Franklin Cole Foundation
The Franklin Cole Foundation is a private foundation based in New York City, New York. Its 2025 filing reports grants to organizations supporting community needs, education, health, environmental work, and other causes.
Franklin Cole Foundation at a glance
In short: Franklin Cole Foundation gave $98K across 71 grants in 2025 (avg $1K), top state California. 39% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $97,750
- +28.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 71
- +9.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $1,377
- +17.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $580,499
- +9.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 39% first-time grantees (27 of 70, 2025)
- Primary geography
- California (40% 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 Franklin Cole Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 19 E 88Th St 15G, New York City, NY 10128-0654
Phone: (212) 860-3529
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Franklin Cole Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was California Community Foundation ($5K). Together the top 10 received $31K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($1,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
316 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 316 grants of 316 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, California received 40% of grant dollars, New York 25%, the District of Columbia 8%, Massachusetts 7%, and New Jersey 5%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 71 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Franklin Cole Foundation open to new grantees?
39%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 27 of 70 grantees (39%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $1K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $1K repeat.
- 60% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 46% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 209% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $47K (2019) to $98K (2025). In 2025 it made 71 grants totaling $98K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| California Community Foundation Los Angeles, CA | Support Community | $5,000 |
| Lafd Foundation Los Angeles, CA | Support Community | $5,000 |
| Breakthrough T1D Hagerstown, MD | Support Community | $3,000 |
| Harvard University Cambridge, MA | Support Education | $3,000 |
| Planned Parenthood New York, NY | Protect Life and Health | $3,000 |
| Tree People Beverly Hills, CA | Support Environmental Education | $3,000 |
| World Central Kitchen Washington DC, DC | Protect Life and Health | $3,000 |
| Academic Freedom Alliance Princeton, NJ | Support Education | $2,000 |
| Hudson Highland Trust Garrison, NY | Support Community | $2,000 |
| Princeton University Princeton, NJ | Support Education | $2,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Franklin Cole Foundation?
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 | $580,499 | $146,467 | $110,747 | $97,750 | 71 | $97,750 | $146,467 | $46,791 |
| 2024 | $528,578 | $214,309 | $86,400 | $76,250 | 65 | $76,250 | $204,159 | $36,660 |
| 2023 | $400,669 | $67,610 | $88,693 | $80,000 | 63 | $80,000 | $58,917 | $34,954 |
| 2022 | $451,185 | $24,889 | $76,580 | $66,816 | 60 | $66,816 | $15,125 | $39,637 |
| 2021 | $473,443 | $72,116 | $63,544 | $53,316 | 57 | $53,316 | $61,888 | $41,698 |
| 2020 | $464,871 | $91,009 | $64,283 | $55,816 | 56 | — | $82,542 | $36,447 |
| 2019 | $438,145 | $73,779 | $50,459 | $47,316 | 52 | — | $70,636 | $32,863 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Franklin Cole Foundation reported a distributable amount of $47K 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 grants include support for community, education, life and health, mental health, and environmental causes. The grantees’ own descriptions illustrate the range of organizations supported: California Community Foundation says it works with communities to “build a good life”; World Central Kitchen says it provides meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises; and Environmental Defense Fund says it works to preserve natural systems and address environmental problems. Academic Freedom Alliance describes its work as protecting faculty members’ rights to speak, instruct, and publish without fear of sanction, while Hunts Point Alliance for Children says it helps connect children and families with resources on paths to college or careers.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave $97,750 through 71 grants. Awards ranged from $250 to $5,000, with a median grant of $1,000.
Notable 2025 grants included $5,000 each to California Community Foundation and LAFD Foundation; $3,000 each to Breakthrough T1D, Harvard University, Planned Parenthood, Tree People, and World Central Kitchen; and $2,000 each to Academic Freedom Alliance, Hudson Highland Trust, Princeton University, Restore the Earth, and Step Up on Second.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Jeffrey H Bunzel, John Bunzel, and Robert Bunzel as trustees.
Franklin Cole Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Jeffrey H. Bunzel
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
John Bunzel
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Robert Bunzel
Trustee
On filings since 2019
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 Franklin Cole Foundation
How much does Franklin Cole Foundation give each year?
Franklin Cole Foundation gave $98K across 71 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $76K across 65 grants.
What is Franklin Cole Foundation's typical grant size?
Franklin Cole Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $1,377, across 71 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Franklin Cole Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does Franklin Cole Foundation give grants?
Franklin Cole Foundation's top state is California, with 40% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (25%) and District of Columbia (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (13 grants), Los Angeles, CA (11 grants), San Francisco, CA (4 grants) and Washington, DC (4 grants).
Does Franklin Cole Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 71 grants with a stated purpose on Franklin Cole Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Support Community" (18 grants), "Support Education" (16 grants) and "Support the Arts" (8 grants).
Who are Franklin Cole Foundation's largest grantees?
Franklin Cole Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include California Community Foundation ($5,000), Lafd Foundation ($5,000) and Breakthrough T1D ($3,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($1,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 13% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Franklin Cole Foundation?
Franklin Cole Foundation reported $580K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $98K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $47K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Franklin Cole Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for community, education, life and health, mental health, and environmental causes. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Franklin Cole Foundation?
The foundation states that it 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 Franklin Cole Foundation's EIN?
Franklin Cole Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-6090752. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Franklin Cole 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 September 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 9, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 27, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Franklin Cole Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Franklin Cole Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/franklin-cole-foundation-morg_693bd7d4494c49df855a34abbb80460d
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_136090752_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Franklin Cole Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/franklin-cole-foundation-morg_693bd7d4494c49df855a34abbb80460d},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Franklin Cole 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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