AL Spencer Foundation
AL Spencer Foundation is a private foundation based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Its 2024 filing says it anticipates primarily supporting charitable organizations that benefit disadvantaged children living in Western Pennsylvania.
AL Spencer Foundation at a glance
In short: AL Spencer Foundation gave $632K across 16 grants in 2024 (avg $40K), mostly in Pennsylvania. 19% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $632,000
- -2.2% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 16
- +33.3% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $39,500
- -26.6% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $19,250
- Total assets
- $12,154,767
- +0.3% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 19% first-time grantees (3 of 16, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Pennsylvania (100% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to AL Spencer Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The filing requests a letter stating the specific amount and purpose of the request, along with a copy of the applicant’s IRS determination letter. The foundation states that it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations.
- Review Cycle
- The foundation states that no current submission deadline has been established.
- Deadline
- The foundation states that no current submission deadline has been established.
- Contact
Application contact: David G Bluemling
Mailing address: 30 Isabella Street Suite 107, Pittsburgh, PA 15212-5859
Phone: (412) 364-9395
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who AL Spencer Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh ($232K). Together the top 10 received $595K.
Grant Size Distribution
75 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 51 grants of 75 (68%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s 2024 filing says it anticipates that grant recipients will be primarily charitable organizations benefiting disadvantaged children living in Western Pennsylvania. All grant dollars reported for 2024 went to Pennsylvania recipients.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is AL Spencer Foundation open to new grantees?
19%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 3 of 16 grantees (19%) were first-time recipients. With only 16 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $15K; repeat grants $45K. How we count
Medians: $19K first-time, $20K repeat.
- 63% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+3%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 94% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $594K (2020) to $679K (2022). In 2024 it made 16 grants totaling $632K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA | 2024 Grant Agreement | $232,000 |
| The United Methodist Church Union Pittsburgh, PA | 2024 Grant Agreement | $104,500 |
| Pine Valley Camp Ellwood City, PA | 2024 Grant Agreement | $100,000 |
| Seneca Hills Bible Camp Polk, PA | 2024 Grant Agreement | $50,000 |
| Boy Scouts of America Pittsburgh, PA | 2025 Outreach Day Camp Program | $20,000 |
| St Anthony Charitable Foundation Wexford, PA | Occupational Therapy Program | $20,000 |
| UPMC Children's Hospital Foundation Pittsburgh, PA | Child Life Program | $20,000 |
| Urban Impact Foundation Pittsburgh, PA | Maintenance of Foundation's Missionary Homes | $20,000 |
| Nazareth Prep Pittsburgh, PA | Student Scholarships | $18,500 |
| Canine Companions Bridgeville, PA | General Purposes | $10,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $12,154,767 | $768,915 | $734,853 | $632,000 | 16 | $634,603 | $682,957 | $678,267 |
| 2023 | $12,120,705 | $458,917 | $736,605 | $646,000 | 12 | $651,562 | $370,768 | $640,698 |
| 2022 | $12,398,393 | $510,575 | $830,184 | $679,000 | 20 | $685,454 | $396,235 | $663,910 |
| 2021 | $12,718,002 | $1,613,025 | $747,349 | $615,000 | 15 | $624,874 | $1,497,836 | $690,580 |
| 2020 | $11,852,205 | $706,383 | $706,234 | $593,650 | 12 | — | $601,539 | $603,772 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, AL Spencer Foundation reported a distributable amount of $678K for 2024 — 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 2024 grants include support for youth programs, education, camps, children’s hospital services, and adaptive sports. For example, Urban Impact Foundation describes its mission as transforming at-risk youth on Pittsburgh’s North Side into successful, contributing members of society. Nazareth Prep describes itself as an independent Catholic high school for students of all faiths that provides affordable, innovative education.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 16 grants totaling $632,000. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $232,000, with a median grant of $19,250. The largest awards included $232,000 to YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh, $104,500 to The United Methodist Church Union, $100,000 to Pine Valley Camp, and $50,000 to Seneca Hills Bible Camp.
Other listed 2024 grants included $20,000 to Urban Impact Foundation for maintenance of its missionary homes, $20,000 to UPMC Children’s Hospital Foundation for its Child Life Program, $18,500 to Nazareth Prep for student scholarships, and $7,000 to Mighty Penguins Sled Hockey for players’ game jerseys. Mighty Penguins describes its programs as therapeutic and competitive ice hockey for people with disabilities.
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
AL Spencer Foundation is led by David G. Martin, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
David G. Martin
President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
David G Bluemling CPACVA
Officer
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: David G. Bluemling Cpa Cva (2020–2022) — Officer
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about AL Spencer Foundation
How much does AL Spencer Foundation give each year?
AL Spencer Foundation gave $632K across 16 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $646K across 12 grants.
What is AL Spencer Foundation's typical grant size?
AL Spencer Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $19,250, and its average grant was $39,500, across 16 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from AL Spencer Foundation that year got $15K on average.
Where does AL Spencer Foundation give grants?
AL Spencer Foundation gives mostly in Pennsylvania: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Pittsburgh, PA (9 grants).
Does AL Spencer Foundation give general operating support?
Occasionally: 6% of AL Spencer Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 16) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "2024 Grant Agreement" (4 grants).
Who are AL Spencer Foundation's largest grantees?
AL Spencer Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh ($232,000), The United Methodist Church Union ($104,500) and Pine Valley Camp ($100,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 69% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is AL Spencer Foundation?
AL Spencer Foundation reported $12.2M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $635K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $678K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does AL Spencer Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants include support for youth programs, education, camps, children’s hospital services, and adaptive sports. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from AL Spencer Foundation?
The filing requests a letter stating the specific amount and purpose of the request, along with a copy of the applicant’s IRS determination letter. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is AL Spencer Foundation's EIN?
AL Spencer Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 25-1843761. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work AL Spencer Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Browse active grant opportunities in AL Spencer Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). AL Spencer Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/al-spencer-foundation-morg_f4845334574341ff85f976199d9160bb
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_251843761_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{AL Spencer Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/al-spencer-foundation-morg_f4845334574341ff85f976199d9160bb},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 AL Spencer 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.
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