Abele Family Foundation
The Abele Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It makes grants to charitable organizations; its 2025 recipients included philanthropic, educational, environmental, and youth-serving organizations.
Abele Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Abele Family Foundation gave $2.0M across 19 grants in 2025 (avg $103K), mostly in Ohio. 24% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,951,499
- +13.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 19
- +46.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $102,710
- -22.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $37,023,225
- -0.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 24% first-time grantees (4 of 17, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Ohio (82% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Abele Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 500 Walnut Street Unit 2000, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Phone: (267) 773-8416
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Abele Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was American Endowment Foundation ($1.6M). Together the top 10 received $1.9M.
Grant Size Distribution
79 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 60 grants of 79 (76%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 82% of grant dollars went to recipients in Ohio, 11% to Pennsylvania, and 7% to Maine. The largest 2025 grant went to an organization in Hudson, Ohio; other large recipients were in Maine and Pennsylvania.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Abele Family Foundation open to new grantees?
24%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 17 grantees (24%) were first-time recipients. With only 17 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $150K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 59% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−6%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 107% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.6M (2019) to $2.1M (2020). In 2025 it made 19 grants totaling $2.0M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| American Endowment Foundation Hudson, OH | GRANTS | $1,600,000 |
| Chewonki Foundation Wiscasset, ME | Operating Funds/Scholarship | $135,000 |
| Founding Forward Philadelphia, PA | Operating | $124,000 |
| Ursinus College Collegeville, PA | Operating Funds | $19,812 |
| Williamson College of the Trades Media, PA | Operating | $12,000 |
| Freds Footsteps Bryn Mawr, PA | Operating Funds/Scholarship | $10,000 |
| Union League Legacy Foundation Philadelphia, PA | Scholarship | $10,000 |
| Penn State University Park, PA | Scholarships | $8,231 |
| Haddonfield Friends Haddonfield, NJ | Operating | $7,500 |
| PYC Music Institute Philadelphia, PA | Operating Funds/Scholarship | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Abele Family Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $37,023,225 | $2,062,146 | $2,295,051 | $1,951,499 | 19 | $1,970,741 | $1,737,836 | $1,838,878 |
| 2024 | $37,277,404 | $1,150,593 | $2,134,700 | $1,713,890 | 13 | $1,744,467 | $771,360 | $1,814,516 |
| 2023 | $34,333,787 | $437,644 | $2,234,221 | $1,900,550 | 21 | $1,931,794 | $902,746 | $1,775,130 |
| 2022 | $34,671,291 | $420,255 | $2,336,645 | $2,085,039 | 13 | $2,114,500 | $1,014,001 | $1,929,943 |
| 2021 | $41,812,023 | $1,296,192 | $2,105,414 | $1,999,204 | 13 | — | $1,199,591 | $1,948,731 |
| 2020 | $43,058,961 | $1,675,580 | $2,333,324 | $2,092,226 | 31 | — | $1,467,960 | $2,120,026 |
| 2019 | $43,418,009 | $2,324,495 | $2,965,622 | $1,629,553 | 27 | — | $1,070,111 | $2,096,344 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Abele Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.8M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations and purposes, including operating funds, scholarships, and grants.
Among its recipients, the American Endowment Foundation describes its mission as expanding the capacity of American philanthropy throughout the financial services industry. Chewonki Foundation says it inspires personal growth, appreciation and stewardship of the natural world, and efforts to build sustainable communities. Ursinus College describes its mission as providing a liberal education that prepares students for responsible, useful lives and leadership. Williamson College of the Trades says it prepares young men to be leaders and productive members of society.
Other 2025 recipients include Christ Church Preservation Trust, which says it works to preserve historic Christ Church’s properties and strengthen the communities that use them; Girard College Foundation, which raises funds to enhance educational facilities and services; Wissahickon Charter School, whose mission includes learning with an environmental focus; and LUCY Outreach, which supports Camden youth through programs for their educational, social, emotional, and physical growth.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 19 grants totaling $1,951,499. Grants ranged from $500 to $1,600,000, with a median grant of $5,000. The largest grants were $1,600,000 to American Endowment Foundation for “GRANTS,” $135,000 to Chewonki Foundation for “OPERATING FUNDS/SCHOLARSHIP,” and $124,000 to Founding Forward for “OPERATING.”
Other 2025 grants included $19,812 to Ursinus College for operating funds, $12,000 to Williamson College of the Trades for operating, and $10,000 each to Fred’s Footsteps for operating funds and scholarships and Union League Legacy Foundation for scholarships. The foundation also gave $8,231 to Penn State for scholarships and $5,000 to PYC Music Institute for operating funds and scholarships.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Wilbert D Abele as founding director. It also lists Joan Abele, Karen E Scheu, Nina B Stryker, and Theodore Piotrowicz as directors.
Abele Family Foundation's 2025 filing lists 5 officers; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Wilbert D. Abele
Founding Director
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$346K (2019) → $0 (2025)
Joan Abele
Director
On filings since 2019
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Karen E. Scheu
Director
On filings since 2019
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nina B. Stryker
Director
On filings since 2019
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Theodore Piotrowicz
Director
On filings since 2023
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Edward Abele (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Ted Piotrowicz (2019–2022) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
No officer or director reported compensation in the available filings.
Frequently asked questions about Abele Family Foundation
How much does Abele Family Foundation give each year?
Abele Family Foundation gave $2.0M across 19 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.7M across 13 grants.
What is Abele Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Abele Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $102,710, across 19 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Abele Family Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does Abele Family Foundation give grants?
Abele Family Foundation gives mostly in Ohio: 82% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Pennsylvania (11%) and Maine (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Philadelphia, PA (8 grants) and University Park, PA (2 grants).
Does Abele Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 68% of Abele Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (13 of 19) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Abele Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Abele Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include American Endowment Foundation ($1,600,000), Chewonki Foundation ($135,000) and Founding Forward ($127,500 across 2 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 95% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Abele Family Foundation?
Abele Family Foundation reported $37.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.0M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.8M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Abele Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations and purposes, including operating funds, scholarships, and grants. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Abele Family Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Abele Family Foundation's EIN?
Abele Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 45-3795823. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Abele Family Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 10, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 11, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS August 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS January 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS December 19, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 10, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS January 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Live grants for the work Abele Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
- Nixa Affiliate Grantmaking Program Up to US $10,000 · Due October 19, 2026
- Community and School Grants $28,000 total pool; 10-15 grants expected · Due October 19, 2026
- Mary Pinola/Crescenta Valley Chamber Education Fund $500 - $5,000 for ongoing programs; up to $15,000 for Strategic Initiative Grants · Due October 19, 2026
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Abele Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Abele Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/abele-family-foundation-morg_c11881300108406a83d8f71f9107fcdf
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_453795823_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Abele Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/abele-family-foundation-morg_c11881300108406a83d8f71f9107fcdf},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-18. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Abele Family Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Abele Family Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?