Elise M Besthoff Charitable Foundation
The Elise M Besthoff Charitable Foundation is a private foundation based in Boynton Beach, Florida. It made 11 grants totaling $131,565 in filing year 2025 to organizations in Florida and New York.
Elise M Besthoff Charitable Foundation at a glance
In short: Elise M Besthoff Charitable Foundation gave $132K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $12K), mostly in Florida. 45% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $131,565
- +42.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 11
- +83.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $11,960
- -22.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,500
- Total assets
- $2,964,150
- +2.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 45% first-time grantees (5 of 11, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Florida (59% 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 Elise M Besthoff Charitable Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- Yes
- How to Apply
-
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests. Its 2025 filing says to contact Christina Worley with a letter and year-end report. It lists no restrictions on awards.
- Review Cycle
- No deadline is listed.
- Deadline
- No deadline is listed.
- Contact
Application contact: Christina Worley
Mailing address: 201 Arkona Ct, West Palm Beach, FL 33401
Phone: (561) 686-9604
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Elise M Besthoff Charitable Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Chautauqua Institution ($49K). Together the top 10 received $131K.
Grant Size Distribution
40 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 39 grants of 40 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation is based in Boynton Beach, Florida. In filing year 2025, 59% of its grant dollars went to recipients in Florida and 41% to recipients in New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Elise M Besthoff Charitable Foundation open to new grantees?
45%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 11 grantees (45%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $18K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $8K repeat.
- 45% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 54% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 104% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2018–2025). 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 2018 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $17K (2020) to $174K (2018). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $132K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Chautauqua Institution Chautauqua, NY | General Fund | $49,065 |
| Norton Museum of Art West Palm Beach, FL | For its general purposes. | $40,000 |
| University of Florida Foundation Jupiter, FL | For its general purposes. | $20,000 |
| Opportunity Inc West Palm Beach, FL | For its general purposes. | $10,000 |
| The Reece School New York, NY | For its building fund. | $5,000 |
| Dreyfoos School of the Arts West Palm Beach, FL | For its general purposes. | $2,500 |
| Palm Health Care Foundation West Palm Beach, FL | For its general purposes. | $1,250 |
| The Herbert Wertheim Mood Shot Endo Jupiter, FL | For its general purposes. | $1,250 |
| Early Learning Coalition Boynton Beach, FL | For its general purposes. | $1,000 |
| Palm Beach County Food Bank Lake Worth, FL | For its general purposes. | $750 |
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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 | $2,964,150 | $252,690 | $188,955 | $131,565 | 11 | $162,923 | $222,603 | $156,838 |
| 2024 | $2,900,415 | $277,237 | $147,841 | $92,500 | 6 | $125,734 | $226,863 | $146,755 |
| 2023 | $2,771,019 | $153,538 | $173,184 | $127,500 | 6 | $157,012 | $133,270 | $136,543 |
| 2022 | $2,790,665 | $-44,854 | $136,948 | $85,334 | 7 | $117,328 | $75,683 | $141,680 |
| 2021 | $2,972,467 | $303,982 | $161,228 | $111,102 | 10 | $141,867 | $264,471 | $155,005 |
| 2020 | $2,829,713 | $60,086 | $53,454 | $16,900 | 4 | — | $66,230 | $137,234 |
| 2018 | $2,822,910 | $94,299 | $232,491 | $174,145 | 8 | — | $83,488 | $128,902 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Elise M Besthoff Charitable Foundation reported a distributable amount of $157K 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 recipients include Chautauqua Institution, whose mission is to explore human values and enrich life through programs addressing religious, social, and political issues; the Norton Museum of Art, which describes its work as offering visitors transformative encounters with art; The Reece School, which provides a special-education program for children who need more support than a traditional public-school setting provides; and the Palm Beach County Food Bank, which works to fight hunger and improve food security in Palm Beach County.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation awarded 11 grants totaling $131,565. Grant amounts ranged from $750 to $49,065, with a median grant of $2,500.
Its largest 2025 grants were $49,065 to Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York, for its general fund; $40,000 to the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Florida, for its general purposes; and $20,000 to the University of Florida Foundation in Jupiter, Florida, for its general purposes. Other listed grants included $10,000 to Opportunity Inc, $5,000 to The Reece School for its building fund, and $2,500 to Dreyfoos School of the Arts. The remaining grants were $1,250 each to Palm Health Care Foundation and The Herbert Wertheim Mood Shot Endo, $1,000 to Early Learning Coalition, and $750 each to Palm Beach County Food Bank and Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Gary Sellari as Director/Treasurer, Lois Reid Clemente as Director/Secretary, Christina Worley as President/Director, and Jennifer Rushton as Director.
Elise M Besthoff Charitable Foundation is led by Christina Worley, President & Director on every filing since 2018; all 4 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Christina Worley
President & Director
On filings since 2018
0.5 hrs/week
$3K (2018) → $3K (2025)
Gary Sellari
Director & Treasurer
On filings since 2018
0.5 hrs/week
$3K (2018) → $3K (2025)
Lois Reid Clemente
Director & Secra
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
$3K (2021) → $3K (2025)
Jennifer Rushton
Director
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
$3K (2022) → $3K (2025)
Former officers (3)
- Former: Wyatt Rushton (2018–2022) — Director & Vice President
- Former: Jeanne Rushton (2018–2021) — Director
- Former: Jeanne Reid Browning (2018–2020) — Director & Secra
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2018–2025. "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 $3K, to Gary Sellari (Dir/Treasurer). 4 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Elise M Besthoff Charitable Foundation
How much does Elise M Besthoff Charitable Foundation give each year?
Elise M Besthoff Charitable Foundation gave $132K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $93K across 6 grants.
What is Elise M Besthoff Charitable Foundation's typical grant size?
Elise M Besthoff Charitable Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,500, and its average grant was $11,960, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Elise M Besthoff Charitable Foundation that year got $5K on average.
Where does Elise M Besthoff Charitable Foundation give grants?
Elise M Besthoff Charitable Foundation gives mostly in Florida: 59% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (41%). The most frequent recipient cities were West Palm Beach, FL (5 grants) and Jupiter, FL (2 grants).
Does Elise M Besthoff Charitable Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 91% of Elise M Besthoff Charitable Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (10 of 11) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Elise M Besthoff Charitable Foundation's largest grantees?
Elise M Besthoff Charitable Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Chautauqua Institution ($49,065), Norton Museum of Art ($40,000) and University of Florida Foundation ($20,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 83% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Elise M Besthoff Charitable Foundation?
Elise M Besthoff Charitable Foundation reported $3.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $163K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $157K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Elise M Besthoff Charitable Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Elise M Besthoff Charitable Foundation?
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Elise M Besthoff Charitable Foundation's EIN?
Elise M Besthoff Charitable Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 65-6193280. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2018–2025.
Does Elise M Besthoff Charitable Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
Yes, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 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 2024 (received by the IRS July 30, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 27, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2018 (received by the IRS December 4, 2019)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS October 4, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 15, 2024)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Elise M Besthoff Charitable Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/elise-m-besthoff-charitable-foundation-morg_e57c498e121f401486be316a6e6776eb
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_656193280_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Elise M Besthoff Charitable Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/elise-m-besthoff-charitable-foundation-morg_e57c498e121f401486be316a6e6776eb},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Elise M Besthoff Charitable 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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