The Gordon Charter Foundation
The Gordon Charter Foundation is a private foundation based in Wayne, Pennsylvania. Founded in November 2009, it makes grants to healthcare, medical research, educational, and other charitable organizations, primarily in the Greater Philadelphia area.
The Gordon Charter Foundation at a glance
In short: The Gordon Charter Foundation gave $1.2M across 77 grants in 2025 (avg $16K), mostly in Pennsylvania. 28% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,234,000
- +7.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 77
- -1.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $16,026
- +8.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $15,000
- Total assets
- $17,229,865
- +5.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 28% first-time grantees (21 of 76, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Pennsylvania (96% 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 Gordon Charter Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation’s process begins with an online letter of inquiry (LOI). Applicants whose LOIs are approved are invited by email to complete a full application through the online portal. The foundation says not to mail requests or add it to annual appeals, newsletters, or mass-mailing lists; application communications and materials are submitted electronically. Required materials include a completed financial workbook with a full year’s program, management, and fundraising income and expenses, plus a current balance sheet compared with the prior year; an audited financial statement; the IRS exemption letter; the prior fiscal year’s ten or more largest funders and amounts; and a board or trustee list. The filing states that applicants must be public charities exempt under IRC sections 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(2), and be located in the Greater Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area or provide significant services there. Trustees select grant recipients.
- Review Cycle
- The filing states that application deadlines occur quarterly. The website describes applications as rolling, with applications carrying forward to a later quarterly meeting if the maximum number of requests for a meeting has been received. It says the current-year application closes when the December board agenda is full, typically in late November.
- Deadline
- The filing states that application deadlines occur quarterly.
- Contact
Application contact: Leila Gordon
Mailing address: 640 Narcisi Lane, Wayne, PA 19087
Phone: (610) 220-9054
Website: https://gordoncharterfoundation.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Gordon Charter Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Lankenau Medical Center Foundation ($85K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $310K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($15,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
369 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 361 grants of 369 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation says most of its grantmaking is in the Greater Philadelphia area. Its 2025 filing reports that 96% of grant dollars went to recipients in Pennsylvania, 3% to New Jersey, and 1% to Illinois. The filing also allows applications from organizations outside the Greater Philadelphia area if they provide significant services there.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 77 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Gordon Charter Foundation open to new grantees?
28%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 21 of 76 grantees (28%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $13K; repeat grants $17K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $15K repeat.
- 1% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 21% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 100% 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 $938K (2020) to $1.2M (2025). In 2025 it made 77 grants totaling $1.2M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Lankenau Medical Center Foundation Wynnewood, PA | For Lankenau Medical Center Linear Accelerator | $60,000 |
| Face to Face Philadelphia, PA | For General Operating Funds | $25,000 |
| Lankenau Medical Center Foundation Wynnewood, PA | For Jack Lynch Cancer Institute | $25,000 |
| Community Volunteers in Medicine West Chester, PA | For General Operating Funds | $25,000 |
| Pathways to Housing PA Philadelphia, PA | For General Operating Funds | $25,000 |
| Broad Street Love Philadelphia, PA | For General Operating Funds | $25,000 |
| The Hickman Friends Senior Community of West Chester West Chester, PA | For Hickman-Kitchen Renovation | $25,000 |
| Community Partnership School Philadelphia, PA | For General Operating Funds | $25,000 |
| Family Promise Montco PA Ambler, PA | For General Operating Funds | $25,000 |
| American Red Cross Philadelphia, PA | For General Operating Funds | $25,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Gordon Charter 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 | $17,229,865 | $2,333,027 | $1,449,961 | $1,234,000 | 77 | $1,319,491 | $2,232,557 | $1,318,083 |
| 2024 | $16,346,799 | $2,014,816 | $1,333,201 | $1,153,000 | 78 | $1,222,165 | $1,918,780 | $1,233,047 |
| 2023 | $15,665,768 | $1,650,923 | $1,202,363 | $987,000 | 69 | $1,062,698 | $1,551,258 | $1,067,612 |
| 2022 | $15,217,794 | $2,616,933 | $1,225,862 | $1,020,000 | 67 | $1,084,425 | $2,514,496 | $1,078,927 |
| 2021 | $13,792,747 | $1,923,180 | $1,323,448 | $1,121,000 | 78 | $1,190,535 | $1,818,667 | $1,166,706 |
| 2020 | $13,190,303 | $1,685,998 | $1,103,473 | $937,500 | 66 | — | $1,590,230 | $1,008,487 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Gordon Charter Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.3M 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
The foundation’s stated mission is to assist healthcare, medical research, educational, and other charitable organizations that improve people’s lives. Its website identifies education, healthcare, medical research, and human services as areas of grantmaking. It also considers arts and culture grants, though this is not a core giving area; it says grants primarily for environmental purposes generally are not a core objective. Across its stated areas, it gives priority to outreach and programs for disadvantaged and underserved populations.
