Michael E Gellert Trust
The Michael E Gellert Trust is a private foundation based in New York, NY. Its filings list grants to charitable organizations in Utah, New York, and Massachusetts.
Michael E Gellert Trust at a glance
In short: Michael E Gellert Trust gave $510K across 6 grants in 2025 (avg $85K), mostly in Utah. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $510,000
- +44.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 6
- -40.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $85,000
- +141.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $42,500
- Total assets
- $6,473,363
- -4.9% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Utah (70% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to Michael E Gellert Trust
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 420 Lexington Ave Suite 805, New York, NY 10170
Phone: (212) 599-3620
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Michael E Gellert Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 6 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Waterford School ($325K). Together the top 6 received $510K.
Grant Size Distribution
43 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 25 grants of 43 (58%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, grant dollars were distributed among recipients in Utah (70%), New York (19%), and Massachusetts (11%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 6 itemized grants.
Cities
How Michael E Gellert Trust gives
- Giving fell 50% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 157% of 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 $352K (2024) to $1.2M (2021). In 2025 it made 6 grants totaling $510K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Waterford School Sandy, UT | General | $325,000 |
| Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center New York, NY | General | $62,000 |
| Harvard University Cambridge, MA | General | $50,000 |
| Sundance Institute New York, NY | General | $35,000 |
| Ballet West Salt Lake City, UT | General | $33,000 |
| Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study Cambridge, MA | General | $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 | $6,473,363 | $257,766 | $590,498 | $510,000 | 6 | $521,593 | $255,320 | $331,383 |
| 2024 | $6,806,095 | $324,943 | $412,152 | $352,000 | 10 | $361,014 | $324,943 | $338,669 |
| 2023 | $6,893,304 | $143,795 | $730,181 | $619,500 | 8 | $632,173 | $143,795 | $361,581 |
| 2022 | $7,479,690 | $5,528,178 | $1,107,517 | $1,015,000 | 8 | $1,029,170 | $3,314,346 | $326,372 |
| 2021 | $3,059,029 | $2,150,175 | $1,272,723 | $1,213,500 | 11 | — | $2,150,175 | $347,092 |
| 2020 | $2,181,577 | $6,385 | $574,017 | $529,250 | 13 | — | $6,385 | $348,501 |
| 2019 | $2,749,209 | $30,911 | $1,152,929 | $1,100,450 | 14 | — | $30,911 | $402,610 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Michael E Gellert Trust reported a distributable amount of $331K 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 trust’s listed recipients include a ballet company, a school, universities and research institutes, a chamber music organization, and a film institute. Ballet West describes its mission as inspiring and empowering a broad community locally and globally through exposure, training, and education in the art of ballet.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the trust gave $510,000 through 6 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $325,000, with a median of $42,500. The listed grants were:
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists David B Spohngellert, John M Gellert, and Catherine A Gellert as trustees.
Michael E Gellert Trust's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Catherine A. Gellert
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
David B. Spohngellert
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
John M. Gellert
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Michael E. Gellert Dec'd (2021) — Trustee
- Former: Michael E. Gellert (2019–2020) — 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 Michael E Gellert Trust
How much does Michael E Gellert Trust give each year?
Michael E Gellert Trust gave $510K across 6 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $352K across 10 grants.
What is Michael E Gellert Trust's typical grant size?
Michael E Gellert Trust's median grant in 2025 was $42,500, and its average grant was $85,000, across 6 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Michael E Gellert Trust give grants?
Michael E Gellert Trust gives mostly in Utah: 70% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (19%) and Massachusetts (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (2 grants) and Cambridge, MA (2 grants).
Does Michael E Gellert Trust give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Michael E Gellert Trust's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (6 of 6) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Michael E Gellert Trust's largest grantees?
Michael E Gellert Trust's largest 2025 grantees include The Waterford School ($325,000), Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center ($62,000) and Harvard University ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 86% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Michael E Gellert Trust?
Michael E Gellert Trust reported $6.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $522K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $331K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Michael E Gellert Trust fund?
The trust’s listed recipients include a ballet company, a school, universities and research institutes, a chamber music organization, and a film institute. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Michael E Gellert Trust?
The foundation states that it 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 E Gellert Trust's EIN?
Michael E Gellert Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-6093842. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Michael E Gellert Trust accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 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 December 12, 2019)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 23, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 25, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 23, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS January 29, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS December 15, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS January 28, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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