Benzak Foundation
The Benzak Foundation is a private foundation based in Rye, New York. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations in several states, including schools, an education-support organization for children of fallen military members, and organizations working on trails and the Lake Tahoe environment.
Benzak Foundation at a glance
In short: Benzak Foundation gave $300K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $27K), top state Rhode Island. 27% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $300,000
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 11
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $27,273
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $8,527,374
- +10.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 27% first-time grantees (3 of 11, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Rhode Island (33% 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 Benzak Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 901, Rye, NY 10580
Phone: (914) 328-2905
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Benzak Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Wheeler School ($80K). Together the top 10 received $295K.
Grant Size Distribution
62 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 53 grants of 62 (85%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in multiple states. The largest reported shares were Rhode Island (33%), Pennsylvania (22%), Virginia (17%), California (10%), and Alaska (8%). The listed recipients also included organizations in New York and Nevada.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Benzak Foundation open to new grantees?
27%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 11 grantees (27%) 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 $9K; repeat grants $34K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $28K repeat.
- 64% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+0%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 77% 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 $300K (2020) to $300K (2025). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $300K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Wheeler School Providence, RI | To Further Donee's Exempt Purpose | $80,000 |
| Pennsylvania State University Libraries University Park, PA | Dean's Discretionary Fund | $65,000 |
| Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation Reston, VA | To Further Donee's Exempt Purpose | $50,000 |
| Tahoe Fund Tahoe City, CA | To Further Donee's Exempt Purpose | $30,000 |
| Island Trails Network Kodiak, AK | To Further Donee's Exempt Purpose | $25,000 |
| Larchmont Mamaroneck Hunger Task Force Mamaroneck, NY | To Further Donee's Exempt Purpose | $10,000 |
| Sail Newport Newport, RI | To Further Donee's Exempt Purpose | $10,000 |
| Star Kids Scholarship Program Middletown, RI | To Further Donee's Exempt Purpose | $10,000 |
| Bishop Manogue Catholic High School Reno, NV | To Further Donee's Exempt Purpose | $7,500 |
| Lake Tahoe School Incline Village, NV | To Further Donee's Exempt Purpose | $7,500 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $8,527,374 | $826,683 | $384,831 | $300,000 | 11 | $307,938 | $402,904 | $400,309 |
| 2024 | $7,752,831 | $703,800 | $379,794 | $300,000 | 11 | $306,599 | $311,320 | $360,170 |
| 2023 | $6,952,382 | $697,337 | $360,508 | $300,000 | 13 | $306,307 | $293,836 | $296,071 |
| 2022 | $5,639,380 | $437,106 | $374,392 | $300,000 | 12 | $306,147 | $60,093 | $284,963 |
| 2021 | $6,858,145 | $1,239,952 | $363,603 | $300,000 | 15 | $306,460 | $862,409 | $292,953 |
| 2020 | $5,714,119 | $475,881 | $349,877 | $300,000 | 17 | — | $133,582 | $234,041 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Benzak Foundation reported a distributable amount of $400K 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 foundation mission is stated in the available information. The 2025 grants show support for organizations with varied missions. The Wheeler School describes itself as an independent college-preparatory day school serving nursery through grade 12. Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation says it provides college and trade-school scholarships, educational assistance, and career support to military children who lost a parent in the line of duty. Tahoe Fund says it uses philanthropy to improve the Lake Tahoe environment, while Island Trails Network describes its work as developing and promoting accessible, sustainable trails and fostering stewardship in the Kodiak Archipelago.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation gave $300,000 through 11 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $80,000, with a median of $10,000. Its largest grants were $80,000 to The Wheeler School, $65,000 to Pennsylvania State University Libraries, $50,000 to Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation, $30,000 to Tahoe Fund, and $25,000 to Island Trails Network. The filing lists the purposes for most of these grants as furthering the recipient’s exempt purpose; the Pennsylvania State University Libraries grant was for its Dean’s Discretionary Fund.
Other 2025 grants included $10,000 each to Larchmont Mamaroneck Hunger Task Force, Sail Newport, and Star Kids Scholarship Program; $7,500 each to Bishop Manogue Catholic High School and Lake Tahoe School; and $5,000 to Tahoe Rim Trail Association.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Caroline A Benzak Higginbotham as president and director; Christopher L Benzak as vice president and treasurer, and director; and Jeffrey J Benzak as vice president and secretary, and director.
Benzak Foundation is led by Caroline A. Benzak Higginbotham, President & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Caroline A. Benzak Higginbotham
President & Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Christopher L. Benzak
Vice President, Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jeffrey J. Benzak
Vice President, Secretary & Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/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 Benzak Foundation
How much does Benzak Foundation give each year?
Benzak Foundation gave $300K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $300K across 11 grants.
What is Benzak Foundation's typical grant size?
Benzak Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $27,273, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Benzak Foundation that year got $9K on average.
Where does Benzak Foundation give grants?
Benzak Foundation's top state is Rhode Island, with 33% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Pennsylvania (22%) and Virginia (17%).
Who are Benzak Foundation's largest grantees?
Benzak Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include The Wheeler School ($80,000), Pennsylvania State University Libraries ($65,000) and Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 65% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Benzak Foundation?
Benzak Foundation reported $8.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $308K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $400K (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 Benzak Foundation fund?
No foundation mission is stated in the available information. The 2025 grants show support for organizations with varied missions. The Wheeler School describes itself as an independent college-preparatory day school serving nursery through grade 12. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Benzak Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Benzak Foundation's EIN?
Benzak Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-3872608. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Benzak 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 15, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Benzak Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/benzak-foundation-morg_409d69dc50e1487bb0e4fa3fc1c2aa11
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_203872608_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Benzak Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/benzak-foundation-morg_409d69dc50e1487bb0e4fa3fc1c2aa11},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Benzak 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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