The Klingenstein-Martell Foundation
The Klingenstein-Martell Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, NY. Its 2025 filing lists grants to charitable organizations including cultural, educational, media, and community organizations.
The Klingenstein-Martell Foundation at a glance
In short: The Klingenstein-Martell Foundation gave $4.4M across 19 grants in 2025 (avg $230K), mostly in New York. 58% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $4,368,338
- +99.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 19
- +58.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $229,913
- +25.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $170,000
- Total assets
- $77,192,464
- -4.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 58% first-time grantees (11 of 19, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (73% 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 Klingenstein-Martell 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: 61 Broadway 1601, New York, NY 10006
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Klingenstein-Martell Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Upper West Side Cinema Center ($1.0M). Together the top 10 received $4.0M.
Grant Size Distribution
62 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 28 grants of 62 (45%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, grant dollars were distributed among recipients in New York (73%), Massachusetts (9%), California (7%), Nebraska (6%), and Washington, DC (5%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Klingenstein-Martell Foundation open to new grantees?
58%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 11 of 19 grantees (58%) were first-time recipients. With only 19 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $170K; repeat grants $313K. How we count
Medians: $65K first-time, $275K repeat.
- 21% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 219% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 107% 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 $329K (2020) to $4.4M (2025). In 2025 it made 19 grants totaling $4.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Upper West Side Cinema Center New York, NY | General Purpose | $1,000,000 |
| New York Historical Society New York, NY | General purpose $140,000 annex construction support $250,000 cunningham archive support $500,000 | $890,000 |
| Emerson College Boston, MA | Concentration Account- $350,000 Institutional Advancment-$ 40,000 | $390,000 |
| Emma Willard School Troy, NY | General Purpose | $382,000 |
| City Lore Inc New York, NY | Toronto Godspell Film | $300,000 |
| Stony Brook Foundation Inc New York, NE | General Purpose | $250,000 |
| The Town SCHOOL(NONCASH) New York City, NY | General Purpose | $201,338 |
| Downtown Community Television Center Inc New York, NY | General Purpose | $200,000 |
| Media Matters for America Washington, DC | General Purpose | $200,000 |
| The Film Collaborative Inc - Time Warp Los Angeles, CA | General Purpose | $170,000 |
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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 | $77,192,464 | $1,595,193 | $4,947,160 | $4,368,338 | 19 | $4,493,024 | $1,438,309 | $4,201,080 |
| 2024 | $80,477,051 | $96,218,720 | $2,214,292 | $2,192,973 | 12 | $2,197,664 | $21,332,174 | $800,572 |
| 2023 | $8,699,060 | $1,091,039 | $1,358,214 | $1,335,274 | 12 | $1,341,245 | $256,228 | $392,086 |
| 2022 | $8,979,235 | $1,263,153 | $1,467,651 | $1,368,503 | 10 | $1,372,516 | $246,017 | $382,375 |
| 2021 | $9,403,943 | $5,534,660 | $374,356 | $357,818 | 9 | $360,461 | $4,536,418 | $348,798 |
| 2020 | $5,196,889 | $121,045 | $352,560 | $328,520 | 12 | — | $101,113 | $324,107 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Klingenstein-Martell Foundation reported a distributable amount of $4.2M 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 support for cultural organizations such as the New York Historical Society and City Lore. City Lore describes its own mission as fostering New York City’s and America’s living cultural heritage through education and public programs; the New York Historical Society says its mission is to collect, preserve, and interpret material relevant to U.S. history, particularly the history of New York State and City. Other 2025 recipients included schools, a college, a cinema center, and media organizations.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 19 grants totaling $4,368,338. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $1,000,000, with a median grant of $170,000. The largest listed grants included $1,000,000 to Upper West Side Cinema Center, $890,000 to the New York Historical Society, $390,000 to Emerson College, $382,000 to Emma Willard School, and $300,000 to City Lore.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Sarah K. Martell as president and trustee, and Lauren Breslow as treasurer and secretary.
The Klingenstein-Martell Foundation is led by Sarah K. Martell, President & Trustee on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Sarah K. Martell
President & Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Lauren Breslow
Treasurer & Secretary
On filings since 2020
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 Klingenstein-Martell Foundation
How much does The Klingenstein-Martell Foundation give each year?
The Klingenstein-Martell Foundation gave $4.4M across 19 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $2.2M across 12 grants.
What is The Klingenstein-Martell Foundation's typical grant size?
The Klingenstein-Martell Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $170,000, and its average grant was $229,913, across 19 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Klingenstein-Martell Foundation that year got $170K on average.
Where does The Klingenstein-Martell Foundation give grants?
The Klingenstein-Martell Foundation gives mostly in New York: 73% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Massachusetts (9%) and California (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (7 grants).
Does The Klingenstein-Martell Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 89% of The Klingenstein-Martell Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (17 of 19) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Klingenstein-Martell Foundation's largest grantees?
The Klingenstein-Martell Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Upper West Side Cinema Center ($1,000,000), New York Historical Society ($890,000) and Emerson College ($390,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 52% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Klingenstein-Martell Foundation?
The Klingenstein-Martell Foundation reported $77.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $4.5M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $4.2M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Klingenstein-Martell Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for cultural organizations such as the New York Historical Society and City Lore. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Klingenstein-Martell 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 Klingenstein-Martell Foundation's EIN?
The Klingenstein-Martell Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-4078024. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Klingenstein-Martell 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Klingenstein-Martell Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Klingenstein-Martell Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-klingenstein-martell-foundation-morg_5b1f70d4c3c44b409310754bce935df0
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_134078024_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Klingenstein-Martell Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-klingenstein-martell-foundation-morg_5b1f70d4c3c44b409310754bce935df0},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Klingenstein-Martell 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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