Ruth U Fertel Foundation
The Ruth U Fertel Foundation is a private foundation based in Kenner, Louisiana. Established in the will of Ruth Fertel, founder of Ruth’s Chris Steak House, it supports education in Louisiana, including public, private, and parochial schools, student programs from kindergarten through college, and other high-impact educational initiatives.
Ruth U Fertel Foundation at a glance
In short: Ruth U Fertel Foundation gave $790K across 51 grants in 2025 (avg $15K), mostly in Louisiana. 31% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $790,250
- +17.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 51
- +30.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $15,495
- -9.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $13,315,229
- +9.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 31% first-time grantees (16 of 51, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Louisiana (95% 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 U Fertel Foundation
- 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 for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 4144 Montrachet Drive, Kenner, LA 70065
Phone: (504) 559-9782
Website: https://fertel.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Ruth U Fertel Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Longue Vue Foundation ($63K). Together the top 10 received $414K.
Grant Size Distribution
213 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 190 grants of 213 (89%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s 2025 grants were concentrated in Louisiana, which received 95% of grant dollars. Ohio recipients received 4% and New York recipients 1%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 51 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Ruth U Fertel Foundation open to new grantees?
31%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 16 of 51 grantees (31%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $8K; repeat grants $19K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $15K repeat.
- 63% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+7%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 130% 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.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $623K (2020) to $790K (2025). In 2025 it made 51 grants totaling $790K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Longue Vue Foundation New Orleans, LA | Unrestricted | $62,500 |
| St Martin's Episcopal School Metairie, LA | Unrestricted | $60,000 |
| Jesuit High School New Orleans, LA | Unrestricted | $50,000 |
| St Mary's Dominican High School New Orleans, LA | Unrestricted | $50,000 |
| UNO Foundation New Orleans, LA | Unrestricted | $50,000 |
| Louisiana Museum Foundation New Orleans, LA | Unrestricted | $31,250 |
| St Michael's Special School New Orleans, LA | Unrestricted | $30,000 |
| Wwoz New Orleans, LA | Unrestricted | $30,000 |
| Posse Foundation New Orleans, LA | Unrestricted | $25,000 |
| Isadore Newman School New Orleans, LA | Unrestricted | $25,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Ruth U Fertel Foundation?
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 | $13,315,229 | $1,864,589 | $976,038 | $790,250 | 51 | $791,223 | $1,146,774 | $610,309 |
| 2024 | $12,116,206 | $1,483,738 | $835,695 | $670,933 | 39 | $671,685 | $823,748 | $525,569 |
| 2023 | $10,925,072 | $1,357,299 | $849,606 | $716,250 | 46 | $717,486 | $525,179 | $507,914 |
| 2022 | $9,997,315 | $1,251,985 | $880,295 | $741,500 | 38 | $742,836 | $379,526 | $519,832 |
| 2021 | $11,394,357 | $1,379,118 | $776,557 | $652,075 | 39 | $653,091 | $575,732 | $511,632 |
| 2020 | $9,707,588 | $1,254,787 | $730,457 | $623,250 | 39 | — | $473,680 | $453,751 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Ruth U Fertel Foundation reported a distributable amount of $610K 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
The foundation’s website describes its support as focused on education in Louisiana. Its 2025 grants also went to organizations working in areas such as arts and culture, education, journalism, and youth mentorship. For example, Video Veracity describes its work as supporting independent educational documentary programming, while Son of a Saint says it serves fatherless boys in the New Orleans metro area through mentorship and related support. National Performance Network describes its mission as advancing racial and cultural justice in the arts.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave $790,250 through 51 grants. Awards ranged from $1,000 to $62,500, with a median grant of $10,000. The largest grants included $62,500 to Longue Vue Foundation, $60,000 to St Martin’s Episcopal School, and $50,000 each to Jesuit High School, St Mary’s Dominican High School, and UNO Foundation; each was listed as unrestricted. Other recipients included Video Veracity ($22,500), Son of a Saint ($20,000), National Performance Network ($20,000), The Lens ($15,000), and Goat in the Road Productions ($15,000).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Randy Fertel as president and director, James E Ryder Jr as secretary-treasurer and director, and Robert W Merrick as director.
Ruth U Fertel Foundation is led by Randy Fertel, President & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Randy Fertel
President & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James E Ryder Jr.
Sec-Treas. & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Robert W Merrick
Director
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 Ruth U Fertel Foundation
How much does Ruth U Fertel Foundation give each year?
Ruth U Fertel Foundation gave $790K across 51 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $671K across 39 grants.
What is Ruth U Fertel Foundation's typical grant size?
Ruth U Fertel Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $15,495, across 51 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Ruth U Fertel Foundation that year got $8K on average.
Where does Ruth U Fertel Foundation give grants?
Ruth U Fertel Foundation gives mostly in Louisiana: 95% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were New Orleans, LA (45 grants) and Metairie, LA (2 grants).
Does Ruth U Fertel Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 88% of Ruth U Fertel Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (45 of 51) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Ruth U Fertel Foundation's largest grantees?
Ruth U Fertel Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Longue Vue Foundation ($62,500), St Martin's Episcopal School ($60,000) and Jesuit High School ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 22% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Ruth U Fertel Foundation?
Ruth U Fertel Foundation reported $13.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $791K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $610K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Ruth U Fertel Foundation fund?
The foundation’s website describes its support as focused on education in Louisiana. Its 2025 grants also went to organizations working in areas such as arts and culture, education, journalism, and youth mentorship. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Ruth U Fertel Foundation?
The foundation states that it 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 U Fertel Foundation's EIN?
Ruth U Fertel Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 71-0879051. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Ruth U Fertel 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 21, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Ruth U Fertel Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/ruth-u-fertel-foundation-morg_aebc3dfeeeaa4e6dbea7302872a09b94
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_710879051_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Ruth U Fertel Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/ruth-u-fertel-foundation-morg_aebc3dfeeeaa4e6dbea7302872a09b94},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Ruth U Fertel Foundation'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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