Dan and Ellen Zelman Family Foundation
The Dan and Ellen Zelman Family Foundation is a Cleveland, Ohio-based public charity formed in 2012. It makes grants to 501(c)(3) organizations to support the charitable, educational, and religious purposes of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland.
Dan and Ellen Zelman Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Dan and Ellen Zelman Family Foundation gave $565K across 18 grants in 2025 (avg $31K), mostly in Ohio. 11% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $565,000
- -66.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 18
- -5.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $31,389
- -64.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $7,725,157
- +10.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 11% first-time grantees (2 of 18, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Ohio (94% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Dan and Ellen Zelman Family Foundation
- Contact
Mailing address: 25701 Science Park Drive, Cleveland, OH 44122-7302
Phone: (216) 593-2900
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Dan and Ellen Zelman Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Jewish Federation of Cleveland ($360K). Together the top 10 received $499K.
Grant Size Distribution
98 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 87 grants of 98 (89%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation is based in Cleveland, Ohio. In 2025, 94% of its grant dollars went to recipients in Ohio, 4% to recipients in New York, and 2% to recipients in Massachusetts.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 18 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Dan and Ellen Zelman Family Foundation open to new grantees?
11%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 18 grantees (11%) were first-time recipients. With only 18 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $35K. How we count
Medians: $6K first-time, $11K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 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 $565K (2025) to $1.7M (2024). In 2025 it made 18 grants totaling $565K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Jewish Federation of Cleveland Cleveland, OH | Community Security Initiative, Project 120, 2025 Campaign | $360,000 |
| Jewish Family Service Association of Cleveland Ohio Pepper Pike, OH | General Support | $27,500 |
| National Council of Jewish Women Incorporated Warrensville Heights, OH | National Office, Cleveland Section: General Support | $24,000 |
| American Jewish Committee New York, NY | Cleveland Office: General Support | $18,500 |
| Hillel the Foundation for Jewish Campus Life Kent, OH | General Support | $12,500 |
| Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Inc Cleveland, OH | General Support | $12,500 |
| Greater Cleveland Food Bank Inc Cleveland, OH | General Support | $12,000 |
| Park Synagogue Pepper Pike, OH | General Support | $12,000 |
| College Now Greater Cleveland Inc Cleveland, OH | General Support | $10,000 |
| Facing History and Ourselves Inc Boston, MA | General Support | $10,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The foundation’s filing type is Form 990 (a public charity).
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $7,725,157 | $971,494 | $740,876 | $565,000 | 18 | $73,714 |
| 2024 | $6,986,698 | $509,301 | $1,839,764 | $1,689,500 | 19 | $89,094 |
| 2023 | $6,850,370 | $491,873 | $741,312 | $594,500 | 21 | $74,630 |
| 2022 | $6,645,546 | $647,580 | $944,996 | $774,000 | 20 | $242,759 |
| 2021 | $8,097,486 | $581,166 | $732,373 | $608,500 | 20 | $82,842 |
| 2020 | $6,338,406 | $472,429 | $782,719 | $669,000 | 20 | $71,742 |
| 2019 | $6,743,450 | $1,566,253 | $755,132 | $652,000 | 14 | $71,527 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation states that its mission is to further the charitable, educational, and religious purposes of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland. Its program description says it makes grants to 501(c)(3) organizations for those purposes.
The grantees’ own descriptions illustrate the range of organizations supported. The Jewish Family Service Association of Cleveland says it provides individuals and families with solutions to life’s challenges. The Greater Cleveland Food Bank says it provides food and essential resources to neighbors facing hunger. College Now Greater Cleveland describes its work as increasing postsecondary educational attainment through advising, financial aid counseling, scholarships, and retention services. These are grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 18 grants totaling $565,000. Grant amounts ranged from $6,000 to $360,000, with a median of $10,000.
