Coherent II-VI Foundation

Foundation · Grantmaker Pittsburgh, PA EIN: 20-8824719 Website

The Coherent II-VI Foundation is a private corporate foundation based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, established in 2007. It operates as a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to supporting education in science, engineering, and mathematics through targeted scholarship and grant programs.

Key facts about Coherent II-VI Foundation

EIN: 20-8824719
Latest 990 filing: Form 990-PF, 2024
Annual giving (2024): $1,394,714
Grants made (2024): 51
Average grant: $27,347
Median grant: $10,000
Total assets: $8,842,260
Primary geography: Illinois (23% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026.

Who Coherent II-VI Foundation funds

By grant dollars, the top recipient states for Coherent II-VI Foundation's 51 itemized 2024 grants were Illinois (23%), New York (21%) and Pennsylvania (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (4 grants), Pittsburgh, PA (3 grants), Albany, NY (2 grants) and New Albany, OH (2 grants). None of its 51 grants with a stated purpose were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Scholarship" (37 grants) and "Block Gift" (13 grants).

How Coherent II-VI Foundation gives

Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−17%). Method
In 2024 it paid out 183% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.

Next steps with Coherent II-VI Foundation

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Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$8.8M

+18.9% YoY

Annual Giving

$1.4M

-19.8% YoY

Grant Count

-8.9% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$27K

-12.0% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Coherent II-VI Foundation reported a distributable amount of $984K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation operates two primary programs:

Targeted Undergraduate Scholarships — Scholarships requiring valuable work experience in industrial or scientific settings
Graduate-Level Block-Gift Program — Research project support at the graduate level

Grantmaking

The foundation's original scholarship criteria included:

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation primarily funds institutions in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois. Grantees have included Montana State University and various universities across these regions.

Grant Distribution by State

Illinois $319K (23%)

New York $291K (21%)

Pennsylvania $175K (13%)

Ohio $165K (12%)

Michigan $105K (8%)

All other $341K (24%)

Share of all 51 itemized 2024 grant dollars.

States

Arizona California Delaware Florida Georgia Illinois Indiana Kansas Michigan Mississippi Montana New Jersey New York Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania Texas Utah Virginia

Cities

PittsburghChicagoColumbusTucsonAllison ParkGibsoniaPlanoAlbanyCranberry TwpMarsSaxonburgCincinnatiBozemanGarlandAtlantaButlerCoraopolisFindlayMaplewoodMeadville

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

2024 Financial Data

Total Assets: $8,842,260
Total Revenues: $3,973,500
Total Expenses: $1,899,036
Total Giving: $1,381,018

2023 Financial Data

Total Assets: $7,437,681
Total Revenues: $2,182,971
Total Expenses: $2,217,275

2023 Financial Data (Alternative Source)

Total Assets: $7.44 million
Total Liabilities: $122,000
Revenue: $2.18 million
Expenses: $2.22 million

Staffing: The foundation operates with 1 employee.

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$8,842,260	$7,437,681	$7,816,011
Revenue	$3,973,500	$2,182,971	$2,805,081
Expenses	$1,899,036	$2,217,275	$2,505,579
Qualifying Distributions	$1,805,145	$2,150,977	$478,151
Net Investment Income	$2,764,182	$816,908	$1,722,338
Distributable Amount	$983,909	$657,501	$883,971

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

March 2, 2026 IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

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

268 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest recipients include University of Illinois ($108,664 across 2 grants), University of Buffalo a ($95,000), University of Buffalo B ($95,000).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
UNIVERSITY OF BUFFALO A Albany, NY	BLOCK GIFT	$95,000
UNIVERSITY OF BUFFALO B Albany, NY	BLOCK GIFT	$95,000
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA BARB Santa Barbara, CA	BLOCK GIFT	$95,000
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO Chicago, IL	BLOCK GIFT	$95,000
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS Chicago, IL	BLOCK GIFT	$95,000
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA CHAMP Chicago, IL	BLOCK GIFT	$95,000
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Ann Arbor, MI	BLOCK GIFT	$95,000
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY Columbus, OH	BLOCK GIFT	$95,000
UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER Rochester, NY	BLOCK GIFT	$95,000
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN Austin, TX	BLOCK GIFT	$95,000

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

Executive Leadership:

Rick Purnell — Executive Director (since foundation inception in 2007)

Board of Directors:

Carl Johnson — Co-founder and original board member
Duncan Morrison — Original board member
Marc Pelaez — Original board member
Robert German — Board Secretary and legal counsel
Steve Rummel — Board member (appointed by unanimous vote)

Program Management:

Dr. Alan Hedges — Manager of the Block-Gift Program (appointed January 1, 2024)
Dr. Richard H. Hopkins — Former Manager of the Block-Gift Program (served 16 years, transitioned role in January 2024)

Technical Team Consultants:

Dr. Andy Souzis
Dr. Timothy F. Murray

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
Richard W Purnell	Executive Director	40	$201,200
Carl J Johnson	Chairman Emeritus & Director	3	—
Marc Y E Pelaez	Chairman & Director	3	—
Elgin Eissler	Director	3	—
Holly S McCann Esquire	Secretary	3	—
J D Brookhart	Director	3	—
Young Kai Chen	Director	3	—

Recent News & Activity

Recent developments and announcements

2019

**Board Expansion:** Steve Rummel was appointed to the Board of Directors, having joined Coherent Corporation in 1988 and serving as Senior Vice President of the Engineered Materials Group since 2019.

2024

**Program Leadership Transition:** Dr. Alan Hedges was appointed as Manager of the Block-Gift Program effective January 1, 2024, following Dr. Richard H. Hopkins' 16-year tenure in the role. The Block-Gift Program was initiated by Carl Johnson in 2008.

**Technical Team Expansion:** The foundation announced additions to its Technical Team, including Dr. Andy Souzis (Ph.D. in Physics from Stevens Institute of Technology) and Dr. Timothy F. Murray (principal consultant and owner of Murray Advisory Services, LLC, and former CEO and Chairman of OFS Fitel LLC).

2025

**2025-2026 Block-Gift Programs:** The foundation announced its block-gift programs for the 2025-2026 academic year.

Subject Areas

Focus areas based on grantmaking activity

Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Coherent II-VI Foundation fund?

The foundation was established to encourage and enable students to enter the fields of science, engineering, and mathematics, with the goal of increasing and improving the pool of engineers and scientists to address technical challenges facing the nation and world. The foundation operates two primary programs: 1. **Targeted Undergraduate Scholarships** — Scholarships requiring valuable work experience in industrial or scientific settings 2. **Graduate-Level Block-Gift Program** — Research proje…

How do I apply for a grant from Coherent II-VI Foundation?

• **Typical award range:** $5,000–$190,000 • **Recent grant activity:** The foundation made 58 grants in the most recent reporting year • **Grant funding sources:** Interest income from cash balances, interest and dividends from securities, and capital gains from securities sales are used for making scholarship grants and block gifts The foundation's original scholarship criteria included: • Applicants must be entering fields of science, engineering, or mathematics • Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA …

Where does Coherent II-VI Foundation make grants?

The foundation primarily funds institutions in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois. Grantees have included Montana State University and various universities across these regions.

What size grants does Coherent II-VI Foundation award?

In 2024, Coherent II-VI Foundation awarded 51 grants totaling $1.4M — an average of about $27K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is Coherent II-VI Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Coherent II-VI Foundation reported a distributable amount of $984K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.