The Aksel Nielsen Foundation
The Aksel Nielsen Foundation is a private foundation based in Westport, Massachusetts. In its 2025 filing, it reported 41 grants totaling $227,828 to charitable organizations.
The Aksel Nielsen Foundation at a glance
In short: The Aksel Nielsen Foundation gave $228K across 41 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), mostly in Massachusetts. 15% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $227,828
- +14.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 41
- +10.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $5,557
- +2.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,000
- Total assets
- $1,904,303
- -2.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 15% first-time grantees (6 of 41, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (64% 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 The Aksel Nielsen Foundation
- 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: 1148 Drift Road, Westport, MA 02790
Phone: (508) 380-5829
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Aksel Nielsen Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Camp Avoda ($60K). Together the top 10 received $146K.
Grant Size Distribution
192 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 191 grants of 192 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, Massachusetts organizations received 64% of grant dollars, followed by Colorado (18%), New York (5%), Alabama (4%), and California (3%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 41 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Aksel Nielsen Foundation open to new grantees?
15%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 41 grantees (15%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $993; repeat grants $6K. How we count
Medians: $750 first-time, $5K repeat.
- 85% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+15%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 100% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $148K (2019) to $228K (2025). In 2025 it made 41 grants totaling $228K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Camp Avoda Needham, MA | General Support | $60,000 |
| National Sports Center for the Disabled Golden, CO | General Support | $40,000 |
| Greater Boston Food Bank Boston, MA | General Support | $10,000 |
| Planned Parenthood Federation of America New York, NY | General Support | $6,000 |
| Temple Beth Shalom Needham, MA | General Support | $5,168 |
| ACLU New York, NY | General Support | $5,000 |
| ADL New England Boston, MA | General Support | $5,000 |
| CASA Myrna Vazquez Boston, MA | General Support | $5,000 |
| Equal Justice Initiative Montgomery, AL | General Support | $5,000 |
| JCRC Jewish Community Relations Council Boston, MA | General Support | $5,000 |
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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 | $1,904,303 | $387,066 | $278,770 | $227,828 | 41 | $240,945 | $349,241 | $240,395 |
| 2024 | $1,962,057 | $140,105 | $253,806 | $199,780 | 37 | $216,145 | $102,444 | $234,456 |
| 2023 | $2,035,052 | $102,907 | $266,876 | $200,475 | 37 | $219,046 | $68,995 | $206,281 |
| 2022 | $2,073,014 | $510,875 | $240,243 | $197,475 | 39 | $202,265 | $437,141 | $200,181 |
| 2021 | $1,802,820 | $284,304 | $239,615 | $195,350 | 38 | $204,219 | $248,908 | $215,526 |
| 2020 | $1,758,131 | $111,391 | $241,637 | $200,025 | 39 | — | $74,958 | $164,885 |
| 2019 | $1,888,956 | $182,686 | $178,628 | $148,275 | 26 | — | $156,983 | $161,501 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Aksel Nielsen Foundation reported a distributable amount of $240K 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. Its grants include support for organizations with varied missions. For example, Camp Avoda describes its work as providing Jewish boys with a safe, nurturing summer environment; the Greater Boston Food Bank describes distributing food through member agencies and direct distribution sites; and Westport Land Conservation Trust describes its mission as preserving and protecting Westport’s natural resources. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own work.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 41 grants totaling $227,828. Grants ranged from $500 to $60,000, with a median grant of $3,000. Its largest 2025 grants included $60,000 to Camp Avoda and $40,000 to the National Sports Center for the Disabled, both for general support. Other notable grants included $10,000 to the Greater Boston Food Bank and $6,000 to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, also for general support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Judith M Pemstein as president, Alan B Pemstein as secretary, Michael Pemstein as treasurer, and Benjamin Pemstein and Robert Pemstein as trustees.
The Aksel Nielsen Foundation is led by Judith M. Pemstein, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Judith M. Pemstein
President
On filings since 2019
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Benjamin Pemstein
Trustee
On filings since 2019
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Robert Pemstein
Trustee
On filings since 2019
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Alan B. Pemstein
Secretary
On filings since 2019
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Pemstein
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 The Aksel Nielsen Foundation
How much does The Aksel Nielsen Foundation give each year?
The Aksel Nielsen Foundation gave $228K across 41 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $200K across 37 grants.
What is The Aksel Nielsen Foundation's typical grant size?
The Aksel Nielsen Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $3,000, and its average grant was $5,557, across 41 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Aksel Nielsen Foundation that year got $993 on average.
Where does The Aksel Nielsen Foundation give grants?
The Aksel Nielsen Foundation gives mostly in Massachusetts: 64% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Colorado (18%) and New York (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (9 grants), Needham, MA (5 grants), Weston, MA (5 grants) and Westport, MA (3 grants).
Does The Aksel Nielsen Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Aksel Nielsen Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (41 of 41) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Aksel Nielsen Foundation's largest grantees?
The Aksel Nielsen Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Camp Avoda ($60,000), National Sports Center for the Disabled ($40,000) and Greater Boston Food Bank ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 48% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Aksel Nielsen Foundation?
The Aksel Nielsen Foundation reported $1.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $241K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $240K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Aksel Nielsen Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants include support for organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Aksel Nielsen Foundation?
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 ↑
What is The Aksel Nielsen Foundation's EIN?
The Aksel Nielsen Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 84-6025711. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Aksel Nielsen 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
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 30, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 29, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Aksel Nielsen Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Aksel Nielsen Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-aksel-nielsen-foundation-morg_72b4e69ce7ff413a9fb380e0a4ff33eb
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_846025711_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Aksel Nielsen Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-aksel-nielsen-foundation-morg_72b4e69ce7ff413a9fb380e0a4ff33eb},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 The Aksel Nielsen 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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