Sykes Family Foundation
The Sykes Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Plainview, New York. Its 2025 filing reports grants to organizations including Stanford University, Community Initiatives, and the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission.
Sykes Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Sykes Family Foundation gave $2.0M across 16 grants in 2025 (avg $125K), mostly in California. 56% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,993,550
- -34.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 16
- -20.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $124,597
- -17.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,750
- Total assets
- $17,376,902
- +11.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 56% first-time grantees (9 of 16, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (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 Sykes Family 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: Co Mjsm - PO Box 331, Plainview, NY 11803
Phone: (631) 423-1208
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Sykes Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Stanford University ($1.5M). Together the top 10 received $2.0M.
Grant Size Distribution
103 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 78 grants of 103 (76%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 95% of grant dollars went to recipients in California and 4% to recipients in Connecticut. The reported shares for Hawaii, Vermont, and Massachusetts were each 0%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Sykes Family Foundation open to new grantees?
56%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 9 of 16 grantees (56%) were first-time recipients. With only 16 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $40K; repeat grants $234K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $3K repeat.
- 25% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−3%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 178% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2021–2025). 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 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $2.0M (2025) to $3.3M (2021). In 2025 it made 16 grants totaling $2.0M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Stanford University Stanford, CA | General | $1,525,000 |
| Community Initiatives Oakland, CA | General | $250,000 |
| Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission Los Angeles, CA | General | $100,000 |
| Iflc Inc Norwalk, CT | General | $75,000 |
| Las Madrinas Endowment Los Angeles, CA | General | $10,000 |
| USC Thornton School of Music Los Angeles, CA | General | $10,000 |
| Jim Saunders Nanea Fund Kailua Kona, HI | General | $5,000 |
| Keep Bel Air Beutiful Los Angeles, CA | General | $4,500 |
| The Harvard Krokodiloes Cambridge, MA | General | $3,000 |
| Dorset Historical Society Dorset, VT | General | $2,500 |
Ready to take the next step with Sykes Family 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 | $17,376,902 | $4,415,449 | $2,156,394 | $1,993,550 | 16 | $1,993,550 | $3,264,079 | $1,119,656 |
| 2024 | $15,661,606 | $1,615,351 | $3,273,099 | $3,031,250 | 20 | $3,031,250 | $603,395 | $1,095,087 |
| 2023 | $17,726,309 | $1,815,982 | $3,242,279 | $2,903,400 | 25 | $2,903,400 | $1,383,760 | $1,091,476 |
| 2022 | $19,149,521 | $7,465,941 | $2,257,334 | $2,063,250 | 21 | $2,063,250 | $4,685,764 | $1,264,102 |
| 2021 | $16,180,977 | $4,446,967 | $3,533,858 | $3,326,000 | 21 | — | $3,339,048 | $1,148,877 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Sykes Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.1M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for a university, a nonprofit-services organization, a sports and entertainment commission, cultural organizations, schools, and a historical society.
Community Initiatives describes its work as providing administrative services and thought partnership to nonprofit startups, established initiatives, networks, and collaborations, sponsoring projects for positive social change. The Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission says it works to attract and support high-profile events in Los Angeles and to generate positive local impact. Other grantees describe missions that include promoting men’s a cappella singing (The Harvard Krokodiloes), preserving local history (Dorset Historical Society), strengthening American rowing (United States Rowing Association), educating students (Kent School), and providing scholarships for Ekwanok Country Club employees to attend higher education institutions (Ekwanok Scholarship Trust).
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 16 grants totaling $1,993,550. Grant amounts ranged from $250 to $1,525,000, with a median of $3,750. The largest grants included $1,525,000 to Stanford University, $250,000 to Community Initiatives, $100,000 to the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission, and $75,000 to IFLC Inc. The listed purposes for these grants were general.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Gene T Sykes, Tracy M Sykes, and Michael Gandolfo as trustees.
Sykes Family Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Gene T. Sykes
Trustee
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Tracy M. Sykes
Trustee
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Michael Gandolfo
Trustee
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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 Sykes Family Foundation
How much does Sykes Family Foundation give each year?
Sykes Family Foundation gave $2.0M across 16 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $3.0M across 20 grants.
What is Sykes Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Sykes Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $3,750, and its average grant was $124,597, across 16 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Sykes Family Foundation that year got $40K on average.
Where does Sykes Family Foundation give grants?
Sykes Family Foundation gives mostly in California: 95% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (5 grants) and Pasific Palisades, CA (2 grants).
Does Sykes Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Sykes Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (16 of 16) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Sykes Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Sykes Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Stanford University ($1,525,000), Community Initiatives ($250,000) and Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission ($100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 94% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Sykes Family Foundation?
Sykes Family Foundation reported $17.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.0M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.1M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Sykes Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for a university, a nonprofit-services organization, a sports and entertainment commission, cultural organizations, schools, and a historical society. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Sykes Family 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 Sykes Family Foundation's EIN?
Sykes Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-3748075. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Does Sykes 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Sykes Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/sykes-family-foundation-morg_ab52e667a93045ed8c5388f698f02f7a
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_133748075_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Sykes Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/sykes-family-foundation-morg_ab52e667a93045ed8c5388f698f02f7a},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-05. 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 Sykes 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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