Rossetter Foundation
The ROSSETTER FOUNDATION is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. Its 2025 grants supported organizations working in areas including democracy and the rule of law, conservation, education, food access, and support for immigrant communities.
Key facts about Rossetter Foundation
In short: Rossetter Foundation gave $319K across 26 grants in 2025 (avg $12K), top state Maine. 35% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 83-0299674
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $319,000
- Grants made (2025)
- 26
- Average grant
- $12,269
- Median grant
- $6,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 35% first-time grantees (9 of 26, 2025)
- Total assets
- $1,861,220
- Primary geography
- Maine (21% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to apply
- The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$1.9M
-0.9% YoY
Annual Giving
$319K
+28.9% YoY
Grant Count
26
+36.8% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$12K
-5.8% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Rossetter Foundation reported a distributable amount of $287K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is Rossetter Foundation open to new grantees?
35%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 9 of 26 grantees (35%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $14K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 54% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 190% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 114% of 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.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement is provided. The 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations. For example, Democracy Forward Foundation says it works through legal and administrative processes to protect democratic institutions and hold government accountable. Sky Island Alliance describes its work as connecting people, wildlife, and lands across the U.S.–Mexico border through conservation, science, advocacy, and community engagement. Full Plates Full Potential says it helps schools and nonprofits expand access to child nutrition programs. Maine Needs describes providing donated essentials to individuals and families, including domestic abuse survivors, asylum seekers, and people facing financial hardship.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 26 grants totaling $319,000. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $50,000, with a median of $6,000. The largest grants included $50,000 to Democracy Forward Foundation, $45,000 to Charlottesville Area Community Foundation, and $44,000 to Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program. Other notable grants included $20,000 to One22 Resource Center; $16,000 each to Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project and Sky Island Alliance; and $15,000 each to Colorado Springs School and Learning Works. The listed purposes for these grants were “general purposes.”
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grants reached organizations in multiple states. By share of grant dollars, the leading recipient states were Maine (21%), the District of Columbia (16%), Virginia (15%), Arizona (14%), and Pennsylvania (14%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 26 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $110K (2022) to $338K (2023). In 2025 it made 26 grants totaling $319K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Democracy Forward Foundation ($50K). Together the top 10 received $244K.
Grant Size Distribution
102 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 99 grants of 102 (97%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Democracy Forward Foundation Washington, DC | General Purposes | $50,000 |
| Charlottesville Area Community Found Charlottesville, VA | General Purposes | $45,000 |
| Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program Malvern, PA | General Purposes | $44,000 |
| ONE22 Resource Center Jackson, WY | General Purposes | $20,000 |
| Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project Tucson, AZ | General Purposes | $16,000 |
| Sky Island Alliance Tucson, AZ | General Purposes | $16,000 |
| Colorado Springs School Colorado Springs, CO | General Purposes | $15,000 |
| Learning Works Portland, ME | General Purposes | $15,000 |
| Arizona Land and Water Trust Tucson, AZ | General Purposes | $13,000 |
| Full Plates Full Potential Brunswick, ME | General Purposes | $10,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Grants | Grant count |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $319,000 | 26 |
| 2024 | $247,500 | 19 |
| 2023 | $338,000 | 29 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $1,861,220 | $1,878,774 | $1,711,398 |
| Revenue | $371,634 | $468,532 | $461,969 |
| Expenses | $389,188 | $301,156 | $385,670 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $326,527 | $248,631 | $347,097 |
| Net Investment Income | $314,973 | $406,557 | $404,784 |
| Distributable Amount | $287,003 | $265,807 | $234,801 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 7, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 18, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 18, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 25, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 28, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 20, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Stephen M. Rossetter as president and director; David B. Rossetter as executive director; Ellen Jebb Cuthbert as vice president and director; Amy C. Lorenz as secretary and director; and Christopher P. Cuthbert as treasurer and director. It also lists Benjamin T. Rossetter, Jessica Kelly, Robert Kelly, Pamela B. Rossetter, and James R. Kelly as directors.
Rossetter Foundation is led by David B. Rossetter, Executive Director since 2025 (on filings since 2020); none of the 11 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
David B. Rossetter
Executive Director
Executive Director & Director → Director, 2021
Director → Executive Director, 2025
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Stephen M. Rossetter
President & Director
President & Director → President, 2024
President → President & Director, 2025
On filings since 2021
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Amy C. Lorenz
Secretary & Director
Director → Vice President & Director, 2021
Vice President & Director → Secretary & Director, 2022
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Benjamin T. Rossetter
Director
Vice President & Director → Executive Director, 2021
Executive Director → Director, 2022
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ellen Jebb Cuthbert
Vice President & Director
President & Director → Vice President & Director, 2022
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
James R. Kelly
Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jessica Kelly
Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Pamela B. Rossetter
Director
Secretary & Director → Director, 2025
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Robert Kelly
Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Christopher P. Cuthbert
Treasurer & Director
Treasurer & Director → Treasurer, 2024
Treasurer → Treasurer & Director, 2025
On filings since 2021
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Brian K. Jones
Assistant Secretary
New on the 2025 filing
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (4)
- Former: Sylvia Alvarado (2020–2024) — Executive Director
- Former: Jessica Hardy (2023–2024) — Director
- Former: Laura B. Rossetter (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Jerry D. Jones (2020–2022) — Assistant Secretary
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.
Contact
Mailing address: 333 W Wacker Drive 1700, Chicago, IL 60606
Phone: (312) 606-2698
Frequently asked questions about Rossetter Foundation
How much does Rossetter Foundation give each year?
Rossetter Foundation gave $319K across 26 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $248K across 19 grants.
What is Rossetter Foundation's typical grant size?
Rossetter Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $6,000, and its average grant was $12,269, across 26 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Rossetter Foundation that year got $10K on average.
Where does Rossetter Foundation give grants?
Rossetter Foundation's top state is Maine, with 21% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were District of Columbia (16%) and Virginia (15%). The most frequent recipient cities were Portland, ME (6 grants), Tucson, AZ (3 grants), Colorado Springs, CO (3 grants) and Brunswick, ME (3 grants).
Does Rossetter Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Rossetter Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (26 of 26) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Rossetter Foundation's largest grantees?
Rossetter Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Democracy Forward Foundation ($50,000), Charlottesville Area Community Found ($45,000) and Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program ($44,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 44% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Rossetter Foundation?
Rossetter Foundation reported $1.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $327K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $287K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Rossetter Foundation fund?
No mission statement is provided. The 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations. For example, Democracy Forward Foundation says it works through legal and administrative processes to protect democratic institutions and hold government accountable. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Rossetter Foundation?
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 Rossetter Foundation's EIN?
Rossetter Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 83-0299674. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Rossetter Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
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