Helen Keeler Burke Charitable Foundation
The Helen Keeler Burke Charitable Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, NY. Its 2025 filing states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
Helen Keeler Burke Charitable Foundation at a glance
In short: Helen Keeler Burke Charitable Foundation gave $126K across 20 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), top state Michigan. 20% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $125,980
- +6.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 20
- +5.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $6,299
- +1.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $2,250,857
- -0.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 20% first-time grantees (4 of 20, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Michigan (36% 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 Helen Keeler Burke Charitable Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: C/O Bbh Co 140 Broadway Pb-Tax S, New York, NY 10005
Phone: (212) 493-8000
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Helen Keeler Burke Charitable Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Warriors of the Wonderful Sound ($40K). Together the top 10 received $116K.
Grant Size Distribution
103 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 103 grants of 103 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing reports that grant dollars went primarily to recipients in Michigan (36%) and Pennsylvania (32%), followed by New York (13%), the District of Columbia (12%), and Oregon (5%). Listed recipients also included organizations in California.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 20 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Helen Keeler Burke Charitable Foundation open to new grantees?
20%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 20 grantees (20%) were first-time recipients. With only 20 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $7K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 75% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−7%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 96% 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 (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 $104K (2019) to $135K (2022). In 2025 it made 20 grants totaling $126K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Warriors of the Wonderful Sound Philadelphia, PA | General Charitable | $40,000 |
| Water Street Glassworks Benton Harbor, MI | General Charitable | $20,000 |
| Ox-Bow Saugatuck, MI | General Charitable | $15,000 |
| Bridgeview School of Fine Arts Long Island City, NY | Educational | $12,000 |
| American Farm Land Trust Washington, DC | General Charitable | $10,000 |
| Old Souls Phoenix, OR | General Purposes | $6,000 |
| Carter P Brown Legacy Preservation Fund Holland, MI | General | $5,000 |
| Great Lakes Coalition New Buffalo, MI | General Operating | $5,000 |
| Cate School Carpinteria, CA | General Charitable | $2,000 |
| Ocean Conservancy Washington, DC | General | $1,000 |
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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 | $2,250,857 | $138,396 | $143,651 | $125,980 | 20 | $129,235 | $128,373 | $134,763 |
| 2024 | $2,256,111 | $329,228 | $132,689 | $118,000 | 19 | $121,985 | $319,672 | $128,900 |
| 2023 | $2,059,571 | $63,101 | $128,850 | $116,360 | 22 | $120,235 | $55,270 | $119,953 |
| 2022 | $2,125,319 | $84,681 | $148,208 | $135,220 | 22 | $140,380 | $76,853 | $121,519 |
| 2021 | $2,188,846 | $121,551 | $134,806 | $121,400 | 20 | $125,035 | $112,040 | $138,074 |
| 2020 | $2,202,101 | $61,489 | $118,839 | $107,465 | 23 | — | $53,130 | $121,316 |
| 2019 | $2,259,449 | $138,618 | $126,301 | $103,586 | 22 | — | $130,416 | $116,166 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Helen Keeler Burke Charitable Foundation reported a distributable amount of $135K 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 foundation mission is stated in the provided information. The 2025 grants include support for arts organizations, a school, a historic preservation fund, and environmental and conservation organizations.
For example, Water Street Glassworks says its mission is to provide training and education related to glass arts and public access to art studios and galleries. Ox-Bow describes its mission as connecting artists with creative people, resources, ideas, and an artistic environment. The Carter P Brown Legacy Preservation Fund says it supports preservation and restoration at the Castle Park Reserve and conservation of local wildlife habitat and sensitive dunes. Ocean Conservancy says it works to protect the ocean through science, people, and policy.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 20 grants totaling $125,980. Grant amounts ranged from $980 to $40,000, with a median grant of $1,000.
The largest reported grants included $40,000 to Warriors of the Wonderful Sound, $20,000 to Water Street Glassworks, $15,000 to Ox-Bow, $12,000 to Bridgeview School of Fine Arts, and $10,000 to American Farm Land Trust. Other listed grants included $6,000 to Old Souls, $5,000 each to the Carter P Brown Legacy Preservation Fund and Great Lakes Coalition, and $2,000 to Cate School. The filing lists purposes such as general charitable, educational, general operating, and general purposes.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Keeler G Thompson as trustee.
Helen Keeler Burke Charitable Foundation is led by Keeler G. Thompson, Trustee on every filing since 2019 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Keeler G. Thompson
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 Helen Keeler Burke Charitable Foundation
How much does Helen Keeler Burke Charitable Foundation give each year?
Helen Keeler Burke Charitable Foundation gave $126K across 20 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $118K across 19 grants.
What is Helen Keeler Burke Charitable Foundation's typical grant size?
Helen Keeler Burke Charitable Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $6,299, across 20 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Helen Keeler Burke Charitable Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does Helen Keeler Burke Charitable Foundation give grants?
Helen Keeler Burke Charitable Foundation's top state is Michigan, with 36% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Pennsylvania (32%) and New York (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (6 grants) and New York, NY (4 grants).
Does Helen Keeler Burke Charitable Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 95% of Helen Keeler Burke Charitable Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (19 of 20) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Helen Keeler Burke Charitable Foundation's largest grantees?
Helen Keeler Burke Charitable Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Warriors of the Wonderful Sound ($40,000), Water Street Glassworks ($20,000) and Ox-Bow ($15,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 60% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Helen Keeler Burke Charitable Foundation?
Helen Keeler Burke Charitable Foundation reported $2.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $129K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $135K (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 Helen Keeler Burke Charitable Foundation fund?
No foundation mission is stated in the provided information. The 2025 grants include support for arts organizations, a school, a historic preservation fund, and environmental and conservation organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Helen Keeler Burke Charitable Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Helen Keeler Burke Charitable Foundation's EIN?
Helen Keeler Burke Charitable Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-3233157. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Helen Keeler Burke Charitable 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
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 14, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 29, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Helen Keeler Burke Charitable Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/helen-keeler-burke-charitable-foundation-morg_70952da5c2da415d85a637fa3d4a5228
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_363233157_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Helen Keeler Burke Charitable Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/helen-keeler-burke-charitable-foundation-morg_70952da5c2da415d85a637fa3d4a5228},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 Helen Keeler Burke Charitable 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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