Nessel Family Foundation Inc
Nessel Family Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Norwalk, Connecticut. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, primarily in Connecticut, including a major grant for a new organ at Trinity Episcopal Church and support for health, social-service, and other organizations.
Nessel Family Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Nessel Family Foundation Inc gave $877K across 29 grants in 2025 (avg $30K), mostly in Connecticut. 11% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $877,000
- +118.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 29
- -3.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $30,241
- +125.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $7,500
- Total assets
- $4,075,839
- -6.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 11% first-time grantees (3 of 27, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Connecticut (97% 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 Nessel Family Foundation Inc
- 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: 134 East Avenue, Norwalk, CT 06851
Phone: (203) 227-7470
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Nessel Family Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Trinity Episcopal Church ($500K). Together the top 10 received $765K.
Organizations only. It also paid 2 individual scholarships ($10,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
150 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 146 grants of 150 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 97% of grant dollars went to recipients in Connecticut, 1% to recipients in New York, and 1% to recipients in California.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 29 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Nessel Family Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
11%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 27 grantees (11%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $173K; repeat grants $14K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $8K repeat.
- 89% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 160% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 285% 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 $338K (2022) to $877K (2025). In 2025 it made 29 grants totaling $877K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Trinity Episcopal Church Southport, CT | Funding for New Organ | $500,000 |
| Thrive Cooperative Center for Wellness Bridgeport, CT | General | $100,000 |
| Bridgeport Hospital Foundation Bridgeport, CT | General Support and Cardiac Facility Remodeling | $35,000 |
| Center for Family Justice Bridgeport, CT | General | $30,000 |
| Norwalk Hospital Foundation Norwalk, CT | General | $30,000 |
| Americares Foundation Stamford, CT | 2025 Emergency Support | $20,000 |
| Horizons at GFA PO Box Greens Farm, CT | General | $20,000 |
| Applied Behaviorial Rehabilitation Institute dba Home For the Brave Bridgeport, CT | General | $10,000 |
| Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | Emergency Support for Fire Relief | $10,000 |
| Everytown New York, NY | General | $10,000 |
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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 | $4,075,839 | $639,953 | $915,734 | $877,000 | 29 | $880,100 | $606,982 | $308,309 |
| 2024 | $4,351,620 | $348,311 | $446,086 | $402,000 | 30 | $404,825 | $317,242 | $306,175 |
| 2023 | $4,449,395 | $512,689 | $575,101 | $541,000 | 35 | $543,787 | $482,308 | $287,587 |
| 2022 | $4,511,807 | $285,514 | $374,324 | $337,500 | 27 | $340,600 | $259,907 | $302,862 |
| 2021 | $4,600,617 | $488,630 | $425,218 | $383,000 | 29 | $386,259 | $454,471 | $342,122 |
| 2020 | $4,537,205 | $354,319 | $379,847 | $345,500 | 30 | — | $322,997 | $286,750 |
| 2019 | $4,562,733 | $416,543 | $386,873 | $343,000 | 31 | — | $385,074 | $278,409 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Nessel Family Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $308K 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 organizations in areas including health care, food access, social services, education, and community programs. For example, Nourish Bridgeport describes its mission as bringing hope to the city through food-centered, volunteer-powered direct-service programs. Wholesome Wave says it works to increase affordable access to fresh, local, and regional food so underserved consumers can make healthier food choices. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 29 grants totaling $877,000. Grant amounts ranged from $2,000 to $500,000, with a median grant of $7,500. The largest grant was $500,000 to Trinity Episcopal Church in Southport, Connecticut, for a new organ. Other notable grants included $100,000 to Thrive Cooperative Center for Wellness; $35,000 to Bridgeport Hospital Foundation for general support and cardiac facility remodeling; and $30,000 each to Center for Family Justice and Norwalk Hospital Foundation.
Additional 2025 grants included $20,000 each to Americares Foundation for emergency support and Horizons at GFA; and $10,000 each to Home For the Brave, the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles for fire-relief emergency support, Everytown, IRIS Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services, and Mercy Learning Center.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists David L Nessel as president; Judy Nessel, Paul Nessel, Anna Nessel, and Sawyer Nessel as directors; and David L Godfrey as secretary.
Nessel Family Foundation Inc is led by David L Nessel, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 6 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
David L Nessel
President
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Anna Nessel
Director
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Judy Nessel
Director
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Paul Nessel
Director
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sawyer Nessel
Director
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David L Godfrey
Secretary
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
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 Nessel Family Foundation Inc
How much does Nessel Family Foundation Inc give each year?
Nessel Family Foundation Inc gave $877K across 29 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $402K across 30 grants.
What is Nessel Family Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Nessel Family Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $7,500, and its average grant was $30,241, across 29 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Nessel Family Foundation Inc that year got $173K on average.
Where does Nessel Family Foundation Inc give grants?
Nessel Family Foundation Inc gives mostly in Connecticut: 97% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Bridgeport, CT (9 grants), Fairfield, CT (3 grants), Southport, CT (2 grants) and New Haven, CT (2 grants).
Does Nessel Family Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 76% of Nessel Family Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (22 of 29) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Nessel Family Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Nessel Family Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Trinity Episcopal Church ($500,000), Thrive Cooperative Center for Wellness ($100,000) and Bridgeport Hospital Foundation ($35,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 2 individual scholarships ($10,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 72% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Nessel Family Foundation Inc?
Nessel Family Foundation Inc reported $4.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $880K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $308K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Nessel Family Foundation Inc fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations in areas including health care, food access, social services, education, and community programs. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Nessel Family Foundation Inc?
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 Nessel Family Foundation Inc's EIN?
Nessel Family Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 06-1596433. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Nessel Family Foundation Inc 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 2019 (received by the IRS June 2, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Nessel Family Foundation Inc funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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—
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Nessel Family Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/nessel-family-foundation-inc-morg_ac8ee1aaee48447a91e04856cc900e56
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_061596433_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Nessel Family Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/nessel-family-foundation-inc-morg_ac8ee1aaee48447a91e04856cc900e56},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 Nessel Family Foundation Inc'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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