The Foundation for Surgical Fellowships
The Foundation for Surgical Fellowships is a Los Angeles, California–based public charity that supported postgraduate surgical fellowship training. The foundation’s website states that it was established in 2010 and that it concluded operations and formally closed its doors as of December 31, 2025.
The Foundation for Surgical Fellowships at a glance
- Total assets
- $276,319
- +15.5% vs 2023
- Revenue (2024)
- $40,060
- -91.7% vs 2023
- Net investment income (2024)
- $20
- -96.6% vs 2023
- Expenses (2024)
- $2,942
- -99.8% vs 2023
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Foundation for Surgical Fellowships
- Contact
Mailing address: 11300 W Olympic Blvd 600, Los Angeles, CA 90064
Phone: (310) 437-0581
Website: https://surgicalfellowships.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from The Foundation for Surgical Fellowships
Who The Foundation for Surgical Fellowships funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
368 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 346 grants of 368 (94%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s application information stated that it funded institutions in the United States only.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Is The Foundation for Surgical Fellowships open to new grantees?
12%
first-time grantees, 2023
In 2023, 9 of 78 grantees (12%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $11K; repeat grants $12K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $10K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2023). 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 2023, annual grant giving ranged from $920K (2023) to $2.4M (2020). In 2023 it made 79 grants totaling $920K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Clinic Cleveland, OH | General Support | $30,000 |
| Cleveland Clinic Weston, FL | General Support | $20,000 |
| Indiana University Indianapolis, IN | General Support | $20,000 |
| Jackson South Community Hospi Miami, FL | General Support | $20,000 |
| Providence Portland Medical Portland, OR | General Support | $20,000 |
| Stanford University San Francisco, CA | General Support | $20,000 |
| Swedish Foundation Seattle, WA | General Support | $20,000 |
| The Ohio State University Columbus, OH | General Support | $20,000 |
| Univ Hospitals Clevelend Med Cleveland, OH | General Support | $20,000 |
| Univ of Arizona Tucson, AZ | General Support | $20,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $276,319 | $40,060 | $2,942 | — | — | $20 |
| 2023 | $239,201 | $481,445 | $1,198,148 | $920,000 | 79 | $583 |
| 2022 | $958,050 | $2,090,513 | $2,280,968 | $1,980,000 | 95 | $1,108 |
| 2021 | $1,824,859 | $2,500,979 | $2,557,590 | $2,140,784 | 95 | $558 |
| 2020 | $2,136,470 | $2,503,638 | $2,811,232 | $2,390,000 | 99 | $664 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The organization’s stated mission is to fund high-quality fellowships in various areas of surgery. Its website describes support for postgraduate training in minimally invasive surgical disciplines, including MIS general, bariatric, colorectal, thoracic, and hepatopancreaticobiliary surgery, as well as robotic-focused fellowships within those disciplines. The website also names flexible endoscopy and minimal access surgery among its areas of interest.
Grantees included hospitals and academic medical institutions. For example, Atrium Health Foundation received a grant in 2022; its stated mission is to inspire transformational giving to improve health, elevate hope, and advance healing. Montefiore Medical Center also received a 2022 grant; its stated mission includes healing, teaching, discovery, and advancing the health of the communities it serves.
Grantmaking
The 2022 filing reports 95 grants totaling $1,980,000. The 2023 and 2024 filings report no grants. The foundation’s website says that in recent years awards were $20,000 per fellowship position, with the maximum amount varying by year based on funds raised and applications received.
Examples of 2022 grants include $20,000 each to Atrium Health Foundation, Montefiore Medical Center, Abington Memorial Hospital, and Emory University. The website’s application information described a process for institutions seeking support for eligible fellowship programs; however, the foundation has since stated that it closed its operations as of December 31, 2025, so those application details are not current.
Historically, eligible applicants were U.S. institutions with Fellowship Council–accredited programs; certain ACGME-accredited programs that did not receive CMS funding could also be considered. Training was required to be primarily minimally invasive. Programs were evaluated for quality and excellence in surgical practice, training, and scholarly activities. For robotic-focused awards, each fellow was required to have at least 50 dual-console cases in the prior academic year, and program faculty had to meet a combined console-surgeon case-volume requirement.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Mark A. Talamini as president; Steven Schwaitzberg as vice president; Caitlin Halbert as secretary/treasurer; and Sean Orestein, Alice Wei, and Dana Telem as directors.
The Foundation for Surgical Fellowships is led by Mark A. Talamini, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 6 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Mark A. Talamini
President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Alice Wei
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Dana Telem
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Sean Orestein
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Caitlin Halbert
Secretary & Treasurer
Director → Secretary & Treasurer, 2022
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Steven Schwaitzberg
Vice President
Director → Vice President, 2021
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Former officers (6)
- Former: David Margolin (2020) — Director
- Former: Dennis Fowler (2020) — Director
- Former: Harmik Soukaissian (2020) — Director
- Former: John Hunter (2020) — Director
- Former: Robin Blackstone (2020) — Secretary & Treasurer
- Former: Thomas D'amico (2020) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Foundation for Surgical Fellowships
How large is The Foundation for Surgical Fellowships?
The Foundation for Surgical Fellowships reported $276K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $40K.
What does The Foundation for Surgical Fellowships fund?
The organization’s stated mission is to fund high-quality fellowships in various areas of surgery. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Foundation for Surgical Fellowships?
The Foundation for Surgical Fellowships has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check surgicalfellowships.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
Where does The Foundation for Surgical Fellowships make grants?
The foundation’s application information stated that it funded institutions in the United States only.
What is The Foundation for Surgical Fellowships's EIN?
The Foundation for Surgical Fellowships's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 27-1615075. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(5)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 14, 2024)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work The Foundation for Surgical Fellowships funds
Health Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Foundation for Surgical Fellowships's focus areas in our free grants database
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Figures come from The Foundation for Surgical Fellowships'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.
The Foundation for Surgical Fellowships down — hundreds of funders to go?