Korean American Buddhist Foundation Inc
Korean American Buddhist Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Alpine, New Jersey. Its 2025 filing describes direct charitable activity as setting up educational programs to introduce foreign students to American Buddhism; its grantmaking also included support for temples, community schools, scholarships, and other charitable purposes.
Korean American Buddhist Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Korean American Buddhist Foundation Inc gave $77K across 21 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), top state New York. 21% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $76,500
- -22.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 21
- -4.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,643
- -18.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,500
- Total assets
- $839,839
- +3.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 21% first-time grantees (4 of 19, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (37% 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 Korean American Buddhist Foundation Inc
- How to Apply
-
The filing says the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Scholarship applicants must submit a personal letter explaining their education, community service, and future plan. The stated scholarship qualifications are study of subjects related to Buddhism with the aim of contributing to the propagation of Buddhism in the United States, community service and leadership reflecting model-citizen character, and financial need. Grant applicants must provide background information, financial statements, a brochure, mission statements, and a letter explaining how and for what purpose the grant will be spent.
- Review Cycle
- The filing states there is no deadline and applications are accepted all year.
- Deadline
- The filing states there is no deadline and applications are accepted all year.
- Contact
Application contact: Soon Ja Cho
Mailing address: 58 Forest St, Alpine, NJ 07620
Phone: (201) 468-3403
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Korean American Buddhist Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Won KAK Sa ($19K). Together the top 10 received $61K.
Organizations only. It also paid 2 individual scholarships ($4,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
90 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 89 grants of 90 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, grant dollars went to recipients in multiple states. The largest shares were directed to New York (37%) and New Jersey (27%), followed by Massachusetts (7%), Maryland (5%), and Ohio (5%). The listed grants also included recipients in Kansas, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 21 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Korean American Buddhist Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
21%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 19 grantees (21%) were first-time recipients. With only 19 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $4K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $3K repeat.
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 $62K (2022) to $103K (2021). In 2025 it made 21 grants totaling $77K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Won KAK Sa Salisbury Mills, NY | Contribution to Temple | $19,000 |
| Center for Food Action Englewood, NJ | Contribution to Good Cause | $8,000 |
| Holy Apostle Soup Kitchen Toms River, NJ | Contribution to Good Cause | $7,000 |
| Boston University Boston, MA | Contribution to Community School | $5,000 |
| Rutgers University Piscataw, NJ | Contribution to Community School | $5,000 |
| Doctors Without Borders Hagerstown, MD | Contribution to Good Cause | $4,000 |
| Disabled American Veterans Cincinnatti, OH | Contribution to Good Cause | $4,000 |
| 2 individual scholarships Recipients not named | — | $4,000 |
| Ike Eisenhower Foundation Abilene, KS | Contribution to Library | $3,000 |
| Bud Zen Center Flushing, NY | Contribution to Temple | $3,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The foundation reported 21 grants in 2025, 22 in 2024, and 19 in 2023.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $839,839 | $86,204 | $98,343 | $76,500 | 21 | $76,500 | $80,221 |
| 2024 | $813,098 | $38,882 | $121,670 | $98,600 | 22 | $98,600 | $32,716 |
| 2023 | $851,747 | $85,420 | $87,756 | $63,100 | 19 | $63,100 | $79,582 |
| 2022 | $773,786 | $69,721 | $85,364 | $62,200 | 13 | $62,200 | $64,361 |
| 2021 | $789,378 | $125,842 | $118,162 | $102,750 | 15 | $107,750 | $116,930 |
| 2020 | $806,275 | $44,062 | $86,321 | $72,500 | 17 | — | $34,661 |
| 2019 | $797,475 | $14,468 | $103,327 | $86,200 | 13 | — | $11,531 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated direct charitable activity is setting up educational programs that introduce foreign students to American Buddhism. Its 2025 grants included contributions to temples and community schools, a scholarship for a Buddhism student, and contributions described as supporting good causes, a library, and a cause.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 21 grants totaling $76,500. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $19,000, with a median of $2,500. Notable grants included $19,000 to Won Kak Sa for a temple contribution, $8,000 to Center for Food Action and $7,000 to Holy Apostle Soup Kitchen for good causes, and $5,000 each to Boston University and Rutgers University for community schools. Other grants included $4,000 each to Doctors Without Borders and Disabled American Veterans for good causes, and $3,000 to an individual recipient for a Buddhism student scholarship.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Il Hwan Cho as president, Soon Ja Cho as secretary, and Mina Hwang as vice president.
Korean American Buddhist Foundation Inc is led by Il Hwan Cho, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Il Hwan Cho
President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mina Hwang
Vice President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Soon Ja Cho
Secretary
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 Korean American Buddhist Foundation Inc
How much does Korean American Buddhist Foundation Inc give each year?
Korean American Buddhist Foundation Inc gave $77K across 21 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $99K across 22 grants.
What is Korean American Buddhist Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Korean American Buddhist Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $2,500, and its average grant was $3,643, across 21 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Korean American Buddhist Foundation Inc that year got $2K on average.
Where does Korean American Buddhist Foundation Inc give grants?
Korean American Buddhist Foundation Inc's top state is New York, with 37% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New Jersey (27%) and Massachusetts (7%).
Does Korean American Buddhist Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 21 grants with a stated purpose on Korean American Buddhist Foundation Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Contribution to Good Cause" (7 grants), "Contribution to Temple" (5 grants) and "Contribution to Community School" (3 grants).
Who are Korean American Buddhist Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Korean American Buddhist Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Won KAK Sa ($19,000), Center for Food Action ($8,000) and Holy Apostle Soup Kitchen ($7,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 2 individual scholarships ($4,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 44% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Korean American Buddhist Foundation Inc?
Korean American Buddhist Foundation Inc reported $840K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $86K.
What does Korean American Buddhist Foundation Inc fund?
The foundation’s stated direct charitable activity is setting up educational programs that introduce foreign students to American Buddhism. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Korean American Buddhist Foundation Inc?
The 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 Korean American Buddhist Foundation Inc's EIN?
Korean American Buddhist Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 22-3386949. 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 October 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 1, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 15, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Figures come from Korean American Buddhist Foundation Inc'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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