Perl Nelson Family Foundation Inc

Private foundation · Grantmaker Wilmington, DE EIN: 20-3753185

Perl Nelson Family Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Wilmington, Delaware. Its 2025 filing reports 19 grants totaling $33,600 to charitable organizations, including organizations working on food access, civil rights, LGBTQ rights, arts education, and other causes.

Perl Nelson Family Foundation Inc at a glance

In short: Perl Nelson Family Foundation Inc gave $34K across 19 grants in 2025 (avg $2K), mostly in California. 42% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$33,600
+7.3% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
19
+11.8% vs 2024
Average grant
$1,768
-4.0% vs 2024
Median grant
$1,500
Total assets
$734,232
-2.4% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
42% first-time grantees (8 of 19, 2025; small sample)
Primary geography
California (60% 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 Perl Nelson Family Foundation Inc

Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to Apply

The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.

Contact

Mailing address: Foundation Source 501 Silverside Rd, Wilmington, DE 19809-1377
Phone: (800) 839-1754

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Perl Nelson Family Foundation Inc funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Clean and Prosperous America Education Fund: $5KClean and Prosperous AmericaEducation Fund$5KSecond Harvest of Silicon Valley: $5KSecond Harvest of SiliconValley$5KShe-Can Global Inc: $3KShe-Can Global Inc$3KSouthern Poverty Law Center Inc: $3KSouthern Poverty Law CenterInc$3KNational Center for LGBTQ Rights: $2KNational Center for LGBTQRights$2KPlanned Parenthood Federation of America Inc: $2KPlanned Parenthood Federationof America Inc$2KTides Center: $2KTides Center$2KA Jewish Voice for Peace Inc: $2KA Jewish Voice for Peace Inc$2KDowntown Womens Center: $2KDowntown Womens Center$2KEntertainment Industry Foundation: $2KEntertainment IndustryFoundation$2K

The largest 2025 recipient was Clean and Prosperous America Education Fund ($5K). Together the top 10 received $26K.

Grant Size Distribution

112 grants across all recorded years

112<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 112 grants of 112 (100%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in California (60%) and Washington (15%), followed by Alabama (7%), the District of Columbia (6%), and Virginia (3%).

Grant Distribution by State

16states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.

Cities

New YorkLos AngelesWashingtonSan JoseOaklandPalo AltoSan FranciscoDenverNewtonBrooklynMill ValleyMontgomeryArlingtonBerkeleyLivermoreDallasHagerstownNorth HollywoodPasadenaRuther Glen

Is Perl Nelson Family Foundation Inc open to new grantees?

42%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 8 of 19 grantees (42%) were first-time recipients. With only 19 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $2K. How we count

Medians: $2K first-time, $2K repeat.

  • 47% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−12%). Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 90% 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.

Giving History

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$10K$20K$30K$40K28 grants2020 29 grants2021 25 grants2022 22 grants2023 17 grants2024 19 grants2025

From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $31K (2024) to $38K (2022). In 2025 it made 19 grants totaling $34K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Clean and Prosperous America Education Fund Seattle, WA1.5?CSG Managed$5,000
Second Harvest of Silicon Valley San Jose, CAGeneral & Unrestricted$5,000
She-Can Global Inc Mill Valley, CAGeneral & Unrestricted$2,500
Southern Poverty Law Center Inc Montgomery, ALGeneral & Unrestricted$2,500
National Center for LGBTQ Rights Sacramento, CAGeneral & Unrestricted$2,000
Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc Washington, DCGeneral & Unrestricted$2,000
Tides Center Los Angeles, CAClimateVoice (CV) fund$2,000
A Jewish Voice for Peace Inc Berkeley, CAGeneral & Unrestricted$1,500
Downtown Womens Center Los Angeles, CAGeneral & Unrestricted$1,500
Entertainment Industry Foundation Los Angeles, CACharlize Theron Africa Outreach Program$1,500
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$734,232$25,886$43,995$33,60019$42,607$25,886$47,245
2024$752,341$99,873$40,451$31,30017$39,888$99,873$42,623
2023$692,919$91,535$42,655$33,40022$41,655$91,535$39,865
2022$643,439$11,647$46,722$38,20025$46,722$21,620$41,791
2021$678,514$57,316$42,816$32,45029$41,156$57,316$46,612
2020$664,014$97,340$41,395$32,09928—$97,340$41,347

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Perl Nelson Family Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $47K 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 with varied missions. For example, Second Harvest of Silicon Valley says it works to provide more food, healthy food, and better access to food; the Southern Poverty Law Center describes its work as advancing racial justice and human rights; and the National Center for LGBTQ Rights says it pursues civil and human rights through litigation, policy work, legal services, and education.

Other 2025 recipients describe work that includes supporting women’s participation in decision-making (She-CAN Global), shifting resources and power to historically marginalized communities (Tides), using arts programming to help students stay in school (The H.E.ART Project), and highlighting human rights concerns related to Palestine (A Jewish Voice for Peace). These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own missions, not stated missions of the foundation.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation gave $33,600 through 19 grants. Grants ranged from $500 to $5,000, with a median grant of $1,500.

Notable 2025 grants included $5,000 to Second Harvest of Silicon Valley and $5,000 to Clean and Prosperous America Education Fund; $2,500 each to She-CAN Global and the Southern Poverty Law Center; and $2,000 each to the National Center for LGBTQ Rights, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and Tides Center. The filing lists the Tides Center grant purpose as the ClimateVoice (CV) fund.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Julia Perl Nelson as vice president and Sharon E Perl as president, director, and secretary.

Perl Nelson Family Foundation Inc is led by Sharon E Perl, President, Director & Secretary on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Sharon E Perl

    President, Director & Secretary

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Julia Perl Nelson

    Vice President

    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.

Frequently asked questions about Perl Nelson Family Foundation Inc

How much does Perl Nelson Family Foundation Inc give each year?

Perl Nelson Family Foundation Inc gave $34K across 19 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $31K across 17 grants.

What is Perl Nelson Family Foundation Inc's typical grant size?

Perl Nelson Family Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $1,500, and its average grant was $1,768, across 19 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Perl Nelson Family Foundation Inc that year got $2K on average.

Where does Perl Nelson Family Foundation Inc give grants?

Perl Nelson Family Foundation Inc gives mostly in California: 60% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Washington (15%) and Alabama (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (4 grants) and San Francisco, CA (2 grants).

Does Perl Nelson Family Foundation Inc give general operating support?

Yes: 79% of Perl Nelson Family Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (15 of 19) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are Perl Nelson Family Foundation Inc's largest grantees?

Perl Nelson Family Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Clean and Prosperous America Education Fund ($5,000), Second Harvest of Silicon Valley ($5,000) and She-Can Global Inc ($2,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 37% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Perl Nelson Family Foundation Inc?

Perl Nelson Family Foundation Inc reported $734K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $43K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $47K (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 Perl Nelson Family Foundation Inc fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Perl Nelson Family Foundation Inc?

The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and 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 Perl Nelson Family Foundation Inc's EIN?

Perl Nelson Family Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-3753185. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.

Does Perl Nelson 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

(7)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS July 29, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 5, 2022)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS July 6, 2023)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 18, 2024)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 23, 2025)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 10, 2026)
  7. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025

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Figures come from Perl Nelson 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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