Calvin K Kazanjian Economics is a private foundation based in Glastonbury, Connecticut. The foundation supports impactful and innovative economic education programs, with a stated mission of addressing economic illiteracy.
Key facts about Calvin K Kazanjian Economics
In short: Calvin K Kazanjian Economics gave $258K across 12 grants in 2025 (avg $21K), top state District of Columbia. 67% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 06-0665174
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $257,500
- Grants made (2025)
- 12
- Average grant
- $21,458
- Median grant
- $25,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 67% first-time grantees (8 of 12, 2025)
- Total assets
- $10,474,624
- Primary geography
- District of Columbia (29% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- How to apply
- Submit a letter of interest online. Full details ↓
- Deadline
- The website describes two grant cycles, with LOI deadlines in early March and early September.
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$10.5M
+12.7% YoY
Annual Giving
$258K
-32.9% YoY
Grant Count
12
+0.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$21K
-32.9% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Calvin K Kazanjian Economics reported a distributable amount of $479K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is Calvin K Kazanjian Economics open to new grantees?
67%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 8 of 12 grantees (67%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $18K; repeat grants $28K. How we count
Medians: $22K first-time, $28K repeat.
- 8% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 20% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 76% 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 (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is to address economic illiteracy and improve economic understanding among citizens. Its website lists current funding interests including AI in economic education, research on AI and economic education, expanding reach, programs that multiply impact through teachers or social workers, innovative curricula and capabilities, behavioral economics, and efforts to build interest in economic and financial education.
The foundation considers applications from 501(c)(3) nonprofits with at least five years of history. Its website also says it looks favorably on collaboration with economic education councils, centers, learning institutions, universities, and colleges. Among its 2025 grantees, Financial Scholars said it provides high school students, teachers, and families with tools to develop financial skills and achieve financial empowerment. NPR described its mission as creating a more informed public through noncommercial journalism and cultural programming.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation gave $257,500 through 12 grants. Grants ranged from $3,500 to $30,000, with a median of $25,000. The largest awards included $30,000 to the Council for Economic Education to support state councils, $30,000 to the Georgia Council on Economic Education for The Trade Game, and $30,000 to the Mississippi Council on Economics Education for the County Enterprise Challenge. Other awards included $25,000 to the Fund for American Studies for Economic Forces in American Civics and $25,000 to NPR for its 2026 Planet Money Summer School.
Review Cycle
The website describes two grant cycles, with LOI deadlines in early March and early September. A separate grant-program listing says LOIs may be submitted year-round, with recommended deadlines of March 10 and September 10. The September 10, 2026 recommended deadline has passed. The 2024 filing listed April 1 and October 1 deadlines for that filing’s application information.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Calvin K Kazanjian Economics
Ready to take the next step with Calvin K Kazanjian Economics?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation does not support projects based outside the United States. Its 2025 grants went to organizations in multiple states and Washington, DC. The largest shares of grant dollars by recipient location were DC (29%), Georgia (14%), New York (12%), Mississippi (12%), and Florida (10%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $202K (2021) to $995K (2019). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $258K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Council for Economic Education ($30K). Together the top 10 received $249K.
