Michael & Helen Cyker Charitable
Michael & Helen Cyker Charitable is a private foundation based in Ithaca, New York. Its 2025 filing lists grants to charitable organizations, including organizations working in health care, education, food access, and human services.
Michael & Helen Cyker Charitable at a glance
In short: Michael & Helen Cyker Charitable gave $133K across 24 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), mostly in Massachusetts. 4% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $132,600
- +6.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 24
- +4.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $5,525
- +2.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $4,500
- Total assets
- $1,734,019
- -4.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 4% first-time grantees (1 of 24, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (66% 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 Michael & Helen Cyker Charitable
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 121 Brook Way, Ithaca, NY 14850
Phone: (607) 280-4426
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Michael & Helen Cyker Charitable funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Beth Israel Deaconness ($25K). Together the top 10 received $96K.
Grant Size Distribution
115 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 115 grants of 115 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, reported grant dollars went to recipients in Massachusetts (66%), New York (23%), Illinois (5%), Tennessee (4%), and Washington, DC (3%). The reported percentages total 101%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 24 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Michael & Helen Cyker Charitable open to new grantees?
4%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 24 grantees (4%) were first-time recipients. With only 24 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $6K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $4K repeat.
- 96% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+6%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 106% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2018–2025). 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 2018 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $75K (2018) to $133K (2025). In 2025 it made 24 grants totaling $133K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Beth Israel Deaconness Boston, MA | Charitable | $25,000 |
| Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc Boston, MA | Charitable | $25,000 |
| Brigham & Women's Hospital Inc Boston, MA | Charitable | $10,000 |
| Feeding America Chicago, IL | Charitable | $6,000 |
| American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee Inc New York, NY | Charitable | $5,000 |
| American Jewish World Service Inc New York, NY | Charitable | $5,000 |
| Anti-Defamation League New York, NY | Charitable | $5,000 |
| Boston Children's Hospital Boston, MA | Charitable | $5,000 |
| Cayuga Medical Center Foundation Inc Ithaca, NY | Charitable | $5,000 |
| EAC Montessori School of Ithaca Ithaca, NY | Charitable | $5,000 |
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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 | $1,734,019 | $63,860 | $151,404 | $132,600 | 24 | $137,420 | $49,876 | $129,931 |
| 2024 | $1,821,563 | $66,866 | $143,582 | $124,600 | 23 | $130,613 | $53,897 | $119,197 |
| 2023 | $1,898,279 | $76,458 | $141,725 | $124,600 | 23 | $130,606 | $65,339 | $108,426 |
| 2022 | $1,963,546 | $39,401 | $142,703 | $124,600 | 23 | $129,935 | $25,822 | $118,602 |
| 2021 | $2,066,848 | $186,044 | $143,085 | $124,600 | 22 | $129,827 | $171,479 | $128,584 |
| 2020 | $2,023,889 | $48,887 | $123,180 | $104,800 | 24 | — | $36,007 | $119,855 |
| 2018 | $2,144,267 | $52,526 | $118,313 | $75,000 | 15 | — | $16,573 | $102,745 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Michael & Helen Cyker Charitable reported a distributable amount of $130K 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 hospitals and cancer and pediatric research organizations, schools, food-access organizations, and organizations addressing antisemitism, human rights, and community services.
The grantees describe their own missions in varied terms. Feeding America says it works to ensure equitable access to nutritious food. The Anti-Defamation League says its mission is to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and secure justice and fair treatment for all. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital says it advances cures and prevention for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. The Carroll School says it supports children with language-based learning differences.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 24 grants totaling $132,600. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $25,000, with a median of $4,500.
The largest reported grants were $25,000 each to Beth Israel Deaconness and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, followed by $10,000 to Brigham & Women’s Hospital. Other reported grants included $6,000 to Feeding America and $5,000 each to the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, American Jewish World Service, the Anti-Defamation League, Boston Children’s Hospital, Cayuga Medical Center Foundation, EAC Montessori School of Ithaca, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and The Holocaust Legacy Foundation. The listed grant purposes are charitable.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Eric Cyker, Mark Cyker, and Howard Cyker as trustees.
Michael & Helen Cyker Charitable's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Eric Cyker
Trustee
On filings since 2018
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Howard Cyker
Trustee
On filings since 2018
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mark Cyker
Trustee
On filings since 2018
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2018–2025. "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 Michael & Helen Cyker Charitable
How much does Michael & Helen Cyker Charitable give each year?
Michael & Helen Cyker Charitable gave $133K across 24 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $125K across 23 grants.
What is Michael & Helen Cyker Charitable's typical grant size?
Michael & Helen Cyker Charitable's median grant in 2025 was $4,500, and its average grant was $5,525, across 24 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Michael & Helen Cyker Charitable that year got $5K on average.
Where does Michael & Helen Cyker Charitable give grants?
Michael & Helen Cyker Charitable gives mostly in Massachusetts: 66% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (23%). The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (6 grants), New York, NY (4 grants), Ithaca, NY (2 grants) and Waltham, MA (2 grants).
Does Michael & Helen Cyker Charitable give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 24 grants with a stated purpose on Michael & Helen Cyker Charitable's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (23 grants).
Who are Michael & Helen Cyker Charitable's largest grantees?
Michael & Helen Cyker Charitable's largest 2025 grantees include Beth Israel Deaconness ($25,000), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc ($25,000) and Brigham & Women's Hospital Inc ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 45% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Michael & Helen Cyker Charitable?
Michael & Helen Cyker Charitable reported $1.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $137K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $130K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Michael & Helen Cyker Charitable fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include hospitals and cancer and pediatric research organizations, schools, food-access organizations, and organizations addressing antisemitism, human rights, and community services. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Michael & Helen Cyker Charitable?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Michael & Helen Cyker Charitable's EIN?
Michael & Helen Cyker Charitable's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 22-2488837. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2018–2025.
Does Michael & Helen Cyker Charitable 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
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2018 (received by the IRS November 15, 2019)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Michael & Helen Cyker Charitable funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/michael-and-helen-cyker-charitable-morg_bf897ae8cef3487888eb146b3d4d3cb1
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_222488837_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Michael \& Helen Cyker Charitable funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/michael-and-helen-cyker-charitable-morg_bf897ae8cef3487888eb146b3d4d3cb1},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 Michael & Helen Cyker Charitable'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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