Key Foundation
Key Foundation is a private foundation based in Wellsville, Pennsylvania. Its 2024 filing reports grants to charitable organizations including humanitarian, civil-rights, environmental, health, and journalism organizations.
Key Foundation at a glance
In short: Key Foundation gave $321K across 53 grants in 2024 (avg $6K), top state New York. 17% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $321,210
- +6.2% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 53
- +1.9% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $6,061
- +4.2% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $7,940,746
- +97.6% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 17% first-time grantees (9 of 52, 2024)
- Primary geography
- New York (42% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Key Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. The filing specifies no application form or materials and no restrictions on awards.
- Review Cycle
- None stated.
- Deadline
- None stated.
- Contact
Application contact: The Key Foundation
Mailing address: 345 Quarry Road, Wellsville, PA 17365
Phone: (717) 737-7231
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Key Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Doctors Without Borders ($30K). Together the top 10 received $180K.
Grant Size Distribution
232 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 231 grants of 232 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, recipients in New York received 42% of grant dollars, Pennsylvania 24%, Massachusetts 10%, California 7%, and Washington, DC 6%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 53 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Key Foundation open to new grantees?
17%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 9 of 52 grantees (17%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $7K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 83% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 45% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 104% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $221K (2021) to $321K (2024). In 2024 it made 53 grants totaling $321K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Doctors Without Borders New York, NY | Unrestricted | $30,000 |
| Central Pa Food Bank Harrisburg, PA | Unrestricted | $25,000 |
| New Israel Fund Philadelphia, PA | Physicians for Human Rights | $25,000 |
| International Rescue Committee New York, NY | Unrestricted | $20,000 |
| ACLU New York, NY | Unrestricted | $15,000 |
| American Jewish World Service New York, NY | Unrestricted | $15,000 |
| Propublica New York, NY | Unrestricted | $15,000 |
| Center for Constitutional Rights New York, NY | Unrestricted | $10,000 |
| Clean Air Task Force Boston, MA | Unrestriced | $10,000 |
| Earthjustice San Francisco, CA | Unrestricted | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Key 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $7,940,746 | $4,379,340 | $325,475 | $321,210 | 53 | $321,210 | $4,247,153 | $307,408 |
| 2023 | $4,018,607 | $175,985 | $309,669 | $302,573 | 52 | $302,573 | $171,889 | $319,797 |
| 2022 | $4,152,291 | $427,374 | $304,373 | $303,260 | 51 | $303,260 | $137,374 | $296,942 |
| 2021 | $4,029,290 | $336,741 | $223,343 | $221,060 | 44 | $221,060 | $109,476 | $303,534 |
| 2020 | $3,915,892 | $407,949 | $257,330 | $251,130 | 32 | — | $111,749 | $258,506 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Key Foundation reported a distributable amount of $307K for 2024 — 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 2024 grants show support for organizations working in several areas. For example, the International Rescue Committee describes its work as responding to humanitarian crises and helping people affected by conflict and disaster; American Jewish World Service says it works to realize human rights and end poverty; and Earthjustice describes its work as using law and partnerships to protect health and the environment and combat climate change. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own work.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 53 grants totaling $321,210. Grants ranged from $100 to $30,000, with a median of $5,000.
Among the largest reported grants were $30,000 to Doctors Without Borders; $25,000 to Central PA Food Bank; $25,000 to New Israel Fund, with the purpose listed as Physicians for Human Rights; and $20,000 to the International Rescue Committee. The foundation also gave $15,000 each to ACLU, American Jewish World Service, and ProPublica, and $10,000 each to Center for Constitutional Rights, Clean Air Task Force, Earthjustice, Partners in Health, and Planned Parenthood.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Martin Margolis as president and Joelle Margolis as secretary.
Key Foundation is led by Martin Margolis, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Martin Margolis
President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Joelle Margolis
Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Key Foundation
How much does Key Foundation give each year?
Key Foundation gave $321K across 53 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $303K across 52 grants.
What is Key Foundation's typical grant size?
Key Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $5,000, and its average grant was $6,061, across 53 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Key Foundation that year got $1K on average.
Where does Key Foundation give grants?
Key Foundation's top state is New York, with 42% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Pennsylvania (24%) and Massachusetts (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (11 grants), Harrisburg, PA (9 grants), Washington, DC (7 grants) and Boston, MA (4 grants).
Does Key Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 91% of Key Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (48 of 53) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Key Foundation's largest grantees?
Key Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Doctors Without Borders ($30,000), New Israel Fund ($30,000 across 2 grants) and Central Pa Food Bank ($25,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 26% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Key Foundation?
Key Foundation reported $7.9M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $321K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $307K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Key Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for organizations working in several areas. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Key Foundation?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Key Foundation's EIN?
Key Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 23-2894154. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Key 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Key Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/key-foundation-morg_7c3b26dcb7db43b5a78c1d96e2ce9986
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_232894154_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Key Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/key-foundation-morg_7c3b26dcb7db43b5a78c1d96e2ce9986},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Key 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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