The Franz W Sichel Foundation
The Franz W Sichel Foundation is a private foundation based in Arlington, Massachusetts. In its 2025 filing, it reported 62 grants totaling $129,797 to charitable organizations, including organizations working in food access, reproductive justice, youth arts, education, and public information.
The Franz W Sichel Foundation at a glance
In short: The Franz W Sichel Foundation gave $130K across 62 grants in 2025 (avg $2K), top state New York. 19% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $129,797
- +9.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 62
- +10.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,094
- -1.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,500
- Total assets
- $1,513,197
- -5.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 19% first-time grantees (12 of 62, 2025)
- Primary geography
- New York (34% 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 Franz W Sichel Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. It states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations. The filing lists David Brown as the contact, and lists form and materials and award restrictions as N/A.
- Contact
Application contact: David Brown
Mailing address: 43 Burch St, Arlington, MA 02474
Phone: (781) 507-5789
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Franz W Sichel Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Doctors Without Borders ($10K). Together the top 10 received $60K.
Grant Size Distribution
281 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 281 grants of 281 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in New York (34%), California (23%), Maine (20%), Rhode Island (6%), and Alabama (5%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 62 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Franz W Sichel Foundation open to new grantees?
19%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 12 of 62 grantees (19%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $2K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $1K repeat.
- 74% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+5%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 102% 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 $93K (2021) to $145K (2023). In 2025 it made 62 grants totaling $130K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Doctors Without Borders New York, NY | General Operating Purposes | $10,000 |
| Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence San Francisco, CA | General Operating Purposes | $10,000 |
| Redwood Empire Food Bank Santa Rosa, CA | General Operating Purposes | $7,500 |
| Maine Community Foundation Ellsworth, ME | General Operating Purposes | $5,000 |
| Schoodic Food Pantry Gouldsboro, ME | General Operating Purposes | $5,000 |
| School of Arts for All Winter Harbor, ME | General Operating Purposes | $5,000 |
| Yellowhammer Fund Birmingham, AL | General Operating Purposes | $5,000 |
| Redwood Library and Athenaeum Newport, RI | General Operating Purposes | $5,000 |
| NYC Salt New York, NY | General Operating Purposes | $4,000 |
| Brigid Alliance New York, NY | General Operating Purposes | $3,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Franz W Sichel 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 | $1,513,197 | $89,849 | $174,273 | $129,797 | 62 | $134,627 | $62,519 | $131,680 |
| 2024 | $1,597,730 | $468,048 | $152,327 | $118,925 | 56 | $125,622 | $441,311 | $116,107 |
| 2023 | $1,282,222 | $49,968 | $178,346 | $144,735 | 59 | $151,116 | $46,192 | $120,317 |
| 2022 | $1,410,867 | $77,201 | $159,140 | $123,860 | 56 | $129,197 | $47,258 | $138,205 |
| 2021 | $1,492,289 | $53,863 | $130,062 | $93,300 | 48 | — | $43,825 | $118,974 |
| 2020 | $1,568,488 | $110,019 | $142,598 | $103,000 | 49 | — | $85,031 | $115,286 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Franz W Sichel Foundation reported a distributable amount of $132K 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, Redwood Empire Food Bank describes its mission as feeding neighbors in need and leading the community to end hunger; Schoodic Food Pantry says it purchases and distributes food for needy families; and Yellowhammer Fund describes itself as a reproductive justice organization. NYC SALT says it works to empower underserved New York City youth through photography, video, and visual-industry education. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave 62 grants totaling $129,797. Grants ranged from $125 to $10,000, with a median of $1,500. Among the largest grants were $10,000 each to Doctors Without Borders and Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence; $7,500 to Redwood Empire Food Bank; and $5,000 each to Maine Community Foundation, Schoodic Food Pantry, School of Arts for All, Yellowhammer Fund, and Redwood Library and Athenaeum. The listed purposes for these grants were general operating purposes.
Other 2025 grants included $4,000 to NYC SALT and $3,000 each to Brigid Alliance, Brown University, and Just the Pill.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Kim Sichel as treasurer/director; Katharine Brown as secretary/director; Erich Hahn Jr, Sylvia Sichel, and Bettina Sichel as directors; and David Brown as president/director.
The Franz W Sichel Foundation is led by David Brown, President & Director since 2022 (on filings since 2020); none of the 6 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
David Brown
President & Director
Director → President & Director, 2022
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bettina Sichel
Director
Vice President & Director → Director, 2022
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Erich Hahn Jr.
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Katharine Brown
Secretary & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kim Sichel
Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sylvia Sichel
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Peter Mf Sichel (2020–2024) — Assistant Treasurer & Director
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 Franz W Sichel Foundation
How much does The Franz W Sichel Foundation give each year?
The Franz W Sichel Foundation gave $130K across 62 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $119K across 56 grants.
What is The Franz W Sichel Foundation's typical grant size?
The Franz W Sichel Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,500, and its average grant was $2,094, across 62 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Franz W Sichel Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does The Franz W Sichel Foundation give grants?
The Franz W Sichel Foundation's top state is New York, with 34% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were California (23%) and Maine (20%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (17 grants), Winter Harbor, ME (4 grants), Brooklyn, NY (4 grants) and San Francisco, CA (3 grants).
Does The Franz W Sichel Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Franz W Sichel Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (62 of 62) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Franz W Sichel Foundation's largest grantees?
The Franz W Sichel Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Doctors Without Borders ($10,000), Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence ($10,000) and Redwood Empire Food Bank ($7,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 21% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Franz W Sichel Foundation?
The Franz W Sichel Foundation reported $1.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $135K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $132K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Franz W Sichel Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants include support for organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Franz W Sichel Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Franz W Sichel Foundation's EIN?
The Franz W Sichel Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-6115904. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Franz W Sichel 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Franz W Sichel Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-franz-w-sichel-foundation-morg_d4f7737590ab4d77a773798498180e0c
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_136115904_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Franz W Sichel Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-franz-w-sichel-foundation-morg_d4f7737590ab4d77a773798498180e0c},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-22. 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 Franz W Sichel 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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