The Heller Foundation Inc
The Heller Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Madison, New Jersey. Its 2025 grants supported organizations working in areas including justice, community services, health care, arts and culture, and early childhood development.
The Heller Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: The Heller Foundation Inc gave $530K across 23 grants in 2025 (avg $23K), mostly in New York. 26% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $529,500
- +21.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 23
- -8.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $23,022
- +31.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $6,260,438
- +6.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 26% first-time grantees (6 of 23, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (61% 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 Heller Foundation Inc
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 700, Madison, NJ 07940
Phone: (973) 377-6000
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Heller Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Brennan Center for Justice ($125K). Together the top 10 received $490K.
Grant Size Distribution
101 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 74 grants of 101 (73%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 61% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York, 20% to New Jersey, 9% to Washington, DC, 7% to Connecticut, and 2% to Pennsylvania.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 23 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Heller Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
26%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 23 grantees (26%) were first-time recipients. With only 23 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $30K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 70% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−10%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 140% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $438K (2024) to $679K (2023). In 2025 it made 23 grants totaling $530K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Brennan Center for Justice New York, NY | Unrestricted Use by Donee | $125,000 |
| Footsteps New York, NY | Unrestricted Use by Donee | $75,000 |
| Unchained at Last Westfield, NJ | Unrestricted Use by Donee | $75,000 |
| Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Washington, DC | Unrestricted Use by Donee | $50,000 |
| Wnyc Radio New York, NY | Unrestricted Use by Donee | $50,000 |
| Grand Street Settlement New York, NY | Unrestricted Use by Donee | $35,000 |
| SOS Generation Westport, CT | Unrestricted Use by Donee | $35,000 |
| Overlook Foundation Summit, NJ | Unrestricted Use by Donee | $25,000 |
| Center for Metal Arts Johnstown, PA | Unrestricted Use by Donee | $10,000 |
| Children's Museum of Manhattan New York, NY | Unrestricted Use by Donee | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Heller Foundation Inc?
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 | $6,260,438 | $961,107 | $611,620 | $529,500 | 23 | $538,411 | $394,140 | $383,829 |
| 2024 | $5,903,168 | $439,271 | $470,449 | $437,678 | 25 | $443,622 | $375,303 | $400,043 |
| 2023 | $5,934,346 | $536,444 | $743,048 | $679,000 | 16 | $680,776 | $309,172 | $358,532 |
| 2022 | $6,140,950 | $425,794 | $664,215 | $589,100 | 17 | $591,766 | $112,984 | $384,665 |
| 2021 | $6,372,717 | $514,327 | $509,876 | $443,788 | 20 | $445,098 | $445,034 | $422,354 |
| 2020 | $6,368,266 | $1,199,733 | $614,333 | $555,659 | 25 | — | $125,893 | $303,135 |
| 2019 | $5,783,527 | $1,122,212 | $539,725 | $477,000 | 28 | — | $203,366 | $295,375 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Heller Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $384K 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 own mission is not stated in the available information. Its 2025 grantees included organizations with varied missions. For example, Footsteps says it supports individuals and families leaving or considering leaving insular ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities; Unchained At Last says it works to end forced and child marriage in the United States; and Grand Street Settlement says it provides culturally relevant services to expand opportunities for low-income families and individuals. Other 2025 recipients included organizations whose stated missions concern health care, children’s development, metal arts, and classical music.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 23 grants totaling $529,500. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $125,000, with a median grant of $5,000. Its largest grants included $125,000 to the Brennan Center for Justice, $75,000 each to Footsteps and Unchained At Last, and $50,000 each to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and WNYC Radio. The listed grants were designated for unrestricted use by the recipients.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Martin Heller as president; Alan Meades and John Heller as officers; and Daniel Heller, Jennifer Heller Wold, Julius Heftler, and Nicolaus Racioppi Jr as trustees.
The Heller Foundation Inc is led by Martin Heller, President since 2021 (on filings since 2019); none of the 7 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Martin Heller
President
President → Trustee & President, 2020
Trustee & President → President, 2021
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nicolaus Racioppi Jr.
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jennifer Heller Wold
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Daniel Heller
Trustee
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Julius Heftler
Trustee
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alan Meades
Officer
Officer → Trustee, Secretary & Treasurer, 2020
Trustee, Secretary & Treasurer → Officer, 2021
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Heller
Officer
Officer → Trustee & Vice President, 2020
Trustee & Vice President → Officer, 2021
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Nicholas Racioppi Jr. (2020) — Trustee
- Former: Margaret Heller (2019) — Officer · Filing note: Deceased
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 Heller Foundation Inc
How much does The Heller Foundation Inc give each year?
The Heller Foundation Inc gave $530K across 23 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $438K across 25 grants.
What is The Heller Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
The Heller Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $23,022, across 23 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Heller Foundation Inc that year got $3K on average.
Where does The Heller Foundation Inc give grants?
The Heller Foundation Inc gives mostly in New York: 61% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New Jersey (20%) and District of Columbia (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (10 grants), Westfield, NJ (2 grants), Johnstown, PA (2 grants) and Boca Raton, FL (2 grants).
Does The Heller Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Heller Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (23 of 23) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Heller Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
The Heller Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Brennan Center for Justice ($125,000), Footsteps ($75,000) and Unchained at Last ($75,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 52% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Heller Foundation Inc?
The Heller Foundation Inc reported $6.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $538K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $384K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Heller Foundation Inc fund?
The foundation’s own mission is not stated in the available information. Its 2025 grantees included organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Heller Foundation Inc?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Heller Foundation Inc's EIN?
The Heller Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 22-3661057. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Heller Foundation Inc 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
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS August 20, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 23, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS August 23, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 2, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS July 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 15, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 23, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Live grants for the work The Heller Foundation Inc funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
- Nixa Affiliate Grantmaking Program Up to US $10,000 · Due October 19, 2026
- Community and School Grants $28,000 total pool; 10-15 grants expected · Due October 19, 2026
- Mary Pinola/Crescenta Valley Chamber Education Fund $500 - $5,000 for ongoing programs; up to $15,000 for Strategic Initiative Grants · Due October 19, 2026
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Heller Foundation Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Heller Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-heller-foundation-inc-morg_e7bc391226934ef0abc487d72f8e0f79
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_223661057_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Heller Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-heller-foundation-inc-morg_e7bc391226934ef0abc487d72f8e0f79},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-18. 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 Heller Foundation Inc'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 Heller Foundation Inc down — hundreds of funders to go?