The McElhattan Foundation is a private foundation based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, established in 2017 following the sale of Industrial Scientific Corporation. The foundation evolved from the Industrial Scientific Foundation, which was established in 1994 as the charitable arm of Industrial Scientific Corporation, founded by K.E. McElhattan and his son, Kent McElhattan. When the corporation was sold in 2017, family members contributed to the foundation's endowment, enabling it to significantly increase its grantmaking budget and formalize its grant application process.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$249.4M
+1.1% YoY
Annual Giving
$7.7M
+26.0% YoY
Grant Count
105
+26.5% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$73K
-0.4% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The McElhattan Foundation challenges nonprofits to bring bold ideas that advance the goals of its program areas:
Ending Death on the Job — Committed to ending death on the job by 2050, supporting technology-driven workplace safety initiatives aimed at eliminating workplace fatalities through bold, transformative ideas and technological solutions to improve worker safety and health outcomes.
Economic Development in Knox & Franklin, PA — Funds locally-led initiatives that improve job opportunities, health, safety, and overall quality of life in Knox and Franklin, Pennsylvania.
Out-of-School-Time Learning — Ensuring every child in Allegheny County has access to high-quality out-of-school-time learning.
Expanding Educator Diversity — Supporting initiatives to expand diversity among educators.
End-of-Life Planning & Care — Working to make end-of-life suffering obsolete through support for palliative care, hospice care, and end-of-life planning initiatives.
The foundation also maintains broader focus areas including education (elementary, secondary, and higher education), health, community and economic development, and human services, with particular emphasis on children, youth, and economically disadvantaged individuals.
Grantmaking
The McElhattan Foundation made 86 grants in the most recent fiscal year. Recent grants include:
Review Cycle
for its program areas.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The McElhattan Foundation supports initiatives across various U.S. cities and regions, with particular geographic focus on:
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- San Francisco, California
- Knox and Franklin, Pennsylvania (specific economic development focus)
- Allegheny County, Pennsylvania (out-of-school-time learning focus)
- Additional funding regions across California, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania
Grant Distribution by State
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Most Recent Fiscal Year (2025):
- Total Assets: $249,395,092
- Total Revenue: $12,386,967
- Total Expenses: $9,649,877
- Total Liabilities: $0
Prior Year (2024):
- Total Assets: $246,600,000 (approximately)
- Annual Expenses: $7,550,000 (approximately)
- Annual Revenue: $152,900,000 (approximately)
The foundation operates with zero employees on staff, relying on its leadership and board structure.
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $249,395,092 | $246,565,499 | $113,862,004 |
| Revenue | $12,386,967 | $152,882,594 | $1,418,739 |
| Expenses | $9,649,877 | $7,550,560 | $8,053,938 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $8,831,236 | $6,888,316 | $7,497,785 |
| Net Investment Income | $11,566,546 | $18,188,698 | $2,052,588 |
| Distributable Amount | $14,763,810 | $8,595,437 | $6,583,593 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
Grant Size Distribution
250 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
5 open opportunities from Mcelhattan Foundation
McElhattan Foundation Grants
MCELHATTAN FOUNDATION
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
McElhattan Foundation: Economic Development in Knox & Franklin, PA
MCELHATTAN FOUNDATION
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
McElhattan Foundation: Ending Death on the Job Grant
MCELHATTAN FOUNDATION
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
- Kent D. McElhattan — President and Director
- Carole Bailey — Executive Director
- Jim Woll — Treasurer
- Katherine Chamberlain — Chief Administrative Officer (joined October 2025)
The foundation's board comprises several directors who contribute their time without compensation.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
From 2025 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| KENT D MCELHATTAN | PRESIDENT & DIRECTOR | — | — |
| ELAINE L BONOMA | DIRECTOR | 3 | — |
| SHIRLEY MCELHATTAN | DIRECTOR | 5 | — |
| LARRY S BLAIR | DIRECTOR | 3 | — |
| JIM WOLL | TREASURER | 10 | — |
| ERIN MCELHATTAN | DIRECTOR | 3 | — |
| MARTHA MCELHATTAN | SECRETARY | 5 | — |
| K JOSHUA MCELHATTAN | DIRECTOR | 3 | — |
| CAROLE BAILEY | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $53,865 |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
The McElhattan Foundation has been actively engaged in its grantmaking priorities:
The National Safety Council received $1,000,000 in funding to continue advancing workplace safety through technology, supporting the foundation's "Ending Death on the Job" initiative.
National Safety Council Receives Funding from McElhattan ...The foundation has launched grant competitions targeting specific workplace safety challenges, including on-the-job electrical fatalities.
New grant competition targets on-the-job electrical fatalitiesFranklin, Pennsylvania businesses and start-ups have received new funding opportunities through the foundation's economic development program in Knox and Franklin.
Franklin businesses and start-ups receive new funding opportunities throughThe foundation has supported higher education access initiatives, including grants to organizations working with incarcerated populations in Michigan and Mississippi.
MCAN Receives $750,000 Grant to Support Higher Education in Michigan PrisonsSubject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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