The Kopelman Foundation
The Kopelman Foundation is a private foundation based in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania. Its 2024 filing lists grants to charitable organizations, including organizations supporting housing, food access, medical research, journalism, and community development.
The Kopelman Foundation at a glance
In short: The Kopelman Foundation gave $1.4M across 17 grants in 2024 (avg $80K), mostly in Pennsylvania. 27% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,356,100
- -34.6% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 17
- -5.6% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $79,771
- -30.8% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $37,124,715
- +2.0% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 27% first-time grantees (3 of 11, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Pennsylvania (79% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Kopelman Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 500, Gladwyne, PA 19035
Phone: (484) 202-3163
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Kopelman Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Philadelphia Foundation ($930K across 4 grants). Together the top 10 received $1.4M.
Grant Size Distribution
75 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 48 grants of 75 (64%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 79% of grant dollars went to recipients in Pennsylvania, 10% to New York, 7% to Georgia, 2% to Michigan, and 2% to Texas.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Kopelman Foundation open to new grantees?
27%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 3 of 11 grantees (27%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $27K; repeat grants $160K. How we count
Medians: $25K first-time, $55K repeat.
- 64% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−13%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 80% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $370K (2020) to $2.1M (2023). In 2024 it made 17 grants totaling $1.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Foundation Philadelphia, PA | To Fund the Recipients Operating Budget | $300,000 |
| Philadelphia Foundation Philadelphia, PA | To Fund the Recipients Operating Budget | $210,000 |
| Philadelphia Foundation Philadelphia, PA | To Fund the Recipients Operating Budget | $210,000 |
| Philadelphia Foundation Philadelphia, PA | To Fund the Recipients Operating Budget | $210,000 |
| New Story Inc Atlanta, GA | To Fund the Recipients Operating Budget | $100,000 |
| Familial Dysautonomia Foundation New York, NY | To Fund the Recipients Operating Budget | $100,000 |
| Sharing Excess Philadelphia, PA | To Fund the Recipients Operating Budget | $60,000 |
| Lankenau Medical Center Foundation Wynnewood, PA | To Fund the Recipients Operating Budget | $50,000 |
| Sharing Excess Philadelphia, PA | To Fund the Recipients Operating Budget | $25,000 |
| The 19TH News Ausitn, TX | To Fund the Recipients Operating Budget | $25,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $37,124,715 | $2,789,108 | $1,909,160 | $1,356,100 | 17 | $1,446,060 | $2,477,699 | $1,809,371 |
| 2023 | $36,384,923 | $38,481,534 | $2,415,481 | $2,075,100 | 18 | $2,282,575 | $23,455,675 | $1,398,291 |
| 2022 | $15,168,261 | $5,590,026 | $2,571,475 | $2,048,600 | 14 | $2,254,966 | $1,382,496 | $892,663 |
| 2021 | $16,259,823 | $41,518,391 | $1,701,737 | $1,556,100 | 13 | $1,679,756 | $16,893,865 | $451,474 |
| 2020 | $765,438 | $1,998,928 | $386,460 | $370,000 | 13 | — | $976,435 | $6,611 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Kopelman Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.8M for 2024 — 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 2024 filing describes its program activity as “other investment expenses from pass-through investment activities”; it does not state a charitable mission. Its grants include support for organizations with varied missions. For example, New Story describes its work as creating sustainable, scalable housing solutions for vulnerable people and families. Sharing Excess says it uses surplus food to address scarcity, while Lankenau Medical Center Foundation supports Lankenau Medical Center and the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research. The 19th News describes its mission as producing journalism serving women and LGBTQ+ people who are excluded from the promise of the 19th Amendment.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 17 grants totaling $1,356,100. Grant amounts ranged from $2,500 to $300,000, with a median of $25,000. The largest awards included four grants to Philadelphia Foundation—one of $300,000 and three of $210,000 each—all for the recipient’s operating budget. Other notable grants included $100,000 each to New Story and Familial Dysautonomia Foundation, and $60,000 to Sharing Excess.
Additional 2024 recipients included Lankenau Medical Center Foundation ($50,000), The 19th News ($25,000), Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation ($5,000), Jewish Funders Network ($3,600), and Urban Affairs Coalition ($2,500). The listed grant purposes describe support for recipients’ operating budgets.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Joshua Kopelman and Rena Kopelman as trustees.
The Kopelman Foundation's 2024 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Joshua Kopelman
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Rena Kopelman
Trustee
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Kopelman Foundation
How much does The Kopelman Foundation give each year?
The Kopelman Foundation gave $1.4M across 17 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $2.1M across 18 grants.
What is The Kopelman Foundation's typical grant size?
The Kopelman Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $25,000, and its average grant was $79,771, across 17 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Kopelman Foundation that year got $27K on average.
Where does The Kopelman Foundation give grants?
The Kopelman Foundation gives mostly in Pennsylvania: 79% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (10%) and Georgia (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Philadelphia, PA (7 grants), New York, NY (5 grants) and Detroit, MI (2 grants).
Does The Kopelman Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Kopelman Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (17 of 17) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Kopelman Foundation's largest grantees?
The Kopelman Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Philadelphia Foundation ($930,000 across 4 grants), Familial Dysautonomia Foundation ($120,000 across 2 grants) and New Story Inc ($100,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 85% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Kopelman Foundation?
The Kopelman Foundation reported $37.1M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.4M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.8M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does The Kopelman Foundation fund?
The foundation’s 2024 filing describes its program activity as “other investment expenses from pass-through investment activities”; it does not state a charitable mission. Its grants include support for organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Kopelman Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Kopelman Foundation's EIN?
The Kopelman Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 23-3096766. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Kopelman 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Kopelman Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Kopelman Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-kopelman-foundation-morg_0c70cf98c213488597c7cd2103a5a18b
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_233096766_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Kopelman Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-kopelman-foundation-morg_0c70cf98c213488597c7cd2103a5a18b},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. 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 Kopelman 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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