The Isdell Family Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Chatham, NJ EIN: 20-6759053

The Isdell Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Chatham, New Jersey. Its 2025 filing reports grants to educational, conservation, health, cultural, and community organizations, with the largest shares of grant dollars going to recipients in Georgia and Colorado.

Key facts about The Isdell Family Foundation

In short: The Isdell Family Foundation gave $2.5M across 18 grants in 2025 (avg $140K), mostly in Georgia. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
20-6759053
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025
Annual giving (2025)
$2,520,683
Grants made (2025)
18
Average grant
$140,038
Median grant
$52,500
Total assets
$10,246,715
Primary geography
Georgia (63% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
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. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Financial Overview

From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$10.2M

-8.1% YoY

Annual Giving

$2.5M

-25.1% YoY

Grant Count

18

-5.3% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$140K

-20.9% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Isdell Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $837K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

How The Isdell Family Foundation gives

  • 83% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+20%). Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 301% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included organizations working in education, conservation and research, healthcare, museums and gardens, animal welfare, mental health, river protection, and public trails. For example, Pace Academy describes its mission as creating “prepared, confident citizens of the world who honor the values of Pace Academy.” Friends of South Georgia Island describes its work as conservation, science, and research of the Sub Antarctic Islands and associated ecosystems and ocean environments. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta says its mission is “to make kids better today and healthier tomorrow,” while Georgia River Network says it works to protect and connect people with Georgia’s rivers.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2025, the foundation gave $2,520,683 across 18 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $15,000 to $550,800, with a median of $52,500. The largest awards included $550,800 to Pace Academy, $500,000 to Friends of South Georgia Island, $359,883 to American Friends of Birdlife International, $250,000 to Fernbank Museum of Natural History, and $200,000 to Atlanta Botanical Garden. Other grants included $150,000 to Atlanta Humane Society, $120,000 to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and $100,000 to Skyland Trails Atlanta.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The 2025 grant dollars went primarily to recipients in Georgia (63%), followed by Colorado (20%) and New York (14%). Washington and California each accounted for 1%. These figures describe the locations of grant recipients.

Grant Distribution by State

8states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 18 itemized grants.

Cities

AtlantaNew YorkBellinghamColumbiaAthensArlingtonCarbondaleLos AngelesTraavelers RestTravelers RestWashington

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$1M$2M$3M$4M1 grant2019 1 grant2020 1 grant2021 1 grant2022 17 grants2023 19 grants2024 18 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.1M (2019) to $3.4M (2024). In 2025 it made 18 grants totaling $2.5M.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Pace Academy: $551KPace Academy$551KFriends of South Georgia Island: $500KFriends of South GeorgiaIsland$500KAmerican Friends of Birdlife International: $360KAmerican Friends of BirdlifeInternational$360KFernbank Museum of Natural History: $250KFernbank Museum of NaturalHistory$250KAtlanta Botanical Garden: $200KAtlanta Botanical Garden$200KAtlanta Humane Society: $150KAtlanta Humane Society$150KChildren's Healthcare of Atlanta: $120KChildren's Healthcare ofAtlanta$120KSkyland Trails Atlanta: $100KSkyland Trails Atlanta$100KGeorgia River Network: $60KGeorgia River Network$60KThe Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International: $45KThe Dian Fossey Gorilla FundInternational$45K

The largest 2025 recipient was Pace Academy ($551K). Together the top 10 received $2.3M.

Grant Size Distribution

56 grants across all recorded years

23<$50K7$50–100K12$100–250K7$250–500K4$500K–1M3$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 23 grants of 56 (41%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Pace Academy Atlanta, GAGeneral$550,800
Friends of South Georgia Island Carbondale, COGeneral$500,000
American Friends of Birdlife International New York, NYGeneral$359,883
Fernbank Museum of Natural History Atlanta, GAGeneral$250,000
Atlanta Botanical Garden Atlanta, GAGeneral$200,000
Atlanta Humane Society Atlanta, GAGeneral$150,000
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Atlanta, GAGeneral$120,000
Skyland Trails Atlanta Atlanta, GAGeneral$100,000
Georgia River Network Athens, GAGeneral$60,000
The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International Atlanta, GAGeneral$45,000

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grants Grant count
2025 $10,246,715 $1,695,448 $2,599,791 $2,520,683 18
2024 $11,151,058 $1,560,125 $3,421,870 $3,365,128 19
2023 $13,015,872 $522,508 $3,118,802 $3,069,491 17
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$1M$2M$3M$4M2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Metric202520242023
Total Assets$10,246,715$11,151,058$13,015,872
Revenue$1,695,448$1,560,125$522,508
Expenses$2,599,791$3,421,870$3,118,802
Qualifying Distributions$2,520,683$3,365,128$3,069,491
Net Investment Income$1,616,340$1,503,383$555,755
Distributable Amount$837,497$20,302$1,014,314

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 20, 2025)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 8, 2026)
  3. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 7, 2020)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 11, 2021)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 9, 2022)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 27, 2023)
  7. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 10, 2024)

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Pamela Anne Isdell, Cara Anne Isdell Lee, and Pasquale Hamel as trustees.

The Isdell Family Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Cara Anne Isdell Lee

    Trustee

    On filings since 2019

    No compensation reported

  • Pamela Anne Isdell

    Trustee

    On filings since 2019

    No compensation reported

  • Pasquale Hamel

    Trustee

    New on the 2025 filing

    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.

Contact

Mailing address: Co Hamel 24 Washington Ave, Chatham, NJ 07928
Phone: (973) 665-1400

Frequently asked questions about The Isdell Family Foundation

How much does The Isdell Family Foundation give each year?

The Isdell Family Foundation gave $2.5M across 18 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $3.4M across 19 grants.

What is The Isdell Family Foundation's typical grant size?

The Isdell Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $52,500, and its average grant was $140,038, across 18 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Where does The Isdell Family Foundation give grants?

The Isdell Family Foundation gives mostly in Georgia: 63% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Colorado (20%) and New York (14%). The most frequent recipient cities were Atlanta, GA (12 grants).

Does The Isdell Family Foundation give general operating support?

Yes: 100% of The Isdell Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (18 of 18) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are The Isdell Family Foundation's largest grantees?

The Isdell Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Pace Academy ($550,800), Friends of South Georgia Island ($500,000) and American Friends of Birdlife International ($359,883), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 56% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is The Isdell Family Foundation?

The Isdell Family Foundation reported $10.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.5M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $837K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does The Isdell Family Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included organizations working in education, conservation and research, healthcare, museums and gardens, animal welfare, mental health, river protection, and public trails. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The Isdell Family Foundation?

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 Isdell Family Foundation's EIN?

The Isdell Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-6759053. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Does The Isdell Family 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.

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