Motulsky-Nacht Family Foundation
The Motulsky-Nacht Family Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, New York. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations working in areas including scientific research, criminal justice, hunger relief, conservation, and community services.
Key facts about Motulsky-Nacht Family Foundation
In short: Motulsky-Nacht Family Foundation gave $578K across 25 grants in 2025 (avg $23K), top state California. 16% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 35-7085377
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $578,170
- Grants made (2025)
- 25
- Average grant
- $23,127
- Median grant
- $5,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 16% first-time grantees (4 of 25, 2025)
- Total assets
- $196,991,613
- Primary geography
- California (45% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- 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. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$197.0M
+7.6% YoY
Annual Giving
$578K
-97.5% YoY
Grant Count
25
-7.4% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$23K
-97.3% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Motulsky-Nacht Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $13.4M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is Motulsky-Nacht Family Foundation open to new grantees?
16%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 25 grantees (16%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $27K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 76% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 97% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 4% 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.
Mission & Focus Areas
The available filing information does not state a formal mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations addressing a range of needs. For example, the Innocence Project describes its mission as freeing people who have been wrongly convicted and reforming the criminal justice system. New York Common Pantry says it reduces hunger while promoting dignity, health, and self-sufficiency. Big Life Foundation USA describes its work as partnering with local communities to protect iconic species and conserve habitat in the Greater Amboseli Ecosystem.
Other 2025 grantees include Crossroads Community Services, which says it works to end hunger and homelessness through a food pantry, soup kitchen, and women’s shelter, and Villages in Partnership, which describes sustainable development projects in Malawi across areas including water and sanitation, food security, health care, education, and economic development.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 25 grants totaling $578,170. Grants ranged from $100 to $250,000, with a median grant of $5,000. Its largest reported grant was $250,000 to the Salk Institute. Other notable grants included $50,100 to the Innocence Project, $50,000 each to the Cure Blindness Project and Oceana, and $25,710 to Congregation Or Zarua. The foundation also reported grants of $25,000 each to Big Life Foundation USA, God’s Love We Deliver, New York Common Pantry, and Volunteers of Legal Services.
How to Apply
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
Ready to take the next step with Motulsky-Nacht Family Foundation?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
For 2025 grant dollars, the filing reports recipient-state shares of 45% for California, 32% for New York, 9% each for the District of Columbia and Vermont, and 4% for Washington.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 25 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $424K (2023) to $23.4M (2024). In 2025 it made 25 grants totaling $578K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Salk Institute ($250K). Together the top 10 received $546K.
Grant Size Distribution
125 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 99 grants of 125 (79%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Salk Institute La Jolla, CA | To Further Donee's Exempt Purpose | $250,000 |
| Innocence Project New York, NY | To Further Donee's Exempt Purpose | $50,100 |
| Cure Blindness Project Norwich, VT | To Further Donee's Exempt Purpose | $50,000 |
| Oceana Inc Washington, DC | To Further Donee's Exempt Purpose | $50,000 |
| Congregation or Zarua New York, NY | To Further Donee's Exempt Purpose | $25,710 |
| Big Life Foundation USA Ridgefield, WA | To Further Donee's Exempt Purpose | $25,000 |
| Gods Love We Deliver New York, NY | To Further Donee's Exempt Purpose | $25,000 |
| New York Common Pantry New York, NY | To Further Donee's Exempt Purpose | $25,000 |
| Volunteers of Legal Services New York, NY | To Further Donee's Exempt Purpose | $25,000 |
| Crossroads Community Services New York, NY | To Further Donee's Exempt Purpose | $20,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $196,991,613 | $16,240,009 | $2,333,552 | $578,170 |
| 2024 | $183,085,156 | $19,254,617 | $14,193,908 | $23,363,011 |
| 2023 | $178,024,447 | $9,715,417 | $1,412,085 | $424,090 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $196,991,613 | $183,085,156 | $178,024,447 |
| Revenue | $16,240,009 | $19,254,617 | $9,715,417 |
| Expenses | $2,333,552 | $14,193,908 | $1,412,085 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $582,453 | $23,367,194 | $428,173 |
| Net Investment Income | $14,881,355 | $18,552,394 | $8,892,557 |
| Distributable Amount | $13,428,694 | $12,460,826 | $10,386,503 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists John A. Motulsky and Wendy Nacht as trustees.
Motulsky-Nacht Family Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
John A. Motulsky
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Wendy Nacht
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/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.
Contact
Mailing address: 888 Park Avenue 11A, New York, NY 10075
Phone: (212) 739-7475
Frequently asked questions about Motulsky-Nacht Family Foundation
How much does Motulsky-Nacht Family Foundation give each year?
Motulsky-Nacht Family Foundation gave $578K across 25 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $23.4M across 27 grants.
What is Motulsky-Nacht Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Motulsky-Nacht Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $23,127, across 25 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Motulsky-Nacht Family Foundation that year got $1K on average.
Where does Motulsky-Nacht Family Foundation give grants?
Motulsky-Nacht Family Foundation's top state is California, with 45% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (32%) and District of Columbia (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (11 grants), Washington, DC (2 grants) and San Francisco, CA (2 grants).
Who are Motulsky-Nacht Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Motulsky-Nacht Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Salk Institute ($250,000), Innocence Project ($50,100) and Cure Blindness Project ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 61% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Motulsky-Nacht Family Foundation?
Motulsky-Nacht Family Foundation reported $197.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $582K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $13.4M (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 Motulsky-Nacht Family Foundation fund?
The available filing information does not state a formal mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations addressing a range of needs. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Motulsky-Nacht Family Foundation?
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 Motulsky-Nacht Family Foundation's EIN?
Motulsky-Nacht Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 35-7085377. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Motulsky-Nacht Family 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 October 2026.
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