Ruth & Ralph Friedman Foundation
The Ruth & Ralph Friedman Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, NY. In its 2025 filing, it reported giving $25,400 through 15 grants to charitable organizations.
Ruth & Ralph Friedman Foundation at a glance
In short: Ruth & Ralph Friedman Foundation gave $25K across 15 grants in 2025 (avg $2K), mostly in New York. 7% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $25,400
- +6.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 15
- +7.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $1,693
- -0.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $750
- Total assets
- $2,874
- -79.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 7% first-time grantees (1 of 14, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (88% 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 Ruth & Ralph Friedman Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: B Strauss Assoc 307 5Th Ave Fl 8, New York, NY 10016-6517
Phone: (212) 779-4700
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Ruth & Ralph Friedman Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Adirondack Land Trust ($8K). Together the top 10 received $24K.
Grant Size Distribution
59 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 59 grants of 59 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 88% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York. The remaining shares were reported as South Carolina, 4%; Texas, 4%; Illinois, 3%; and California, 1%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Ruth & Ralph Friedman Foundation open to new grantees?
7%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 14 grantees (7%) were first-time recipients. With only 14 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $750; repeat grants $2K. How we count
Medians: $750 first-time, $1K repeat.
- 93% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−10%). Method
- In 2025 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 $19K (2020) to $28K (2022). In 2025 it made 15 grants totaling $25K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Adirondack Land Trust Keene, NY | General | $7,500 |
| Adirondack Council Elizabethtown, NY | General | $6,000 |
| Adirondack Medical Center Saranac Lake, NY | General | $3,000 |
| Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks Tupper Lake, NY | General | $2,500 |
| Center for Inquiry Columbia, SC | General | $1,000 |
| Central Park Conservancy Houston, TX | General | $1,000 |
| Paul Smith's College Paul Smiths, NY | General | $1,000 |
| Cary Institute of Ecosystems Studies Tupper Lake, NY | General | $750 |
| Young Center for Immigrant Childrens Right Chicago, IL | General | $750 |
| Adirondack Historical Museum Elizabethtown, NY | General | $500 |
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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 | $2,874 | $44,374 | $27,218 | $25,400 | 15 | $26,800 | $13,985 | $485 |
| 2024 | $14,139 | $51,256 | $25,339 | $23,800 | 14 | $25,075 | $25,256 | $386 |
| 2023 | $12,989 | $49,982 | $25,198 | $23,000 | 10 | $24,175 | $23,884 | $336 |
| 2022 | $11,857 | $59,082 | $30,604 | $28,250 | 10 | $30,250 | $33,435 | $234 |
| 2021 | $7,354 | $40,333 | $20,703 | $20,250 | 10 | $20,275 | $19,798 | $659 |
| 2020 | $7,246 | $49,494 | $19,946 | $19,000 | 8 | — | $24,279 | $134 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Ruth & Ralph Friedman Foundation reported a distributable amount of $485 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 including the Adirondack Land Trust, whose mission is to conserve forests, farmlands, waters, and wild places in the Adirondacks; Adirondack Medical Center, which provides acute and outpatient services to its local area; and Paul Smith’s College, which describes its work as higher education emphasizing active learning and students’ creative, ethical, and intellectual growth.
The foundation also gave to the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation, whose mission is to promote the conservation of Adirondack loons, and to the Wikimedia Foundation, whose mission includes developing and sharing educational content under a free license or in the public domain.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 15 grants totaling $25,400. Grant amounts ranged from $150 to $7,500, with a median grant of $750. The largest awards included $7,500 to Adirondack Land Trust, $6,000 to Adirondack Council, $3,000 to Adirondack Medical Center, and $2,500 to Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks. The filing lists the purposes of these grants as general.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Robert E. Friedman as president.
Ruth & Ralph Friedman Foundation is led by Robert E. Friedman, President on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Robert E. Friedman
President
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/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 Ruth & Ralph Friedman Foundation
How much does Ruth & Ralph Friedman Foundation give each year?
Ruth & Ralph Friedman Foundation gave $25K across 15 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $24K across 14 grants.
What is Ruth & Ralph Friedman Foundation's typical grant size?
Ruth & Ralph Friedman Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $750, and its average grant was $1,693, across 15 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Ruth & Ralph Friedman Foundation that year got $750 on average.
Where does Ruth & Ralph Friedman Foundation give grants?
Ruth & Ralph Friedman Foundation gives mostly in New York: 88% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Tupper Lake, NY (3 grants), Elizabethtown, NY (2 grants), Saranac Lake, NY (2 grants) and New York, NY (2 grants).
Does Ruth & Ralph Friedman Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Ruth & Ralph Friedman Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (15 of 15) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Ruth & Ralph Friedman Foundation's largest grantees?
Ruth & Ralph Friedman Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Adirondack Land Trust ($7,500), Adirondack Council ($6,000) and Adirondack Medical Center ($3,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 65% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Ruth & Ralph Friedman Foundation?
Ruth & Ralph Friedman Foundation reported $3K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $27K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $485 (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Ruth & Ralph Friedman Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Ruth & Ralph Friedman Foundation?
The foundation 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 Ruth & Ralph Friedman Foundation's EIN?
Ruth & Ralph Friedman Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-6107390. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Ruth & Ralph Friedman Foundation 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
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 3, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 10, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 30, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 1, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 30, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 29, 2026)
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