The Counihan Family Foundation
The Counihan Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Villanova, Pennsylvania. In its 2025 filing, it reported grants to charitable organizations including humanitarian, health, education, and community organizations.
Key facts about The Counihan Family Foundation
In short: The Counihan Family Foundation gave $4.3M across 64 grants in 2025 (avg $66K), top state Tennessee. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 45-2428420
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $4,250,000
- Grants made (2025)
- 64
- Average grant
- $66,406
- Median grant
- $50,000
- Total assets
- $37,047,717
- Primary geography
- Tennessee (22% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to apply
- The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$37.0M
-6.2% YoY
Annual Giving
$4.3M
+33.6% YoY
Grant Count
64
+4.9% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$66K
+27.3% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Counihan Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.3M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
How The Counihan Family Foundation gives
- 89% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 110% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 189% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s own mission is not stated in the available information. Its grants show support for organizations working in areas such as humanitarian aid, health, and education. For example, Refugees International describes its mission as advocating for lifesaving assistance, human rights, and protection for displaced people. Direct Relief describes its mission as improving the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies. Miami Dade College Foundation describes itself as a direct support organization for Miami Dade College.
Grantmaking
The foundation made 64 grants totaling $4,250,000 in 2025. Those grants ranged from $5,000 to $500,000, with a median grant of $50,000. It made 61 grants totaling $3,181,500 in 2024 and 51 grants totaling $2,922,000 in 2023.
Among its largest 2025 grants were $500,000 to Get Ahead Project Queenstown for regular operations; $300,000 to Unity in Africa Trust for the iGEMS program; $225,000 to Refugees International for regular operations; and $200,000 to Doctors Without Borders for regular operations in providing global medical aid. Other notable grants included $150,000 each to CARE and Save the Children, and $125,000 to the International Rescue Committee.
How to Apply
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
Ready to take the next step with The Counihan Family Foundation?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, the largest named shares of grant dollars by recipient state were Tennessee (22%), the District of Columbia (12%), Florida (11%), and New York (11%). The listed grants also included recipients in California, Connecticut, and Georgia.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 64 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.1M (2021) to $4.3M (2025). In 2025 it made 64 grants totaling $4.3M.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Get Ahead Project Queenstown ($500K). Together the top 10 received $1.9M.
Grant Size Distribution
255 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 151 grants of 255 (59%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Get Ahead Project Queenstown | To Support Regular Operations | $500,000 |
| Unity in Africa Trust | To Support the Igems Program | $300,000 |
| Refugees International Washington, DC | To Support Regular Operations | $225,000 |
| Doctors Without Borders New York, NY | To support regular operations in providing global medical aid | $200,000 |
| Care Atlanta, GA | To help change the lives of women, children, and families all over the world | $150,000 |
| Save the Children Fairfield, CT | To Support Regular Operations | $150,000 |
| International Rescue Committee New York, NY | To help people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster | $125,000 |
| Damant Lodge Home for the Aged | To Support Regular Operations | $100,000 |
| Direct Relief Santa Barbara, CA | Improving the health and lives of people living in the most vulnerable situations - ukraine crisis and israel conflict | $100,000 |
| Miami Dade College Foundation Miami, FL | To Support Regular Operations | $100,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Grant total | Grant count |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $4,250,000 | 64 |
| 2024 | $3,181,500 | 61 |
| 2023 | $2,922,000 | 51 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $37,047,717 | $39,512,109 | $40,966,987 |
| Revenue | $1,880,509 | $1,816,372 | $1,324,498 |
| Expenses | $4,344,901 | $3,271,250 | $2,993,264 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $4,268,681 | $3,212,788 | $2,952,351 |
| Net Investment Income | $1,834,627 | $1,781,163 | $1,293,732 |
| Distributable Amount | $2,260,161 | $2,203,187 | $2,054,379 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 12, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 12, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 3, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 15, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 7, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Peter F Counihan as director and Rhonwyn P Counihan as director, president, treasurer, and secretary.
The Counihan Family Foundation is led by Rhonwyn P. Counihan, Director, President, Treasurer & Secretary on every filing since 2019; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Rhonwyn P. Counihan
Director, President, Treasurer & Secretary
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Peter F. Counihan
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.
Contact
Mailing address: 795 E Lancaster Ave 280, Villanova, PA 19085
Phone: (610) 520-7660
Frequently asked questions about The Counihan Family Foundation
How much does The Counihan Family Foundation give each year?
The Counihan Family Foundation gave $4.3M across 64 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $3.2M across 61 grants.
What is The Counihan Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Counihan Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $50,000, and its average grant was $66,406, across 64 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Counihan Family Foundation give grants?
The Counihan Family Foundation's top state is Tennessee, with 22% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were District of Columbia (12%) and Florida (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were Nashville, TN (21 grants), Washington, DC (7 grants), New York, NY (5 grants) and Miami, FL (3 grants).
Does The Counihan Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 64 grants with a stated purpose on The Counihan Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "To Support Regular Operations" (33 grants).
Who are The Counihan Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Counihan Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Get Ahead Project Queenstown ($500,000), Unity in Africa Trust ($300,000) and Refugees International ($225,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 24% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Counihan Family Foundation?
The Counihan Family Foundation reported $37.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $4.3M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $2.3M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Counihan Family Foundation fund?
The foundation’s own mission is not stated in the available information. Its grants show support for organizations working in areas such as humanitarian aid, health, and education. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Counihan 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 Counihan Family Foundation's EIN?
The Counihan Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 45-2428420. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Counihan Family Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
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