Cogitandum Inc
Cogitandum Inc is a private foundation based in Scarborough, New York. Its 2025 grants supported organizations working in areas including environmental conservation, arts and culture, immigrant integration, housing, and criminal justice.
Cogitandum Inc at a glance
In short: Cogitandum Inc gave $136K across 35 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), mostly in New York. 14% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $136,150
- +40.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 35
- +6.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,890
- +32.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $3,349,592
- +1.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 14% first-time grantees (5 of 35, 2025)
- Primary geography
- New York (92% 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 Cogitandum Inc
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 142 Revolutionary Road, Scarborough, NY 10510
Phone: (914) 220-2790
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Cogitandum Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Scenic Hudson ($45K). Together the top 10 received $116K.
Grant Size Distribution
160 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 159 grants of 160 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 92% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York. California received 4%, Massachusetts 2%, and the District of Columbia and Colorado 1% each.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 35 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Cogitandum Inc open to new grantees?
14%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 35 grantees (14%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $850; repeat grants $4K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $1K repeat.
- 83% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+4%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 109% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $65K (2020) to $136K (2025). In 2025 it made 35 grants totaling $136K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Scenic Hudson Poughkeepsie, NY | Assist Public Charities | $45,000 |
| Hudson Valley Shakespeare Garrison, NY | Assist Public Charities | $30,000 |
| Briarcliff Congregational Church Briarcliff Manor, NY | Assist Public Charities | $14,000 |
| Go See Foundation Atascadero, CA | Assist Public Charities | $5,000 |
| Ifca Housing Network Ossining, NY | Assist Public Charities | $5,000 |
| Neighbors Link Mount Kisco, NY | Assist Public Charities | $5,000 |
| Sing Sing Prison Museum Ossining, NY | Assist Public Charities | $4,000 |
| Norman Rockwell Stockbridge, MA | Assist Public Charities | $2,500 |
| Teatown Lake Reservation Ossining, NY | Assist Public Charities | $2,500 |
| Wnet for Firing Line New York, NY | Assist Public Charities | $2,500 |
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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 | $3,349,592 | $141,155 | $192,690 | $136,150 | 35 | $167,640 | $41,105 | $153,979 |
| 2024 | $3,309,076 | $442,763 | $126,184 | $97,250 | 33 | $98,189 | $68,133 | $118,513 |
| 2023 | $2,383,848 | $180,444 | $159,554 | $117,050 | 29 | $122,652 | $27,387 | $100,052 |
| 2022 | $2,605,283 | $373,984 | $145,642 | $130,900 | 29 | $140,476 | $302,171 | $122,529 |
| 2021 | $2,473,470 | $44,488 | $98,438 | $89,210 | 34 | — | $44,338 | $102,120 |
| 2020 | $1,580,529 | $94,402 | $87,409 | $64,560 | 15 | — | $27,252 | $90,642 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Cogitandum Inc reported a distributable amount of $154K 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 grants include support for organizations with varied charitable missions. For example, Scenic Hudson describes its work as protecting the Hudson River Valley, and Teatown Lake Reservation says it aims to inspire lifelong environmental stewardship. Hudson Valley Shakespeare is among the foundation’s major 2025 recipients.
Other 2025 grantees include Neighbors Link, whose stated mission is to strengthen community integration of immigrants through programs such as English-language instruction, workforce development, legal services, and support services; Sing Sing Prison Museum, which says it uses the history of incarceration to encourage reflection and work toward a more just society; and Rehabilitation Through the Arts, which describes using the arts to help people in prison develop life skills.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation awarded 35 grants totaling $136,150. Grants ranged from $250 to $45,000, with a median of $1,000. The largest awards included $45,000 to Scenic Hudson, $30,000 to Hudson Valley Shakespeare, and $14,000 to Briarcliff Congregational Church. Other notable grants were $5,000 each to Go See Foundation, IFCA Housing Network, and Neighbors Link, and $4,000 to Sing Sing Prison Museum. The listed purposes for these grants were “assist public charities.”
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Theodore V Buerger as president, Helen C Buerger as secretary, and Elizabeth C Buerger, William M Buerger, and James W Buerger as trustees.
Cogitandum Inc is led by Theodore V. Buerger, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Theodore V. Buerger
President
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Elizabeth C. Buerger
Trustee
Director → Trustee, 2025
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
William M. Buerger
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
James W. Buerger
Trustee
On filings since 2021
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Helen C. Buerger
Secretary
On filings since 2020
2 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 Cogitandum Inc
How much does Cogitandum Inc give each year?
Cogitandum Inc gave $136K across 35 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $97K across 33 grants.
What is Cogitandum Inc's typical grant size?
Cogitandum Inc's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $3,890, across 35 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Cogitandum Inc that year got $850 on average.
Where does Cogitandum Inc give grants?
Cogitandum Inc gives mostly in New York: 92% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Ossining, NY (13 grants) and Briarcliff Manor, NY (4 grants).
Does Cogitandum Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 35 grants with a stated purpose on Cogitandum Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Assist Public Charities" (34 grants).
Who are Cogitandum Inc's largest grantees?
Cogitandum Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Scenic Hudson ($45,000), Hudson Valley Shakespeare ($30,000) and Briarcliff Congregational Church ($14,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 65% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Cogitandum Inc?
Cogitandum Inc reported $3.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $168K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $154K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Cogitandum Inc fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants include support for organizations with varied charitable missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Cogitandum Inc?
The foundation 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 Cogitandum Inc's EIN?
Cogitandum Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 82-5255529. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Cogitandum Inc 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Cogitandum Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/cogitandum-inc-morg_28f428be15a2404b8fa456f2f64a24d5
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_825255529_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Cogitandum Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/cogitandum-inc-morg_28f428be15a2404b8fa456f2f64a24d5},
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 Cogitandum 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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