Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family
The Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family is a private foundation based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In its 2025 filing, it reported 129 grants totaling $655,560, supporting organizations in areas including education, religion, human services, research, nature conservation, and the arts.
Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family at a glance
In short: Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family gave $656K across 129 grants in 2025 (avg $5K), mostly in Pennsylvania. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $655,560
- +14.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 129
- +12800.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $5,082
- -99.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,500
- Total assets
- $8,336,268
- -0.3% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Pennsylvania (83% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family
- How to Apply
-
The foundation’s filing says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. It requests a written proposal stating the purpose of the contribution. The filing lists no restrictions on awards and no deadlines.
- Contact
Application contact: Carol Robinson Director
Mailing address: PO Box 5252, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
Phone: (412) 661-1200
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh ($85K across 4 grants). Together the top 10 received $302K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($2,500), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
133 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 129 grants of 133 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 83% of grant dollars went to recipients in Pennsylvania, 6% to New York, 4% to Washington, D.C., and 2% each to Illinois and New Jersey.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 129 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family gives
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+2%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 94% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $340K (2020) to $656K (2025). In 2025 it made 129 grants totaling $656K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Jewish Community Center of Greater PGH Pittsburgh, PA | Educational | $45,000 |
| Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA | Religious | $35,000 |
| Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA | Religious | $30,000 |
| Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art Altoona, PA | 1/2 general operating and 1/2 support of donald m robinson biennial | $25,000 |
| JDC New York, NY | Capital Campaign Support of Building in Jerusalem | $20,000 |
| Western Pa Conservancy Pittsburgh, PA | Nature Conservation | $20,000 |
| Jewish Family & Community Service of PGH Pittsburgh, PA | Human Services | $20,000 |
| Eye and Ear Foundation Pittsburgh, PA | Research | $15,000 |
| Jewish Family & Community Service of PGH Pittsburgh, PA | Human Services | $15,000 |
| Tree of Life Congregation Pittsburgh, PA | Religion | $15,000 |
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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 | $8,336,268 | $705,765 | $721,202 | $655,560 | 129 | $662,058 | $661,469 | $704,206 |
| 2024 | $8,362,016 | $674,118 | $631,166 | $574,440 | 1 | $574,440 | $636,572 | $655,627 |
| 2023 | $8,319,064 | $240,181 | $634,475 | $580,240 | 1 | $580,240 | $202,841 | $573,661 |
| 2022 | $8,713,358 | $181,273 | $711,406 | $645,405 | 1 | $645,405 | $124,884 | $580,293 |
| 2021 | $9,243,491 | $220,360 | $598,738 | $531,076 | 1 | $531,076 | $155,698 | $645,660 |
| 2020 | $9,621,869 | $188,274 | $517,099 | $339,850 | 1 | — | $80,256 | $550,005 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family reported a distributable amount of $704K 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 show support for organizations with varied purposes. For example, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh describes its vision as “a flourishing Jewish community where everyone feels included, supported and inspired.” The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art says it enriches lives through exhibitions and programs that advance appreciation of American art. The Eye and Ear Foundation describes its mission as advancing academic and research efforts in otolaryngology and ophthalmology to enhance patient care. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 129 grants totaling $655,560. Grants ranged from $100 to $45,000, with a median of $2,500.
Among the largest 2025 grants were $45,000 to the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh for educational purposes; $35,000 and $30,000 to the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh for religious purposes; $25,000 to the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, half for general operating support and half for the Donald M. Robinson Biennial; and $20,000 each to JDC for a building capital campaign in Jerusalem, Western PA Conservancy for nature conservation, and Jewish Family & Community Service of Pittsburgh for human services. Other listed grants included $15,000 to the Eye and Ear Foundation for research and $15,000 to Tree of Life Congregation for religion.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Stephen Robinson and Carol Robinson as directors.
Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Carol Robinson
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Stephen Robinson
Director
On filings since 2020
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 Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family
How much does Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family give each year?
Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family gave $656K across 129 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $574K across 1 grant.
What is Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family's typical grant size?
Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family's median grant in 2025 was $2,500, and its average grant was $5,082, across 129 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family give grants?
Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family gives mostly in Pennsylvania: 83% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Pittsburgh, PA (92 grants), New York, NY (7 grants), Washington, DC (4 grants) and Duquesne, PA (2 grants).
Does Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family give general operating support?
Occasionally: 2% of Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (3 of 129) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Educational" (51 grants), "Human Services" (8 grants) and "Cultural" (8 grants).
Who are Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family's largest grantees?
Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family's largest 2025 grantees include Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh ($85,000 across 4 grants), Jewish Community Center of Greater PGH ($45,000) and Jewish Family & Community Service of PGH ($37,000 across 3 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($2,500), which are not listed by name. Together they received 25% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family?
Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family reported $8.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $662K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $704K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations with varied purposes. For example, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh describes its vision as “a flourishing Jewish community where everyone feels included, supported and inspired.” See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family?
The foundation’s filing says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family's EIN?
Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 31-1711937. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 28, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family funds
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Browse active grant opportunities in Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/donald-and-sylvia-robinson-family-morg_f7317d9a352f419cbe21ece6eca8df45
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_311711937_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Donald \& Sylvia Robinson Family funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/donald-and-sylvia-robinson-family-morg_f7317d9a352f419cbe21ece6eca8df45},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-21. 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 Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family'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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