Foundation For Excellence in Higher Education
The Foundation for Excellence in Higher Education (FEHE) is a Princeton, New Jersey-based public charity established in 2012. It funds and advises programs at elite universities, with a stated mission of academic and cultural renewal through student mentorship, intellectual friendship, and connections among students, faculty, and other leaders.
Foundation For Excellence in Higher Education at a glance
In short: Foundation For Excellence in Higher Education gave $4.4M across 16 grants in 2025 (avg $272K), top state Massachusetts. 0% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $4,350,091
- -21.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 16
- -5.9% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $271,881
- -16.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $250,000
- Total assets
- $7,225,482
- -38.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 0% first-time grantees (0 of 16, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (18% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Foundation For Excellence in Higher Education
- Contact
Mailing address: 16 Stockton Street, Princeton, NJ 08540-6813
Phone: (609) 688-8779
Website: https://excellenceinhighered.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Foundation For Excellence in Higher Education funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Morningside Institute ($625K). Together the top 10 received $3.5M.
Grant Size Distribution
91 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $250–500K range: 46 grants of 91 (51%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
FEHE describes its network as spanning universities in the United States and the United Kingdom, along with two independent academic organizations. In filing year 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars by recipient state were Massachusetts (18%), Pennsylvania (16%), New York (14%), California (12%), and Texas (10%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Foundation For Excellence in Higher Education open to new grantees?
0%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 0 of 16 grantees (0%) were first-time recipients. With only 16 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. How we count
- 88% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−16%). Method
- In 2021 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 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 $4.4M (2025) to $10.2M (2020). In 2025 it made 16 grants totaling $4.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Morningside Institute New York, NY | General operations | $624,619 |
| The Abigail Adams Institute Cambridge, MA | General Operations | $487,500 |
| Collegium Institute Philadelphia, PA | General operations | $475,000 |
| Austin Institute FSOFC Austin, TX | General operations | $325,000 |
| Elm Institute New Haven, CT | General operations | $310,000 |
| The Berkeley Institute Berkeley, CA | General operations | $301,977 |
| Harvard University Cambridge, MA | General operations | $300,000 |
| Hyde Park Institute Chicago, IL | General operations | $250,000 |
| Johns Hopkins UNIVERSITY Baltimore, MD | General Operations | $250,000 |
| Zephyr Institute Palo Alto, CA | General operations | $220,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The organization’s filing type is Form 990 (a public charity).
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $7,225,482 | $5,032,451 | $5,655,280 | $4,350,091 | 16 | — | $154,658 | — |
| 2024 | $11,723,941 | $7,290,829 | $9,825,103 | $5,547,565 | 17 | — | $179,361 | — |
| 2023 | $13,285,530 | $7,899,396 | $10,284,802 | $6,120,402 | 18 | — | $108,986 | — |
| 2022 | $14,426,849 | $12,619,382 | $8,866,364 | $5,158,556 | 16 | — | $40,183 | — |
| 2021 | $10,905,740 | $10,645,198 | $8,223,812 | $7,748,416 | 24 | $8,357,213 | $592,522 | $213,603 |
| 2020 | $8,583,657 | $5,996,141 | $10,744,742 | $10,159,689 | 22 | — | $98,593 | $175,912 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
FEHE describes its mission as supporting programs at elite universities where future cultural leaders are formed. Its approach includes building internal university programs supported by external institutes, mentoring students, and connecting them with faculty, industry leaders, and one another.
FEHE’s 2025 filing says most grants go to a fixed group of about two dozen programs for general operations. Examples of the grantees’ stated missions include the Morningside Institute’s work bringing scholars and students together to examine human life beyond the classroom, and the Abigail Adams Institute’s support for scholarship, instruction, and debate across academic disciplines. Collegium Institute describes itself as fostering the Catholic intellectual tradition within the University of Pennsylvania community and beyond. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own work.
In the 2024–25 academic year, FEHE reports that its network sponsored 85 for-credit courses for almost 3,500 students and hosted more than 1,650 seminars, lectures, and conferences for about 40,000 attendees.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, FEHE reported 16 grants totaling $4,350,091. Grant amounts ranged from $100,000 to $624,619, with a median of $250,000. The listed grants were for general operations.
