Edmund F Maxwell Foundation
The Edmund F Maxwell Foundation is a private foundation based in Seattle, Washington. Its 2025 filing describes its direct charitable activity as education scholarships and related activities.
Edmund F Maxwell Foundation at a glance
In short: Edmund F Maxwell Foundation gave $655K across 131 grants in 2025 (avg $5K), top state Washington. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $655,000
- +14.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 131
- +13.9% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $5,000
- +0.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $7,502,878
- -0.4% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Washington (17% 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 Edmund F Maxwell Foundation
- How to Apply
The filing instructs applicants to submit an online application with extracurricular, personal, and volunteer activities; work experience; an essay-style personal statement; high school transcripts; SAT/ACT score…
The filing instructs applicants to submit an online application with extracurricular, personal, and volunteer activities; work experience; an essay-style personal statement; high school transcripts; SAT/ACT score reports; and a financial aid worksheet. The foundation’s application page currently says the application season is closed.
- Review Cycle
- The filing lists May 29, 2026, for the application and supplemental materials. This deadline has passed.
- Deadline
- The filing lists May 29, 2026, for the application and supplemental materials.
- Contact
Application contact: The Edmund Maxwell Foundation
Mailing address: PO Box 55548, Seattle, WA 98155-0548
Phone: (206) 934-0809
Email: support@maxwell.org
Website: https://www.maxwell.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Edmund F Maxwell Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
571 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 571 grants of 571 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The filing specifies that scholarship recipients must be bona fide residents of Western Washington. Its 2025 filing reports grant dollars across multiple recipient states, including Washington, California, and Massachusetts.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 131 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Edmund F Maxwell Foundation gives
- Giving grew 50% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 107% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $349K (2020) to $655K (2025). In 2025 it made 131 grants totaling $655K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 50 individual scholarships Recipients not named | — | $250,000 |
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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 | $7,502,878 | $783,988 | $836,353 | $655,000 | 131 | $733,094 | $680,728 | $684,332 |
| 2024 | $7,535,636 | $654,052 | $780,813 | $570,300 | 115 | $642,700 | $515,939 | $640,462 |
| 2023 | $7,590,970 | $628,055 | $730,287 | $578,285 | 114 | $649,731 | $547,499 | $553,628 |
| 2022 | $7,742,596 | $186,657 | $588,190 | $436,795 | 95 | $504,707 | $103,173 | $570,891 |
| 2021 | $8,165,708 | $644,698 | $698,142 | $548,971 | 116 | $605,301 | $551,856 | $634,681 |
| 2020 | $7,363,948 | $1,158,764 | $534,404 | $349,388 | 73 | — | $1,061,369 | $506,543 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Edmund F Maxwell Foundation reported a distributable amount of $684K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated charitable activity is education scholarships. Its filing says awards are for bona fide residents of Western Washington attending accredited private colleges or universities.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 131 grants totaling $655,000. Each listed grant was $5,000, and the filing identifies individual recipients and gives “university scholarship” as the purpose of the listed awards. The largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in Washington and California, at 17% each, followed by Massachusetts at 13%.
The filing says awards of up to $5,000 per year are offered to freshmen starting college and may be renewed for up to four years, for a total of up to $20,000. Awards are intended for students with demonstrated financial need attending accredited private colleges or universities. The filing anticipates that scholarships for the academic year, other than renewals, will be limited to entering freshmen.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists David D Lewis, William S Macgeorge, and William W Lin as trustees.
Edmund F Maxwell Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; all 3 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
David D. Lewis
Trustee
On filings since 2020
8 hrs/week
$28K (2020) → $34K (2025)
William S. Macgeorge
Trustee
On filings since 2020
8 hrs/week
$28K (2020) → $34K (2025)
William W. Lin
Trustee
On filings since 2020
8 hrs/week
$16K (2020) → $34K (2025)
Former officers (1)
- Former: David G. Johansen (2020) — Trustee
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $34K, to David D Lewis (Trustee). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Edmund F Maxwell Foundation
How much does Edmund F Maxwell Foundation give each year?
Edmund F Maxwell Foundation gave $655K across 131 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $570K across 115 grants.
What is Edmund F Maxwell Foundation's typical grant size?
Edmund F Maxwell Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $5,000, across 131 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Edmund F Maxwell Foundation give grants?
Edmund F Maxwell Foundation's top state is Washington, with 17% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were California (17%) and Massachusetts (13%).
Does Edmund F Maxwell Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 131 grants with a stated purpose on Edmund F Maxwell Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "University Scholarship" (131 grants).
How large is Edmund F Maxwell Foundation?
Edmund F Maxwell Foundation reported $7.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $733K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $684K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Edmund F Maxwell Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated charitable activity is education scholarships. Its filing says awards are for bona fide residents of Western Washington attending accredited private colleges or universities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Edmund F Maxwell Foundation?
The filing instructs applicants to submit an online application with extracurricular, personal, and volunteer activities; work experience; an essay-style personal statement; high school transcripts; SAT/ACT score… Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Edmund F Maxwell Foundation's EIN?
Edmund F Maxwell Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 91-6181008. 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 October 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 April 30, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Edmund F Maxwell Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?