Ej Grassmann Trust
EJ Grassmann Trust is a private foundation located in Warren, New Jersey. Its 2025 filing says grants are focused on capital items, such as equipment and building funds, and on endowment.
Ej Grassmann Trust at a glance
In short: Ej Grassmann Trust gave $1.7M across 134 grants in 2025 (avg $13K), mostly in New Jersey. 18% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,717,305
- +0.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 134
- -13.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $12,816
- +15.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $32,751,669
- +47.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 18% first-time grantees (24 of 131, 2025)
- Primary geography
- New Jersey (76% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Ej Grassmann Trust
- How to Apply
-
Proposals must be submitted through the Trust’s online application portal. Applicants must be U.S.-based tax-exempt organizations under section 501(c)(3) and qualify under section 509(a)(1) or 509(a)(2). The Trust does not make grants to individuals or outside the United States. Its filing directs applicants to review additional application information through the portal.
- Review Cycle
- The June application portal is open April 1–May 15; the December portal is open September 1–October 15.
- Deadline
- The June application portal is open April 1–May 15; the December portal is open September 1–October 15.
- Contact
Application contact: William Engel
Mailing address: PO Box 4470, Warren, NJ 07059-0470
Phone: (908) 753-2440
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Ej Grassmann Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Mercer University ($200K). Together the top 10 received $485K.
Organizations only. It also paid 4 grants to individuals ($57,600), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
705 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 697 grants of 705 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 76% of grant dollars went to recipients in New Jersey, 14% to New York, and 10% to Georgia. The filing also lists New Mexico and Arizona, each at 0% of grant dollars.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 134 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Ej Grassmann Trust open to new grantees?
18%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 24 of 131 grantees (18%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $13K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 68% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+5%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 128% 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 $1.5M (2023) to $1.7M (2020). In 2025 it made 134 grants totaling $1.7M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Mercer University New York, NY | This grant is to be used towards the construction and equipping of a new facility for the school of medicine in downtown macon. | $200,000 |
| Trinitas Health Foundation Elizabeth, NJ | This grant is to be used towards the surgical advancement project, which includes equipment upgrades for spinal surgery procedures. | $80,000 |
| America's Grow-a-Row Inc Pittstown, NJ | This grant is to be used towards the retirement of a fixed rate mortgage on the woolf road farm. | $35,000 |
| Institute of Music for Children Inc Elizabeth, NJ | This grant is to be used to support the purchase and installation of a three-story elevator, providing full accessibility across all 3 floors of both buildings. | $33,000 |
| 3 grants to individuals Recipients not named | — | $52,600 |
| Nature Conservancy Chester, NJ | This grant is to be used to support land acquisitions over the coming year. | $25,000 |
| Newtown Macon Macon, GA | This grant is to be used towards advancing the ocmulgee heritage trail with trail extensions. | $25,000 |
| Saint Vincent Academy Newark, NJ | This grant is to be used towards internal updates and repairs to the academy. | $25,000 |
| Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway Foundation Rahway, NJ | This grant is to be used for a state-of-the-art ge mac vu360 electrocardiogram (EKG). This investment will strengthen our hospitals environment of safety, accuracy and clinical excellence. | $22,000 |
| Community Food Bank of New Jersey Hillside, NJ | This grant is to be used towards the purchase of a sit-down counterbalanced forklift for use in our hillside warehouse to improve efficiency of operations. | $20,000 |
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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 | $32,751,669 | $13,015,100 | $2,480,176 | $1,717,305 | 134 | $1,926,649 | $12,759,232 | $1,508,545 |
| 2024 | $22,216,745 | $2,292,901 | $2,265,382 | $1,710,020 | 154 | $1,979,259 | $1,980,135 | $1,596,176 |
| 2023 | $22,189,226 | $2,116,656 | $1,818,248 | $1,543,965 | 137 | $1,670,850 | $1,948,931 | $1,468,347 |
| 2022 | $21,890,818 | $1,393,906 | $2,163,061 | $1,639,235 | 141 | $1,890,818 | $937,273 | $1,557,314 |
| 2021 | $22,719,036 | $1,953,978 | $1,860,392 | $1,739,740 | 139 | $1,782,597 | $1,890,916 | $1,691,019 |
| 2020 | $22,800,396 | $1,356,927 | $1,882,643 | $1,746,750 | 159 | — | $1,282,559 | $1,603,732 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Ej Grassmann Trust reported a distributable amount of $1.5M 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 Trust is provided. Its filing identifies capital items and endowment as grant purposes, and excludes operating expenses, programs, current scholarships, conferences, meetings or dinners, journal advertisements, and annual funds.
