The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation

CRANBURY, NJ EIN: 57-1114028

The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation is a private foundation established in 2001 in South Carolina and currently based in Cranbury, New Jersey. It operates as a 501(c)(3) organization and is classified as a family foundation supported by the Mary P Sterling Estate.

Financial Overview

From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$5.5M

-0.3% YoY

Annual Giving

$322K

-58.3% YoY

Grant Count

-47.4% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$32K

-20.8% YoY

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 April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation's grant-making priorities include:

Education
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking
Human Services

Grantmaking

The foundation operates on a preselected basis only and does not accept unsolicited applications for funds. It only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations.

Grant Range

$1,000–$343,333

How to Apply

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation primarily funds organizations in:

South Carolina
Florida
North Carolina

Grant Distribution by State

South Carolina $2.1M (75%)

Florida $281K (10%)

New York $219K (8%)

District of Columbia $110K (4%)

North Carolina $46K (2%)

Texas $41K (1%)

Illinois $4K (0%)

States

District of Columbia Florida Illinois North Carolina New York South Carolina Texas

Cities

AnnaAshevilleChapel HillChicagoCoral GablesGreenvilleHoustonIthacaLadsonMiamiMiami BeachMt PleasantNew YorkRye BrookWashington

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

As of Fiscal Year Ending June 2025:

Total Assets: $5,526,826
Total Giving: $322,000
Total Revenues: $414,801
Total Expenses: $430,314
Total Liabilities: $0

Revenue Composition (FYE June 2025):

Investment income and dividends: $111,788
Net gain from sale of non-inventory assets: $303,013

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2025	2024	2023
Total Assets	$5,526,826	$5,542,339	$5,913,561
Revenue	$414,801	$474,791	$245,711
Expenses	$430,314	$846,013	$708,063
Qualifying Distributions	$322,170	$772,604	$641,333
Net Investment Income	$315,382	$402,020	$180,075
Distributable Amount	$349,197	$319,550	$315,661

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Grant Size Distribution

70 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2025 grants, the largest include Peace Center ($100,000), University of Miami ($50,000), Abundance Capital ($45,000).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
ABUNDANCE CAPITAL GREENVILLE, SC	GENERAL PURPOSE	$45,000
BREAD FOR THE WORLD WASHINGTON, DC	GENERAL PURPOSE	$30,000
EXCHANGE FOR CHANGE MIAMI, FL	GENERAL PURPOSE	$2,000
MIAMI CITY BALLET MIAMI BEACH, FL	GENERAL PURPOSE	$10,000
MILL VILLAGE GREENVILLE, SC	GENERAL [PURPOSE	$10,000
PEACE CENTER GREENVILLE, SC	GENERAL PURPOSE	$100,000
UPCOUNTRY CHAPEL HILL, NC	GENERAL PURPOSE	$25,000
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI CORAL GABLES, FL	GENERAL PURPOSE	$50,000
YMCA GREENVILLE, SC	GENERAL PURPOSE	$25,000
CENTER FOR COMM SELF GREENVILLE, SC	GENERAL PURPOSE	$25,000

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

Peace Sullivan serves as Trustee (0.5 hours per week, no compensation)

The foundation operates with limited staffing based on reported board members and key employees.

Compensation Overview

From 2025 IRS filing

From 2025 filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
PEACE SULLIVAN	TRUSTEE	0.5	—

Contact Information

Address: 101 Interchange Plaza, Suite 301, Cranbury, NJ 08512-3716

Phone: 732-372-0191

IRS Status: Tax-exempt since March 2002 | EIN: 57-1114028

Subject Areas

Focus areas based on grantmaking activity

Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking

Frequently Asked Questions

What does The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation fund?

The foundation's grant-making priorities include: • Education • Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking • Human Services

How do I apply for a grant from The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation?

**Grant Activity:** • Made 13 grants in the most recent fiscal year (ending June 2025) • Typical grant range: $1,000–$343,333 • Median grant amount: $25,000 • Recent grantees include Peace Center ($100,000), Abundance Capital ($45,000), and Bread for the World ($30,000) **Application Process:** The foundation operates on a preselected basis only and does not accept unsolicited applications for funds. It only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations.

Where does The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation make grants?

The foundation primarily funds organizations in: • South Carolina • Florida • North Carolina

What size grants does The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation award?

In 2025, The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation awarded 10 grants totaling $322K — an average of about $32K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2025, The Mary Peace Sterling Foundation reported a distributable amount of $349K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

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.