Samuel S Fels Fund
The Samuel S. Fels Fund is a private independent foundation established in 1935 by Samuel S. Fels, former president of his family's company that manufactured Fels-Naptha soap. Headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the organization operates as a social justice funder providing general operating grants to nonprofit organizations. The foundation employs 4 staff members and maintains an annual revenue of $12.3 million.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$46.4M
+2.9% YoY
Annual Giving
$1.6M
-22.5% YoY
Grant Count
75
-29.2% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$21K
+9.6% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The Fels Fund's mission is to advance social, racial, and economic justice in Philadelphia. The organization actively supports efforts to resist systems of oppression including white supremacy, anti-immigrant bias, and economic stratification. The foundation envisions a day when all Philadelphians can live full, meaningful, and dignified lives as valued and contributing members of a diverse and vibrant city.
The fund is committed to exploring equitable ways to share power and resources with communities that are and have been historically excluded. It promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion through its grantmaking priorities, relationships with grantee partners, investment principles and portfolio management, vendor relationships, and in its staff, board, and grantee capacity-building efforts.
For its 2024-2027 cycle, the fund's grantmaking focus is on movement building in pursuit of social justice, defined as the process of building power in and among Philadelphia's historically marginalized communities.
Grantmaking
Review Cycle
.
Grant Types
How to Apply
** The application process has two stages. The first stage is a funding inquiry. If invited to participate, the second stage is a proposal submission.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Fels Fund restricts grants to nonprofit organizations located in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, or focused on local issues. Only a few grants support national organizations or organizations operating in other parts of the country.
Grant Distribution by State
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
- Annual Revenue: $12.3 million
- Workforce: 4 employees (representing a 25% year-over-year increase)
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $46,438,680 | $45,116,266 | $43,265,733 |
| Revenue | $1,630,820 | $1,223,439 | $1,728,221 |
| Expenses | $4,357,232 | $2,966,974 | $2,128,026 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $2,524,556 | $2,928,831 | $3,185,219 |
| Net Investment Income | $1,702,949 | $1,121,013 | $1,480,901 |
| Distributable Amount | $2,275,099 | $2,136,072 | $2,231,207 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
203 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Sarah Martinez-Helfman serves as President of the Samuel S. Fels Fund.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| SARAH MARTINEZ-HELFMAN | PRESIDENT | 40 | $252,954 |
| FARIHA KHAN | BOARD CHAIR | 2 | $6,500 |
| MICHAEL O'BRYAN | VICE CHAIR | 2 | $4,000 |
| WILL GONZALEZ ESQ | BOARD MEMBER | 2 | $5,000 |
| JOHN L JACKSON JR | BOARD MEMBER | 2 | — |
| DANYELLE AUSTIN | BOARD MEMBER | 2 | $4,000 |
| IDA K CHEN | BOARD MEMBER | 2 | — |
| CHELSEA HICKS | BOARD MEMBER | 2 | $4,000 |
| NIMRIT KANG | BOARD MEMBER | 2 | $4,000 |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
In 2024, the Fels Fund invested $2.415 million in its first ever Movement Building grants cohort, supporting organizations engaged in community-level movement building in Philadelphia. The foundation has been recognized as a positive leader in the field, with grantees noting that staff members are approachable and responsive to questions about application processes and eligibility.
Fels Fund Invests $2.415 Million in First Ever Movement ...Related Funders
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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