Spero Family Foundation
Spero Family Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, New York. It supports charitable organizations through grants; its 2024 filing states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations.
Spero Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Spero Family Foundation gave $93K across 19 grants in 2024 (avg $5K), mostly in New York. 44% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $93,000
- +132.8% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 19
- +5.6% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $4,895
- +120.5% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $524,800
- -12.8% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 44% first-time grantees (8 of 18, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (87% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Spero Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 50 Riverside Blvd 11Bc, New York, NY 10069-0243
Phone: (917) 439-6214
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Spero Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Marymount School ($28K). Together the top 10 received $88K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($500), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
77 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 76 grants of 77 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 87% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York, 12% to recipients in Pennsylvania, and 1% to recipients in Massachusetts.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Spero Family Foundation open to new grantees?
44%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 8 of 18 grantees (44%) were first-time recipients. With only 18 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $6K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 50% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 37% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 109% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $27K (2022) to $93K (2024). In 2024 it made 19 grants totaling $93K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Marymount School New York, NY | General Program Operations | $27,850 |
| Yalu University New York, NY | General Program Operations | $25,000 |
| University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA | General Program Operations | $11,000 |
| Lehigh University New York, NY | General Program Operations | $10,000 |
| Rownewyorkcom New York, NY | General Program Operations | $5,050 |
| Catholic Charities New York, NY | General Program Operations | $2,500 |
| Hauppauge Public Schools New York, NY | General Program Operations | $2,500 |
| Leukemia & Lymphoma Society New York, NY | General Program Operations | $2,500 |
| 1X3 Inc New York, NY | General Program Operations | $1,000 |
| St Vincent DE New York, NY | General Program Operations | $1,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Spero Family Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The foundation reported 19 grants in 2024, 18 in 2023, and 13 in 2022.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $524,800 | $3,266 | $93,459 | $93,000 | 19 | $93,000 | $18,716 | $85,004 |
| 2023 | $601,643 | $7,317 | $41,023 | $39,952 | 18 | $39,952 | $17,991 | $71,036 |
| 2022 | $612,793 | $61,974 | $29,462 | $27,458 | 13 | $27,458 | $66,324 | — |
| 2021 | $580,281 | $96,591 | $68,852 | $67,776 | 13 | $67,776 | $96,385 | — |
| 2020 | $552,920 | $61,781 | $31,364 | $31,210 | 14 | — | $61,681 | — |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Spero Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $85K for 2024 — 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 2024 grants included universities, schools, and charitable organizations. Voice Health Institute, a 2024 grantee, describes its mission as advancing care for voice and airway disorders through public awareness, education, research, surgical innovation, specialized technologies, and fellowship programs. Fordham University, also a 2024 grantee, describes its mission as the discovery of wisdom and transmission of learning through research and high-quality education.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 19 grants totaling $93,000. Grant amounts ranged from $300 to $27,850, with a median of $1,000. The largest grants included $27,850 to Marymount School and $25,000 to Yalu University, both for general program operations. Other notable grants were $11,000 to the University of Pennsylvania, $10,000 to Lehigh University, $5,050 to RowNewYork, and $2,500 each to Catholic Charities, Hauppauge Public Schools, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The foundation also gave $1,000 to Voice Health Institute and $500 to Fordham University.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Charlie R Spero as president, Carrie A Spero as vice president, and Lisa Haggerty as secretary.
Spero Family Foundation is led by Charlie R. Spero, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Charlie R. Spero
President
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Carrie A. Spero
Vice President
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lisa Haggerty
Secretary
On filings since 2023
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Spero Family Foundation
How much does Spero Family Foundation give each year?
Spero Family Foundation gave $93K across 19 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $40K across 18 grants.
What is Spero Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Spero Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $1,000, and its average grant was $4,895, across 19 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Spero Family Foundation that year got $5K on average.
Where does Spero Family Foundation give grants?
Spero Family Foundation gives mostly in New York: 87% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Pennsylvania (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (15 grants).
Does Spero Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Spero Family Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (19 of 19) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Spero Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Spero Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Marymount School ($27,850), Yalu University ($25,000) and University of Pennsylvania ($11,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($500), which are not listed by name. Together they received 69% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Spero Family Foundation?
Spero Family Foundation reported $525K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $93K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $85K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Spero Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants included universities, schools, and charitable organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Spero Family Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it 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 Spero Family Foundation's EIN?
Spero Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 46-4093872. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Spero 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Spero Family Foundation funds
Environment & Animals Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Spero Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Spero Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/spero-family-foundation-morg_0e9ba897f5614cd6b4b990c697e24984
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_464093872_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Spero Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/spero-family-foundation-morg_0e9ba897f5614cd6b4b990c697e24984},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-18. 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 Spero Family 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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