The Isdell Family Foundation
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.
The Isdell Family Foundation at a glance
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.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $2,520,683
- -25.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 18
- -5.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $140,038
- -20.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $52,500
- Total assets
- $10,246,715
- -8.1% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Georgia (63% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to The Isdell Family Foundation
- 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: Co Hamel 24 Washington Ave, Chatham, NJ 07928
Phone: (973) 665-1400
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Isdell Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Pace Academy ($551K). Together the top 10 received $2.3M.
Grant Size Distribution
56 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 23 grants of 56 (41%).
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
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 18 itemized grants.
Cities
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.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
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.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Pace Academy Atlanta, GA | General | $550,800 |
| Friends of South Georgia Island Carbondale, CO | General | $500,000 |
| American Friends of Birdlife International New York, NY | General | $359,883 |
| Fernbank Museum of Natural History Atlanta, GA | General | $250,000 |
| Atlanta Botanical Garden Atlanta, GA | General | $200,000 |
| Atlanta Humane Society Atlanta, GA | General | $150,000 |
| Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Atlanta, GA | General | $120,000 |
| Skyland Trails Atlanta Atlanta, GA | General | $100,000 |
| Georgia River Network Athens, GA | General | $60,000 |
| The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International Atlanta, GA | General | $45,000 |
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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 | $10,246,715 | $1,695,448 | $2,599,791 | $2,520,683 | 18 | $2,520,683 | $1,616,340 | $837,497 |
| 2024 | $11,151,058 | $1,560,125 | $3,421,870 | $3,365,128 | 19 | $3,365,128 | $1,503,383 | $20,302 |
| 2023 | $13,015,872 | $522,508 | $3,118,802 | $3,069,491 | 17 | $3,069,491 | $555,755 | $1,014,314 |
| 2022 | $15,612,166 | $598,268 | $2,168,942 | $2,100,815 | 1 | $2,100,815 | $531,661 | $1,150,847 |
| 2021 | $17,182,840 | $1,577,850 | $1,546,645 | $1,497,815 | 1 | $1,497,815 | $1,529,019 | $1,182,925 |
| 2020 | $17,170,216 | $306,823 | $1,149,985 | $1,076,500 | 1 | — | $514,209 | $1,112,190 |
| 2019 | $18,013,378 | $773,519 | $1,120,979 | $1,064,000 | 1 | — | $716,540 | $1,095,461 |
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.
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.
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.
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 October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 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 March 20, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 8, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 7, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 11, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 9, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 27, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 10, 2024)
Live grants for the work The Isdell Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Browse active grant opportunities in The Isdell Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Isdell Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved November 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-isdell-family-foundation-morg_de1f9b5a5b394ce994e5a6de4e0b28d3
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_206759053_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Isdell Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-isdell-family-foundation-morg_de1f9b5a5b394ce994e5a6de4e0b28d3},
note = {Accessed 2026-11-10. 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 Isdell Family 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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