Gem Star Foundation
Gem Star Foundation is a private foundation based in Washington, DC. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations and educational institutions, including arts, education, scholarship, and research-related recipients.
Gem Star Foundation at a glance
In short: Gem Star Foundation gave $40K across 16 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), top state District of Columbia. 6% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $40,000
- +7.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 16
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,500
- +7.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,500
- Total assets
- $567,294
- -3.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 6% first-time grantees (1 of 16, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- District of Columbia (41% 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 Gem Star Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. It makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 3836 Mckinley Street Nw, Washington, DC 20015
Phone: (202) 213-1581
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Gem Star Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Women in Film and Video ($6K). Together the top 10 received $37K.
Grant Size Distribution
70 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 70 grants of 70 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 41% of grant dollars went to recipients in DC, 29% to NY, 14% to NJ, 11% to OH, and 4% to MD.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Gem Star Foundation open to new grantees?
6%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 16 grantees (6%) 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. First grants averaged $250; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $250 first-time, $2K repeat.
- 94% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+1%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 107% 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 $11K (2020) to $50K (2019). In 2025 it made 16 grants totaling $40K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Women in Film and Video Washington, DC | ARTS | $6,000 |
| Colgate University Hamilton, NY | Scholarship Program | $5,000 |
| Madison Area YMCA Madison, NJ | Educational | $5,000 |
| Cardoza Law School New York, NY | Educational | $5,000 |
| Melanoma Research Alliance Washington, DC | Educational | $5,000 |
| Ohio State University Columbus, OH | Educational | $4,000 |
| Avalon Theatre Washington, DC | ARTS | $3,500 |
| Hearing Health Foundation New York, NY | Educational | $1,500 |
| University of Maryland Student Crisis Fund College Park, MD | Educational | $1,500 |
| Alliance Francaise Washington, DC | Educational | $750 |
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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 | $567,294 | $30,121 | $53,969 | $40,000 | 16 | $50,279 | $26,431 | $46,816 |
| 2024 | $589,007 | $23,584 | $50,087 | $37,250 | 16 | $43,036 | $16,533 | $46,805 |
| 2023 | $611,902 | $20,673 | $46,754 | $36,250 | 13 | $41,180 | $22,598 | $42,178 |
| 2022 | $628,895 | $17,737 | $56,912 | $39,500 | 14 | $47,055 | $7,880 | $41,945 |
| 2021 | $674,257 | $19,299 | $46,634 | $32,000 | 11 | $38,638 | $28,416 | $47,139 |
| 2020 | $680,902 | $19,839 | $29,433 | $11,000 | 8 | — | $10,733 | $41,363 |
| 2019 | $692,105 | $139,928 | $131,463 | $50,000 | 9 | — | — | $41,076 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Gem Star 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 included support for arts organizations, educational institutions and programs, a scholarship program, and research-related organizations. Hearing Health Foundation describes its mission as preventing and curing hearing loss and tinnitus through groundbreaking research; that is the grantee’s stated mission, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 16 grants totaling $40,000. Grants ranged from $250 to $6,000, with a median grant of $1,500.
Notable 2025 grants included $6,000 to Women in Film and Video for arts; $5,000 each to Colgate University for a scholarship program, Madison Area YMCA for educational purposes, Cardoza Law School for educational purposes, and Melanoma Research Alliance for educational purposes; and $4,000 to Ohio State University for educational purposes. Hearing Health Foundation received $1,500. Save Barnegat Bay Inc. received $500; the organization describes its mission as restoring and protecting Barnegat Bay and its ecosystem through educational programs and targeted advocacy campaigns.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Michael Rohn and Bruce Meredith as trustees, and Kathleen Le Dain and Yvon Le Dain as officers.
Gem Star Foundation's 2025 filing lists 4 officers; 3 of 4 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Bruce Meredith
Trustee
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
$500 (2024) → $500 (2025)
Michael Rohn
Trustee
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
$500 (2025)
Yvon Le Dain
Officer
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$500 (2024) → $500 (2025)
Kathleen Le Dain
Officer
Officer → Trustee, 2024
Trustee → Officer, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Richard Davis (2019–2023) — Officer
- Former: June Rohn (2019) — Officer
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $500, to Michael Rohn (Trustee). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Gem Star Foundation
How much does Gem Star Foundation give each year?
Gem Star Foundation gave $40K across 16 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $37K across 16 grants.
What is Gem Star Foundation's typical grant size?
Gem Star Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,500, and its average grant was $2,500, across 16 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Gem Star Foundation that year got $250 on average.
Where does Gem Star Foundation give grants?
Gem Star Foundation's top state is District of Columbia, with 41% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (29%) and New Jersey (14%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (6 grants) and New York, NY (2 grants).
Does Gem Star Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 16 grants with a stated purpose on Gem Star Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Educational" (13 grants).
Who are Gem Star Foundation's largest grantees?
Gem Star Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Women in Film and Video ($6,000), Colgate University ($5,000) and Madison Area YMCA ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 40% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Gem Star Foundation?
Gem Star Foundation reported $567K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $50K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $47K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Gem Star Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for arts organizations, educational institutions and programs, a scholarship program, and research-related organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Gem Star Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Gem Star Foundation's EIN?
Gem Star Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 22-6071177. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Gem Star 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 6, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 5, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 15, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS August 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 13, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 27, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 9, 2024)
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