Sam & Sara Mermelstein Family Foundation
The Sam & Sara Mermelstein Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Niles, Illinois. It reported 20 grants totaling $47,390 in filing year 2025; its filing says it gives only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
Sam & Sara Mermelstein Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Sam & Sara Mermelstein Family Foundation gave $47K across 20 grants in 2025 (avg $2K), mostly in New York. 60% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $47,390
- -23.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 20
- +81.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,370
- -58.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,000
- Total assets
- $994,616
- -0.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 60% first-time grantees (12 of 20, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (51% 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 Sam & Sara Mermelstein Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. Its filing says it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. The filing lists a written application indicating a religious or educational purpose and specifies organized religious or education institutions only. Award restrictions are listed as “N/A.”
- Contact
Application contact: Allan Isenberg
Mailing address: 6243 N Lawndale Avenue, Chicago, IL 60659
Phone: (773) 539-0385
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Sam & Sara Mermelstein Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was American Friends of Darchei Noam ($6K). Together the top 10 received $31K.
Grant Size Distribution
74 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 74 grants of 74 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In filing year 2025, grant dollars went to recipients in New York (51%), Illinois (32%), New Jersey (13%), and Massachusetts (4%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 20 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Sam & Sara Mermelstein Family Foundation open to new grantees?
60%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 12 of 20 grantees (60%) were first-time recipients. With only 20 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $4K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $3K repeat.
- 40% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+11%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 109% 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 $43K (2022) to $102K (2023). In 2025 it made 20 grants totaling $47K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Misc Organized Charities Niles, IL | Educational /Social | $7,010 |
| American Friends of Darchei Noam Brooklyn, NY | Educational | $6,300 |
| Chicago Chesed Fund Lincolnwood, IL | Welfare | $4,000 |
| Yeshiva Chasam Sofer Brooklyn, NY | Educational | $3,600 |
| Congregation Emunas Yisroel Brooklyn, NY | House of Worship | $3,400 |
| Cong Zichron Avos Brooklyn, NY | House of Worshiphouse of Worship | $2,860 |
| Congregation Khal Chasidim Chicago, IL | House of Worship | $2,500 |
| American Friends of Leket Israel Teaneck, NJ | Food Service Non for Profit | $2,000 |
| American Friends of Shalva New York, NY | Welfare | $2,000 |
| Mifal Chesed Brooklyn, NY | Educational | $2,000 |
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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 | $994,616 | $62,547 | $49,499 | $47,390 | 20 | $47,390 | $62,547 | $43,593 |
| 2024 | $997,151 | $60,360 | $64,099 | $62,020 | 11 | $62,020 | $60,360 | $42,304 |
| 2023 | $1,000,890 | $61,569 | $102,870 | $101,670 | 13 | $101,670 | $62,126 | $43,264 |
| 2022 | $1,042,191 | $60,933 | $43,725 | $42,510 | 12 | $42,510 | $60,933 | $45,645 |
| 2021 | $1,019,418 | $65,664 | $76,477 | $75,162 | 18 | $75,162 | $65,664 | $47,426 |
| 2020 | $944,754 | — | $73,746 | $70,420 | 22 | — | — | $3,949 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Sam & Sara Mermelstein Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $44K 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 separate mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for educational organizations, houses of worship, and welfare-related work. For example, Chicago Chesed Fund describes its mission as raising and distributing funds, goods, food, and assistance to poverty-stricken people in the Jewish community. American Friends of Leket Israel says it provides grants and assistance to organizations outside the United States to feed the hungry. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation gave $47,390 through 20 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $7,010, with a median of $2,000.
Among its largest reported grants were $7,010 to Misc Organized Charities for educational/social purposes; $6,300 to American Friends of Darchei Noam for educational purposes; $4,000 to Chicago Chesed Fund for welfare; and $3,600 to Yeshiva Chasam Sofer for educational purposes. Other grants included $3,400 to Congregation Emunas Yisroel and $2,500 to Congregation Khal Chasidim, both for houses of worship, and $2,000 to American Friends of Leket Israel for food service nonprofit purposes.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Allan Isenberg, Yisroel Rich, and Shoshana Rich as directors.
Sam & Sara Mermelstein Family Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Allan Isenberg
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Shoshana Rich
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Yisroel Rich
Director
On filings since 2020
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 Sam & Sara Mermelstein Family Foundation
How much does Sam & Sara Mermelstein Family Foundation give each year?
Sam & Sara Mermelstein Family Foundation gave $47K across 20 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $62K across 11 grants.
What is Sam & Sara Mermelstein Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Sam & Sara Mermelstein Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $2,370, across 20 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Sam & Sara Mermelstein Family Foundation that year got $1K on average.
Where does Sam & Sara Mermelstein Family Foundation give grants?
Sam & Sara Mermelstein Family Foundation gives mostly in New York: 51% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Illinois (32%) and New Jersey (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were Brooklyn, NY (7 grants), New York, NY (3 grants), Chicago, IL (2 grants) and Lakewood, NJ (2 grants).
Does Sam & Sara Mermelstein Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 20 grants with a stated purpose on Sam & Sara Mermelstein Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "House of Worship" (4 grants) and "Educational" (3 grants).
Who are Sam & Sara Mermelstein Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Sam & Sara Mermelstein Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include American Friends of Darchei Noam ($6,300), Chicago Chesed Fund ($4,000) and Yeshiva Chasam Sofer ($3,600), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 29% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Sam & Sara Mermelstein Family Foundation?
Sam & Sara Mermelstein Family Foundation reported $995K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $47K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $44K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Sam & Sara Mermelstein Family Foundation fund?
No separate mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for educational organizations, houses of worship, and welfare-related work. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Sam & Sara Mermelstein Family Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Sam & Sara Mermelstein Family Foundation's EIN?
Sam & Sara Mermelstein Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-0846315. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Sam & Sara Mermelstein Family 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 9, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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