The Gellman Foundation
The Gellman Foundation is a private foundation based in Spokane, Washington. It makes grants to charitable organizations; its 2025 grants included recipients working in areas such as religious life, civil rights, food assistance, health, voting access, and the arts.
The Gellman Foundation at a glance
In short: The Gellman Foundation gave $65K across 26 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), top state Washington. 23% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $65,200
- +4.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 26
- -10.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,508
- +16.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,000
- Total assets
- $1,116,225
- +0.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 23% first-time grantees (6 of 26, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Washington (28% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Gellman Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. The filing lists Lisa Boyle as the contact and states that no application form or materials are required; it lists no restrictions on awards or deadlines.
- Contact
Application contact: Lisa Boyle
Mailing address: 4053 Maple Road, Amherst, NY 14226
Phone: (716) 833-4986
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Gellman Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Chabad House of Spokane ($8K). Together the top 10 received $42K.
Grant Size Distribution
118 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 118 grants of 118 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, the shares of grant dollars going to recipients by state were Washington 28%, California 21%, New York 14%, Washington, D.C. 13%, and Oregon 11%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 26 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Gellman Foundation open to new grantees?
23%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 26 grantees (23%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 65% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 25% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 124% 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 $36K (2020) to $66K (2023). In 2025 it made 26 grants totaling $65K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Chabad House of Spokane Spokane, WA | Charitable | $8,000 |
| Smith-Barbieri Fund Spokane, WA | Charitable | $8,000 |
| Anti Defamation League New York, NY | Charitable | $4,000 |
| Brennan Center for Justice New York, NY | Charitable | $4,000 |
| Chabad of Eugene Eugene, OR | Charitable | $3,500 |
| PHB Santa Monica Synagogue Santa Monica, CA | Charitable | $3,500 |
| Los Angeles Food Bank Los Angeles, CA | Charitable | $3,200 |
| Bolts (The Political Report) Washington, DC | Charitable | $2,500 |
| Hope House - Volunteers of America Spokane, WA | Charitable | $2,500 |
| Temple Beth Israel Eugene, OR | Charitable | $2,500 |
Ready to take the next step with The Gellman 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 | $1,116,225 | $97,371 | $84,742 | $65,200 | 26 | $66,813 | $80,744 | $54,004 |
| 2024 | $1,111,362 | $84,596 | $71,894 | $62,200 | 29 | $63,724 | $68,326 | $61,235 |
| 2023 | $1,049,464 | $48,258 | $78,388 | $65,500 | 20 | $67,105 | $38,988 | $48,715 |
| 2022 | $1,079,594 | $79,386 | $64,504 | $52,250 | 23 | $53,750 | $69,635 | $50,331 |
| 2021 | $1,067,276 | $84,768 | $71,806 | $60,000 | 20 | $61,400 | $71,812 | $55,871 |
| 2020 | $1,054,314 | $23,759 | $49,234 | $35,500 | 21 | — | $12,834 | $50,060 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Gellman Foundation reported a distributable amount of $54K 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 is provided. The grantees’ own descriptions illustrate the range of organizations supported: Homeless Not Toothless says it provides free dental care to people experiencing homelessness or severe financial need; Spread the Vote says it helps people obtain government-issued photo identification; and Marble House Project describes itself as an artist residency program with a focus on conservation, organic food production, and the arts. These are grantees’ descriptions of their own work, not the foundation’s stated mission.
Grantmaking
The foundation awarded 26 grants totaling $65,200 in 2025. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $8,000, with a median of $2,000. It awarded 29 grants totaling $62,200 in 2024 and 20 grants totaling $65,500 in 2023.
Among its largest 2025 grants were $8,000 each to Chabad House of Spokane and Smith-Barbieri Fund; $4,000 each to Anti Defamation League and Brennan Center for Justice; and $3,500 each to Chabad of Eugene and PHB Santa Monica Synagogue.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Arthur M Gellman, George I Gellman, and Deborah Gellman Zaretsky as trustees.
The Gellman Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Arthur M. Gellman
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Deborah Gellman Zaretsky
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
George I. Gellman
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
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 Gellman Foundation
How much does The Gellman Foundation give each year?
The Gellman Foundation gave $65K across 26 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $62K across 29 grants.
What is The Gellman Foundation's typical grant size?
The Gellman Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $2,508, across 26 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Gellman Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does The Gellman Foundation give grants?
The Gellman Foundation's top state is Washington, with 28% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were California (21%) and New York (14%). The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (5 grants), Washington, DC (5 grants), Spokane, WA (3 grants) and New York, NY (3 grants).
Does The Gellman Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 26 grants with a stated purpose on The Gellman Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (26 grants).
Who are The Gellman Foundation's largest grantees?
The Gellman Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Chabad House of Spokane ($8,000), Smith-Barbieri Fund ($8,000) and Anti Defamation League ($4,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 31% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Gellman Foundation?
The Gellman Foundation reported $1.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $67K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $54K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Gellman Foundation fund?
No mission statement is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Gellman Foundation?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Gellman Foundation's EIN?
The Gellman Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 58-1765283. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Gellman 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.
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 November 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS July 10, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 14, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Gellman Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-gellman-foundation-morg_25c955f8d62744f9a85a0c2984f38fd7
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_581765283_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Gellman Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-gellman-foundation-morg_25c955f8d62744f9a85a0c2984f38fd7},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 Gellman 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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