The largest 2025 grant was $360,000 to the Jewish Federation of Cleveland for its Community Security Initiative, Project 120, and 2025 campaign. Other grants included $27,500 to the Jewish Family Service Association of Cleveland Ohio for general support; $24,000 to the National Council of Jewish Women Incorporated for its national office and Cleveland section’s general support; and $18,500 to the American Jewish Committee for its Cleveland office’s general support. The foundation also awarded $12,000 to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank for general support and $10,000 to College Now Greater Cleveland for general support.
The foundation says it generally requests written reports from grantees within six to nine months of receiving a grant. It conducts site visits in selected cases to monitor funded programs.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Daniel Zelman as trustee and president; Kara Rosen as trustee and vice president; Ellen Zelman as vice president; and Michelle Hirsch, Andrew Hoffmann, and Gregory Marcus as trustees. It lists Mozelle Jackson as treasurer, Kari Blumenthal as assistant treasurer, and Tal Rothstein as secretary as of November 21, 2024. Ann Garson is listed as secretary until November 21, 2024.
Dan and Ellen Zelman Family Foundation is led by Daniel Zelman, Trustee & President on every filing since 2019; none of the 10 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Daniel Zelman
Trustee & President
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Andrew Hoffmann
Trustee
On filings since 2019
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Gregory Marcus
Trustee
On filings since 2019
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michelle Hirsch
Trustee
On filings since 2019
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kara Rosen
Trustee & Vice President
Trustee & V. President → Trustee & Vice President, 2024
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ann Garson
Secretary
On filings since 2019
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ellen Zelman
Vice President
On filings since 2019
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kari Blumenthal
Assistant Treasurer
On filings since 2019
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mozelle Jackson
Treasurer
On filings since 2023
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tal Rothstein
Secretary
Assistant Secretary → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2024
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (4)
- Former: Barry Reis (2019–2023) — Treasurer
- Former: Jessica Bruder (2019–2021) — Assistant Secretary
- Former: Brett Zelman (2019–2020) — Trustee & V. President
- Former: Jennifer Schwarz (2019) — Assistant Treasurer to
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 Dan and Ellen Zelman Family Foundation
How much does Dan and Ellen Zelman Family Foundation give each year?
Dan and Ellen Zelman Family Foundation gave $565K across 18 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $1.7M across 19 grants.
What is Dan and Ellen Zelman Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Dan and Ellen Zelman Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $31,389, across 18 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Dan and Ellen Zelman Family Foundation that year got $6K on average.
Where does Dan and Ellen Zelman Family Foundation give grants?
Dan and Ellen Zelman Family Foundation gives mostly in Ohio: 94% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Cleveland, OH (8 grants), Beachwood, OH (3 grants), Pepper Pike, OH (2 grants) and New York, NY (2 grants).
Does Dan and Ellen Zelman Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 83% of Dan and Ellen Zelman Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (15 of 18) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Who are Dan and Ellen Zelman Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Dan and Ellen Zelman Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Jewish Federation of Cleveland ($360,000), Jewish Family Service Association of Cleveland Ohio ($27,500) and National Council of Jewish Women Incorporated ($24,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 73% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Dan and Ellen Zelman Family Foundation?
Dan and Ellen Zelman Family Foundation reported $7.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $971K.
What does Dan and Ellen Zelman Family Foundation fund?
The foundation states that its mission is to further the charitable, educational, and religious purposes of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland. Its program description says it makes grants to 501(c)(3) organizations for those purposes. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Dan and Ellen Zelman Family Foundation?
Dan and Ellen Zelman Family Foundation has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Dan and Ellen Zelman Family Foundation's EIN?
Dan and Ellen Zelman Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 38-3876650. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 14, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 5, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 9, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 13, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Dan and Ellen Zelman Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/dan-and-ellen-zelman-family-foundation-morg_4e267e598d3e47feb745dd7ee9d3c06a
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_383876650_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Dan and Ellen Zelman Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/dan-and-ellen-zelman-family-foundation-morg_4e267e598d3e47feb745dd7ee9d3c06a},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-20. 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 Dan and Ellen Zelman 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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