Grant Size Distribution
64 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 61 grants of 64 (95%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Council for Economic Education New York, NY | support state councils | $30,000 |
| Georgia Council on Economic Educati Atlanta, GA | The trade game | $30,000 |
| Mississippi Council on Economics Ed Jackson, MS | County Enterprise Challenge | $30,000 |
| The Fund for American Studies Washington, DC | SUPPORT Economic Forces in American Civics (EFAC) | $25,000 |
| National Public Radio Inc Washington, DC | NPR's 2026 planet money summer school | $25,000 |
| Florida Council on Economics Educat Tampa, FL | Financial literacy & Money Education | $25,000 |
| Caring for Military Families Washington, DC | Financial wellness for caregivers: Expanding economic literacy through resource navigation | $25,000 |
| South Carolina Council on Economic Columbia, SC | Economics in the wild | $24,000 |
| Financial Scholars Philadelphia, PA | Expansion 2025-26 (Philadelphia and Connecticut) | $20,000 |
| Books Are Gems El Paso, TX | Promoting Financial Literacy through Storybooks and Community Engagement | $15,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $10,474,624 | $523,041 | $373,646 | $257,500 |
| 2024 | $9,294,106 | $580,543 | $484,733 | $384,000 |
| 2023 | $8,611,054 | $304,219 | $430,365 | $347,392 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $10,474,624 | $9,294,106 | $8,611,054 |
| Revenue | $523,041 | $580,543 | $304,219 |
| Expenses | $373,646 | $484,733 | $430,365 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $362,759 | $476,506 | $426,153 |
| Net Investment Income | $523,041 | $580,543 | $306,649 |
| Distributable Amount | $479,458 | $443,867 | $398,672 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 27, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 31, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 6, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 21, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 5, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 19, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Michael A. MacDowell, Catherine Weidemaier, Scott Wolla, John F. Van Gorder, Mary Bernal, Ephraim Elston, and Emily Elston as trustees. Richard Lloyd Elston is listed as president and treasurer; Caleb T. Elston as vice president; and Elena Zee as managing director.
Calvin K Kazanjian Economics is led by Richard Lloyd Elston, President & Treasurer on every filing since 2019; 3 of 12 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Richard Lloyd Elston
President & Treasurer
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Calvin Lloyd Elston
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$2K (2025)
Michael A. Macdowell
Trustee
Managing Dtr → Trustee, 2020
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$31K (2019) → $0 (2025)
Catherine Weidemaier
Trustee
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
$1K (2025)
John F. Van Gorder
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ephraim Elston
Trustee
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mary Bernal
Trustee
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Scott Wolla
Trustee
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Emily Elston
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Elena Zee
Managing Dtr
On filings since 2019
10 hrs/week
$26K (2019) → $70K (2025)
Caleb T. Elston
Vice President
Trustee → Vice President, 2022
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sherry Manetta
Secretary
Trustee → Secretary, 2021
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (5)
- Former: Frederick E. Finkenauer (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Marnie W. Mueller (2019–2021) — Vice President
- Former: Sara L. Gordon (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Harold C. Buckingham Jr. (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Jennifer York Barr (2019) — Trustee
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
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $70K, to Elena Zee (Managing Dtr). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Contact
Application contact: Elena Zee
Mailing address: PO Box 55941, Phoenix, AZ 85078
Phone: (602) 758-3905
Website: https://www.kazanjian.org
Frequently asked questions about Calvin K Kazanjian Economics
How much does Calvin K Kazanjian Economics give each year?
Calvin K Kazanjian Economics gave $258K across 12 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $384K across 12 grants.
What is Calvin K Kazanjian Economics's typical grant size?
Calvin K Kazanjian Economics's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $21,458, across 12 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Calvin K Kazanjian Economics that year got $18K on average.
Where does Calvin K Kazanjian Economics give grants?
Calvin K Kazanjian Economics's top state is District of Columbia, with 29% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Georgia (14%) and New York (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (3 grants).
Does Calvin K Kazanjian Economics give general operating support?
Occasionally: 8% of Calvin K Kazanjian Economics's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 12) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Calvin K Kazanjian Economics's largest grantees?
Calvin K Kazanjian Economics's largest 2025 grantees include Council for Economic Education ($30,000), Georgia Council on Economic Educati ($30,000) and Mississippi Council on Economics Ed ($30,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 35% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Calvin K Kazanjian Economics?
Calvin K Kazanjian Economics reported $10.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $363K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $479K (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 Calvin K Kazanjian Economics fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to address economic illiteracy and improve economic understanding among citizens. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Calvin K Kazanjian Economics?
Submit a letter of interest online. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Calvin K Kazanjian Economics's EIN?
Calvin K Kazanjian Economics's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 06-0665174. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
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