The Kandell Fund
The Kandell Fund is a private foundation based in New York, NY. Its 2025 grants supported organizations including arts and cultural institutions, Jewish and Israel-related organizations, and New York City human-services organizations.
The Kandell Fund at a glance
In short: The Kandell Fund gave $143K across 33 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), mostly in New York. 6% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $143,350
- +2.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 33
- -10.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $4,344
- +14.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,500
- Total assets
- $270,346
- -3.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 6% first-time grantees (2 of 33, 2025)
- Primary geography
- New York (80% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Kandell Fund
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 59 East 54Th Street - Room 51, New York, NY 10022
Phone: (212) 755-3063
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Kandell Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Boston Symphony Orchestra ($25K). Together the top 10 received $115K.
Grant Size Distribution
209 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 209 grants of 209 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 80% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York and 17% to recipients in Massachusetts. The remaining shares were reported for Tennessee (2%), Minnesota (1%), and the District of Columbia (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 33 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Kandell Fund open to new grantees?
6%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 33 grantees (6%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $5K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 94% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−14%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 895% 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 $106K (2020) to $166K (2022). In 2025 it made 33 grants totaling $143K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Symphony Orchestra Boston, MA | To Further Donee's Exempt Purpose | $25,000 |
| The Metropolitan Opera New York, NY | To Further Donee's Exempt Purpose | $20,000 |
| UJA Federation of New York New York, NY | To Further Donee's Exempt Purpose | $20,000 |
| Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, NY | To Further Donee's Exempt Purpose | $15,000 |
| NYC Police Foundation New York, NY | To Further Donee's Exempt Purpose | $15,000 |
| American Museum of Natural History New York, NY | To Further Donee's Exempt Purpose | $5,000 |
| The Fund for Park Ave New York, NY | To Further Donee's Exempt Purpose | $5,000 |
| New York Public Library New York, NY | To Further Donee's Exempt Purpose | $4,000 |
| American Friends of Magen David Adom New York, NY | To Further Donee's Exempt Purpose | $3,000 |
| Planned Parenthood of New York City New York, NY | To Further Donee's Exempt Purpose | $3,000 |
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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 | $270,346 | $135,106 | $143,645 | $143,350 | 33 | $143,570 | $31 | $16,048 |
| 2024 | $278,885 | $135,107 | $144,695 | $140,350 | 37 | $142,945 | — | $17,043 |
| 2023 | $288,473 | $150,105 | $153,195 | $156,320 | 44 | $152,395 | — | $15,689 |
| 2022 | $291,563 | $230,057 | $168,270 | $166,300 | 47 | $167,520 | — | $13,865 |
| 2021 | $229,776 | $210,022 | $156,610 | $154,800 | 48 | $156,010 | — | $12,563 |
| 2020 | $176,364 | $130,064 | $106,050 | $105,750 | 23 | — | — | $10,192 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Kandell Fund reported a distributable amount of $16K 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 available information does not state a mission for the Kandell Fund. Its 2025 grantees illustrate a range of supported work. The Boston Symphony Orchestra describes its mission as presenting music and providing educational and training programs; the Metropolitan Museum of Art says it collects, studies, conserves, and presents art across times and cultures. The Food Bank for New York City says its mission is to help New Yorkers achieve food security, while American Friends of Magen David Adom describes its role as supporting Magen David Adom’s lifesaving efforts in Israel.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the fund made 33 grants totaling $143,350. Grant amounts ranged from $250 to $25,000, with a median of $1,500. Among the largest awards were $25,000 to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, $20,000 each to the Metropolitan Opera and UJA Federation of New York, and $15,000 each to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and NYC Police Foundation.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Alice Kandell as director, Debra Fechter as president, and Harry Moehringer as vice president.
The Kandell Fund is led by Debra Fechter, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Debra Fechter
President
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Alice Kandell
Director
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Harry Moehringer
Vice President
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Leslie Kandell (2020–2024) — Director
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 Kandell Fund
How much does The Kandell Fund give each year?
The Kandell Fund gave $143K across 33 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $140K across 37 grants.
What is The Kandell Fund's typical grant size?
The Kandell Fund's median grant in 2025 was $1,500, and its average grant was $4,344, across 33 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Kandell Fund that year got $2K on average.
Where does The Kandell Fund give grants?
The Kandell Fund gives mostly in New York: 80% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Massachusetts (17%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (26 grants), Bronx, NY (2 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Who are The Kandell Fund's largest grantees?
The Kandell Fund's largest 2025 grantees include Boston Symphony Orchestra ($25,000), The Metropolitan Opera ($20,000) and UJA Federation of New York ($20,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 45% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Kandell Fund?
The Kandell Fund reported $270K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $144K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $16K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Kandell Fund fund?
The available information does not state a mission for the Kandell Fund. Its 2025 grantees illustrate a range of supported work. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Kandell Fund?
The foundation 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 Kandell Fund's EIN?
The Kandell Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-6117648. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Kandell Fund 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 2020 (received by the IRS May 11, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 5, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 2, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 30, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 7, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 22, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Kandell Fund funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-kandell-fund-morg_f971dc3eb7414c6dad70896c1981b86a
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_136117648_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Kandell Fund funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-kandell-fund-morg_f971dc3eb7414c6dad70896c1981b86a},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 Kandell Fund'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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