The Issroff Family Foundation
The Issroff Family Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, NY. It partners with community-based organizations and leaders through programming and relationship-building, with the stated aim of improving outcomes for children and youth.
The Issroff Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Issroff Family Foundation gave $501K across 37 grants in 2025 (avg $14K), top state New Mexico. 95% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $500,926
- +36.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 37
- +131.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $13,539
- -40.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $20,050
- Total assets
- $9,354,825
- +20.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 95% first-time grantees (35 of 37, 2025)
- Primary geography
- New Mexico (6% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated November 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Issroff Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- Contact
Mailing address: 140 Broadway 2110, New York, NY 10005
Phone: (646) 490-9130
Website: https://issroff.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Issroff Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Activate Action (TH) ($29K). Together the top 10 received $280K.
Grant Size Distribution
140 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 134 grants of 140 (96%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Collaborative Learning Initiative is for organizations working in East and Southern Africa. The foundation says that, since 2021, its partners have spanned eight countries across those regions.
In its 2024 filing, grant dollars were distributed among recipients in New York (43%), Florida (30%), Maryland (7%), Virginia (7%), and Washington state (7%). These figures describe the locations of recipients, not a stated geographic eligibility policy.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 37 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Issroff Family Foundation open to new grantees?
95%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 35 of 37 grantees (95%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $14K; repeat grants $1K. How we count
Medians: $20K first-time, $1K repeat.
- 0% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+11%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 210% 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 $367K (2024) to $501K (2025). In 2025 it made 37 grants totaling $501K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Activate Action (TH) | Woman Empowerment | $29,050 |
| ERA92 Group Albuquerque, NM | Entrepreneurship | $29,050 |
| Start a Library Trust | Education | $29,050 |
| Tanzania Enlightment Development Innovations | Education | $29,050 |
| Umoja Tanzania Incorporated | Community Development | $29,050 |
| Watoto Wasoka | Health and Education | $29,050 |
| The Girls Legacy | Women Empowerment | $28,050 |
| Candlelight for Empowerment CBO | Education | $27,250 |
| Art of a Child | Education | $25,050 |
| Centre for Total Transformation | Community Empowerment | $25,050 |
Ready to take the next step with The Issroff Family 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 | $9,354,825 | $2,579,965 | $993,990 | $500,926 | 37 | $848,951 | $2,425,623 | $404,908 |
| 2024 | $7,768,850 | $791,173 | $666,297 | $366,750 | 16 | $556,264 | $681,142 | $558,608 |
| 2023 | $7,643,974 | $608,232 | $635,951 | $368,750 | 21 | $544,779 | $515,549 | $503,147 |
| 2022 | $7,671,693 | $423,492 | $648,842 | $450,000 | 27 | $540,131 | $314,004 | $525,622 |
| 2021 | $7,897,043 | $1,229,285 | $610,547 | $419,350 | 39 | $492,713 | $1,087,853 | $588,088 |
| 2020 | $7,278,325 | $433,360 | $527,615 | $411,000 | 38 | — | $359,283 | $477,810 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Issroff Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $405K 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 envisions a world where all children and youth have promising futures in thriving communities. Its work emphasizes leadership development and organizational capacity-strengthening for community-based organizations working through education to improve outcomes for children and youth.
The Collaborative Learning Initiative is a one-year program for founders or leaders of early-stage organizations in East and Southern Africa. It offers professional development in areas including financial management, human resources, board governance, strategic fundraising, leadership wellness, and program strategy. The foundation also offers Board Training, a professional-development opportunity for people seeking to contribute effectively to social-sector boards.
Grantee missions illustrate some of the kinds of organizations it has supported. For example, Echoing Green says it discovers emerging leaders and invests in their ideas; Roots Africa says it works to combat hunger and poverty by connecting U.S. academic institutions and experts with farming communities in Africa; and Joyful Heart Foundation says it works to support survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 16 grants totaling $366,750. Grant amounts ranged from $250 to $116,750, with a median of $7,500. Its largest reported grants were $116,750 to Myriad USA for philanthropic giving overseas and $110,250 to The New Africa Fund for economic development. Other grants included $25,800 to Mama’s Hope for education and economic development, $25,050 to Charities Aid Foundation for philanthropic charity assistance, and $25,050 to Omprakash Foundation for education. Its 2025 filing, the latest on this page, reports 37 grants totaling $500,926.
The foundation’s website describes its partnerships as involving structured programming and intentional relationship-building. Its programs pages provide information about eligibility and recruitment. How to apply: The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists David Issroff and Lisa Issroff as trustees. The foundation’s website identifies Lisa Issroff as co-founder and executive director and David Issroff as co-founder. Its team also includes Gabriele Blecher, associate director; Mwende Muya, program manager; Laura Tsikirayi, associate program manager; Mackenzie Finley, foundation coordinator; and Sandra A. Ochieng, programs associate.
The Issroff Family Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
David Issroff
Trustee
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lisa Issroff
Trustee
On filings since 2020
10 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 Issroff Family Foundation
How much does The Issroff Family Foundation give each year?
The Issroff Family Foundation gave $501K across 37 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $367K across 16 grants.
What is The Issroff Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Issroff Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $20,050, and its average grant was $13,539, across 37 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Issroff Family Foundation that year got $14K on average.
Where does The Issroff Family Foundation give grants?
The Issroff Family Foundation's top state is New Mexico, with 6% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (3 grants).
Does The Issroff Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 37 grants with a stated purpose on The Issroff Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Education" (13 grants) and "Economic Development" (4 grants).
Who are The Issroff Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Issroff Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Activate Action (TH) ($29,050), ERA92 Group ($29,050) and Start a Library Trust ($29,050), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 17% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Issroff Family Foundation?
The Issroff Family Foundation reported $9.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $849K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $405K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Issroff Family Foundation fund?
The foundation envisions a world where all children and youth have promising futures in thriving communities. Its work emphasizes leadership development and organizational capacity-strengthening for community-based organizations working through education to improve outcomes for children and youth. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Issroff Family Foundation?
The Issroff Family Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals, according to Grantable's research on its published guidelines. Check issroff.org for any change to that policy.
What is The Issroff Family Foundation's EIN?
The Issroff Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 76-0849175. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Issroff Family Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated November 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS September 21, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work The Issroff Family Foundation funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Issroff Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved November 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-issroff-family-foundation-morg_9eafe4597ae7418e86713cb105f97c2d
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_760849175_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Issroff Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-issroff-family-foundation-morg_9eafe4597ae7418e86713cb105f97c2d},
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 Issroff 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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