Julia M Cullen Foundation
The Julia M Cullen Foundation is a private foundation based in Buffalo, New York. Its 2025 filing states that its primary purpose is education; its reported grants that year included scholarships, school-related educational support, and contributions to other organizations.
Julia M Cullen Foundation at a glance
In short: Julia M Cullen Foundation gave $92K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $8K), mostly in New York. 30% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $91,550
- +12.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 11
- +22.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $8,323
- -7.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $2,112,180
- +11.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 30% first-time grantees (3 of 10, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (100% 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 Julia M Cullen Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The 2025 filing says the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. It instructs applicants to contact Anne Sullivan Polino with a letter describing the purpose of the grant. The filing states that awards’ primary purpose is education.
- Review Cycle
- None, according to the 2025 filing.
- Deadline
- None, according to the 2025 filing.
- Contact
Application contact: Anne Sullivan Polino
Mailing address: 103 Larchmont Road, Buffalo, NY 14214
Phone: (716) 860-1937
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Julia M Cullen Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Canisius High School ($20K). Together the top 10 received $87K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($5,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
54 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 54 grants of 54 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars reported for 2025 went to recipients in New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Julia M Cullen Foundation open to new grantees?
30%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 10 grantees (30%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $7K; repeat grants $10K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $8K repeat.
- 70% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+17%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 94% 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 $68K (2021) to $92K (2025). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $92K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Canisius High School Buffalo, NY | Scholarship | $20,300 |
| Mt Mercy Academy Buffalo, NY | Scholarship | $20,000 |
| Bison Childrens Scholarship Fund Buffalo, NY | Scholarship | $15,000 |
| Our Lady of Victory School Lackawanna, NY | General Contribution | $8,000 |
| St Joseph University Parish School Buffalo, NY | Educational Purposes | $8,000 |
| Harvest House Buffalo, NY | General Contribution | $5,000 |
| 1 individual scholarship Recipients not named | — | $5,000 |
| St Joseph University Parish - Ub Campus Ministry Buffalo, NY | Campus Ministry | $3,500 |
| Bcat Buffalo, NY | Request for Donation/Education | $2,500 |
| St Benedict's Amherst, NY | Request for Donation/Education | $2,500 |
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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 | $2,112,180 | $53,467 | $104,870 | $91,550 | 11 | $92,882 | $44,919 | $99,309 |
| 2024 | $1,896,480 | $62,110 | $96,231 | $81,250 | 9 | $82,382 | $50,511 | $92,682 |
| 2023 | $1,715,971 | $111,923 | $93,322 | $80,600 | 9 | $81,655 | $101,445 | $82,326 |
| 2022 | $1,650,930 | $35,082 | $90,554 | $78,500 | 12 | $79,413 | $40,607 | $82,934 |
| 2021 | $1,688,130 | $126,608 | $79,756 | $68,000 | 13 | $68,850 | $115,702 | $77,986 |
| 2020 | $1,469,224 | $67,131 | $86,053 | $72,000 | 13 | — | $57,718 | $69,195 |
| 2019 | $1,536,980 | $116,266 | $84,373 | $74,100 | 12 | — | $106,510 | $71,812 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Julia M Cullen Foundation reported a distributable amount of $99K 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 separate mission statement is provided. The foundation’s 2025 filing identifies education as its primary purpose. Its 2025 grants included scholarships and support for schools, a campus ministry, and other organizations.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation gave 11 grants totaling $91,550. Grant amounts ranged from $1,750 to $20,300, with a median of $5,000. The largest awards were $20,300 to Canisius High School for scholarships, $20,000 to Mt Mercy Academy for scholarships, and $15,000 to Bison Childrens Scholarship Fund for scholarships.
Other reported grants included $8,000 to Our Lady of Victory School for a general contribution; $8,000 to St Joseph University Parish School for educational purposes; $5,000 each to Harvest House for a general contribution and an individual recipient for scholarships; and $3,500 to St Joseph University Parish - UB Campus Ministry for campus ministry. BCAT and St Benedict’s each received $2,500 for a request for donation/education, and Summit received $1,750 for a request for donation/education.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Anne Sullivan Polino and Jane M O’Sullivan as trustees.
Julia M Cullen Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Anne Sullivan Polino
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jane M. O' Sullivan
Trustee
On filings since 2021
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Margaret B. Sullivan (2019–2020) — Trustee
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 Julia M Cullen Foundation
How much does Julia M Cullen Foundation give each year?
Julia M Cullen Foundation gave $92K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $81K across 9 grants.
What is Julia M Cullen Foundation's typical grant size?
Julia M Cullen Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $8,323, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Julia M Cullen Foundation that year got $7K on average.
Where does Julia M Cullen Foundation give grants?
Julia M Cullen Foundation gives mostly in New York: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Buffalo, NY (7 grants).
Does Julia M Cullen Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 18% of Julia M Cullen Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (2 of 11) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Scholarship" (4 grants) and "Request for Donation/Education" (3 grants).
Who are Julia M Cullen Foundation's largest grantees?
Julia M Cullen Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Canisius High School ($20,300), Mt Mercy Academy ($20,000) and Bison Childrens Scholarship Fund ($15,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($5,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 60% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Julia M Cullen Foundation?
Julia M Cullen Foundation reported $2.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $93K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $99K (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 Julia M Cullen Foundation fund?
No separate mission statement is provided. The foundation’s 2025 filing identifies education as its primary purpose. Its 2025 grants included scholarships and support for schools, a campus ministry, and other organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Julia M Cullen Foundation?
The 2025 filing says the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Julia M Cullen Foundation's EIN?
Julia M Cullen Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 16-1595352. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
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
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 9, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 30, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 14, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 13, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 10, 2024)
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