Mary E Peters & Robert W Polchow Foundation
The Mary E Peters & Robert W Polchow Foundation is a private foundation based in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 2025, it reported 23 grants totaling $81,000 to charitable organizations, with most grant dollars going to recipients in Louisiana.
Mary E Peters & Robert W Polchow Foundation at a glance
In short: Mary E Peters & Robert W Polchow Foundation gave $81K across 23 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), mostly in Louisiana. 4% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $81,000
- +8.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 23
- +4.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,522
- +3.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,000
- Total assets
- $1,622,482
- +0.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 4% first-time grantees (1 of 23, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Louisiana (78% 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 Mary E Peters & Robert W Polchow Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states on its 2025 filing that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
- Contact
Mailing address: 601 Poydras Street Ste 1855, New Orleans, LA 70130
Phone: (504) 799-3170
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Mary E Peters & Robert W Polchow Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was New Orleans-Birmingham Psychoanalytic Foundation ($27K). Together the top 10 received $62K.
Grant Size Distribution
118 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 118 grants of 118 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 78% of grant dollars went to recipients in Louisiana, 10% to North Carolina, 6% to Pennsylvania, 4% to New York, and 2% to South Carolina.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 23 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Mary E Peters & Robert W Polchow Foundation open to new grantees?
4%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 23 grantees (4%) were first-time recipients. With only 23 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $4K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 96% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+8%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 82% 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 (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $75K (2022) to $96K (2020). In 2025 it made 23 grants totaling $81K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| New Orleans-Birmingham Psychoanalytic Foundation New Orleans, LA | General Fund | $27,000 |
| Eden House New Orleans, LA | General Fund | $5,000 |
| Hospital Albert Schweitzer Haiti Pittsburgh, PA | General Fund | $5,000 |
| Kidsmart New Orleans, LA | General Fund | $5,000 |
| New Orleans Women's & Children's Shelter New Orleans, LA | General Fund | $5,000 |
| Conserving Carolina Hendersonville, NC | General Fund | $3,500 |
| Louisiana Center for Children's Rights New Orleans, LA | General Fund | $3,000 |
| Metairie Park Country Day School Metairie, LA | General Fund | $3,000 |
| Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY | General Fund | $3,000 |
| Kanuga Conference Center Hendersonville, NC | General Fund | $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 | $1,622,482 | $100,465 | $92,054 | $81,000 | 23 | $81,000 | $93,345 | $98,927 |
| 2024 | $1,611,571 | $300,110 | $84,634 | $75,000 | 22 | $75,000 | $291,630 | $87,582 |
| 2023 | $1,396,121 | $62,203 | $82,793 | $75,000 | 24 | $75,000 | $71,475 | $79,469 |
| 2022 | $1,416,241 | $74,363 | $91,605 | $75,000 | 24 | $75,000 | $67,843 | $81,717 |
| 2021 | $1,435,459 | $697,370 | $88,817 | $80,500 | 25 | $80,500 | $691,040 | $68,890 |
| 2020 | $828,043 | $10,513 | $97,350 | $96,000 | 24 | — | $36,472 | $68,535 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Mary E Peters & Robert W Polchow 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 mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations working in areas such as education, children’s rights, health, social services, conservation, and the arts and media. These descriptions reflect grantees’ stated missions, not a stated mission of the foundation. For example, Conserving Carolina says its mission is “to protect, restore, and inspire appreciation of the natural world,” while the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights says it uses direct representation and advocacy to keep children out of the justice system.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 23 grants totaling $81,000. Grants ranged from $500 to $27,000, with a median grant of $2,000. The largest listed grant was $27,000 to the New Orleans-Birmingham Psychoanalytic Foundation for its General Fund. Other notable grants included $5,000 each to Eden House, Hospital Albert Schweitzer Haiti, Kidsmart, and New Orleans Women’s & Children’s Shelter, all for their General Funds.
Additional 2025 grants included $3,500 to Conserving Carolina; $3,000 each to the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights, Metairie Park Country Day School, and Vassar College; and $2,500 each to Kanuga Conference Center and Alton Ochsner Medical Foundation. WYES TV received $2,000 for its General Fund.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Richard H Polchow as president, Elizabeth P Livingston as vice president, and Margaret Ann Polchow as secretary/treasurer.
Mary E Peters & Robert W Polchow Foundation is led by Richard H. Polchow, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Richard H. Polchow
President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Elizabeth P. Livingston
Vice President
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Margaret Ann Polchow
Secretary & Treasurer
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Jack V. Foster Jr. (2020–2023) — Secretary & Treasurer
- Former: Elizabeth L. Polchow (2020–2022) — Vice President
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 Mary E Peters & Robert W Polchow Foundation
How much does Mary E Peters & Robert W Polchow Foundation give each year?
Mary E Peters & Robert W Polchow Foundation gave $81K across 23 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $75K across 22 grants.
What is Mary E Peters & Robert W Polchow Foundation's typical grant size?
Mary E Peters & Robert W Polchow Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $3,522, across 23 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Mary E Peters & Robert W Polchow Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does Mary E Peters & Robert W Polchow Foundation give grants?
Mary E Peters & Robert W Polchow Foundation gives mostly in Louisiana: 78% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were North Carolina (10%) and Pennsylvania (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were New Orleans, LA (13 grants), Hendersonville, NC (4 grants) and Covington, LA (2 grants).
Does Mary E Peters & Robert W Polchow Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Mary E Peters & Robert W Polchow Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (23 of 23) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Mary E Peters & Robert W Polchow Foundation's largest grantees?
Mary E Peters & Robert W Polchow Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include New Orleans-Birmingham Psychoanalytic Foundation ($27,000), Eden House ($5,000) and Hospital Albert Schweitzer Haiti ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 46% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Mary E Peters & Robert W Polchow Foundation?
Mary E Peters & Robert W Polchow Foundation reported $1.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $81K 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 Mary E Peters & Robert W Polchow Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations working in areas such as education, children’s rights, health, social services, conservation, and the arts and media. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Mary E Peters & Robert W Polchow Foundation?
The foundation states on its 2025 filing that it 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 Mary E Peters & Robert W Polchow Foundation's EIN?
Mary E Peters & Robert W Polchow Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 23-7001629. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Mary E Peters & Robert W Polchow 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
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS June 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 9, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 5, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 4, 2026)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Mary E Peters & Robert W Polchow Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/mary-e-peters-and-robert-w-polchow-foundation-morg_93ab4ba440244926a8fe8633b1f1e099
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_237001629_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Mary E Peters \& Robert W Polchow Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/mary-e-peters-and-robert-w-polchow-foundation-morg_93ab4ba440244926a8fe8633b1f1e099},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-24. 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 Mary E Peters & Robert W Polchow 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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