Robert D Bielecki Foundation Inc
Robert D Bielecki Foundation Inc is a New York, NY-based private foundation that has supported artists and arts organizations in music, literature, and visual art. The foundation announced that it ceased all grantmaking as of February 15, 2025, and is no longer accepting or reviewing proposals; existing commitments are to be honored through their completion dates.
Robert D Bielecki Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Robert D Bielecki Foundation Inc gave $47K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $5K), top state New York. 80% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $47,182
- -75.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- -67.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $4,718
- -22.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,102
- Total assets
- $32,645
- +834.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 80% first-time grantees (8 of 10, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (22% 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 Robert D Bielecki 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. Its website previously described avoiding a formal application process in favor of dialogue, but the foundation is no longer accepting or reviewing proposals.
- Review Cycle
- No deadline was listed.
- Deadline
- No deadline was listed.
- Contact
Application contact: Robert D Bielecki
Mailing address: 11 Hancock Place Unit Ph205, New York, NY 10027
Phone: (212) 671-2030
Website: https://rdbf.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Robert D Bielecki Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was KBB GmbH ($18K). Together the top 10 received $47K.
Grant Size Distribution
88 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 88 grants of 88 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grants included recipients identified in New York and Chicago, as well as a grant for Berlin Jazz Festival support. The filing’s recipient-state breakdown reports 22% of grant dollars in New York and 13% in Illinois; the remaining 65% is not assigned a state in the supplied data.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Robert D Bielecki Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
80%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 8 of 10 grantees (80%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $5K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 20% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 51% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2024 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $47K (2025) to $189K (2024). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $47K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| KBB GmbH | Berlin JazzFestivalSupport | $17,669 |
| Jazz Gallery New York, NY | Flooring | $10,000 |
| Verein Freundinnen und | HistoricalRecordingProject | $5,203 |
| Corbett vs Dempsey LLC Chicago, IL | RecordingRelease | $5,000 |
| A M Dudley-Evans | UK Tour Support | $5,000 |
| Verein IMPRO | FestivalPerformanceSupport | $1,203 |
| QU Junktions LLP | VISA SupportAhmed Ensemble | $1,032 |
| Frequency Festival Chicago, IL | Performance | $1,000 |
| Dallos Tamas EV | Transportation | $575 |
| Zurcher Gallery New York, NY | Performance | $500 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
These figures are reported for the specified filing years.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $32,645 | $83,600 | $57,503 | $47,182 | 10 | — | — |
| 2024 | $3,494 | $219,360 | $217,317 | $188,871 | 31 | $217,318 | $506 |
| 2023 | $911 | $211,000 | $212,272 | $104,743 | 18 | — | — |
| 2022 | $5,329 | $111,500 | $112,117 | $95,452 | 11 | $16,665 | — |
| 2021 | $930 | $114,096 | $114,470 | $107,029 | 18 | — | — |
| 2020 | $1,304 | $58,000 | $107,778 | $99,263 | 24 | — | — |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation describes its guiding idea as “earn it and return it,” with a goal of helping artists and organizations become more self-sustaining. It says its grants, awards, and donations are individually tailored, and may be either restricted or unrestricted.
Its published funding areas include musicians and composers, writers, visual artists, and presenting organizations. The foundation’s 2025 filing lists support for a Berlin jazz festival, a recording project, a recording release, flooring, and performance and tour support. Those grants illustrate past activity; the foundation has announced that grantmaking has ended.
Grantmaking
For filing year 2025, the foundation reported 10 grants totaling $47,182. The median grant was $3,102; individual grants ranged from $500 to $17,669. Notable grants included $17,669 to KBB GmbH for Berlin Jazz Festival support, $10,000 to Jazz Gallery for flooring, $5,203 to Verein Freundinnen und for a historical recording project, and $5,000 each to Corbett vs Dempsey LLC for a recording release and A M Dudley-Evans for UK tour support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Robert D Bielecki as President, Gale P Elston as Secretary, and Steven Swell as Vice President/Treasurer.
Robert D Bielecki Foundation Inc is led by Robert D Bielecki, President since 2025 (on filings since 2020); none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Robert D Bielecki
President
President & Secretary → President & Treasurer, 2021
President & Treasurer → President, 2025
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Gale P Elston
Secretary
Vice President → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Steven Swell
Vice President & Treasurer
Treasurer → Secretary, 2021
Secretary → Vice President & Treasurer, 2025
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 Robert D Bielecki Foundation Inc
How much does Robert D Bielecki Foundation Inc give each year?
Robert D Bielecki Foundation Inc gave $47K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $189K across 31 grants.
What is Robert D Bielecki Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Robert D Bielecki Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $3,102, and its average grant was $4,718, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Robert D Bielecki Foundation Inc that year got $5K on average.
Where does Robert D Bielecki Foundation Inc give grants?
Robert D Bielecki Foundation Inc's top state is New York, with 22% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest state was Illinois (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (2 grants) and Chicago, IL (2 grants).
Does Robert D Bielecki Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 10 grants with a stated purpose on Robert D Bielecki Foundation Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Robert D Bielecki Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Robert D Bielecki Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include KBB GmbH ($17,669), Jazz Gallery ($10,000) and Verein Freundinnen und ($5,203), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 70% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Robert D Bielecki Foundation Inc?
Robert D Bielecki Foundation Inc reported $33K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $84K.
What does Robert D Bielecki Foundation Inc fund?
The foundation describes its guiding idea as “earn it and return it,” with a goal of helping artists and organizations become more self-sustaining. It says its grants, awards, and donations are individually tailored, and may be either restricted or unrestricted. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Robert D Bielecki Foundation Inc?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Robert D Bielecki Foundation Inc's EIN?
Robert D Bielecki Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 61-1735780. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Robert D Bielecki 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 8, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Figures come from Robert D Bielecki 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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