R J Samulski Innovation Foundation Inc

Private foundation · Grantmaker Chicago, IL EIN: 85-4391880

R J Samulski Innovation Foundation Inc is a private foundation, based in Chicago, IL. IRS filing data is available from 2020 through 2024. As of 2024, the organization holds $90.3M in total assets. In 2024, it awarded 2 grants totaling $2.6M. Net investment income was $2.1M.

R J Samulski Innovation Foundation Inc at a glance

In short: R J Samulski Innovation Foundation Inc gave $2.6M across 2 grants in 2024 (avg $1.3M), mostly in North Carolina. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2024)
$2,555,333
+11.1% vs 2023
Grants made (2024)
2
+100.0% vs 2023
Average grant
$1,277,667
-44.4% vs 2023
Median grant
$1,277,667
Total assets
$90,267,959
+34.3% vs 2023
Primary geography
North Carolina (100% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026.

Who R J Samulski Innovation Foundation Inc funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top recipient in 2024

North Carolina State University: $2.6M across 2 grantsNorth Carolina StateUniversity$2.6M · 2 grants

The largest 2024 recipient was North Carolina State University ($2.6M across 2 grants).

Grant Size Distribution

15 grants across all recorded years

10<$50K1$50–100K1$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M3$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 10 grants of 15 (67%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

Grant Distribution by State

4states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 2 itemized grants.

Cities

ColumbiaDurhamRaleighConwayHilton Head IslandJenkintownMemphisNorth AugustaTravelers Rest

How R J Samulski Innovation Foundation Inc gives

  • Giving grew 1866% from 2021 to 2024. Method
  • In 2024 it paid out 71% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. 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

$0$1M$2M$3M0 grants2020 11 grants2021 1 grant2022 1 grant2023 2 grants2024

From 2021 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $130K (2021) to $2.6M (2024). In 2024 it made 2 grants totaling $2.6M.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
North Carolina State University Raleigh, NCRoberts and mikhail distinguished chair in plant genome editing fund$2,333,000
North Carolina State University Raleigh, NCRoberts and mikhail distinguished chair in plant genome editing fund$222,333
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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
2024$90,267,959$18,090,257$2,783,051$2,555,3332$2,578,439$2,142,398$3,623,260
2023$67,199,532$14,120,707$2,438,970$2,300,0001$2,318,685$4,206,239$2,539,556
2022$47,206,248$1,557,968$2,675,612$2,500,0001$2,530,940$1,197,347$2,447,615
2021$57,761,651$3,304,451$426,144$130,00011$140,134$17,065,785$2,473,125
2020$50,022,793$49,892,521—————$27,113

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, R J Samulski Innovation Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $3.6M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Leadership & Key People

Officers and directors from IRS filings

R J Samulski Innovation Foundation Inc is led by R. Jude Samulski, President & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • R. Jude Samulski

    President & Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Danielle Samulski

    Secretary & Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Joseph Samulski

    Treasurer & Director

    On filings since 2020

    7.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 R J Samulski Innovation Foundation Inc

How much does R J Samulski Innovation Foundation Inc give each year?

R J Samulski Innovation Foundation Inc gave $2.6M across 2 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $2.3M across 1 grant.

How large is R J Samulski Innovation Foundation Inc?

R J Samulski Innovation Foundation Inc reported $90.3M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.6M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $3.6M (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.

Where does R J Samulski Innovation Foundation Inc operate?

R J Samulski Innovation Foundation Inc has awarded grants in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee.

What is R J Samulski Innovation Foundation Inc's EIN?

R J Samulski Innovation Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 85-4391880. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings.

Data update history

(1)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Live grants for the work R J Samulski Innovation Foundation Inc funds

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The filing figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0. About GrantGraph Open

Figures come from R J Samulski Innovation 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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