The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation
The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation is a private foundation based in Cranbury, New Jersey. In its 2025 filing, it reported 10 grants totaling $322,000 to charitable organizations.
The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation at a glance
In short: The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation gave $322K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $32K), mostly in South Carolina. 30% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $322,000
- -58.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- -47.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $32,200
- -20.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $5,526,826
- -0.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 30% first-time grantees (3 of 10, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- South Carolina (64% 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 Mary Peace Sterling Foundation
- 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: 101 Interchange Plaza 301, Cranbury, NJ 08512
Phone: (732) 372-0191
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Peace Center ($100K). Together the top 10 received $322K.
Grant Size Distribution
70 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 51 grants of 70 (73%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in South Carolina (64%), Florida (19%), Washington, DC (9%), and North Carolina (8%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation open to new grantees?
30%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 10 grantees (30%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $32K; repeat grants $32K. How we count
Medians: $25K first-time, $25K repeat.
- 70% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 59% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 92% 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 (2021–2025). 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 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $285K (2021) to $787K (2022). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $322K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Peace Center Greenville, SC | General Purpose | $100,000 |
| University of Miami Coral Gables, FL | General Purpose | $50,000 |
| Abundance Capital Greenville, SC | General Purpose | $45,000 |
| Bread for the World Washington, DC | General Purpose | $30,000 |
| Upcountry Chapel Hill, NC | General Purpose | $25,000 |
| YMCA Greenville, SC | General Purpose | $25,000 |
| Center for Comm Self Greenville, SC | General Purpose | $25,000 |
| Miami City Ballet Miami Beach, FL | General Purpose | $10,000 |
| Mill Village Greenville, SC | General [Purpose | $10,000 |
| Exchange for Change Miami, FL | General Purpose | $2,000 |
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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 | $5,526,826 | $414,801 | $430,314 | $322,000 | 10 | $322,170 | $315,382 | $349,197 |
| 2024 | $5,542,339 | $474,791 | $846,013 | $772,434 | 19 | $772,604 | $402,020 | $319,550 |
| 2023 | $5,913,561 | $245,711 | $708,063 | $641,333 | 13 | $641,333 | $180,075 | $315,661 |
| 2022 | $6,381,598 | $268,851 | $863,497 | $786,533 | 15 | $786,533 | $49,657 | $380,063 |
| 2021 | $6,977,819 | $4,303,794 | $348,829 | $285,000 | 13 | — | $233,974 | $388,514 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation reported a distributable amount of $349K 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 organizations with varied missions. ABUNDANCE CAPITAL describes itself as a nonprofit venture philanthropy platform focused on place-based impact investing and inclusive prosperity. Bread For The World says it advocates for policy and other changes to address hunger and poverty. Miami City Ballet says its mission includes presenting dance performances, training aspiring dancers, and developing dance education. Exchange for Change describes its work as fostering creative and intellectual exploration and providing learners a platform to share their perspectives.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 10 grants totaling $322,000. Grant amounts ranged from $2,000 to $100,000, with a median of $25,000. Its largest reported grants were $100,000 to Peace Center, $50,000 to the University of Miami, $45,000 to ABUNDANCE CAPITAL, and $30,000 to Bread for the World. Each was listed for general purpose.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Peace Sullivan is listed as trustee on the 2025 filing.
The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation is led by Peace Sullivan, Trustee on every filing since 2021 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Peace Sullivan
Trustee
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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 Mary Peace Sterling Foundation
How much does The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation give each year?
The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation gave $322K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $772K across 19 grants.
What is The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation's typical grant size?
The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $32,200, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation that year got $32K on average.
Where does The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation give grants?
The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation gives mostly in South Carolina: 64% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Florida (19%) and District of Columbia (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Greenville, SC (5 grants).
Does The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (10 of 10) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation's largest grantees?
The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Peace Center ($100,000), University of Miami ($50,000) and Abundance Capital ($45,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 61% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation?
The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation reported $5.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $322K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $349K (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 Mary Peace Sterling Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included organizations with varied missions. ABUNDANCE CAPITAL describes itself as a nonprofit venture philanthropy platform focused on place-based impact investing and inclusive prosperity. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation?
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 Mary Peace Sterling Foundation's EIN?
The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 57-1114028. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Does The Mary Peace Sterling 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-mary-peace-sterling-foundation-morg_e1f79ed11026488f81d0b82de4bab108
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_571114028_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-mary-peace-sterling-foundation-morg_e1f79ed11026488f81d0b82de4bab108},
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 Mary Peace Sterling 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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