Matthew and Emmanuella Essieh Foundation
The Matthew and Emmanuella Essieh Foundation is a private foundation based in Portland, Oregon. Its 2025 filing reports grants for purposes including operating support, tuition, scholarships, student housing, and arts and education.
Matthew and Emmanuella Essieh Foundation at a glance
In short: Matthew and Emmanuella Essieh Foundation gave $365K across 24 grants in 2025 (avg $15K), top state Oregon. 62% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $364,704
- +169.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 24
- +50.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $15,196
- +79.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,250
- Total assets
- $1,313,730
- +4.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 62% first-time grantees (13 of 21, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Oregon (44% 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 Matthew and Emmanuella Essieh Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The filing says to submit an application form or a signed letter stating the request’s purpose and the organization’s charitable status. Certain related parties are not eligible for awards.
- Contact
Application contact: Matthew And Emmanuella Essieh Found
Mailing address: 9115 Sw Oleson Rd Ste 104, Portland, OR 97223
Phone: (503) 644-3057
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Matthew and Emmanuella Essieh Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was MSEF Charitable Foundation ($110K). Together the top 10 received $313K.
Organizations only. It also paid 2 individual scholarships ($9,039), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
87 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 84 grants of 87 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 44% of grant dollars went to recipients in Oregon, 3% to Georgia, 1% to California, and less than 1% to New York. The recipient state for the remaining 52% is unspecified in the filing data.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 24 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Matthew and Emmanuella Essieh Foundation open to new grantees?
62%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 13 of 21 grantees (62%) were first-time recipients. With only 21 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $15K; repeat grants $21K. How we count
Medians: $11K first-time, $8K repeat.
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 $89K (2023) to $365K (2025). In 2025 it made 24 grants totaling $365K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| MSEF Charitable Foundation | Operating Support, Academic Scholarships | $110,000 |
| Palm University Foundation Portland, OR | Student Housing | $50,000 |
| Southern Oregon University Ashland, OR | Tuition | $30,000 |
| Portland Opera Portland, OR | Operating Support | $20,200 |
| Palm University Foundation Portland, OR | Tuition Support | $20,000 |
| Juneteenth Oregon Fairview, OR | Operating Support | $15,898 |
| Nottingham Trent University | Tuition | $14,940 |
| University of Hertfordshire | Tuition | $14,157 |
| Niagara College Canada | Education | $13,659 |
| Algonquin College of Applied Arts | Tuition Assistance | $13,286 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,313,730 | $439,717 | $375,132 | $364,704 | 24 | $364,704 | $274,558 |
| 2024 | $1,253,186 | $299,389 | $145,350 | $135,128 | 16 | $135,128 | $99,711 |
| 2023 | $1,100,014 | $32,454 | $101,421 | $89,358 | 14 | $89,358 | $32,579 |
| 2022 | $1,227,819 | $86,979 | $131,608 | $114,681 | 18 | $114,681 | $41,979 |
| 2021 | $1,264,770 | $381,922 | $155,932 | $150,639 | 15 | $150,639 | $77,974 |
| 2020 | $983,675 | $154,085 | $93,838 | $90,551 | 12 | — | $63,412 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its listed 2025 grants show support for educational institutions and scholarships, as well as arts and cultural organizations.
The Palm University Foundation describes its mission as increasing higher-education opportunities for Ghanaians to promote their well-being and their communities. The Southern Oregon University Foundation says it supports and promotes the university’s educational, scientific, and charitable activities. Georgia State University’s supporting corporation describes its purpose as contributing to the university’s educational, research, and service functions. Cantores in Ecclesia says it preserves and promotes liturgical music, including Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony, through education, performances, and lectures.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 24 grants totaling $364,704. Grant amounts ranged from $100 to $110,000, with a median of $10,250.
Among the largest reported grants were $110,000 to MSEF Charitable Foundation for operating support and academic scholarships; $50,000 to Palm University Foundation for student housing; $30,000 to Southern Oregon University for tuition; $20,200 to Portland Opera for operating support; and $20,000 to Palm University Foundation for tuition support. Other grants included $15,898 to Juneteenth Oregon for operating support, $14,940 to Nottingham Trent University for tuition, $14,157 to the University of Hertfordshire for tuition, $13,659 to Niagara College Canada for education, $13,286 to Algonquin College of Applied Arts for tuition assistance, $10,750 to World Oregon for arts and education, and $10,500 to Georgia State University for tuition support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Matthew S Essieh as president, Ella Essieh as secretary, and Kwame Essieh as trustee.
Matthew and Emmanuella Essieh Foundation is led by Matthew S Essieh, President since 2022 (on filings since 2020); none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Matthew S Essieh
President
Trustee → President, 2022
On filings since 2020
8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kwame Essieh
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ella Essieh
Secretary
Trustee → Secretary, 2022
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
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 Matthew and Emmanuella Essieh Foundation
How much does Matthew and Emmanuella Essieh Foundation give each year?
Matthew and Emmanuella Essieh Foundation gave $365K across 24 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $135K across 16 grants.
What is Matthew and Emmanuella Essieh Foundation's typical grant size?
Matthew and Emmanuella Essieh Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,250, and its average grant was $15,196, across 24 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Matthew and Emmanuella Essieh Foundation that year got $15K on average.
Where does Matthew and Emmanuella Essieh Foundation give grants?
Matthew and Emmanuella Essieh Foundation's top state is Oregon, with 44% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The most frequent recipient cities were Portland, OR (8 grants).
Does Matthew and Emmanuella Essieh Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 50% of Matthew and Emmanuella Essieh Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (12 of 24) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Tuition" (5 grants) and "Tuition support" (3 grants).
Who are Matthew and Emmanuella Essieh Foundation's largest grantees?
Matthew and Emmanuella Essieh Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include MSEF Charitable Foundation ($110,000), Palm University Foundation ($70,000 across 2 grants) and Southern Oregon University ($30,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 2 individual scholarships ($9,039), which are not listed by name. Together they received 58% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Matthew and Emmanuella Essieh Foundation?
Matthew and Emmanuella Essieh Foundation reported $1.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $440K.
What does Matthew and Emmanuella Essieh Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its listed 2025 grants show support for educational institutions and scholarships, as well as arts and cultural organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Matthew and Emmanuella Essieh Foundation?
The filing says to submit an application form or a signed letter stating the request’s purpose and the organization’s charitable status. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Matthew and Emmanuella Essieh Foundation's EIN?
Matthew and Emmanuella Essieh Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 93-1282998. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Matthew and Emmanuella Essieh Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/matthew-and-emmanuella-essieh-foundation-morg_f83182cdfe6a413bbbec6689e8b4f387
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_931282998_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Matthew and Emmanuella Essieh Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/matthew-and-emmanuella-essieh-foundation-morg_f83182cdfe6a413bbbec6689e8b4f387},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Matthew and Emmanuella Essieh 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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