James Keene Foundation

Foundation · Grantmaker NEW YORK, NY EIN: 13-3377892

The James Keene Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, NY, established in 1987. It operates as a 501(c)(3) exempt organization with a primary focus on religious outreach and charitable giving.

Key facts about James Keene Foundation

EIN: 13-3377892
Latest 990 filing: Form 990-PF, 2024
Annual giving (2024): $579,295
Grants made (2024): 17
Average grant: $34,076
Median grant: $2,101
Total assets: $1,113,497
Primary geography: New York (54% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated June 2026.

Who James Keene Foundation funds

By grant dollars, the top recipient states for James Keene Foundation's 17 itemized 2024 grants were New York (54%) and California (45%). The most frequent recipient cities were Brooklyn, NY (8 grants) and New York, NY (4 grants). None of its 17 grants with a stated purpose were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Support of religious outreach" (17 grants).

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$1.1M

-55.9% YoY

Annual Giving

$579K

+73.1% YoY

Grant Count

-19.0% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$34K

+113.8% YoY

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation's primary mission is to further religious outreach. According to its most recent filings, the foundation provided grants to 16 tax-exempt organizations for the purpose of advancing religious outreach initiatives. Interest and dividend income earned by the foundation has been reserved for future charitable grants.

Grantmaking

The James Keene Foundation is an active grantmaker with recent grant activity documented in 2024. Recent grants include:

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation primarily funds organizations in New York, New Jersey, and Michigan, with a concentration of grantmaking activity in New York.

Grant Distribution by State

New York $1.7M (86%)

California $260K (13%)

New Jersey $21K (1%)

Michigan $1K (0%)

States

California Michigan New Jersey New York

Cities

BrooklynNew YorkLong BranchLong Island CityBerkleyCedarhurstPomonaWest Hollywood

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

As of December 2024:

Total Assets: $1,113,497
Total Revenues: $353,882
Total Expenses: $609,289
Total Giving: $579,295

The foundation operates with no employees and relies on investment income to support its grantmaking activities.

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$1,113,497	$2,523,308	$2,617,126
Revenue	$353,882	$416,487	$425,825
Expenses	$609,289	$364,653	$479,346
Qualifying Distributions	$579,295	$334,694	$451,120
Net Investment Income	$419,900	$410,604	$404,603
Distributable Amount	—	—	—

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Grant Size Distribution

61 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest recipients include Chabad of Sunset Strip ($260,000), Chabad of Washington Heights ($130,180), Chabad of Long Island City ($130,000).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
Chabad of Sunset Strip West Hollywood, CA	Support of religious outreach	$260,000
Chabad of Washington Heights New York, NY	Support of religious outreach	$130,180
Chabad of Long Island City Long Island City, NY	Support of religious outreach	$130,000
Chabad Mitzvah Workshops New York, NY	Support of religious outreach	$36,140
Mishkan Moshe Long Branch, NJ	Support of religious outreach	$6,500
Educational Institute Oholei Torah Brooklyn, NY	Support of religious outreach	$4,000
Beis Levi Yitzchok Brooklyn, NY	Support of religious outreach	$3,174
Congregation Ohel Nosson Brooklyn, NY	Support of religious outreach	$2,500
Various New York, NY	Support of religious outreach	$2,101
Chabadorg Brooklyn, NY	Support of religious outreach	$1,500

Leadership & Key People

Officers and directors from IRS filings

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
MAURICE KIRSCHENBAUM	DIRECTOR	5	—
BELLA PLISKIN	DIRECTOR	3	—
AVROHOM KIRSCHENBAUM	DIRECTOR	3	—
MORDECHAI KIRSCHENBAUM	DIRECTOR	3	—

Frequently Asked Questions

What does James Keene Foundation fund?

How do I apply for a grant from James Keene Foundation?

The James Keene Foundation is an active grantmaker with recent grant activity documented in 2024. Recent grants include: • Chabad of Sunset Strip: $260,000 (Support of Religious Outreach) • Chabad of Washington Heights: $130,180 (Support of Religious Outreach) • Chabad Mitzvah Workshops: $36,140 (Support of Religious Outreach) The foundation made 15-16 grants in its most recent fiscal year. Typical grant awards range from $100,000 to $260,000.