The Desai Foundation
The Desai Foundation is a private foundation based in Frankfort, Illinois. Its 2025 filing reports charitable grants to organizations in several states and lists the grant purposes as “CHARITY.”
The Desai Foundation at a glance
In short: The Desai Foundation gave $107K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $11K), top state Kentucky. 70% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $106,505
- +47.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- +25.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $10,651
- +17.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,251
- Total assets
- $1,437,500
- -0.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 70% first-time grantees (7 of 10, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Kentucky (43% 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 Desai 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: 11055 Venezia Drive, Frankfort, IL 60423
Phone: (815) 768-9104
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Desai Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Divine Shakti Foundation ($46K). Together the top 10 received $107K.
Grant Size Distribution
41 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 40 grants of 41 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In filing year 2025, the reported shares of grant dollars by recipient state were Kentucky 43%, New Hampshire 28%, New York 19%, Illinois 9%, and Michigan 1%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Desai Foundation open to new grantees?
70%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 7 of 10 grantees (70%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $29K. How we count
Medians: $201 first-time, $30K repeat.
- 30% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 91% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 90% 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 (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 $35K (2021) to $107K (2025). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $107K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Divine Shakti Foundation Louisville, KY | Charity | $45,501 |
| Dartmouth College Hanover, NH | Charity | $30,000 |
| Edward Foundation Elmhurst, IL | Charity | $10,000 |
| UNICEF USA New York, NY | Charity | $10,000 |
| Doctors Without Borders New York, NY | Charity | $10,000 |
| Mandir - Iskcon Detroit Detroit, MI | Charity | $501 |
| Ekta Center Irvine, CA | Charity | $201 |
| Hindu Temple - Canton Canton Township, MI | Charity | $101 |
| Harinam Sankirtan Madal Canton, MI | Charity | $101 |
| American Heart Association Chicago, IL | Charity | $100 |
Ready to take the next step with The Desai Foundation?
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 | $1,437,500 | $120,538 | $125,150 | $106,505 | 10 | $107,235 | $51,568 | $119,136 |
| 2024 | $1,442,112 | $83,028 | $92,451 | $72,351 | 8 | $75,833 | $46,911 | $91,976 |
| 2023 | $1,450,215 | $40,847 | $48,468 | $35,016 | 9 | — | $45,703 | — |
| 2022 | $1,464,557 | $33,776 | $75,608 | $55,891 | 9 | — | $37,990 | — |
| 2021 | $1,474,557 | $34,558 | $55,343 | $34,826 | 5 | — | $66,266 | — |
| 2020 | $1,443,136 | $24,794 | $53,637 | $39,702 | 9 | — | $16,843 | $70,840 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Desai Foundation reported a distributable amount of $119K 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 went to charitable organizations, including foundations, a college, international aid organizations, and religious organizations. The Divine Shakti Foundation, which received a grant, describes its own goal as holistically providing for the well-being of women, their children, and orphaned or abandoned children around the world.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation gave $106,505 across 10 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $100 to $45,501, with a median grant of $5,250. The largest grants were $45,501 to Divine Shakti Foundation, $30,000 to Dartmouth College, and $10,000 each to Edward Foundation, UNICEF USA, and Doctors Without Borders. Other listed grants included $501 to Mandir - ISKCON Detroit, $201 to Ekta Center, $101 each to Hindu Temple - Canton and Harinam Sankirtan Madal, and $100 to the American Heart Association.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Tejal Harshad Desai as president; Rupal Desai as treasurer and director; Sarojini Desai as secretary and director; and Harshad Desai as director.
The Desai Foundation is led by Tejal Harshad Desai, President on every filing since 2024; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Tejal Harshad Desai
President
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Harshad N. Desai
Director
Vice President → Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Sarojini H. Desai
Secretary & Director
President & Treasurer → Secretary & Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Rupal Desai
Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
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 Desai Foundation
How much does The Desai Foundation give each year?
The Desai Foundation gave $107K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $72K across 8 grants.
What is The Desai Foundation's typical grant size?
The Desai Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,251, and its average grant was $10,651, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Desai Foundation that year got $3K on average.
Where does The Desai Foundation give grants?
The Desai Foundation's top state is Kentucky, with 43% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New Hampshire (28%) and New York (19%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (2 grants).
Does The Desai Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 10 grants with a stated purpose on The Desai Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charity" (10 grants).
Who are The Desai Foundation's largest grantees?
The Desai Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Divine Shakti Foundation ($45,501), Dartmouth College ($30,000) and Edward Foundation ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 80% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Desai Foundation?
The Desai Foundation reported $1.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $107K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $119K (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 Desai Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to charitable organizations, including foundations, a college, international aid organizations, and religious organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Desai 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 Desai Foundation's EIN?
The Desai Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-5845478. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Desai 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
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 11, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 5, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 2, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 2, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 11, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 4, 2026)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Desai Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-desai-foundation-morg_9a4b6501aed845f282119ab86480ca88
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_205845478_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Desai Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-desai-foundation-morg_9a4b6501aed845f282119ab86480ca88},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Desai 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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