Strauss Foundation Incorporated

Private foundation · Grantmaker Owings Mills, MD EIN: 52-6039178

Strauss Foundation Incorporated is a private foundation based in Owings Mills, Maryland. Its 2025 filing reports 95 grants totaling $1,754,936, including multiple grants to Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund to transfer assets to a donor-advised fund.

Strauss Foundation Incorporated at a glance

In short: Strauss Foundation Incorporated gave $1.8M across 95 grants in 2025 (avg $18K), mostly in Massachusetts. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$1,754,936
+2167.2% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
95
-12.8% vs 2024
Average grant
$18,473
+2501.3% vs 2024
Median grant
$300
Primary geography
Massachusetts (99% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.

How to apply to Strauss Foundation Incorporated

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: 101 Garrison Forest Rd, Owings Mills, MD 21117-4107
Phone: (410) 363-1070

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Strauss Foundation Incorporated funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund: $1.7M across 15 grantsFidelity InvestmentsCharitable Gift Fund$1.7M · 15 grants3936: $4K3936$4KAmerican Committee for Shaare Zedek Hospital: $1KAmerican Committee for ShaareZedek Hospital$1KSupporters of Braddock Drive Elementary School: $1KSupporters of Braddock DriveElementary School$1KAmerican Technion Society: $1KAmerican Technion Society$1KWilmer Eye Institute: $1KWilmer Eye Institute$1KFriends of IDF: $800Friends of IDF$800American Committee for Weizmann Institute: $800American Committee forWeizmann Institute$800American Friends of Hebrew University: $700American Friends of HebrewUniversity$700Jewish National Fund: $600Jewish National Fund$600

The largest 2025 recipient was Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund ($1.7M across 15 grants). Together the top 10 received $1.7M.

Grant Size Distribution

507 grants across all recorded years

500<$50K2$50–100K2$100–250K3$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 500 grants of 507 (99%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

For 2025, the reported shares of grant dollars by recipient state were Massachusetts 99% and New York 1%; Maryland, the District of Columbia, and California each accounted for 0% as reported. The filing also lists recipients in Maryland, New York, California, and Florida.

Grant Distribution by State

22states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 95 itemized grants.

Cities

New YorkBaltimoreWashingtonBostonArlingtonWashington DCLos AngelesNew HavenTowsonWilmingtonOwings MillsSan FranciscoAtlantaBethesdaHicksvilleHillsdalePittsburghSidneyUplandBoseman

How Strauss Foundation Incorporated gives

  • 84% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving grew 2117% from 2022 to 2025. 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 (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

$0$500K$1M$1.5M$2M1 grant2020 89 grants2021 108 grants2022 106 grants2023 109 grants2024 95 grants2025

From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $73K (2020) to $1.8M (2025). In 2025 it made 95 grants totaling $1.8M.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund Boston, MATo transfer assets to a Donor Advised Fund$489,588
Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund Boston, MATo transfer assets to a Donor Advised Fund$387,688
Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund Boston, MATo transfer assets to a Donor Advised Fund$258,687
Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund Boston, MATo transfer assets to a Donor Advised Fund$189,282
Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund Boston, MATo transfer assets to a Donor Advised Fund$136,419
Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund Boston, MATo transfer assets to a Donor Advised Fund$79,043
Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund Boston, MATo transfer assets to a Donor Advised Fund$61,086
Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund Boston, MATo transfer assets to a Donor Advised Fund$47,049
Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund Boston, MATo transfer assets to a Donor Advised Fund$28,335
Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund Boston, MATo transfer assets to a Donor Advised Fund$19,238
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

The 2025 filing reports 95 grants; the 2024 and 2023 filings report 109 and 106 grants, respectively.

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025—$28,436$1,759,344$1,754,93695$2,319,344$23,342$58,698
2024$1,046,179$38,285$78,154$77,406109$77,406$37,537$72,156
2023$1,091,259$34,196$82,321$81,130106$81,130$33,005$46,151
2022$1,139,384$19,755$80,070$79,144108$79,144$18,964$67,147
2021$1,199,519$12,429$81,649$78,83289$78,832$9,743$73,464
2020$1,270,615$13,088$78,147$73,2701—$13,088$73,482

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Strauss Foundation Incorporated reported a distributable amount of $59K 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. The grantees’ descriptions show a range of activities: the American Committee for Shaare Zedek raises funds for a medical center in Jerusalem; Supporters of Braddock Drive Elementary supports school curriculum and extracurricular activities; and the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science raises funds for scientific research. These are descriptions of the grantees’ work, not stated focus areas of the foundation.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation reported 95 grants totaling $1,754,936. Grant amounts ranged from $50 to $489,588, with a median of $300. Its largest reported grants went to Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund, with each grant described as being “to transfer assets to a Donor Advised Fund.”

Other 2025 recipients included the American Committee for Shaare Zedek ($1,200), Supporters of Braddock Drive Elementary ($1,000), Friends of IHES ($800), and the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science ($800). The foundation also reported grants to McDonogh School ($600), Jewish National Fund ($600), Palm Beach Freedom Institute ($595), and Johns Hopkins University ($575).

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Leon Strauss as president and director, Hannah S Magram as vice president and director, and David Magram as director.

Strauss Foundation Incorporated is led by Leon Strauss, President Director since 2022 (on filings since 2020); none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Leon Strauss

    President Director

    President → President & Director, 2021

    President & Director → President Director, 2022

    On filings since 2020

    2 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • David N Magram

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    No compensation reported

  • Hannah S Magram

    Vpres Director

    Vice President Secretary Director → Vpres Secrty Directr, 2023

    Vpres Secrty Directr → Vpres Director, 2024

    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 Strauss Foundation Incorporated

How much does Strauss Foundation Incorporated give each year?

Strauss Foundation Incorporated gave $1.8M across 95 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $77K across 109 grants.

What is Strauss Foundation Incorporated's typical grant size?

Strauss Foundation Incorporated's median grant in 2025 was $300, and its average grant was $18,473, across 95 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Where does Strauss Foundation Incorporated give grants?

Strauss Foundation Incorporated gives mostly in Massachusetts: 99% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (25 grants), Boston, MA (17 grants), Baltimore, MD (12 grants) and Washington, DC (12 grants).

Does Strauss Foundation Incorporated give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 95 grants with a stated purpose on Strauss Foundation Incorporated's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Education" (52 grants), "To transfer assets to a Donor Advised Fund" (16 grants) and "Medical" (12 grants).

Who are Strauss Foundation Incorporated's largest grantees?

Strauss Foundation Incorporated's largest 2025 grantees include Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund ($1,725,473 across 15 grants), 3936 ($3,936) and American Committee for Shaare Zedek Hospital ($1,200), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 99% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

What does Strauss Foundation Incorporated fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Strauss Foundation Incorporated?

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 ↑

How much is Strauss Foundation Incorporated required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2025, Strauss Foundation Incorporated reported a distributable amount of $59K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

What is Strauss Foundation Incorporated's EIN?

Strauss Foundation Incorporated's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 52-6039178. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.

Does Strauss Foundation Incorporated 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

(7)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS December 17, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 21, 2022)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 27, 2023)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS January 29, 2024)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS January 22, 2025)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS January 12, 2026)
  7. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Strauss Foundation Incorporated funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/strauss-foundation-incorporated-morg_fe93d1605f184d9ab99922246ea8a443

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_526039178_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Strauss Foundation Incorporated funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/strauss-foundation-incorporated-morg_fe93d1605f184d9ab99922246ea8a443},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-13. 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 Strauss Foundation Incorporated'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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