Carol and Gene Ludwig Family Foundation
The Carol and Gene Ludwig Family Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private foundation established in 2002 and based in Washington, DC. The foundation makes strategic charitable investments in support of medical research, education, and community engagement, seeking to create positive change through targeted grantmaking to organizations aligned with its core mission areas.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$137.5M
+19.6% YoY
Annual Giving
$8.2M
-27.5% YoY
Grant Count
51
-31.1% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$160K
+5.2% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation's mission is to make grants to organizations that emphasize fostering education and improving the living conditions of the poor. The foundation operates within three core strategic areas:
Medical Research: The foundation invests in research talent poised to make major discoveries in neuroscience related to neurodegeneration and Alzheimer's disease. The foundation has awarded over $44 million in medical research funding to 15 different institutions and has established major research centers at Columbia University and Yale University.
Education: Grantmaking in education is primarily focused on empowering young people from low-income backgrounds to achieve their educational and professional goals, with particular emphasis on improving education in the greater Washington, DC area.
Community Engagement: The foundation invests in the communities where its founders live and work, providing general operating support grants to organizations across multiple regions. The foundation also supports organizations that improve the living conditions of low and moderate income families and seek to fulfill the needs of the homeless and indigents.
Additionally, the foundation provides funding and services to medical facilities and organizations that fund research into cures for life-threatening diseases, and to a lesser extent, supports organizations that seek to improve the mental and emotional well-being of the community by fostering an interest in the arts.
Grantmaking
Grant Range
s:** Grant awards typically range from $1,000 to $5,340,000, with a median grant of $20,000.
Invitation Only
** The foundation reviews grant proposals on an invitation-only basis and does not accept unsolicited funding requests. Prospective grantees should contact the foundation through their website.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation provides grants to organizations in the following regions:
- Washington, DC
- Martha's Vineyard, MA
- New York City, NY
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Total Assets: $114,961,194 (2023); $137,501,113 (2024)
Annual Giving: $11,252,806 (2023); $8,161,375 (reported period)
Total Revenue: $9,043,128 (2023)
Total Expenses: $11,935,165 (2023)
Tax-Exempt Status: Tax-exempt since January 2003
EIN: 56-2305290
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $137,501,113 | $114,961,194 | $117,779,702 |
| Revenue | $31,966,634 | $9,043,128 | $10,119,372 |
| Expenses | $9,383,593 | $11,935,165 | $11,228,445 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $9,153,421 | $11,886,908 | $10,970,773 |
| Net Investment Income | $31,937,462 | $9,038,620 | $10,001,700 |
| Distributable Amount | $10,126,685 | $8,938,678 | $8,752,168 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
250 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Carol Ludwig, MD — Co-Founder and President. A neurologist and neuropathologist who was a Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Public Health Service. She has worked at the National Institutes of Health, The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, and as a faculty member in the Department of Neurology at George Washington University Medical Center. She is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College and Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. She serves on the Council of Medical Advisors for Columbia University Irving Medical Center and the Dean's Advisory Council for Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science. She also serves on the Board of KIPP DC.
Eugene Ludwig — Vice President. Former U.S. Comptroller of the Currency (1993-1998).
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAROL LUDWIG | PRESIDENT/DIRECTOR | 25 | — |
| EUGENE A LUDWIG | SECRETARY/TREASURER/DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| ROBERT B BARNETT ESQ | DIRECTOR | 0.1 | — |
| MATTHEW GIACOMINI | VICE PRESIDENT | 5 | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
The foundation has supported pathbreaking research in neuroscience, including a $4.5 million grant supporting neuroimmunology research. The foundation announced inaugural awardees of the Carol and Gene Ludwig Pilot Grant Program in Neurodegeneration at Columbia University, with additional 2024 pilot grant awardees announced through The Carol and Gene Ludwig Center for Research on Neurodegeneration at Columbia Neurology. Recent supported research has found that lipid metabolism and cell membrane function can be disrupted in neurons of people who carry rare variants of ABCA7, suggesting that disruption of lipid homeostasis may be a key factor in the development of Alzheimer's-related conditions.
$4.5 million supports pathbreaking neuroimmunology researchSubject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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