 and the largest $250,000. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health Federation of Philadelphia | Philadelphia, PA | $375,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Connectedly | Philadelphia, PA | $230,000 | 3 | 2 | 2024 |
| Intercommunity Action Incorporated | Philadelphia, PA | $225,000 | 3 | 2 | 2024 |
| Seniorlaw Center | Philadelphia, PA | $225,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Center in the Park Inc | Philadelphia, PA | $210,000 | 3 | 2 | 2024 |
| Face to Face | Philadelphia, PA | $190,000 | 3 | 2 | 2024 |
| Philadelphia Corporation for Aging | Philadelphia, PA | $170,000 | 3 | 2 | 2024 |
| Caring for Friends | Philadelphia, PA | $160,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Council for Relationships Inc | Philadelphia, PA | $150,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Generations on Line | Philadelphia, PA | $150,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Lutheran Social Mission Society of Philadelphia | Philadelphia, PA | $150,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Overbrook West Neighbors | Philadelphia, PA | $150,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corp Chinatown Community Park | Philadelphia, PA | $150,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| The Sunday Breakfast Asssociation of Philadelphia | Philadelphia, PA | $150,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Widener University | Chester, PA | $150,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Jewish Family and Childrens Service of Greater Philadelphia | Bala Cynwyd, PA | $135,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Artz Philadelphia | Philadelphia, PA | $130,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | $125,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Pathways to Housing Pa | Philadelphia, PA | $121,078 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| African Family Health Organization Afaho | Philadelphia, PA | $120,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Mazzoni Center | Philadelphia, PA | $120,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| William Way Lgbt Community Center | Philadelphia, PA | $120,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Inglis Community Services Incorporated | Philadelphia, PA | $110,000 | 2 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Philip Jaisohn Memorial Foundation Inc | North Wales, PA | $110,000 | 3 | 2 | 2024 |
| Episcopal Community Services of the Diocese of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | $105,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Affordable Housing Centers of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Broad Street Ministry | Philadelphia, PA | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Center for the Advocacy for the Rights & Interests of the Elderly | Abington, PA | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Madlyn and Leonard Abramson Center for Jewish Life | Bala Cynwyd, PA | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| North City Congress | Philadelphia, PA | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Rebuilding Together Philadelphia | Philadelphia, PA | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Visionlink | Philadelphia, PA | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Jeff Kornblau Partners for Patient Advocacy | Jenkintown, PA | $60,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Northwest Mutual Aid Collective Inc | Philadelphia, PA | $60,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Feast of Justice | Philadelphia, PA | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Health Promotion Council of Southeastern Pennsylvania Inc | Philadelphia, PA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Paraprofessional Training Institute | Philadelphia, PA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Unitarian Universalist House of the Joseph Priestly District | Philadelphia, PA | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Center - Philadelphia | Philadelphia, PA | $40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Raymond and Mirim Klein Jcc | Philadelphia, PA | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Chestnut Hill Meals on Wheels | Flourtown, PA | $39,600 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Southeast Asian Maa Coalition Inc | Philadelphia, PA | $37,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Ralston Mercy Douglas House | Philadelphia, PA | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Urban Resources Development Corporation | Philadelphia, PA | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Lutheran Children and Family Service of Eastern Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Masjid Al-Wasatiyah Wal-Itidaal | Philadelphia, PA | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Penns Village | Philadelphia, PA | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Depaul USA Inc | Chicago, IL | $27,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Philadelphia Vip Inc | Philadelphia, PA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Saint Josephs University | Philadelphia, PA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| The Love Pray Peace Project Veterans Residence | Philadelphia, PA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Urban Affairs Coalition | Philadelphia, PA | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Aging People in Prison Human Rights Campaign | Washington, DC | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Federation Housing Inc | Philadelphia, PA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Northwest Community Court Program | Philadelphia, PA | $17,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Yoga 4 the World | Philadelphia, PA | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Kiths Integrated and Targeted Human Services | Philadelphia, PA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| New Life United Brethren Church | Philadelphia, PA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Students Care Inc | Pinecrest, FL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Morivivi Latino Cancer Support Group | Philadelphia, PA | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
33 of 60 (55%) received money in more than one year over the 2 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.
- Health Federation of Philadelphia
INNOVATIVE PROJECT SUPPORT - 2ND INSTALLMENT - Connectedly
INNOVATIVE PROJECT SUPPORT - 2ND INSTALLMENT AND GENERAL OPERATION SUPPORT GRANT - Overbrook West Neighbors - Own
INNOVATIVE PROJECT SUPPORT - Generations on Line
GENERAL OPERATION SUPPORT AND INNOVATIVE PROJECT SUPPORT GRANTS - Caring for Friends
MEAL DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM - Inglis Community Services
EXPANSION OF HOME MODIFICATIONS FOR INDEPENDENCE PROGRAM
What kind of organizations it funds
By each recipient's own IRS classification, for the 47 of 60 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 47 | $1,995,500 | $50,000 |
| 2024 | 53 | $3,581,678 | $50,000 |
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
99% of its giving went to organizations in Pennsylvania. 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.
Down to the city
Find more funders like The Sarah Ralston Foundation
We read newly filed IRS returns and email you the grantmakers whose giving matches your state and cause, as they are published. Free.
No spam, unsubscribe in one click. We never sell or share your address.
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 $50,000 -- 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 Pennsylvania.
- 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 The Sarah Ralston Foundation'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 53 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: 123 South Broad Street Suite 2245, Philadelphia, PA, 19109.
EIN 23-1387107 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
Is something here wrong about your organization? Email [email protected] and we will correct it.