Its recipients represent a range of fields. For example, Americas Grow-A-Row describes its mission as providing fresh produce to people in need and educating people about hunger; the Community Food Bank of New Jersey says it addresses the root causes of hunger and delivers neighbor-centered solutions. Arts recipients include Paper Mill Playhouse, which says it entertains, inspires, and enriches lives through musical theater, and George Street Playhouse, which describes its mission as producing quality theater and providing theater education.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the Trust reported 134 grants totaling $1,717,305. Awards ranged from $1,900 to $200,000, with a median grant of $10,000. Among the largest were $200,000 to Mercer University toward constructing and equipping a new School of Medicine facility in downtown Macon; $80,000 to Trinitas Health Foundation for surgical equipment upgrades; and $35,000 to Americas Grow-A-Row toward retiring a fixed-rate mortgage on its Woolf Road farm. Other grants included $25,000 to the Nature Conservancy for land acquisitions and $20,000 to the Community Food Bank of New Jersey for a warehouse forklift.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists William V. Engel, Esq., and Robert S. Devlin, Esq., as trustees and co-executive directors. It lists Suzanne B. Engel, Michael F. O’Neill, and Amy M. Ziebarth as trustees.
Ej Grassmann Trust is led by Robert S. Devlin Esq., Trustee & Co-Executive Director since 2024 (on filings since 2020); all 5 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Robert S. Devlin Esq.
Trustee & Co-Executive Director
Trustee → Trustee & Co-Executive Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
7 hrs/week
$43K (2020) → $141K (2025)
William V. Engel Esq.
Trustee & Co-Executive Director
Trustee & Exec.dir. → Trustee & Executive Director, 2022
Trustee & Executive Director → Trustee & Co-Executive Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
$74K (2020) → $141K (2025)
Amy M. Ziebarth
Trustee
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
$43K (2020) → $48K (2025)
Michael F. O'Neill
Trustee
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
$43K (2020) → $48K (2025)
Suzanne B. Engel
Trustee
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
$43K (2020) → $48K (2025)
Former officers (3)
- Former: Anita V. Spivey (2022) — Trustee
- Former: Hunter W. Corbin (2022) — Trustee
- Former: Allocated To Corpus Commissions (2020–2021) — See Statement
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 $141K, to William V Engel ESQ (Trustee, Co-Executive Director). 5 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Ej Grassmann Trust
How much does Ej Grassmann Trust give each year?
Ej Grassmann Trust gave $1.7M across 134 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.7M across 154 grants.
What is Ej Grassmann Trust's typical grant size?
Ej Grassmann Trust's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $12,816, across 134 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Ej Grassmann Trust that year got $10K on average.
Where does Ej Grassmann Trust give grants?
Ej Grassmann Trust gives mostly in New Jersey: 76% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (14%) and Georgia (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Newark, NJ (12 grants), Elizabeth, NJ (11 grants), Summit, NJ (10 grants) and Macon, GA (8 grants).
Does Ej Grassmann Trust give general operating support?
Occasionally: 4% of Ej Grassmann Trust's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (5 of 134) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Ej Grassmann Trust's largest grantees?
Ej Grassmann Trust's largest 2025 grantees include Mercer University ($200,000), Trinitas Health Foundation ($80,000) and America's Grow-a-Row Inc ($35,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 4 grants to individuals ($57,600), which are not listed by name. Together they received 18% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Ej Grassmann Trust?
Ej Grassmann Trust reported $32.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.9M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.5M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Ej Grassmann Trust fund?
No mission statement for the Trust is provided. Its filing identifies capital items and endowment as grant purposes, and excludes operating expenses, programs, current scholarships, conferences, meetings or dinners, journal advertisements, and annual funds. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Ej Grassmann Trust?
Proposals must be submitted through the Trust’s online application portal. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Ej Grassmann Trust's EIN?
Ej Grassmann Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 22-6326539. 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 May 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Ej Grassmann Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/ej-grassmann-trust-morg_dbf0b70c4cc54ccca3e65dc45e479006
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_226326539_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Ej Grassmann Trust funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/ej-grassmann-trust-morg_dbf0b70c4cc54ccca3e65dc45e479006},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Ej Grassmann Trust'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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