Margaret a Roberts Charitable Foundation
The Margaret A Roberts Charitable Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. Its 2025 IRS filing is marked as a final return: the trustees agreed to terminate the foundation and distribute its remaining assets to a donor-advised fund at Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust, for credit to a fund bearing the foundation’s name. The filing says the foundation appears as a trust following the termination decision.
Margaret a Roberts Charitable Foundation at a glance
In short: Margaret a Roberts Charitable Foundation gave $8.6M across 3 grants in 2025 (avg $2.9M), mostly in New York. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $8,617,632
- +766.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 3
- -89.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,872,544
- +8272.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,588,754
- Primary geography
- New York (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 Margaret a Roberts Charitable Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests; it states that contributions are made only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: Co Quarles 155 N Wacker Ste 3200, Chicago, IL 60606
Phone: (312) 715-5000
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Margaret a Roberts Charitable Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 3 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Margaret a Roberts Char Found FD ($6.0M). Together the top 3 received $8.6M.
Grant Size Distribution
94 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 81 grants of 94 (86%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in New York (69%), Ohio (30%), and Minnesota (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 3 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Margaret a Roberts Charitable Foundation gives
- Giving grew 1692% 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
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $375K (2019) to $8.6M (2025). In 2025 it made 3 grants totaling $8.6M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Margaret a Roberts Char Found FD Purchase, NY | To fund a donor advised fund for distribution to qualified charities | $5,953,878 |
| Fidelity Charitable the Hesse Giving Fund Cincinnati, OH | To fund a donor advised fund for distribution to qualified charities | $2,588,754 |
| Center for Victims of Torture St. Paul, MN | General Operating Support | $75,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The 2025 filing is marked as the foundation’s final return.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | $648,520 | $8,678,451 | $8,617,632 | 3 | $8,637,115 | $615,584 | $259,342 |
| 2024 | $6,976,899 | $634,664 | $1,071,570 | $995,000 | 29 | $1,020,748 | $578,673 | $400,958 |
| 2023 | $7,401,983 | $180,508 | $641,786 | $565,000 | 20 | $591,689 | $145,584 | $391,848 |
| 2022 | $7,858,182 | $295,662 | $577,057 | $481,000 | 19 | $486,524 | $224,539 | $414,189 |
| 2021 | $8,139,582 | $987,623 | $735,400 | $651,000 | 23 | $671,049 | $931,241 | $467,045 |
| 2020 | $7,889,092 | $654,884 | $574,542 | $496,000 | 18 | — | $606,196 | $413,708 |
| 2019 | $7,808,746 | $517,142 | $442,918 | $375,000 | 15 | — | $470,955 | $435,483 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Margaret a Roberts Charitable Foundation reported a distributable amount of $259K 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
The available filing information does not state a separate mission. The 2025 grant purposes identify donor-advised fund distributions to qualified charities and general operating support, but do not specify broader funding priorities.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported three grants totaling $8,617,632. The grants ranged from $75,000 to $5,953,878, with a median of $2,588,754. The filing identifies two large grants as funding donor-advised funds for distribution to qualified charities: $5,953,878 to Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust and $2,588,754 to Fidelity Charitable’s Hesse Giving Fund. It also reported $75,000 in general operating support for the Center for Victims of Torture.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Crystal Melissa Roberts Smittkamp, Daniel Elliott Ostler, and Susan S. Roberts as trustees.
Margaret a Roberts Charitable Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Susan S. Roberts
Trustee
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Crystal Melissa Roberts Smittkamp
Trustee
On filings since 2024
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Daniel Elliott Ostler
Trustee
On filings since 2024
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Thomas G. Hesse (2019–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Michael J. Roberts (2019–2023) — 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 Margaret a Roberts Charitable Foundation
How much does Margaret a Roberts Charitable Foundation give each year?
Margaret a Roberts Charitable Foundation gave $8.6M across 3 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $995K across 29 grants.
What is Margaret a Roberts Charitable Foundation's typical grant size?
Margaret a Roberts Charitable Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,588,754, and its average grant was $2,872,544, across 3 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Margaret a Roberts Charitable Foundation give grants?
Margaret a Roberts Charitable Foundation gives mostly in New York: 69% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Ohio (30%).
Does Margaret a Roberts Charitable Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 33% of Margaret a Roberts Charitable Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 3) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
What does Margaret a Roberts Charitable Foundation fund?
The available filing information does not state a separate mission. The 2025 grant purposes identify donor-advised fund distributions to qualified charities and general operating support, but do not specify broader funding priorities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Margaret a Roberts Charitable Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests; it states that contributions are made only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
How much is Margaret a Roberts Charitable Foundation required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2025, Margaret a Roberts Charitable Foundation reported a distributable amount of $259K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is Margaret a Roberts Charitable Foundation's EIN?
Margaret a Roberts Charitable Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-7238483. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Margaret a Roberts Charitable 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
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 26, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 11, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 5, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 28, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 9, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Live grants for the work Margaret a Roberts Charitable Foundation funds
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The filing figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0. About GrantGraph Open
Figures come from Margaret a Roberts Charitable 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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