The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of
The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of is a private foundation based in Garden City, New York. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations including arts and cultural institutions, a research organization, and organizations working on affordable housing and archaeology.
The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of at a glance
In short: The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of gave $645K across 13 grants in 2025 (avg $50K), top state New York. 8% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $645,000
- -30.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 13
- -43.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $49,615
- +22.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $1,776,463
- -13.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 8% first-time grantees (1 of 13, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (47% 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 Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of
- 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: Bessemer Tr1325 Franklin Ave 56, Garden City, NY 11530
Phone: (516) 508-9623
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Museum of Modern Art ($140K). Together the top 10 received $610K.
Grant Size Distribution
115 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 83 grants of 115 (72%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 47% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York, 40% to California, 9% to Massachusetts, and 3% to Washington, DC.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of open to new grantees?
8%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 13 grantees (8%) were first-time recipients. With only 13 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $25K; repeat grants $52K. How we count
Medians: $25K first-time, $25K repeat.
- 92% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 23% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 719% 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 $645K (2025) to $1.1M (2020). In 2025 it made 13 grants totaling $645K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Museum of Modern Art New York, NY | Operational | $140,000 |
| California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA | Operational | $110,000 |
| American Academy in Rome New York, NY | Operational | $100,000 |
| Los Angeles County Museum of Art Los Angeles, CA | Operational | $100,000 |
| Rand Santa Monica, CA | Operational | $50,000 |
| Island Housing Trust Vineyard Haven, MA | Operational | $25,000 |
| Martha's Vineyard Community Services Oak Bluffs, MA | Operational | $25,000 |
| World Monuments Fund New York, NY | Operational | $25,000 |
| Fape Washington, DC | Operational | $20,000 |
| National Arts Club New York, NY | Operational | $15,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of?
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 | $1,776,463 | $385,649 | $651,272 | $645,000 | 13 | $648,141 | $385,518 | $90,153 |
| 2024 | $2,042,083 | $201,697 | $940,228 | $933,000 | 23 | $936,226 | $201,395 | $110,533 |
| 2023 | $2,780,614 | $102,765 | $729,670 | $729,200 | 25 | $729,200 | $102,295 | $143,799 |
| 2022 | $3,407,519 | $134,839 | $850,522 | $842,273 | 27 | $842,273 | $134,417 | $172,935 |
| 2021 | $4,123,204 | $395,181 | $919,039 | $913,362 | 27 | $915,887 | $392,029 | $232,666 |
| 2020 | $4,647,062 | $43,273 | $1,056,518 | $1,051,003 | 23 | — | $35,961 | $240,350 |
| 2019 | $5,660,307 | $332,156 | $811,733 | $800,000 | 15 | — | $320,583 | $249,950 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of reported a distributable amount of $90K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations in the arts and culture, research, housing, archaeology, and other fields. For example, the Museum of Modern Art says its mission is to foster public awareness of modern and contemporary art, while the American Academy in Rome describes itself as a residential institute for advanced work in the arts and humanities. The Rand Corporation says it works to improve policy and decision-making through research and analysis. Island Housing Trust says it develops and maintains affordable housing on Martha’s Vineyard.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 13 grants totaling $645,000. Individual grants ranged from $10,000 to $140,000, with a median of $25,000. The largest reported grants included $140,000 to the Museum of Modern Art, $110,000 to the California Institute of Technology, $100,000 to the American Academy in Rome, and $100,000 to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Other listed recipients included RAND ($50,000), Island Housing Trust ($25,000), Martha’s Vineyard Community Services ($25,000), World Monuments Fund ($25,000), and FAPE ($20,000).
Among other 2025 recipients, the National Arts Club received $15,000, Symphony Space received $15,000, and Ancient Egypt Research Associates received $10,000. Chautauqua Institution also received $10,000. The listed grant purposes were operational.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Peter Norton and Gwendolyn Norton as trustees.
The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Peter Norton
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gwendolyn Norton
Trustee
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
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 Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of
How much does The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of give each year?
The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of gave $645K across 13 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $933K across 23 grants.
What is The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of's typical grant size?
The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $49,615, across 13 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of that year got $25K on average.
Where does The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of give grants?
The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of's top state is New York, with 47% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were California (40%) and Massachusetts (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (5 grants).
Does The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (13 of 13) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of's largest grantees?
The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of's largest 2025 grantees include Museum of Modern Art ($140,000), California Institute of Technology ($110,000) and American Academy in Rome ($100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 54% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of?
The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of reported $1.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $648K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $90K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations in the arts and culture, research, housing, archaeology, and other fields. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of?
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 Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of's EIN?
The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-4312827. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS July 7, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 11, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 27, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 17, 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 May 24, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS July 12, 2024)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-isambard-kingdom-brunel-society-of-morg_c096e3213ddc43b7a696ebbb37617190
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_264312827_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-isambard-kingdom-brunel-society-of-morg_c096e3213ddc43b7a696ebbb37617190},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-05. 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 Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of'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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