Geismar Family Foundation
The Geismar Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Charlottesville, Virginia. In its 2025 filing, it reported making 10 grants totaling $489,480 to charitable organizations, with listed purposes including educational support, general operations, a capital campaign, and children’s health.
Geismar Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Geismar Family Foundation gave $489K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $49K), mostly in Virginia. 20% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $489,480
- -15.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- +42.9% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $48,948
- -40.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $41,000
- Total assets
- $2,002,815
- -18.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 20% first-time grantees (2 of 10, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Virginia (77% 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 Geismar Family 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: 240 W Main St, Charlottesville, VA 22902
Phone: (434) 244-3317
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Geismar Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Saint Anne's Belfield School ($150K). Together the top 10 received $489K.
Grant Size Distribution
32 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $50–100K range: 14 grants of 32 (44%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 77% of grant dollars went to recipients in Virginia, 17% to recipients in Iowa, and 7% to recipients in Missouri.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Geismar Family Foundation open to new grantees?
20%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 10 grantees (20%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $60K. How we count
Medians: $4K first-time, $55K repeat.
- 70% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 147% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 428% 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 $80K (2021) to $643K (2023). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $489K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Saint Anne's Belfield School Charlottesville, VA | Educational Support | $150,000 |
| Virginia Athletic Foundation Charlottesville, VA | General Operatingsupport | $93,480 |
| UVA Health Foundation Boone, IA | Ivy Mountain Projectschool of Medicine Assessmentpinkerton Midlife Health | $81,500 |
| Boys and Girls Club of Central VA Charlottesville, VA | Capital Campaignjeremiah Millbank Society | $60,000 |
| Cacf Charlottesville, VA | 5-Year Pledge | $50,000 |
| Chris Long Foundation Clayton, MO | General Operations | $32,000 |
| CAV Futures Foundation Charlottesville, VA | General Operations | $10,000 |
| UVA Health Charlottesville, VA | Childrens Health | $5,000 |
| United Way-TJA Charlottesville, VA | General Operations | $5,000 |
| Releaf Cville Charlottesville, VA | General Operations | $2,500 |
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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 | $2,002,815 | $337,397 | $493,300 | $489,480 | 10 | $491,829 | $337,397 | $114,789 |
| 2024 | $2,460,893 | $286,871 | $591,730 | $577,480 | 7 | $580,637 | $286,871 | $119,729 |
| 2023 | $2,396,705 | $468,063 | $645,218 | $643,480 | 5 | $645,218 | $467,962 | $127,877 |
| 2022 | $2,813,451 | $706,548 | $528,641 | $198,200 | 6 | $522,496 | $140,690 | — |
| 2021 | $2,315,302 | $310,121 | $646,645 | $80,000 | 4 | $634,393 | $279,199 | — |
| 2020 | $2,739,839 | $337,435 | $601,406 | $115,000 | 4 | — | $184,793 | — |
| 2019 | $2,762,173 | $420,151 | $634,037 | $167,200 | 10 | — | $412,040 | $134,856 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Geismar Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $115K 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 included support for a school, athletic organizations, health-related recipients, a boys and girls club, and other organizations.
Among its 2025 grantees, the Chris Long Foundation describes its mission as helping communities access clean water, address basic needs for youth and families, and inspire impact. CAV Futures Foundation describes charitable and educational activities that include supporting nonprofit organizations and educating and empowering collegiate athletes to use their personal brands in support of charitable causes. Releaf Cville says it works to protect Charlottesville’s health by expanding and maintaining the tree canopy, planting and preserving trees, and educating environmental leaders.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 10 grants totaling $489,480. Grant amounts ranged from $2,500 to $150,000, with a median of $41,000. The largest grants included $150,000 to Saint Anne’s Belfield School for educational support; $93,480 to Virginia Athletic Foundation for general operating support; $81,500 to UVA Health Foundation for the listed Ivy Mountain Project, School of Medicine Assessment, and Pinkerton Midlife Health purposes; and $60,000 to Boys and Girls Club of Central VA for a capital campaign and Jeremiah Millbank Society. Other grants included $50,000 to CACF for a five-year pledge and $32,000 to Chris Long Foundation for general operations.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Michael S Geismar and Ellen A Geismar as trustees.
Geismar Family Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Ellen A. Geismar
Trustee
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael S. Geismar
Trustee
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 Geismar Family Foundation
How much does Geismar Family Foundation give each year?
Geismar Family Foundation gave $489K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $577K across 7 grants.
What is Geismar Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Geismar Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $41,000, and its average grant was $48,948, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Geismar Family Foundation that year got $4K on average.
Where does Geismar Family Foundation give grants?
Geismar Family Foundation gives mostly in Virginia: 77% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Iowa (17%) and Missouri (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Charlottesville, VA (8 grants).
Does Geismar Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 50% of Geismar Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (5 of 10) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Geismar Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Geismar Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Saint Anne's Belfield School ($150,000), Virginia Athletic Foundation ($93,480) and UVA Health Foundation ($81,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 66% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Geismar Family Foundation?
Geismar Family Foundation reported $2.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $492K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $115K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Geismar Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for a school, athletic organizations, health-related recipients, a boys and girls club, and other organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Geismar Family 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 Geismar Family Foundation's EIN?
Geismar Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-3934845. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Geismar Family 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
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 23, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS July 8, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 3, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 13, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 1, 2026)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Live grants for the work Geismar Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Browse active grant opportunities in Geismar Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Geismar Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/geismar-family-foundation-morg_31c2915d41f1497a996bfb15345441c5
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_263934845_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Geismar Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/geismar-family-foundation-morg_31c2915d41f1497a996bfb15345441c5},
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 Geismar Family 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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