The Bassman Family Charitable Trust

Private foundation · Grantmaker New York, NY EIN: 45-3191770

The Bassman Family Charitable Trust is a private foundation based in New York, NY. It makes grants to charitable organizations selected in advance and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.

The Bassman Family Charitable Trust at a glance

In short: The Bassman Family Charitable Trust gave $194K across 65 grants in 2024 (avg $3K), mostly in California. 23% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2024)
$194,239
-4.4% vs 2023
Grants made (2024)
65
-5.8% vs 2023
Average grant
$2,988
+1.5% vs 2023
Median grant
$200
Total assets
$20,942
+269.3% vs 2023
New grantees (estimate)
23% first-time grantees (15 of 65, 2024)
Primary geography
California (56% 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 The Bassman Family Charitable Trust

Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to Apply

The trust makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.

Contact

Mailing address: 522 West End Avenue No 12-A, New York, NY 10024
Phone: (212) 325-0732

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

Who The Bassman Family Charitable Trust funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Laguna Playhouse: $31KLaguna Playhouse$31KHampton Synagogue: $27KHampton Synagogue$27KRiverside Park Conservancy: $26KRiverside Park Conservancy$26KLaguna Art Museum: $24KLaguna Art Museum$24KUJA Federation of NY: $18KUJA Federation of NY$18KTemple Bat Yahm: $13KTemple Bat Yahm$13KJewish Federation & Family Services Orange County: $12KJewish Federation & FamilyServices Orange County$12KPacific Symphony: $11KPacific Symphony$11KPlanned Parenthood Orange: $5KPlanned Parenthood Orange$5KJewish Collaborative: $4KJewish Collaborative$4K

The largest 2024 recipient was Laguna Playhouse ($31K). Together the top 10 received $172K.

Grant Size Distribution

332 grants across all recorded years

330<$50K2$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 330 grants of 332 (99%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2024, 56% of grant dollars went to recipients in California and 42% to recipients in New York. The remaining reported shares were 1% each for Illinois and Washington, DC, and 0% for Virginia.

Grant Distribution by State

12states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 65 itemized grants.

Cities

New YorkLaguna BeachNYWashingtonQuogueIrvineWesthamptonLos AngelesSan FranciscoChicagoNewport BeachArlingtonBrooklynAnaheimPhiladelphiaSan ClementeChappaquaCosta MesaSanta AnaTustin

Is The Bassman Family Charitable Trust open to new grantees?

23%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 15 of 65 grantees (23%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $319; repeat grants $4K. How we count

Medians: $224 first-time, $190 repeat.

  • 71% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+19%). Method
  • In 2024 it paid out well above 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

$0$100K$200K$300K63 grants2020 64 grants2021 71 grants2022 69 grants2023 65 grants2024

From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $163K (2021) to $274K (2022). In 2024 it made 65 grants totaling $194K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Laguna Playhouse Laguna Beach, CAGeneral Purposes$31,020
Hampton Synagogue Westhampton, NYGeneral Purposes$27,200
Riverside Park Conservancy New York, NYGeneral Purposes$26,000
Laguna Art Museum Laguna Beach, CAGeneral Purposes$24,100
UJA Federation of NY NY, NYGeneral Purposes$18,036
Temple Bat Yahm Newport Beach, CAGeneral Purposes$13,435
Jewish Federation & Family Services Orange County Irvine, CAGeneral Purposes$12,246
Pacific Symphony Irvine, CAGeneral Purposes$11,000
Planned Parenthood Orange Anaheim, CAGeneral Purposes$5,000
Jewish Collaborative Tustin, CAGeneral Purposes$3,960
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2024$20,942$225,079$209,808$194,23965$194,239$79$654
2023$5,671$200,208$204,107$203,21769$203,217$208$372
2022$9,570$189,491$280,304$274,26471$274,264$66$1,215
2021$100,383$150,007$163,190$163,14064$163,140$7$2,285
2020$113,566$96,453$183,829$183,77963—$2,018$4,813

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Bassman Family Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $654 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 trust is provided. Its grants support organizations working in areas including arts and culture, higher education, and animal welfare. For example, Laguna Art Museum says its mission is to promote understanding of art and artists in American culture, with a collection focused on California art. Pacific Symphony describes itself as a cultural organization presenting music performances and offering education and community engagement programs. Downtown Dog Rescue says it rescues dogs and provides services to low-income pet owners in underserved Los Angeles County communities.

Grantmaking

In 2024, the trust made 65 grants totaling $194,239. Grants ranged from $25 to $31,020, with a median of $200. Its largest reported grants included $31,020 to Laguna Playhouse, $27,200 to Hampton Synagogue, $26,000 to Riverside Park Conservancy, $24,100 to Laguna Art Museum, and $18,036 to UJA Federation of NY. The listed purposes for these grants were “general purposes.”

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2024 filing lists Harley Bassman and Lori Bassman as trustees.

The Bassman Family Charitable Trust's 2024 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • Harley Bassman

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Lori Bassman

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    2 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 The Bassman Family Charitable Trust

How much does The Bassman Family Charitable Trust give each year?

The Bassman Family Charitable Trust gave $194K across 65 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $203K across 69 grants.

What is The Bassman Family Charitable Trust's typical grant size?

The Bassman Family Charitable Trust's median grant in 2024 was $200, and its average grant was $2,988, across 65 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Bassman Family Charitable Trust that year got $319 on average.

Where does The Bassman Family Charitable Trust give grants?

The Bassman Family Charitable Trust gives mostly in California: 56% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (42%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (22 grants), Laguna Beach, CA (6 grants), Washington, DC (5 grants) and Westhampton, NY (3 grants).

Does The Bassman Family Charitable Trust give general operating support?

Yes: 100% of The Bassman Family Charitable Trust's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (65 of 65) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are The Bassman Family Charitable Trust's largest grantees?

The Bassman Family Charitable Trust's largest 2024 grantees include Laguna Playhouse ($31,020), Hampton Synagogue ($27,200) and Riverside Park Conservancy ($26,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 43% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.

How large is The Bassman Family Charitable Trust?

The Bassman Family Charitable Trust reported $21K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $194K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $654 (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does The Bassman Family Charitable Trust fund?

No mission statement for the trust is provided. Its grants support organizations working in areas including arts and culture, higher education, and animal welfare. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The Bassman Family Charitable Trust?

The trust 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 Bassman Family Charitable Trust's EIN?

The Bassman Family Charitable Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 45-3191770. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

Does The Bassman Family Charitable Trust 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

(6)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 12, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 15, 2024)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 13, 2025)
  6. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Live grants for the work The Bassman Family Charitable Trust funds

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). The Bassman Family Charitable Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-bassman-family-charitable-trust-morg_37ad2b0a185347b2893d4d6804251d8a

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_453191770_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{The Bassman Family Charitable Trust funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-bassman-family-charitable-trust-morg_37ad2b0a185347b2893d4d6804251d8a},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-22. 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 Bassman Family Charitable Trust'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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