The Bessie Family Foundation
The Bessie Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Jessup, Maryland. In 2025, it made 39 grants totaling $66,054 to charitable organizations, including Jewish organizations, social-service providers, and community organizations.
The Bessie Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Bessie Family Foundation gave $66K across 39 grants in 2025 (avg $2K), top state Utah. 41% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $66,054
- +17.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 39
- +30.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $1,694
- -9.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $554,096
- -4.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 41% first-time grantees (16 of 39, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Utah (41% 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 Bessie Family 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: PO Box 973, Jessup, MD 20794
Phone: (410) 868-5758
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Bessie Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Temple HAR Shalom ($11K). Together the top 10 received $43K.
Grant Size Distribution
149 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 149 grants of 149 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 41% of grant dollars went to recipients in Utah, 24% to recipients in the District of Columbia, 21% to recipients in New York, 8% to recipients in Maryland, and 3% to recipients in Tennessee.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 39 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Bessie Family Foundation open to new grantees?
41%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 16 of 39 grantees (41%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $901; repeat grants $2K. How we count
Medians: $508 first-time, $1K repeat.
- 51% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 377% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 207% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $14K (2022) to $80K (2020). In 2025 it made 39 grants totaling $66K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Temple HAR Shalom Park City, UT | General Use. | $11,000 |
| Washington Hebrew Congregation Washington, DC | General Use. | $6,262 |
| Hadassah the Women's Zionist Organization of America New York, NY | General Use. | $5,000 |
| Sixth and I Synagogue Washington, DC | General Use. | $5,000 |
| United Jewish Federation of Utah Salt Lake City, UT | General Use. | $5,000 |
| Capitol Language Services Washington, DC | General Use. | $2,240 |
| Birthright Israel Foundation New York, NY | General Use. | $2,000 |
| Egyptian Theatre Park City, UT | General Use. | $2,000 |
| Jewish Family Service Park City, UT | General Use. | $2,000 |
| Park City Community Foundation Park City, UT | General Use. | $2,000 |
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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 | $554,096 | $49,582 | $73,035 | $66,054 | 39 | $66,054 | $42,601 | $31,910 |
| 2024 | $578,206 | $28,985 | $66,910 | $56,023 | 30 | $56,023 | $19,125 | $33,307 |
| 2023 | $613,656 | $28,207 | $72,966 | $64,050 | 24 | $64,050 | $19,291 | $31,268 |
| 2022 | $746,515 | $-272,791 | $21,176 | $13,841 | 15 | — | — | $33,727 |
| 2021 | $1,040,479 | $91,679 | $83,200 | $73,973 | 41 | $73,973 | $86,388 | $47,979 |
| 2020 | $1,032,002 | $-86,858 | $91,627 | $80,355 | 52 | — | $3,437 | $49,855 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Bessie Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $32K 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, United Jewish Federation of Utah describes its mission as building an inclusive Jewish community, meeting human needs, and promoting Jewish identity. Jewish Family Service describes its work as supporting people of all faiths through counseling, advocacy, care management, and community education. Peace House says it works to end interpersonal violence and abuse through survivor support, safe housing, and prevention education.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 39 grants totaling $66,054. Grant amounts ranged from $105 to $11,000, with a median of $1,000. The largest grants included $11,000 to Temple Har Shalom in Park City, Utah; $6,262 to Washington Hebrew Congregation in Washington, DC; and $5,000 each to Hadassah The Women’s Zionist Organization of America in New York and Sixth and I Synagogue in Washington, DC. These grants were listed for general use.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Herbert E. Lichtenstein as president and Barbara E. Hylander as vice-president, secretary, and treasurer.
The Bessie Family Foundation is led by Herbert E. Lichtenstein, President on every filing since 2023; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Herbert E. Lichtenstein
President
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Barbara E. Hylander
Vice President, Secretary & Treasurer
On filings since 2023
1.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Herb Lichtenstein (2020–2022) — Principal Officer
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 The Bessie Family Foundation
How much does The Bessie Family Foundation give each year?
The Bessie Family Foundation gave $66K across 39 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $56K across 30 grants.
What is The Bessie Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Bessie Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $1,694, across 39 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Bessie Family Foundation that year got $901 on average.
Where does The Bessie Family Foundation give grants?
The Bessie Family Foundation's top state is Utah, with 41% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were District of Columbia (24%) and New York (21%). The most frequent recipient cities were Park City, UT (8 grants), Washington, DC (7 grants), New York, NY (7 grants) and Salt Lake City, UT (3 grants).
Does The Bessie Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Bessie Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (39 of 39) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Bessie Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Bessie Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Temple HAR Shalom ($11,000), Washington Hebrew Congregation ($6,262) and Hadassah the Women's Zionist Organization of America ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 34% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Bessie Family Foundation?
The Bessie Family Foundation reported $554K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $66K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $32K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Bessie Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants include support for organizations with varied missions. For example, United Jewish Federation of Utah describes its mission as building an inclusive Jewish community, meeting human needs, and promoting Jewish identity. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Bessie Family 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 Bessie Family Foundation's EIN?
The Bessie Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 45-2673804. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Bessie 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS August 13, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS September 29, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 6, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS August 20, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Bessie Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Bessie Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-bessie-family-foundation-morg_9b6ac928a46e49b58909ff36bd144729
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_452673804_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Bessie Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-bessie-family-foundation-morg_9b6ac928a46e49b58909ff36bd144729},
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 The Bessie 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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