The Bess Family Foundation
The Bess Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Wilmington, Delaware. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations supporting food access, health care, education, and community services.
The Bess Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Bess Family Foundation gave $21K across 20 grants in 2025 (avg $1K), mostly in Florida. 0% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $21,000
- +0.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 20
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $1,050
- +0.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $572,036
- +0.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 0% first-time grantees (0 of 19, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Florida (60% 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 Bess 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: Foundation Source 501 Silverside Rd, Wilmington, DE 19809-1377
Phone: (800) 839-1754
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Bess Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Palm Beach County Food Bank Inc ($2K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $12K.
Grant Size Distribution
105 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 105 grants of 105 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in Florida (60%), the District of Columbia (14%), New Jersey (10%), Oklahoma (7%), and Tennessee (5%). These figures describe the locations of grant recipients.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 20 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Bess Family Foundation open to new grantees?
0%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 0 of 19 grantees (0%) were first-time recipients. With only 19 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. How we count
- 100% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−9%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 88% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. 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 $17K (2020) to $23K (2022). In 2025 it made 20 grants totaling $21K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Feed the Children Inc Oklahoma City, OK | To Support Feeding Hungry Children In The US | $1,500 |
| Feeding South Florida Inc Pembroke Park, FL | School Pantry Program | $1,500 |
| Palm Beach County Food Bank Inc LK Worth BCH, FL | School Pantry Program | $1,500 |
| American National Red Cross Washington, DC | To Feed Families in Disaster Areas | $1,000 |
| Boys and Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County Inc West Palm Beach, FL | Gift To Support STEM Programs | $1,000 |
| Caridad Center Inc Boynton Beach, FL | The Medical Center | $1,000 |
| Center for Creative Education West Palm BCH, FL | The Foundations School (K-5) | $1,000 |
| Community Food Bank of New Jersey Inc Hillside, NJ | To Feed Hungry Families | $1,000 |
| Ferd and Gladys Alpert Jewish Family & Childrens S West Palm Beach, FL | JFS At Home Services | $1,000 |
| Foundcare Inc West Palm BCH, FL | Medical Care For Underserved Children | $1,000 |
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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 | $572,036 | $34,248 | $33,027 | $21,000 | 20 | $26,344 | $28,198 | $29,986 |
| 2024 | $570,815 | $54,543 | $31,945 | $20,975 | 20 | $26,189 | $23,985 | $27,606 |
| 2023 | $548,217 | $18,610 | $32,170 | $21,500 | 21 | $26,588 | $14,219 | $26,223 |
| 2022 | $561,777 | $53,105 | $34,402 | $23,000 | 23 | $28,025 | $22,743 | $25,963 |
| 2021 | $543,074 | $111,303 | $29,612 | $18,750 | 21 | $23,775 | $80,646 | $27,302 |
| 2020 | $461,383 | $5,647 | $26,718 | $16,500 | 21 | — | $5,297 | $23,731 |
| 2019 | $482,454 | $52,234 | $27,767 | $17,700 | 24 | — | $61,404 | $22,794 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Bess Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $30K 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 2025 grants included support for food assistance, medical care, education and STEM programs, disaster relief, and services for families and seniors.
The grantees describe their work in their own terms. Feeding South Florida says its mission is to end hunger in South Florida through access to nutritious food, advocacy, programming, and education. The Palm Beach County Food Bank says it fights hunger and improves food security through food, nutrition education, and financial assistance. Caridad Center says it works to improve the health, education, and quality of life of underserved children and families in Palm Beach County. FoundCare says it provides health care and social services for individuals and families. These are grantees’ missions, not statements of the foundation’s own mission.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 20 grants totaling $21,000. Grants ranged from $500 to $1,500, with a median grant of $1,000.
Among the reported grants were $1,500 each to Feed the Children, Feeding South Florida, and Palm Beach County Food Bank. Other grants included $1,000 to the American National Red Cross for feeding families in disaster areas; $1,000 to Boys and Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County for STEM programs; $1,000 to Caridad Center for its medical center; $1,000 to FoundCare for medical care for underserved children; and $1,000 to the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County to support feeding seniors.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Joan Bess as vice president and director, and John Bess as president, director, secretary, and treasurer.
The Bess Family Foundation is led by John Bess, President, Director, Secretary & Treasurer on every filing since 2019; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
John Bess
President, Director, Secretary & Treasurer
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Joan Bess
Vice President & Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/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 Bess Family Foundation
How much does The Bess Family Foundation give each year?
The Bess Family Foundation gave $21K across 20 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $21K across 20 grants.
What is The Bess Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Bess Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $1,050, across 20 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Bess Family Foundation give grants?
The Bess Family Foundation gives mostly in Florida: 60% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were District of Columbia (14%) and New Jersey (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were West Palm BCH, FL (4 grants), Washington, DC (3 grants), West Palm Beach, FL (3 grants) and LK Worth BCH, FL (2 grants).
Does The Bess Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 25% of The Bess Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (5 of 20) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Bess Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Bess Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Palm Beach County Food Bank Inc ($2,000 across 2 grants), Feed the Children Inc ($1,500) and Feeding South Florida Inc ($1,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 24% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Bess Family Foundation?
The Bess Family Foundation reported $572K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $26K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $30K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does The Bess Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for food assistance, medical care, education and STEM programs, disaster relief, and services for families and seniors. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Bess 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 The Bess Family Foundation's EIN?
The Bess Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 46-4002278. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Bess 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
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 12, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS August 24, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 22, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 23, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 4, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 9, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 3, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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