Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation
The Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation is a private foundation based in Wilmington, Delaware. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, with 85% of grant dollars going to recipients in Delaware.
Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation at a glance
In short: Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation gave $2.1M across 47 grants in 2025 (avg $45K), mostly in Delaware. 17% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $2,111,710
- +11.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 47
- +4.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $44,930
- +6.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $40,000
- Total assets
- $29,079,857
- +13.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 17% first-time grantees (5 of 29, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Delaware (85% 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 Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The filing lists John T Fay CPA as the contact and a letter request and pamphlet as the form and materials. Awards are restricted to Mid-Atlantic Area 501(c)(3) organizations. The filing says the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations.
- Review Cycle
- None listed.
- Deadline
- None listed.
- Contact
Application contact: John T Fay Cpa
Mailing address: 3801 Kennett Pike Bldg C Suite 101, Wilmington, DE 19807
Phone: (484) 798-7982
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Friends of Newark Free Library ($128K). Together the top 10 received $847K.
Organizations only. It also paid 14 grants to individuals ($628,305), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
202 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 107 grants of 202 (53%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s 2025 filing reports that 85% of grant dollars went to Delaware recipients, 3% to Pennsylvania, 2% to New Jersey, 2% to Virginia, and 2% to California.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 47 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation open to new grantees?
17%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 29 grantees (17%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $35K; repeat grants $45K. How we count
Medians: $50K first-time, $38K repeat.
- 69% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+11%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 99% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF 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 $1.7M (2020) to $2.1M (2025). In 2025 it made 47 grants totaling $2.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Friends of Newark Free Library Newark, DE | Financial Assistance | $127,980 |
| Delaware Botanical Gardens Dagsboro, DE | Financial Assistance | $124,500 |
| Historic Odessa Foundation Odessa, DE | Financial Assistance | $100,000 |
| Aspira Academy Newark, DE | Financial Assistance | $75,000 |
| Delaware College Scholars WIlmingotn, DE | Financial Assistance | $75,000 |
| Faithful Friends WIlmingotn, DE | Financial Assistance | $75,000 |
| 14 grants to individuals Recipients not named | — | $628,305 |
| The Ministry of Caring Inc WIlmington, DE | Financial Assistance | $75,000 |
| University of Delaware Newark, DE | Financial Assistance | $75,000 |
| Delaware Museum of Natural History WIlmington, DE | Financial Assistance | $61,925 |
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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 | $29,079,857 | $5,847,751 | $2,556,469 | $2,111,710 | 47 | $2,111,710 | $5,446,924 | $2,126,540 |
| 2024 | $25,667,137 | $2,617,059 | $2,280,104 | $1,901,798 | 45 | $1,901,798 | $2,244,807 | $1,947,732 |
| 2023 | $25,392,040 | $977,801 | $2,125,077 | $1,797,633 | 36 | $1,797,633 | $675,558 | $1,729,005 |
| 2022 | $26,440,853 | $1,691,024 | $2,257,321 | $1,898,759 | 36 | $1,898,759 | $1,360,862 | $1,797,176 |
| 2021 | $27,015,592 | $2,679,424 | $2,105,348 | $1,725,000 | 38 | $1,725,000 | $2,335,873 | $1,921,925 |
| 2020 | $26,240,559 | $1,830,716 | $1,963,768 | $1,670,000 | 33 | — | $1,530,005 | $1,675,934 |
| 2019 | $26,472,061 | $1,955,351 | $1,978,334 | $1,700,562 | 32 | — | $1,635,620 | $1,597,685 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.1M 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 available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations working in education, social services, animal welfare, health, and environmental and cultural activities. These examples describe the grantees, not the foundation’s mission.
An individual recipient says it supports participants’ academic success and physical wellness through educational, athletic, and community engagement opportunities. An individual recipient says it prepares high-achieving, under-resourced Delaware public high school students for college, with preference for first-generation students. The Ministry of Caring says it serves the needs of people experiencing poverty through services including food, shelter, housing, employment support, and medical and dental care. Faithful Friends says it champions animal welfare and supports animals and their caregivers.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 47 grants totaling $2,111,710. Grant amounts ranged from $1,500 to $127,980, with a median of $40,000. The largest listed grants included $127,980 to Friends of Newark Free Library, $124,500 to Delaware Botanical Gardens, and $100,000 to Historic Odessa Foundation. Other listed grants included $75,000 each to Aspira Academy, an individual recipient, Faithful Friends, an individual recipient, the Ministry of Caring, the University of Delaware, two individual recipients
Other 2025 recipients listed in the grantee information include Tower Hill School Association, which received $57,500, and Vision To Learn, Newport Rowing Club, and Centreville Layton School, which each received $50,000.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Gregory Inskip Esq as president, John T Fay CPA as secretary/treasurer, and H Murray Sawyer as vice president.
Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation is led by Gregory Inskip Esq., President on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Gregory Inskip Esq.
President
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
H Murray Sawyer
Vice President
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
John T Fay CPA
Secretary & Treasurer
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
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 Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation
How much does Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation give each year?
Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation gave $2.1M across 47 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.9M across 45 grants.
What is Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation's typical grant size?
Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $40,000, and its average grant was $44,930, across 47 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation that year got $35K on average.
Where does Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation give grants?
Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation gives mostly in Delaware: 85% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Wilmingotn, DE (11 grants), Wilmington, DE (8 grants), Newark, DE (4 grants) and Newport, DE (3 grants).
Does Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 47 grants with a stated purpose on Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Financial Assistance" (45 grants).
Who are Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation's largest grantees?
Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Friends of Newark Free Library ($127,980), Delaware Botanical Gardens ($124,500) and Historic Odessa Foundation ($100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 14 grants to individuals ($628,305), which are not listed by name. Together they received 17% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation?
Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation reported $29.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $2.1M (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 Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation fund?
The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations working in education, social services, animal welfare, health, and environmental and cultural activities. These examples describe the grantees, not the foundation’s mission. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation?
The filing lists John T Fay CPA as the contact and a letter request and pamphlet as the form and materials. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation's EIN?
Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 51-0348090. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 27, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 7, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/ellice-and-rosa-mcdonald-foundation-morg_9dc50e0512db44d68204a0c233b57333
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_510348090_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Ellice \& Rosa McDonald Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/ellice-and-rosa-mcdonald-foundation-morg_9dc50e0512db44d68204a0c233b57333},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-22. 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 Ellice & Rosa McDonald 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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