Colton Family Foundation
The Colton Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Short Hills, New Jersey. Its 2025 grants included support for a university, arts organizations, food-access organizations, and organizations connected with Israel.
Colton Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Colton Family Foundation gave $10.3M across 35 grants in 2025 (avg $293K), mostly in Pennsylvania. 23% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $10,270,644
- -39.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 35
- -25.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $293,447
- -18.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $72,233,440
- -4.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 23% first-time grantees (8 of 35, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Pennsylvania (82% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Colton Family 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: 232 Hartshorn Drive, Short Hills, NJ 07078
Phone: (973) 467-9360
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Colton Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was University of Pennsylvania ($8.3M). Together the top 10 received $10.2M.
Grant Size Distribution
232 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 190 grants of 232 (82%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 82% of grant dollars went to recipients in Pennsylvania, 12% to New York, and 5% to New Jersey. The filing also lists shares for Illinois and Massachusetts, each shown as 0%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 35 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Colton Family Foundation open to new grantees?
23%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 8 of 35 grantees (23%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $7K; repeat grants $378K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 63% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 76% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 271% 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 $4.8M (2021) to $17.0M (2024). In 2025 it made 35 grants totaling $10.3M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA | Unrestricted | $8,333,000 |
| American Friends of TEL Aviv Univ New York, NY | Unrestricted | $1,160,000 |
| New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Newark, NJ | Unrestricted | $300,100 |
| New Jersey Performing Arts Center Newark, NJ | Unrestricted | $217,250 |
| New York Philharmonic New York, NY | Unrestricted | $98,232 |
| Allicance for Decision Education Bala Cynwyd, PA | Unrestricted | $40,000 |
| Feeding America Chicago, IL | Unrestricted | $22,000 |
| Boston Symphony Orchestra Boston, MA | Unrestricted | $11,144 |
| Wnyc New York, NY | Unrestricted | $10,000 |
| Interfaith Food Pantry Orange, NJ | Unrestricted | $7,500 |
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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 | $72,233,440 | $7,082,198 | $10,431,574 | $10,270,644 | 35 | $10,299,409 | $5,748,966 | $3,802,563 |
| 2024 | $75,743,717 | $3,368,597 | $17,069,841 | $16,983,276 | 47 | $17,005,526 | $3,632,279 | $4,489,109 |
| 2023 | $89,981,416 | $1,802,074 | $14,851,352 | $14,776,401 | 36 | $14,796,876 | $2,305,075 | $5,197,678 |
| 2022 | $102,598,309 | $30,791,518 | $6,405,960 | $5,819,188 | 56 | $5,834,125 | $41,297,517 | $4,831,579 |
| 2021 | $78,034,073 | $292,706 | $4,856,874 | $4,761,530 | 58 | — | $334,749 | $5,705,449 |
| 2020 | $82,598,241 | $29,459,003 | $5,184,952 | $4,814,928 | 42 | — | $31,607,790 | $4,317,608 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Colton Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $3.8M 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 foundation mission statement is provided. Its listed 2025 grants show support for higher education, arts and culture, food access, and organizations supporting Tel Aviv University and Israel-related public information.
Among its grantees, American Friends of Tel Aviv University says it raises awareness and funds for the university’s education, research, and community-building mission. The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra describes its mission as connecting with New Jersey’s diverse communities through live symphonic music. Feeding America says it works to ensure equitable access to nutritious food, while Interfaith Food Pantry says it provides Morris County residents with food, nutrition education, and related resources.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 35 grants totaling $10,270,644. Grant amounts ranged from $100 to $8,333,000, with a median of $5,000. Its largest listed grants were $8,333,000 to the University of Pennsylvania, $1,160,000 to American Friends of Tel Aviv University, $300,100 to the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and $217,250 to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. Each was listed as unrestricted.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Stewart M. Colton and Judith S. Colton as foundation officers.
Colton Family Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Judith S. Colton
Foundation M
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Stewart M. Colton
Foundation M
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 Colton Family Foundation
How much does Colton Family Foundation give each year?
Colton Family Foundation gave $10.3M across 35 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $17.0M across 47 grants.
What is Colton Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Colton Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $293,447, across 35 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Colton Family Foundation that year got $7K on average.
Where does Colton Family Foundation give grants?
Colton Family Foundation gives mostly in Pennsylvania: 82% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (12%) and New Jersey (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (4 grants), Newark, NJ (4 grants), Philadelphia, PA (2 grants) and Boston, MA (2 grants).
Does Colton Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Colton Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (35 of 35) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Colton Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Colton Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include University of Pennsylvania ($8,333,000), American Friends of TEL Aviv Univ ($1,160,000) and New Jersey Symphony Orchestra ($300,100), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 95% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Colton Family Foundation?
Colton Family Foundation reported $72.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $10.3M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $3.8M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Colton Family Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its listed 2025 grants show support for higher education, arts and culture, food access, and organizations supporting Tel Aviv University and Israel-related public information. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Colton Family 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 Colton Family Foundation's EIN?
Colton Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 22-2520918. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Colton Family Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 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
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 13, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 25, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 14, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 12, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Colton Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/colton-family-foundation-morg_5f51fea116bd4807a9b63de840ab3e9e
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_222520918_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Colton Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/colton-family-foundation-morg_5f51fea116bd4807a9b63de840ab3e9e},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-18. 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 Colton Family 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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