Nelson Talbott Foundation
The Nelson Talbott Foundation is a private foundation based in Washington, DC. In its 2025 filing, it reported 65 grants totaling $270,000 to charitable organizations, including recipients in education, hunger relief, environmental work, conservation, and the arts.
Nelson Talbott Foundation at a glance
In short: Nelson Talbott Foundation gave $270K across 65 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), top state District of Columbia. 34% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $270,000
- +21.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 65
- -4.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $4,154
- +27.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,500
- Total assets
- $3,250,607
- -1.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 34% first-time grantees (22 of 65, 2025)
- Primary geography
- District of Columbia (23% 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 Nelson Talbott Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 4661 Garfield Street Nw, Washington, DC 20007-1026
Phone: (202) 251-2054
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Nelson Talbott Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Thisisplace Foundation ($25K). Together the top 10 received $149K.
Grant Size Distribution
329 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 329 grants of 329 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in DC (23%), NY (21%), PA (20%), MD (16%), and MA (7%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 65 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Nelson Talbott Foundation open to new grantees?
34%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 22 of 65 grantees (34%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $5K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $3K repeat.
- 63% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+8%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 102% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $200K (2023) to $270K (2025). In 2025 it made 65 grants totaling $270K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Thisisplace Foundation Bethesda, MD | General Needs or Purpose | $25,000 |
| Conservation Ctr for Art & Historic Philadelphia, PA | General Needs or Purpose | $20,150 |
| Horizons Greater Washington Washington, DC | General Needs or Purpose | $19,500 |
| NY Society Library Trustees New York, NY | General Needs or Purpose | $17,000 |
| Springs Food Pantry East Hampton, NY | General Needs or Purpose | $15,500 |
| Wyck Association Philadelphia, PA | General Needs or Purpose | $12,500 |
| Hathaway Brown School Shaker HTS, OH | General Needs or Purpose | $11,000 |
| Brookings Institution Washington, DC | General Needs or Purpose | $10,000 |
| Maret School Washington, DC | General Needs or Purpose | $10,000 |
| Sun Valley Writers Conference Monterey, CA | General Needs or Purpose | $8,000 |
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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 | $3,250,607 | $262,915 | $301,954 | $270,000 | 65 | $270,000 | $230,961 | $263,860 |
| 2024 | $3,289,646 | $189,311 | $251,863 | $222,000 | 68 | $222,000 | $159,448 | $238,537 |
| 2023 | $3,352,200 | $86,272 | $227,749 | $200,000 | 65 | $200,000 | $58,771 | $210,262 |
| 2022 | $3,493,677 | $210,042 | $276,037 | $250,000 | 64 | $250,000 | $184,205 | $226,779 |
| 2021 | $3,559,672 | $113,188 | $262,259 | $235,000 | 67 | — | $86,129 | $239,447 |
| 2019 | $3,824,190 | $86,015 | $276,226 | $220,000 | 70 | — | $64,408 | $206,511 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Nelson Talbott Foundation reported a distributable amount of $264K 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 show support for a range of organizations. For example, Horizons Greater Washington describes its work as advancing educational equity through tuition-free academic and enrichment programs for students from underserved communities. Springs Food Pantry says its mission is to alleviate hunger for less fortunate families in its community. The Anacostia Watershed Society describes its mission as protecting and restoring the Anacostia River, while the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference says it brings readers and writers together to celebrate ideas.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation awarded 65 grants totaling $270,000. Grants ranged from $100 to $25,000, with a median of $1,500. Among the largest were $25,000 to Thisisplace Foundation, $20,150 to the Conservation Center for Art & Historic, $19,500 to Horizons Greater Washington, $17,000 to NY Society Library Trustees, and $15,500 to Springs Food Pantry. The filing lists each of these grants’ purpose as “general needs or purpose.”
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists these trustees: Andrew Fabens III, EP Talbott, Mary J Talbott, Kirk Talbott, Melissa R Marshall, and Nelson S Talbott III.
Nelson Talbott Foundation's 2025 filing lists 6 officers; none of the 6 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Andrew Fabens III
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Ep Talbott
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Kirk L. Talbott
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Mary J. Talbott
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Melissa R. Marshall
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Nelson S. Talbott III
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
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 Nelson Talbott Foundation
How much does Nelson Talbott Foundation give each year?
Nelson Talbott Foundation gave $270K across 65 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $222K across 68 grants.
What is Nelson Talbott Foundation's typical grant size?
Nelson Talbott Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,500, and its average grant was $4,154, across 65 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Nelson Talbott Foundation that year got $3K on average.
Where does Nelson Talbott Foundation give grants?
Nelson Talbott Foundation's top state is District of Columbia, with 23% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (21%) and Pennsylvania (20%). The most frequent recipient cities were Philadelphia, PA (10 grants), Washington, DC (9 grants), New York, NY (7 grants) and Bala Cynwyd, PA (3 grants).
Does Nelson Talbott Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Nelson Talbott Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (65 of 65) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Nelson Talbott Foundation's largest grantees?
Nelson Talbott Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Thisisplace Foundation ($25,000), Conservation Ctr for Art & Historic ($20,150) and Horizons Greater Washington ($19,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 24% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Nelson Talbott Foundation?
Nelson Talbott Foundation reported $3.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $270K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $264K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Nelson Talbott Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations. For example, Horizons Greater Washington describes its work as advancing educational equity through tuition-free academic and enrichment programs for students from underserved communities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Nelson Talbott Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Nelson Talbott Foundation's EIN?
Nelson Talbott Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 31-6039441. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Nelson Talbott 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 September 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 10, 2020)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Nelson Talbott Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/nelson-talbott-foundation-morg_c4d48f9f69fa4105bb990d2080d60837
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_316039441_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Nelson Talbott Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/nelson-talbott-foundation-morg_c4d48f9f69fa4105bb990d2080d60837},
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 Nelson Talbott 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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