American Chai Trust
American Chai Trust is a private foundation based in New York, NY. It makes grants to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations.
American Chai Trust at a glance
In short: American Chai Trust gave $91K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $8K), mostly in New York. 36% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $91,000
- -24.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 11
- -52.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $8,273
- +57.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $612,532
- +11.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 36% first-time grantees (4 of 11, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (95% 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 American Chai Trust
- How to Apply
-
Submit the requested materials to Clifford Perlman.
- Review Cycle
- Open for submission all year.
- Deadline
- Open for submission all year.
- Contact
Application contact: Clifford Perlman
Mailing address: 41 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10010
Phone: (212) 889-0575
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who American Chai Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was American Federation of Arts ($15K). Together the top 10 received $70K.
Grant Size Distribution
89 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 89 grants of 89 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 95% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York and 5% to recipients in Illinois.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
Cities
Is American Chai Trust open to new grantees?
36%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 11 grantees (36%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $7K. How we count
Medians: $8K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 55% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 25% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 95% 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 (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $39K (2023) to $122K (2022). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $91K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Grantees New York, NY | General Support | $21,000 |
| American Federation of Arts New York, NY | General Support | $15,000 |
| Hunter College New York, NY | General Support | $12,500 |
| New Museum New York, NY | General Support | $10,000 |
| Say - Stuttering Association for the Young Irvington, NY | General Support | $10,000 |
| Heritage Management Chicago, IL | General Support | $5,000 |
| International Peace Institute New York, NY | General Support | $5,000 |
| New School (Vera List Center) New York, NY | General Support | $5,000 |
| Brooklyn Acacemy of Music Brooklyn, NY | General Support | $3,000 |
| Chamber Music Society New York, NY | General Support | $3,000 |
Ready to take the next step with American Chai Trust?
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 | $612,532 | $123,337 | $145,233 | $91,000 | 11 | $114,992 | $113,946 | $120,839 |
| 2024 | $548,698 | $77,592 | $143,601 | $120,500 | 23 | $136,301 | $70,772 | $115,132 |
| 2023 | $607,661 | $75,104 | $119,000 | $38,500 | 10 | $52,748 | $68,152 | $4,361 |
| 2022 | $663,845 | $131,014 | $146,949 | $122,000 | 24 | $136,698 | $124,354 | $118,303 |
| 2021 | $642,280 | $81,897 | $117,732 | $87,000 | 21 | — | $75,298 | $107,980 |
| 2020 | $668,615 | $66,718 | $107,786 | $82,003 | 32 | — | $62,906 | $104,021 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, American Chai Trust reported a distributable amount of $121K 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
The foundation’s filing describes its charitable activity as grants to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. Its 2025 grants included support for arts, education, youth, community, and peace-related organizations. For example, the International Peace Institute describes its own mission as bridging policy and real-world diplomacy through independent research and convening; it received $5,000 from the foundation in 2025.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 11 grants totaling $91,000. Grant amounts ranged from $1,500 to $21,000, with a median of $5,000. Notable grants included $15,000 to the American Federation of Arts, $12,500 to Hunter College, $10,000 each to the New Museum and SAY – Stuttering Association for the Young, and $5,000 each to Heritage Management, the International Peace Institute, and the New School’s Vera List Center.
The foundation’s filing states that it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Applications should include a proposed-project description and budget, evidence of need, the time required to complete the project, proof of the organization’s tax-exempt status and that it is not a private foundation, and the organization’s most recent financial statement. The stated award range is $500 to $12,000.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Clifford Perlman, Aaron Doynow, and Michael Cohn as trustees.
American Chai Trust's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Aaron Doynow
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Clifford Perlman
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michael Cohn
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 American Chai Trust
How much does American Chai Trust give each year?
American Chai Trust gave $91K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $121K across 23 grants.
What is American Chai Trust's typical grant size?
American Chai Trust's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $8,273, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from American Chai Trust that year got $10K on average.
Where does American Chai Trust give grants?
American Chai Trust gives mostly in New York: 95% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Illinois (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (7 grants).
Does American Chai Trust give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of American Chai Trust's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (11 of 11) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are American Chai Trust's largest grantees?
American Chai Trust's largest 2025 grantees include American Federation of Arts ($15,000), Hunter College ($12,500) and New Museum ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 41% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is American Chai Trust?
American Chai Trust reported $613K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $115K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $121K (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 American Chai Trust fund?
The foundation’s filing describes its charitable activity as grants to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. Its 2025 grants included support for arts, education, youth, community, and peace-related organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from American Chai Trust?
Submit the requested materials to Clifford Perlman. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is American Chai Trust's EIN?
American Chai Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-6130992. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
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 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). American Chai Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/american-chai-trust-morg_6e5036bab44443eeb88bd0de77813991
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_136130992_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{American Chai Trust funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/american-chai-trust-morg_6e5036bab44443eeb88bd0de77813991},
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 American Chai Trust'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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