Chess Foundation
Chess Foundation is a private foundation based in Purchase, New York. Its 2025 filing reports 37 grants totaling $788,000, with all listed grant purposes designated as general support.
Chess Foundation at a glance
In short: Chess Foundation gave $788K across 37 grants in 2025 (avg $21K), mostly in New York. 24% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $788,000
- +27.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 37
- -2.6% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $21,297
- +31.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $11,097,567
- +9.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 24% first-time grantees (9 of 37, 2025)
- Primary geography
- New York (58% 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 Chess 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: Co Cng 3 Manhattanville Road 301, Purchase, NY 10577
Phone: (914) 696-9000
Website: https://nscfchess.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Chess Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was King School ($50K). Together the top 10 received $428K.
Grant Size Distribution
152 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 142 grants of 152 (93%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 58% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York and 22% to recipients in Connecticut. Other reported shares were Maryland, 8%; Washington, DC, 4%; and Massachusetts, 3%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 37 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Chess Foundation open to new grantees?
24%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 9 of 37 grantees (24%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $25K; repeat grants $20K. How we count
Medians: $25K first-time, $13K repeat.
- 73% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 97% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 120% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $246K (2021) to $788K (2025). In 2025 it made 37 grants totaling $788K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| King School Stamford, CT | General Support | $50,000 |
| New Heights Youth Brooklyn, NY | General Support | $50,000 |
| Soccer Without Borders Baltimore, MD | General Support | $50,000 |
| Trinity College Hartford, CT | General Support | $50,000 |
| Youth Enrichment Services West Islip, NY | General Support | $50,000 |
| Jay Heritage Center Rye, NY | General Support | $38,000 |
| Capital Squash Inc Hartford, CT | General Support | $35,000 |
| Children's Aid New York, NY | General Support | $35,000 |
| City Growers Brooklyn, NY | General Support | $35,000 |
| Friends of Rye Nature Center Rye, NY | General Support | $35,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $11,097,567 | $1,899,954 | $980,943 | $788,000 | 37 | $806,426 | $1,761,353 | $674,624 |
| 2024 | $10,178,556 | $3,051,561 | $830,000 | $618,000 | 38 | $622,750 | $2,871,624 | $657,013 |
| 2023 | $7,956,995 | $305,263 | $640,982 | $527,000 | 35 | $535,405 | $202,256 | $535,231 |
| 2022 | $8,291,714 | $158,050 | $493,791 | $399,000 | 22 | $399,750 | $64,509 | $478,690 |
| 2021 | $8,627,455 | $2,039,388 | $358,249 | $245,800 | 20 | $250,205 | $1,674,334 | $491,572 |
| 2020 | $6,946,316 | $497,232 | $509,635 | $440,045 | 19 | — | $355,757 | $369,066 |
| 2019 | $6,958,719 | $2,181,064 | $536,077 | $421,950 | 24 | — | $1,977,100 | $356,967 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Chess Foundation reported a distributable amount of $675K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations working in areas including youth development, education, athletics, environmental education, conservation, and historic preservation. For example, Soccer Without Borders describes its mission as using soccer to support underserved youths’ growth, inclusion, and personal success. City Growers says it uses gardens and farms to foster young people’s connection to nature, while Friends of Rye Nature Center describes its work as promoting conservation, environmental education, and access to nature.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 37 grants totaling $788,000. Grants ranged from $500 to $50,000, with a median grant of $25,000. The listed purposes were general support.
Among the largest grants were $50,000 each to King School in Stamford, Connecticut; New Heights Youth in Brooklyn, New York; Soccer Without Borders in Baltimore, Maryland; and Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. Other notable grants included $38,000 to the Jay Heritage Center in Rye, New York, and $35,000 each to City Growers in Brooklyn and Friends of Rye Nature Center in Rye. King School describes its work as preparing students to thrive through an inquiry-based curriculum, while New Heights Youth says it develops skills to help underserved young people succeed in high school, college, and life. The Jay Heritage Center says it preserves historic properties for public education focused on American history, arts, architecture, landscape, and the legacy of John Jay.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Scott Wallach and Caroline Wallach as trustees.
Chess Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Caroline Wallach
Trustee
On filings since 2019
20 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Scott Wallach
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
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.
Frequently asked questions about Chess Foundation
How much does Chess Foundation give each year?
Chess Foundation gave $788K across 37 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $618K across 38 grants.
What is Chess Foundation's typical grant size?
Chess Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $21,297, across 37 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Chess Foundation that year got $25K on average.
Where does Chess Foundation give grants?
Chess Foundation gives mostly in New York: 58% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Connecticut (22%) and Maryland (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Rye, NY (11 grants), New York, NY (6 grants), Hartford, CT (2 grants) and Brooklyn, NY (2 grants).
Does Chess Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Chess Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (37 of 37) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Chess Foundation's largest grantees?
Chess Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include King School ($50,000), New Heights Youth ($50,000) and Soccer Without Borders ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 19% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Chess Foundation?
Chess Foundation reported $11.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $806K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $675K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Chess Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations working in areas including youth development, education, athletics, environmental education, conservation, and historic preservation. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Chess 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 Chess Foundation's EIN?
Chess Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 30-0782279. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Chess 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS September 6, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 6, 2026)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS July 22, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 9, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 5, 2025)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Chess Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/chess-foundation-morg_4d759c6c096e422db846090fec5a5ad9
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_300782279_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Chess Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/chess-foundation-morg_4d759c6c096e422db846090fec5a5ad9},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Chess 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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