Esse Health Foundation
Esse Health Foundation is a private foundation based in St. Louis, Missouri. In 2025, it reported giving $45,000 in grants to charitable organizations.
Esse Health Foundation at a glance
In short: Esse Health Foundation gave $45K across 14 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in Missouri. 43% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $45,000
- +36.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 14
- +55.6% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,214
- -12.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,500
- Total assets
- $60,681
- +801.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 43% first-time grantees (6 of 14, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Missouri (62% 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 Esse Health Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 555 Maryville University Dr Ste 240, St Louis, MO 63141
Phone: (314) 851-1159
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Esse Health Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was American Diabetes Association ($5K). Together the top 10 received $37K.
Grant Size Distribution
64 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 64 grants of 64 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, the share of grant dollars by recipient state was Missouri 62%, Virginia 22%, New York 11%, and Illinois 4%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 14 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Esse Health Foundation open to new grantees?
43%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 14 grantees (43%) were first-time recipients. With only 14 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $4K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $4K repeat.
- 29% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−10%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above 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 $31K (2021) to $71K (2023). In 2025 it made 14 grants totaling $45K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| American Diabetes Association Alexandria, VA | General Support | $5,000 |
| Center for Hearing and Speech St. Louis, MO | General Support | $5,000 |
| Leukemia and Lymphoma Society White Plains, NY | General Support | $5,000 |
| Midtown Community Services St. Louis, MO | General Support | $5,000 |
| United Cerebral Palsy Foundation Vienna, VA | General Support | $5,000 |
| College Bound St. Louis, MO | General Support | $2,500 |
| Loyola Academy St. Louis, MO | General Support | $2,500 |
| Memory Care Home Solutions St. Louis, MO | General Support | $2,500 |
| National Kidney Foundation St. Louis, MO | General Support | $2,500 |
| Evertrue St. Louis, MO | General Supportgeneral Support | $2,000 |
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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 | $60,681 | $100,335 | $46,385 | $45,000 | 14 | $45,000 | $335 | $1,557 |
| 2024 | $6,731 | $373 | $35,806 | $33,000 | 9 | $33,000 | $373 | $1,605 |
| 2023 | $42,164 | $100,379 | $71,750 | $70,500 | 17 | $70,500 | $379 | $1,692 |
| 2022 | $13,535 | $1,589 | $50,000 | $50,000 | 16 | $50,000 | $89 | $1,511 |
| 2021 | $61,946 | $51,076 | $32,250 | $31,000 | 8 | $31,000 | $20 | $1,768 |
| 2020 | $43,120 | $51,658 | $68,912 | $67,662 | 13 | — | — | $1,946 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Esse Health Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2K 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
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grantees include organizations working in health, social services, education, and community news. For example, Memory Care Home Solutions says it aims to improve quality of life for people living with dementia and their families; Nurses for Newborns describes its work as providing home-based services to promote the health and well-being of babies and families; and College Bound and Loyola Academy are among the education organizations listed as grantees.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 14 grants totaling $45,000. Grants ranged from $2,000 to $5,000, with a median grant of $2,500. The largest listed grants were $5,000 each to the American Diabetes Association, Center for Hearing and Speech, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Midtown Community Services, and United Cerebral Palsy Foundation. Other listed recipients included Memory Care Home Solutions ($2,500), Independence Center ($2,000), and Nurses for Newborns ($2,000). The St. Louis Jewish Light and Children’s Heart Foundation also received $2,000 each in 2025.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Dave Kearney as president; Dana McBroom as vice president; Carey Merzlicker as treasurer; Jaime Bremerkamp as secretary; and Kathleen Cizek, Kelly Wassel PNP, and Julie MacPhee as directors.
Esse Health Foundation is led by Dave Kearney, President on the 2025 filing; none of the 7 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Dave Kearney
President
New on the 2025 filing
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kelly Wassel Pnp
Director
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kathleen Cizek
Director
On filings since 2022
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Julie Macphee
Director
New on the 2025 filing
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Dana McBroom
Vice President
Director → Vice President, 2024
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jaime Bremerkamp
Secretary
On filings since 2024
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Carey Merzlicker
Treasurer
New on the 2025 filing
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (9)
- Former: Robert Richman (2023–2024) — Treasurer
- Former: Jim Snider (2024) — President
- Former: David Kearney (2020–2023) — President
- Former: Marylou Calzaretta (2020–2023) — Secretary
- Former: Janelle Roethemeyer MD (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Rob Richman (2021–2022) — Treasurer
- Former: Stephen Nester MD (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Jerome Williams MD (2020) — Director
- Former: Michael Castellano (2020) — President
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 Esse Health Foundation
How much does Esse Health Foundation give each year?
Esse Health Foundation gave $45K across 14 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $33K across 9 grants.
What is Esse Health Foundation's typical grant size?
Esse Health Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,500, and its average grant was $3,214, across 14 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Esse Health Foundation that year got $3K on average.
Where does Esse Health Foundation give grants?
Esse Health Foundation gives mostly in Missouri: 62% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Virginia (22%) and New York (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were St. Louis, MO (10 grants).
Does Esse Health Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Esse Health Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (14 of 14) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Esse Health Foundation's largest grantees?
Esse Health Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include American Diabetes Association ($5,000), Center for Hearing and Speech ($5,000) and Leukemia and Lymphoma Society ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 33% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Esse Health Foundation?
Esse Health Foundation reported $61K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $45K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $2K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Esse Health Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grantees include organizations working in health, social services, education, and community news. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Esse Health Foundation?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Esse Health Foundation's EIN?
Esse Health Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 38-3822931. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Esse Health Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 13, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS June 1, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 14, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 29, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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