Highland Avenue Foundation
Highland Avenue Foundation is a private foundation based in Montclair, New Jersey. Its 2025 filing reports 24 grants totaling $107,318 to charitable organizations, including environmental, community-service, and educational grantees.
Highland Avenue Foundation at a glance
In short: Highland Avenue Foundation gave $107K across 24 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), top state Virginia. 21% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $107,318
- +22.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 24
- +33.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $4,472
- -7.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,545
- Total assets
- $1,802,007
- -2.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 21% first-time grantees (5 of 24, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Virginia (47% 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 Highland Avenue Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 376 Highland Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07043
Phone: (212) 758-4097
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Highland Avenue Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Nature Conservancy ($25K). Together the top 10 received $93K.
Grant Size Distribution
113 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 112 grants of 113 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, grant dollars went to recipients in Virginia (47%), New Jersey (28%), New York (21%), Washington, DC (3%), and Illinois (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 24 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Highland Avenue Foundation open to new grantees?
21%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 24 grantees (21%) were first-time recipients. With only 24 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $5K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 67% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+18%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 100% 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 $87K (2024) to $107K (2025). In 2025 it made 24 grants totaling $107K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Nature Conservancy Arlington, VA | Charitable | $25,000 |
| Care Merrifield, VA | Charitable | $25,000 |
| Bowery Residents' Committee New York, NY | Charitable | $10,000 |
| Montclair Community Foundation Montclair, NJ | Charitable | $10,000 |
| Sea Turtle Recovery Inc West Orange, NJ | Charitable | $5,300 |
| Ackerman Institute New York, NY | Charitable | $5,000 |
| Montclair Local Montclair, NJ | Charitable | $5,000 |
| Wnyc New York, NY | Charitable | $2,700 |
| Georgetown University Washington, DC | Charitable | $2,500 |
| Human Needs Food Pantry Montclair, NJ | Charitable | $2,073 |
Ready to take the next step with Highland Avenue 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 | $1,802,007 | $75,311 | $112,443 | $107,318 | 24 | $109,367 | $74,952 | $109,329 |
| 2024 | $1,839,139 | $133,777 | $91,755 | $87,385 | 18 | $89,263 | $132,159 | $110,835 |
| 2023 | $1,797,117 | $68,001 | $106,295 | $103,192 | 26 | $105,433 | $66,439 | $103,143 |
| 2022 | $1,835,411 | $16,013 | $94,939 | $90,904 | 27 | $93,580 | $65,454 | $100,837 |
| 2021 | $1,918,737 | $50,216 | $109,150 | $102,734 | 18 | $106,332 | $49,071 | $106,889 |
| 2020 | $1,973,271 | $125,426 | $104,744 | $97,486 | 23 | — | $123,237 | $98,004 |
| 2019 | $1,952,589 | $36,380 | $117,899 | $89,223 | 20 | — | $36,380 | $98,845 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Highland Avenue Foundation reported a distributable amount of $109K 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 show support for a range of organizations. For example, The Nature Conservancy describes its mission as conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends; Sea Turtle Recovery says it rehabilitates sea turtles and educates the public about them; and Human Needs Food Pantry says it provides food, clothing, household goods, and other services to people in need in Montclair and neighboring Essex County communities. Georgetown University describes a mission centered on education, discourse, and the common good.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation gave 24 grants totaling $107,318. Grants ranged from $500 to $25,000, with a median grant of $1,545. Its largest reported grants included $25,000 each to The Nature Conservancy and CARE; $10,000 each to Bowery Residents’ Committee and Montclair Community Foundation; and $5,300 to Sea Turtle Recovery Inc. Other reported grants included $5,000 to Ackerman Institute and $5,000 to Montclair Local.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Ethan Wohl as Secretary/Treasurer/Director and Leslie Meek-Wohl as President/Director.
Highland Avenue Foundation is led by Leslie Meek-Wohl, President & Director on every filing since 2019; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Leslie Meek-Wohl
President & Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ethan Wohl
Secretary, Treasureer & Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/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 Highland Avenue Foundation
How much does Highland Avenue Foundation give each year?
Highland Avenue Foundation gave $107K across 24 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $87K across 18 grants.
What is Highland Avenue Foundation's typical grant size?
Highland Avenue Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,545, and its average grant was $4,472, across 24 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Highland Avenue Foundation that year got $4K on average.
Where does Highland Avenue Foundation give grants?
Highland Avenue Foundation's top state is Virginia, with 47% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New Jersey (28%) and New York (21%). The most frequent recipient cities were Montclair, NJ (8 grants), New York, NY (6 grants), West Orange, NJ (2 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does Highland Avenue Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 24 grants with a stated purpose on Highland Avenue Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (24 grants).
Who are Highland Avenue Foundation's largest grantees?
Highland Avenue Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include The Nature Conservancy ($25,000), Care ($25,000) and Bowery Residents' Committee ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 56% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Highland Avenue Foundation?
Highland Avenue Foundation reported $1.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $109K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $109K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Highland Avenue Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Highland Avenue Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Highland Avenue Foundation's EIN?
Highland Avenue Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 83-2351639. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Highland Avenue 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 June 25, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Highland Avenue Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Highland Avenue Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Highland Avenue Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/highland-avenue-foundation-morg_5082ebcad1214f878eb4a7fbe3f5bee7
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_832351639_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Highland Avenue Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/highland-avenue-foundation-morg_5082ebcad1214f878eb4a7fbe3f5bee7},
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 Highland Avenue 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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