Clara & Kurt Hellmuth Foundation Inc

Private foundation · Grantmaker Lake Success, NY EIN: 51-0202860

Clara & Kurt Hellmuth Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Lake Success, New York. Its 2025 filing reports 11 grants totaling $23,500 to organizations in several states and the District of Columbia.

Clara & Kurt Hellmuth Foundation Inc at a glance

In short: Clara & Kurt Hellmuth Foundation Inc gave $24K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $2K), mostly in New York. 18% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$23,500
-16.1% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
11
-15.4% vs 2024
Average grant
$2,136
-0.8% vs 2024
Median grant
$2,000
Total assets
$312,882
-0.5% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
18% first-time grantees (2 of 11, 2025; small sample)
Primary geography
New York (66% 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 Clara & Kurt Hellmuth Foundation Inc

How to Apply

The 2025 filing says to contact Michael F Berger by letter. It reports no restrictions on awards.

Review Cycle
December 1. The deadline stated on the 2025 filing has passed.
Deadline
December 1.
Contact

Application contact: Michael F Berger
Mailing address: 9 Market Lane, Lake Success, NY 11020
Phone: (516) 560-6436

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Clara & Kurt Hellmuth Foundation Inc funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

University of Rochester: $4KUniversity of Rochester$4KCreating Opportunities for All: $3KCreating Opportunities for All$3KFresh Youth Initiatives: $3KFresh Youth Initiatives$3KChai Lifeline Inc: $2KChai Lifeline Inc$2KPublicolor Inc: $2KPublicolor Inc$2KThe Childrens Aid Society: $2KThe Childrens Aid Society$2KThe Power of You Teens: $2KThe Power of You Teens$2KBrave Enough to Fail: $2KBrave Enough to Fail$2KGroundswell: $2KGroundswell$2KNew Alternatives for Children Inc: $2KNew Alternatives for ChildrenInc$2K

The largest 2025 recipient was University of Rochester ($4K). Together the top 10 received $22K.

Grant Size Distribution

60 grants across all recorded years

60<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 60 grants of 60 (100%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, 66% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York, 13% to Maryland, 9% to New Jersey, 6% to Connecticut, and 6% to the District of Columbia.

Grant Distribution by State

5states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.

Cities

New YorkBaysideRochesterWest New YorkNew MilfordBronxNew RochelleBrewsterFreeportTacoma ParkWashingtonBrooklynGarden CityJericho

Is Clara & Kurt Hellmuth Foundation Inc open to new grantees?

18%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 2 of 11 grantees (18%) 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 $2K; repeat grants $2K. How we count

Medians: $2K first-time, $2K repeat.

  • 82% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−13%). Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 177% 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

$0$10K$20K$30K14 grants2019 9 grants2020 12 grants2021 12 grants2022 12 grants2023 13 grants2024 11 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $20K (2020) to $28K (2024). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $24K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
University of Rochester Rochester, NYGeneral Support$4,000
Creating Opportunities for All Tacoma Park, MDGeneral Support$3,000
Fresh Youth Initiatives New York, NYGeneral Support$2,500
Chai Lifeline Inc New York, NYGeneral Support$2,000
Publicolor Inc New York, NYGeneral Support$2,000
The Childrens Aid Society New York, NYGeneral Support$2,000
The Power of You Teens West New York, NJGeneral Support$2,000
Brave Enough to Fail New Milford, CTGeneral Support$1,500
Groundswell Washington, DCGeneral Support$1,500
New Alternatives for Children Inc New York, NYGeneral Support$1,500
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$312,882$49,722$51,430$23,50011$45,148$43,718$25,457
2024$314,590$25,827$56,111$28,00013$49,717$19,967$25,147
2023$344,874$34,630$53,653$26,50012$48,026$29,087$23,415
2022$363,897$15,357$54,839$27,00012$45,100$6,056$25,421
2021$403,379$41,619$53,993$25,50012$43,600$31,502$28,932
2020$415,753$29,464$47,933$20,0009—$19,849$25,181
2019$434,222$31,742$56,232$28,00014—$21,819$26,048

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Clara & Kurt Hellmuth Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $25K 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 mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations with varied missions. For example, the University of Rochester describes its work as including higher education, research, and charitable patient care. Creating Opportunities for All says it makes grants for community-building efforts in sub-Saharan Africa. Fresh Youth Initiatives describes its mission as empowering youth with few resources, while Publicolor says it supports students facing significant life challenges through educational and youth-development programs. Chai Lifeline describes itself as providing support to children, families, and communities facing illness, crisis, or loss.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2025, the foundation made 11 grants totaling $23,500. Grant amounts ranged from $1,500 to $4,000, with a median of $2,000. The largest awards were $4,000 to the University of Rochester and $3,000 to Creating Opportunities for All. Other grants included $2,500 to Fresh Youth Initiatives and $2,000 each to Chai Lifeline, Publicolor, and The Children’s Aid Society. All listed 2025 grants were designated for general support.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Michael F Berger, Meredith Berger, and Brad Berger as trustees.

Clara & Kurt Hellmuth Foundation Inc's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; 1 of 3 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Michael F. Berger

    Trustee

    On filings since 2019

    2 hrs/week

    $18K (2019) → $18K (2025)

  • Brad Berger

    Trustee

    On filings since 2019

    2 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Meredith Berger

    Trustee

    On filings since 2019

    2 hrs/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.

Compensation Overview

From 2025 IRS filing

Michael F Berger — Trustee: $18KMichael F BergerTrustee$18K

The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $18K, to Michael F Berger (Trustee).

Frequently asked questions about Clara & Kurt Hellmuth Foundation Inc

How much does Clara & Kurt Hellmuth Foundation Inc give each year?

Clara & Kurt Hellmuth Foundation Inc gave $24K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $28K across 13 grants.

What is Clara & Kurt Hellmuth Foundation Inc's typical grant size?

Clara & Kurt Hellmuth Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $2,136, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Clara & Kurt Hellmuth Foundation Inc that year got $2K on average.

Where does Clara & Kurt Hellmuth Foundation Inc give grants?

Clara & Kurt Hellmuth Foundation Inc gives mostly in New York: 66% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Maryland (13%) and New Jersey (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (5 grants).

Does Clara & Kurt Hellmuth Foundation Inc give general operating support?

Yes: 100% of Clara & Kurt Hellmuth Foundation Inc'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 Clara & Kurt Hellmuth Foundation Inc's largest grantees?

Clara & Kurt Hellmuth Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include University of Rochester ($4,000), Creating Opportunities for All ($3,000) and Fresh Youth Initiatives ($2,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 40% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Clara & Kurt Hellmuth Foundation Inc?

Clara & Kurt Hellmuth Foundation Inc reported $313K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $45K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $25K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Clara & Kurt Hellmuth Foundation Inc fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations with varied missions. For example, the University of Rochester describes its work as including higher education, research, and charitable patient care. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Clara & Kurt Hellmuth Foundation Inc?

The 2025 filing says to contact Michael F Berger by letter. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is Clara & Kurt Hellmuth Foundation Inc's EIN?

Clara & Kurt Hellmuth Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 51-0202860. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

Data update history

(7)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 1, 2025)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 4, 2026)
  3. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 2, 2020)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 24, 2021)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 9, 2022)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 9, 2023)
  7. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 6, 2024)

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The filing figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0. About GrantGraph Open

Figures come from Clara & Kurt Hellmuth Foundation Inc'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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