The largest reported grants included $624,619 to the Morningside Institute, $487,500 to the Abigail Adams Institute, $475,000 to Collegium Institute, $325,000 to Austin Institute FSOFC, and $310,000 to Elm Institute. Other listed recipients included the Berkeley Institute ($301,977), Harvard University ($300,000), Hyde Park Institute ($250,000), Johns Hopkins University ($250,000), Zephyr Institute ($220,000), Forbes Avenue Foundation ($200,000), and University of Illinois Foundation ($176,000).
FEHE says most of its grants are made annually in two disbursements. Before each disbursement, grantees submit reports on activities and expenses from the preceding six months. The organization also describes ongoing contact with grantees and an annual conference for grantee executive directors and some staff. Its website states that it supports only pre-selected programs.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Francis Hager as chairman, Luis Tellez as president, and Donald Readlinger as secretary. It also lists Keith Fullenweider, Robert George, Myles Harrington, Steven Justice, Boyd Smith, Thomas Trkla, and G. David Bednar as trustees. The filing lists Bednar’s term as “02/26//2025.”
Foundation For Excellence in Higher Education is led by Luis Tellez, President since 2023 (on filings since 2020); none of the 12 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Luis Tellez
President
President → President & Trustee, 2022
President & Trustee → President, 2023
On filings since 2020
30 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Francis Hager
Chairman
Trustee → Chairman - From, 2023
Chairman - From → Chairman, 2024
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Boyd Smith
Trustee
Chairman → Chairman & Trustee, 2022
Chairman & Trustee → Trustee, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
G David Bednar
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kelly Hanlon
Director of Operations
On filings since 2020
28 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Robert George
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Steven Justice
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Thomas Trkla
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Myles Harrington
Trustee
Trustee - From → Trustee, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Keith Fullenweider
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Donald Readlinger
Secretary
Secretary → Secretary & Trustee, 2022
Secretary & Trustee → Secretary, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Doherty
Assistant Treasurer
Assistant Treasurer → Assistant Treasurer & Director Finance, 2024
Assistant Treasurer & Director Finance → Assistant Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2020
18 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Peter Binckerhoff (2020–2023) — Treasurer -
- Former: Russell J. Snell (2020–2023) — Program Committee Member
- Former: Thalia Considine (2020–2023) — 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.
Frequently asked questions about Foundation For Excellence in Higher Education
How much does Foundation For Excellence in Higher Education give each year?
Foundation For Excellence in Higher Education gave $4.4M across 16 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $5.5M across 17 grants.
What is Foundation For Excellence in Higher Education's typical grant size?
Foundation For Excellence in Higher Education's median grant in 2025 was $250,000, and its average grant was $271,881, across 16 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does Foundation For Excellence in Higher Education give grants?
Foundation For Excellence in Higher Education's top state is Massachusetts, with 18% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were Pennsylvania (16%) and New York (14%). The most frequent recipient cities were Cambridge, MA (2 grants) and Princeton, NJ (2 grants).
Does Foundation For Excellence in Higher Education give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Foundation For Excellence in Higher Education's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (16 of 16) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Who are Foundation For Excellence in Higher Education's largest grantees?
Foundation For Excellence in Higher Education's largest 2025 grantees include The Morningside Institute ($624,619), The Abigail Adams Institute ($487,500) and Collegium Institute ($475,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 36% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Foundation For Excellence in Higher Education?
Foundation For Excellence in Higher Education reported $7.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $5.0M.
What does Foundation For Excellence in Higher Education fund?
FEHE describes its mission as supporting programs at elite universities where future cultural leaders are formed. Its approach includes building internal university programs supported by external institutes, mentoring students, and connecting them with faculty, industry leaders, and one another. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Foundation For Excellence in Higher Education?
Foundation For Excellence in Higher Education has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check excellenceinhighered.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Foundation For Excellence in Higher Education's EIN?
Foundation For Excellence in Higher Education's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 46-1439784. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 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 November 3, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS October 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS December 12, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS September 19, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 14, 2026)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 13, 2022)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Foundation For Excellence in Higher Education funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Foundation For Excellence in Higher Education funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/foundation-for-excellence-in-higher-education-morg_8f906bf001e34edbbf48470bdf7b1245
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_461439784_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Foundation For Excellence in Higher Education funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/foundation-for-excellence-in-higher-education-morg_8f906bf001e34edbbf48470bdf7b1245},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-21. 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 Foundation For Excellence in Higher Education'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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