Examples from its 2025 grants illustrate the range of organizations it supports. Lankenau Medical Center Foundation describes its role as fundraising for Lankenau Medical Center and the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research. Community Volunteers in Medicine says it provides free healthcare to uninsured working people with low incomes. Community Partnership School describes its work as advancing educational equity. Family Promise Montco PA says it addresses hunger and homelessness through shelter, housing, prevention, and support services.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 77 grants totaling $1,234,000. Awards ranged from $5,000 to $60,000, with a median grant of $15,000.
Among the largest 2025 grants were $60,000 to Lankenau Medical Center Foundation for a linear accelerator; $25,000 to Lankenau Medical Center Foundation for the Jack Lynch Cancer Institute; and $25,000 each to Face to Face, Community Volunteers in Medicine, Pathways to Housing PA, Broad Street Love, the Hickman Friends Senior Community of West Chester, Community Partnership School, Family Promise Montco PA, the American Red Cross, Good Samaritan Shelter, and Big Picture Philadelphia. Several of these awards were designated for general operating funds.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The foundation’s website lists Leila Gordon, Hunter R. Gordon, C. Scott Gordon, and Clayton K. Dyer as its current trustees. The 2025 filing lists Leila Gordon as president, Hunter R. Gordon as treasurer, C. Scott Gordon as secretary, and Clayton K. Dyer as trustee.
The Gordon Charter Foundation is led by Leila Gordon, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Leila Gordon
President
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Clayton K. Dyer
Trustee
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
C. Scott Gordon
Secretary
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Hunter R. Gordon
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
2 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 Gordon Charter Foundation
How much does The Gordon Charter Foundation give each year?
The Gordon Charter Foundation gave $1.2M across 77 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.2M across 78 grants.
What is The Gordon Charter Foundation's typical grant size?
The Gordon Charter Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $15,000, and its average grant was $16,026, across 77 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Gordon Charter Foundation that year got $13K on average.
Where does The Gordon Charter Foundation give grants?
The Gordon Charter Foundation gives mostly in Pennsylvania: 96% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Philadelphia, PA (38 grants), Phoenixville, PA (8 grants), West Chester, PA (6 grants) and Wynnewood, PA (3 grants).
Does The Gordon Charter Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 61% of The Gordon Charter Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (47 of 77) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "For Program Support" (8 grants).
Who are The Gordon Charter Foundation's largest grantees?
The Gordon Charter Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Lankenau Medical Center Foundation ($85,000 across 2 grants), Face to Face ($25,000) and Community Volunteers in Medicine ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($15,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 11% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Gordon Charter Foundation?
The Gordon Charter Foundation reported $17.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.3M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.3M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Gordon Charter Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to assist healthcare, medical research, educational, and other charitable organizations that improve people’s lives. Its website identifies education, healthcare, medical research, and human services as areas of grantmaking. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Gordon Charter Foundation?
The foundation’s process begins with an online letter of inquiry (LOI). Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Gordon Charter Foundation's EIN?
The Gordon Charter Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 27-1234570. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
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 November 5, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS October 5, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS October 31, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 22, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Gordon Charter Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-gordon-charter-foundation-morg_cf20250e853547229a1b044c5c823a4e
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_271234570_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Gordon Charter Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-gordon-charter-foundation-morg_cf20250e853547229a1b044c5c823a4e},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Gordon Charter 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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