George H and Estelle M Sands Foundation
The George H and Estelle M Sands Foundation is a private foundation based in Princeton, New Jersey. In 2025, it reported 81 grants totaling $4,159,532 to charitable organizations, including organizations working in areas such as environmental protection, community services, education, health, and the arts.
George H and Estelle M Sands Foundation at a glance
In short: George H and Estelle M Sands Foundation gave $4.2M across 81 grants in 2025 (avg $51K), mostly in New Jersey. 9% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $4,159,532
- +5.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 81
- +1.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $51,352
- +3.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $72,544,186
- +0.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 9% first-time grantees (7 of 81, 2025)
- Primary geography
- New Jersey (70% 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 George H and Estelle M Sands 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: 902 Carnegie Center Suite 400, Princeton, NJ 08540
Phone: (609) 921-6060
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who George H and Estelle M Sands Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Kindersmile Foundation - Trenton ($470K). Together the top 10 received $2.1M.
Grant Size Distribution
394 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 258 grants of 394 (65%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars were distributed primarily to organizations in New Jersey (70%), followed by Pennsylvania (12%), Colorado (8%), Virginia (3%), and California (2%). These figures describe the state distribution of grant dollars for that filing year.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 81 itemized grants.
Cities
Is George H and Estelle M Sands Foundation open to new grantees?
9%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 7 of 81 grantees (9%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $18K; repeat grants $55K. How we count
Medians: $20K first-time, $25K repeat.
- 90% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−1%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 98% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. 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 $3.7M (2020) to $4.2M (2022). In 2025 it made 81 grants totaling $4.2M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Kindersmile Foundation - Trenton Trenton, NJ | General | $470,000 |
| Bucks County Playhouse New Hope, PA | General | $375,000 |
| The Watershed Institute Pennington, NJ | General | $301,667 |
| Princeton Medical Center Foundation Plainsboro Township, NJ | General | $180,000 |
| Princeton Public Library Princeton, NJ | General | $150,000 |
| C-Change Conversations Princeton, NJ | General | $150,000 |
| Warren Village Denver, CO | General | $127,865 |
| Fisherman's Mark Lambertville, NJ | General | $125,000 |
| Sustainable Princeton Princeton, NJ | General | $120,000 |
| Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA | General | $120,000 |
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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 | $72,544,186 | $7,155,698 | $6,956,094 | $4,159,532 | 81 | $4,159,532 | $4,416,737 | $4,259,175 |
| 2024 | $72,350,826 | $8,728,924 | $6,585,414 | $3,962,367 | 80 | $3,962,367 | $6,092,521 | $4,142,700 |
| 2023 | $70,207,039 | $6,280,526 | $7,246,280 | $4,104,083 | 79 | $4,104,083 | $3,099,731 | $4,013,027 |
| 2022 | $71,182,285 | $6,161,961 | $6,992,741 | $4,216,256 | 85 | $4,216,256 | $3,356,976 | $4,051,863 |
| 2021 | $72,041,461 | $7,864,223 | $6,323,361 | $3,724,428 | 69 | $3,724,429 | $5,239,348 | $4,218,086 |
| 2020 | $70,508,719 | $5,222,445 | $6,323,568 | $3,716,436 | 65 | — | $2,490,127 | $3,722,248 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, George H and Estelle M Sands Foundation reported a distributable amount of $4.3M 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 in the available information. Its 2025 grants went to a range of organizations. For example, The Watershed Institute says its mission is to protect and restore water and the natural environment in central New Jersey through conservation, advocacy, science, and education. C-Change Conversations describes its work as nonpartisan education and outreach about climate change, while Fisherman’s Mark says it provides programs and services promoting community stability, health, and education.
Other 2025 recipients describe work in areas including sustainability, scientific research and public information about climate change, support for low-income single-parent families, refugee services, and higher education. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 81 grants totaling $4,159,532. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $470,000, with a median grant of $25,000. The listed grants generally give their purpose as “GENERAL.”
Among the largest 2025 grants were $470,000 to KINDERSMILE FOUNDATION - TRENTON, $375,000 to Bucks County Playhouse, $301,667 to The Watershed Institute, $180,000 to Princeton Medical Center Foundation, and $150,000 each to Princeton Public Library and C-Change Conversations.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Jeffrey H Sands, Elizabeth Sands, and Deborah Sands Gartenberg as trustees.
George H and Estelle M Sands Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Deborah Sands Gartenberg
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Elizabeth Sands
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Jeffrey H. Sands
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
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 George H and Estelle M Sands Foundation
How much does George H and Estelle M Sands Foundation give each year?
George H and Estelle M Sands Foundation gave $4.2M across 81 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $4.0M across 80 grants.
What is George H and Estelle M Sands Foundation's typical grant size?
George H and Estelle M Sands Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $51,352, across 81 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from George H and Estelle M Sands Foundation that year got $18K on average.
Where does George H and Estelle M Sands Foundation give grants?
George H and Estelle M Sands Foundation gives mostly in New Jersey: 70% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Pennsylvania (12%) and Colorado (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Princeton, NJ (23 grants), Trenton, NJ (15 grants), Denver, CO (4 grants) and Lawrenceville, NJ (3 grants).
Does George H and Estelle M Sands Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of George H and Estelle M Sands Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (81 of 81) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are George H and Estelle M Sands Foundation's largest grantees?
George H and Estelle M Sands Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Kindersmile Foundation - Trenton ($470,000), Bucks County Playhouse ($375,000) and The Watershed Institute ($301,667), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 28% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is George H and Estelle M Sands Foundation?
George H and Estelle M Sands Foundation reported $72.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $4.2M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $4.3M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does George H and Estelle M Sands Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided in the available information. Its 2025 grants went to a range of organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from George H and Estelle M Sands 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 George H and Estelle M Sands Foundation's EIN?
George H and Estelle M Sands Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 22-3483828. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does George H and Estelle M Sands 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 13, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work George H and Estelle M Sands Foundation funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). George H and Estelle M Sands Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/george-h-and-estelle-m-sands-foundation-morg_b51b5b2bcfad4558b30a2241f61e2d2b
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_223483828_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{George H and Estelle M Sands Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/george-h-and-estelle-m-sands-foundation-morg_b51b5b2bcfad4558b30a2241f61e2d2b},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-24. 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 George H and Estelle M Sands 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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