The James Family Charitable Trust
The James Family Charitable Trust is a public charity based in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, formed in 2015. It supports charitable, religious, and educational purposes in furtherance of the mission of National Philanthropic Trust (NPT), which is to increase philanthropy in society.
The James Family Charitable Trust at a glance
In short: The James Family Charitable Trust gave $10.8M across 18 grants in 2025 (avg $601K), mostly in New York. 22% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $10,816,285
- -21.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 18
- -5.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $600,905
- -17.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $94,113
- Total assets
- $487,404,280
- +21.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 22% first-time grantees (4 of 18, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (80% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The James Family Charitable Trust
- Contact
Mailing address: 165 Township Line Road 1200, Jenkintown, PA 19046
Phone: (215) 277-3010
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The James Family Charitable Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Metropolitan Museum of Art ($5.0M). Together the top 10 received $10.7M.
Grant Size Distribution
70 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 24 grants of 70 (34%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 80% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York, 9% to Washington, DC, 9% to Rhode Island, and 1% to Florida. Maryland accounted for 0% as reported in the filing. These figures describe the listed recipients’ states, not necessarily where funded work took place.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 18 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The James Family Charitable Trust open to new grantees?
22%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 18 grantees (22%) were first-time recipients. With only 18 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $486K; repeat grants $634K. How we count
Medians: $435K first-time, $36K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 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 $1.7M (2022) to $19.0M (2019). In 2025 it made 18 grants totaling $10.8M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, NY | Culture & Arts | $5,000,000 |
| American University of Beirut New York, NY | Education | $2,050,000 |
| Environmental Integrity Project Washington, DC | Environment, Animals | $1,000,000 |
| Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program Warwick, RI | Public, Societal Benefit | $1,000,000 |
| Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, NY | Education | $620,000 |
| Eyelliance New York, NY | HEALTH | $300,000 |
| Americans for Oxford Inc New York, NY | Education | $250,000 |
| Mount Sinai Medical Center New York, NY | HEALTH | $244,216 |
| Central Park Conservancy Inc New York, NY | Human Services | $113,225 |
| Bonefish and Tarpon Trust Miami, FL | Environment, Animals | $75,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $487,404,280 | $69,568,941 | $11,669,169 | $10,816,285 | 18 | $14,236,240 |
| 2024 | $402,084,283 | $70,760,607 | $14,557,602 | $13,781,297 | 19 | $14,177,819 |
| 2023 | $326,281,570 | $86,677,480 | $12,326,860 | $11,432,785 | 18 | $1,450,031 |
| 2022 | $240,895,710 | $34,874,921 | $2,284,109 | $1,734,231 | 10 | $28,474,921 |
| 2021 | $226,277,031 | $102,954,825 | $2,400,550 | $1,994,533 | 5 | $10,909,702 |
| 2020 | $101,614,489 | $-872,164 | $16,548,221 | $15,983,310 | 7 | $-2,372,164 |
| 2019 | $109,888,299 | $8,143,009 | $19,832,678 | $19,042,818 | 10 | $7,243,009 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The trust states that its mission is to provide support for charitable, religious, and educational purposes in furtherance of NPT’s mission to increase philanthropy in society. Its 2024 filing says its grants support organizations primarily in arts and culture, education, human services, health, environment and animals, and public and societal benefit.
The 2025 grants include support for cultural, educational, environmental, health, and human-services organizations. For example, the Metropolitan Museum of Art says its mission is to collect, study, conserve, and present significant works of art; the Environmental Integrity Project describes its work as research and public education on environmental protection and natural-resource preservation. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the trust’s.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the trust reported 18 grants totaling $10,816,285. Grants ranged from $7,725 to $5,000,000, with a median of $94,112. Its largest grants included $5,000,000 to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, $2,050,000 to American University of Beirut, $1,000,000 to the Environmental Integrity Project, and $1,000,000 to Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program.
Other notable 2025 grants included $620,000 to Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, $300,000 to Eyelliance, $250,000 to Americans for Oxford, and $244,216 to Mount Sinai Medical Center. The trust’s filing says its board reviews and approves each grant. Grants may go only to 501(c)(3) public charities or organizations organized and operated for charitable purposes, such as institutions of higher education and U.S. government entities for public purposes. Grant funds may be used only for charitable purposes and may not satisfy pre-existing pledges, be exchanged for goods or services, or provide more than incidental benefits to an individual.
The filing describes two methods used for international grantmaking as appropriate: equivalency determination and expenditure responsibility. It says all international grants are submitted to the board for review and approval before funds are disbursed.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Amabel James as director and president; Jay Donato and Stephen Hopkins as directors; Christina Hack as treasurer; Andrea C. Rush and Quinn Rowan as assistant secretaries; Debra Falk as secretary; and Jeremy Schwartz as assistant treasurer. Eileen R. Heisman is listed as a director through February 26, 2025.
The James Family Charitable Trust is led by Amabel James, Director & President on every filing since 2019; none of the 9 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Amabel James
Director & President
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Eileen R. Heisman
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Stephen Hopkins
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jay Donato
Director
New on the 2025 filing
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Debra Falk
Secretary
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Andrea C. Rush
Assistant Secretary
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jeremy Schwartz
Assistant Treasurer
On filings since 2023
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Quinn Rowan
Assistant Secretary
On filings since 2023
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Christina Hack
Treasurer
On filings since 2024
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (5)
- Former: Ellen M. McGuinn (2019–2024) — Former Treasurer
- Former: Andrea Katz (2023–2024) — Assistant Treasurer
- Former: Gerald Kerner (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Rene J. Paradis (2019–2023) — Former Treasurer
- Former: Margaret A. Bandera (2019) — Former Treasurer
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 James Family Charitable Trust
How much does The James Family Charitable Trust give each year?
The James Family Charitable Trust gave $10.8M across 18 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $13.8M across 19 grants.
What is The James Family Charitable Trust's typical grant size?
The James Family Charitable Trust's median grant in 2025 was $94,113, and its average grant was $600,905, across 18 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from The James Family Charitable Trust that year got $486K on average.
Where does The James Family Charitable Trust give grants?
The James Family Charitable Trust gives mostly in New York: 80% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest states were District of Columbia (9%) and Rhode Island (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (11 grants).
Does The James Family Charitable Trust give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 18 grants with a stated purpose on The James Family Charitable Trust's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Education" (8 grants) and "Culture & Arts" (3 grants).
Who are The James Family Charitable Trust's largest grantees?
The James Family Charitable Trust's largest 2025 grantees include Metropolitan Museum of Art ($5,000,000), American University of Beirut ($2,050,000) and Environmental Integrity Project ($1,000,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 74% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The James Family Charitable Trust?
The James Family Charitable Trust reported $487.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $69.6M.
What does The James Family Charitable Trust fund?
The trust states that its mission is to provide support for charitable, religious, and educational purposes in furtherance of NPT’s mission to increase philanthropy in society. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The James Family Charitable Trust?
The James Family Charitable Trust has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is The James Family Charitable Trust's EIN?
The James Family Charitable Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-3856889. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 18, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 17, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 13, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 13, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Live grants for the work The James Family Charitable Trust 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 James Family Charitable Trust's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The James Family Charitable Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-james-family-charitable-trust-morg_f6fba6f9df3446448edca7faa1d9819c
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_473856889_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The James Family Charitable Trust funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-james-family-charitable-trust-morg_f6fba6f9df3446448edca7faa1d9819c},
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 James Family Charitable Trust'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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