The Ember Foundation
The Ember Foundation exists to aid, support, and promote the jewish faith and cultural observances through financial support and instruction to individuals, torah outreach organizations, and others.
Key facts about The Ember Foundation
In short: The Ember Foundation gave $399K across 8 grants in 2025 (avg $50K), mostly in Illinois. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 20-8674232
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $399,100
- Grants made (2025)
- 8
- Average grant
- $49,888
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $1,374,912
- Primary geography
- Illinois (97% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990 · View filing
Total Assets
$1.4M
+11.9% YoY
Annual Giving
$399K
+1.8% YoY
Grant Count
8
+0.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$50K
+1.8% YoY
How The Ember Foundation gives
- Giving fell 35% from 2022 to 2025. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990 filings. Methodology.
About The Ember Foundation
Based on IRS filings
The Ember Foundation is a public charity focused on religion, based in Chicago, IL. IRS filing data is available from 2019 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $1.4M in total assets. In 2025, it awarded 8 grants totaling $399K. Net investment income was $28K.
Focus Areas
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 8 itemized grants.
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $290K (2020) to $617K (2022). In 2025 it made 8 grants totaling $399K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 8 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Torah Out-Reach Assistance Hub ($329K). Together the top 8 received $399K.
Grant Size Distribution
40 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 34 grants of 40 (85%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Torah Out-Reach Assistance Hub Chicago, IL | General Support | $329,100 |
| Agudath Israel of Illinois Chicago, IL | Camp Negeelah | $10,000 |
| Jem Milwaukee, WI | General Support | $10,000 |
| Jewish Education Team Chicago, IL | General Support | $10,000 |
| J-Life Outreach Inc Chicago, IL | General Support | $10,000 |
| Project 613 Chicago, IL | General Support | $10,000 |
| Yisraelink Organization Inc Chicago, IL | General Support | $10,000 |
| NCSY Chicago, IL | General Support | $10,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $1,374,912 | $1,228,721 | $1,116,806 |
| Revenue | $590,900 | $534,499 | $511,205 |
| Expenses | $444,709 | $422,584 | $352,218 |
| Net Investment Income | $27,825 | $30,694 | $460 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 10, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 8, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS July 18, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS August 27, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 29, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS April 21, 2020)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 22, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
The Ember Foundation is led by Jonathan Albin, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 11 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Jonathan Albin
President
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Andrew Lappin
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gary Greenberg
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jacques Aaron Preis
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jeffrey Nemetz
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jorde Nathan
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michael Rose
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sanford Barr
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Joel Friedland
Secretary
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Peter Kupferberg
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Steven Feiger
Vice President
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 Ember Foundation
How much does The Ember Foundation give each year?
The Ember Foundation gave $399K across 8 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $392K across 8 grants.
What is The Ember Foundation's typical grant size?
The Ember Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $49,888, across 8 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does The Ember Foundation give grants?
The Ember Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 97% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (7 grants).
Does The Ember Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 88% of The Ember Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (7 of 8) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Who are The Ember Foundation's largest grantees?
The Ember Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Torah Out-Reach Assistance Hub ($329,100), Agudath Israel of Illinois ($10,000) and Jem ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 87% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Ember Foundation?
The Ember Foundation reported $1.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $591K.
What is The Ember Foundation?
The Ember Foundation is a public charity focused on religion, based in Chicago, IL. It holds $1.4M in total assets as of 2025.
What is The Ember Foundation's EIN?
The Ember Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-8674232. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings.
Here's the math on researching The Ember Foundation by hand.
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