The Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc logo

The Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc

Private foundation · Grantmaker West Hempstead, NY EIN: 81-0691564 Website

The Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in West Hempstead, New York. Established in 2015, it supports charitable organizations, with its stated aim of helping lesser-known, mainly volunteer-run organizations make a difference in their communities.

The Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc at a glance

In short: The Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc gave $1.7M across 67 grants in 2025 (avg $25K), mostly in New York. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$1,679,120
+20.3% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
67
+28.8% vs 2024
Average grant
$25,061
-6.6% vs 2024
Median grant
$20,000
Total assets
$26,979,138
+17.1% vs 2024
Primary geography
New York (62% 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 Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc

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. Its website invites charities to contact the foundation and says submissions will be discussed at a directors’ meeting, but it does not specify application materials.

Contact

Mailing address: 256 Hamilton Avenue, West Hempstead, NY 11552
Phone: (516) 483-5800
Website: https://jhellerfoundation.org

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who The Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Lutheran Disaster Response-Elca Gift Processing Center: $180KLutheran DisasterResponse-Elca Gift Processing…$180KKoinonia-Martin Luther Camp Corp: $80K across 2 grantsKoinonia-Martin Luther CampCorp$80K · 2 grantsRace Track Chaplaincy of America: $75KRace Track Chaplaincy ofAmerica$75KAcds: $50KAcds$50KLong Island Council of Churches: $50KLong Island Council ofChurches$50KOdyssey Teen Camp: $50KOdyssey Teen Camp$50KPlanned Parenthood of Nassau County: $50KPlanned Parenthood of NassauCounty$50KSt Andrews Evangelical Lutheran Church: $50KSt Andrews EvangelicalLutheran Church$50KUnited Church of Rockville Center: $50KUnited Church of RockvilleCenter$50KWorld Central Kitchen: $50KWorld Central Kitchen$50K

The largest 2025 recipient was Lutheran Disaster Response-Elca Gift Processing Center ($180K). Together the top 10 received $685K.

Organizations only. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($3,000), which are not listed by name.

Grant Size Distribution

210 grants across all recorded years

179<$50K24$50–100K7$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 179 grants of 210 (85%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, 62% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York, 11% to Virginia, 6% to California, and 4% to the District of Columbia. The filing also lists grants to organizations in Pennsylvania and South Carolina.

Grant Distribution by State

24states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 67 itemized grants.

Cities

New YorkWest HempsteadHempsteadHighland LakeFreeportGarden CityElmontWashingtonHauppaugeHuntingtonLevittownMerrifieldRochesterRockville CentreSyracuseWestportBellmoreBethpageFranklin SquarePeoria

How The Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc gives

  • 56% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving grew 92% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 104% 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

$0$500K$1M$1.5M$2M4 grants2019 12 grants2020 14 grants2021 38 grants2022 39 grants2023 52 grants2024 67 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $50K (2019) to $1.7M (2025). In 2025 it made 67 grants totaling $1.7M.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Lutheran Disaster Response-Elca Gift Processing Center Merrifield, VADisaster Relief-Hurricane, Fire, Flood Relief$180,000
Race Track Chaplaincy of America Elmont, NYPantry and Voucher Program$75,000
Acds Plainview, NYThe Sunshine Fund$50,000
Koinonia-Martin Luther Camp Corp Highland Lake, NYCapital Campaign$50,000
Long Island Council of Churches Freeport, NYFood Pantry$50,000
Odyssey Teen Camp Ardsley, NYGeneral Support$50,000
Planned Parenthood of Nassau County Hempstead, NYGeneral Support$50,000
St Andrews Evangelical Lutheran Church West Hempstead, NYGeneral Support$50,000
United Church of Rockville Center Rockville Centre, NYGeneral Support$50,000
World Central Kitchen Washington, DCGeneral Support$50,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$26,979,138$5,647,312$1,698,681$1,679,12067$1,681,700$1,278,261$1,618,121
2024$23,034,755$6,431,345$1,462,144$1,395,65552$1,396,644$6,431,345$1,293,618
2023$18,236,105$5,630,103$866,933$863,50639$866,933$386,187$878,178
2022$17,295,305$12,219,042$903,059$876,71038$880,924$107,188$707,600
2021$5,979,322$1,192,618$256,550$241,00014—$992,618$356,608
2020$5,043,254$4,930,643$144,187$143,50012—$93,411$184,030
2019$256,798—$51,089$50,0004——$13,797

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $1.6M 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

The foundation’s mission is “Helping Others Help Others.” It says Jeanine Heller encouraged the foundation to broaden its scope beyond causes she personally supported, including her church and cat charities.

Its 2025 grantees include organizations working in varied areas. For example, Race Track Chaplaincy of America describes its work as providing social service, recreational, educational, and children’s enrichment programs. ACDS says it provides resources and year-round programs for people with Down syndrome, autism, and other developmental disabilities and their families. World Central Kitchen describes its work as providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 67 grants totaling $1,679,120. Grant amounts ranged from $2,000 to $180,000, with a median of $20,000. Notable grants included $180,000 to Lutheran Disaster Response-ELCA Gift Processing Center for disaster relief; $75,000 to Race Track Chaplaincy of America for its pantry and voucher program; and $50,000 each to ACDS, Long Island Council of Churches, Odyssey Teen Camp, and World Central Kitchen.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists William A. Vogel as president; Sonja Sanchez Greggersen and Lynn A. Sullivan as vice-presidents; and Shawn H. Vogel as secretary/treasurer. The foundation’s website identifies its directors as William Vogel, Shawn Vogel, Rev. Lynn Sullivan, and Sonja Greggersen.

The Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc is led by William A. Vogel, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • William A. Vogel

    President

    On filings since 2019

    5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Lynn A. Sullivan

    Vice President

    On filings since 2019

    2 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Shawn H. Vogel

    Secretary & Treasurer

    On filings since 2019

    3 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Sonja Sanchez Greggersen

    Vice President

    On filings since 2023

    2 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

Former officers (1)
  • Former: Frederick McElderry (2019–2022) — Vice President

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 Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc

How much does The Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc give each year?

The Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc gave $1.7M across 67 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.4M across 52 grants.

What is The Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc's typical grant size?

The Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $20,000, and its average grant was $25,061, across 67 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Where does The Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc give grants?

The Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc gives mostly in New York: 62% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Virginia (11%) and California (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (5 grants), Washington, DC (3 grants), Peoria, IL (3 grants) and Highland Lake, NY (2 grants).

Does The Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc give general operating support?

Yes: 72% of The Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (48 of 67) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are The Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc's largest grantees?

The Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Lutheran Disaster Response-Elca Gift Processing Center ($180,000), Koinonia-Martin Luther Camp Corp ($80,000 across 2 grants) and Race Track Chaplaincy of America ($75,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($3,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 20% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is The Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc?

The Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc reported $27.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.7M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.6M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does The Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc fund?

The foundation’s mission is “Helping Others Help Others.” It says Jeanine Heller encouraged the foundation to broaden its scope beyond causes she personally supported, including her church and cat charities. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc?

The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is The Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc's EIN?

The Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-0691564. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Does The Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc 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

(4)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 5, 2020)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 19, 2025)
  3. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 13, 2026)
  4. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Live grants for the work The Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc funds

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). The Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-jeanine-heller-foundation-inc-morg_0c4c0561bcc44f6a9499d964b7c63494

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_810691564_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{The Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-jeanine-heller-foundation-inc-morg_0c4c0561bcc44f6a9499d964b7c63494},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-22. 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 Jeanine Heller Foundation Inc'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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