James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust

Private foundation · Grantmaker Pittsburgh, PA EIN: 25-6797452

The James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust is a private foundation based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It reported 24 grants totaling $764,072 for filing year 2025.

James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust at a glance

In short: James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust gave $764K across 24 grants in 2025 (avg $32K), mostly in Pennsylvania. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$764,072
+798.9% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
24
+700.0% vs 2024
Average grant
$31,836
+12.4% vs 2024
Median grant
$25,000
Total assets
$267,459
-72.9% vs 2024
Primary geography
Pennsylvania (69% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.

How to apply to James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust

Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to Apply

The filing states that the trust makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. It lists application materials, deadlines, and award restrictions as N/A.

Contact

Application contact: James J Browne
Mailing address: 36 Newgate Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15202
Phone: (412) 367-3880

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

CASA San Jose: $150KCASA San Jose$150KManchester Youth Development Center: $90KManchester Youth DevelopmentCenter$90KUniversity of Pittsburgh: $75KUniversity of Pittsburgh$75KCambiar Education: $60KCambiar Education$60KAllegheny Land Trust: $50KAllegheny Land Trust$50KFeeding America: $50KFeeding America$50KACLU: $40KACLU$40KJoe Dicarlo: $30KJoe Dicarlo$30KGreater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank: $25KGreater Pittsburgh CommunityFood Bank$25KWheaton College: $25KWheaton College$25K

The largest 2025 recipient was CASA San Jose ($150K). Together the top 10 received $595K.

Grant Size Distribution

54 grants across all recorded years

37<$50K11$50–100K5$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M1$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 37 grants of 54 (69%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In filing year 2025, grant dollars went to recipients in Pennsylvania (69%), Illinois (10%), California (8%), New York (7%), and New Jersey (4%). These figures describe the locations of recipients listed in the filing.

Grant Distribution by State

8states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 24 itemized grants.

Cities

PittsburghPhiladelphiaSanta FeNew YorkChicagoMansfieldDuquesneSan DiegoSewickleyWheatonBooneIndianaPalisades ParkWashington

How James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust gives

  • Giving grew 385% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.

Giving History

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$500K$1M$1.5M2 grants2019 5 grants2020 6 grants2021 6 grants2022 15 grants2023 3 grants2024 24 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $85K (2024) to $1.3M (2021). In 2025 it made 24 grants totaling $764K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
CASA San Jose Pittsburgh, PAFor Advocacy and Resources in the Latino Communty$150,000
Manchester Youth Development Center Pittsburgh, PAFor Youth Education Programs$90,057
University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PAFor Education Programs$75,000
Cambiar Education San Diego, CAFor Education Research and Development$60,000
Allegheny Land Trust Sewickley, PAFor Land Conservation Programs$50,000
Feeding America Chicago, ILFor Food Distribution Programs$50,000
ACLU Pittsburgh, PAFor Programs to Defend Civil Rights$40,000
Joe Dicarlo Palisades Park, NJFor Benefit of Haitian Refugees$30,000
Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank Duquesne, PAFor Food Distribution Programs$25,000
Wheaton College Wheaton, ILFor Education Programs$25,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$267,459$134,949$767,760$764,07224$764,072$131,261$27,513
2024$985,343$115,700$89,158$85,0003$85,000$111,554$52,308
2023$1,176,040$167,500$538,979$532,00015$532,000$161,981$63,479
2022$1,430,447$167,483$173,324$157,5006$157,500$160,451$74,463
2021$1,887,554$833,219$1,267,158$1,260,0006$1,260,000$828,217$131,124
2020$2,809,896$195,548$152,357$150,0005—$193,191$114,356
2019$2,540,658$229,543$101,290$100,0002—$106,606$108,697

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $28K 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 trust is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for education, food distribution, land conservation, civil rights, health care, housing for homeless youth, and advocacy and resources in the Latino community.

Grantees describe their work in varied terms. CASA SAN JOSE says it advocates for and empowers Latinos by promoting integration and self-sufficiency. Manchester Youth Development Center says it nurtures children’s academic, social, and emotional development. The University of Pittsburgh describes itself as a public research university serving its home region, Pennsylvania, and the nation. Allegheny Land Trust says it conserves and cares for local land, while Feeding America says it works to ensure equitable access to nutritious food.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2025, the trust reported 24 grants totaling $764,072. Grant amounts ranged from $15 to $150,000, with a median grant of $25,000.

Among the largest reported grants were $150,000 to CASA SAN JOSE for advocacy and resources in the Latino community; $90,057 to Manchester Youth Development Center for youth education programs; $75,000 to the University of Pittsburgh for education programs; $60,000 to Cambiar Education for education research and development; and $50,000 each to Allegheny Land Trust for land conservation programs and Feeding America for food distribution programs. Other reported grants included $40,000 to ACLU for programs to defend civil rights and $25,000 each to Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank for food distribution programs, Wheaton College for education programs, Covenant House to provide housing for homeless youth, and Planned Parenthood for health care programs. Crisis Center North also received $25,000 in 2025.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists James J Browne and Noel W Browne as trustees.

James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • James J. Browne

    Trustee

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Noel W. Browne

    Trustee

    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 James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust

How much does James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust give each year?

James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust gave $764K across 24 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $85K across 3 grants.

What is James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust's typical grant size?

James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $31,836, across 24 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Where does James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust give grants?

James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust gives mostly in Pennsylvania: 69% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Illinois (10%) and California (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Pittsburgh, PA (9 grants), New York, NY (3 grants) and Santa Fe, NM (2 grants).

Does James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 24 grants with a stated purpose on James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "For Education Programs" (5 grants).

Who are James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust's largest grantees?

James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust's largest 2025 grantees include CASA San Jose ($150,000), Manchester Youth Development Center ($90,057) and University of Pittsburgh ($75,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 41% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust?

James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust reported $267K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $764K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $28K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust fund?

No mission statement for the trust is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for education, food distribution, land conservation, civil rights, health care, housing for homeless youth, and advocacy and resources in the Latino community. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust?

The filing states that the trust 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 James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust's EIN?

James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 25-6797452. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Does James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust 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

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 6, 2025)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
  3. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 7, 2020)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 7, 2021)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 10, 2022)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
  7. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 1, 2024)

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/james-and-noel-browne-charitable-trust-morg_68793b5f4a844c2a80faaaea357eb4f0

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_256797452_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{James \& Noel Browne Charitable Trust funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/james-and-noel-browne-charitable-trust-morg_68793b5f4a844c2a80faaaea357eb4f0},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-05. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}

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Figures come from James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust'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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