The Matthew 185 Foundation
The Matthew 185 Foundation is a private foundation based in Rivervale, New Jersey. Its 2024 filing lists grants to charitable organizations, with 79% of grant dollars going to recipients in New Jersey.
The Matthew 185 Foundation at a glance
In short: The Matthew 185 Foundation gave $186K across 27 grants in 2024 (avg $7K), mostly in New Jersey. 22% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $186,300
- +19.6% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 27
- +8.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $6,900
- +10.7% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $2,822,830
- +19.6% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 22% first-time grantees (6 of 27, 2024)
- Primary geography
- New Jersey (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 Matthew 185 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: 473 White Birch Drive, Rivervale, NJ 07675
Phone: (973) 808-1445
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Matthew 185 Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Family Promise of Bergen County ($24K). Together the top 10 received $133K.
Grant Size Distribution
118 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 118 grants of 118 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In filing year 2024, 79% of grant dollars went to recipients in New Jersey. The remaining shares went to Florida (9%), New York (8%), Connecticut (3%), and Maryland (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 27 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Matthew 185 Foundation open to new grantees?
22%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 6 of 27 grantees (22%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $8K. How we count
Medians: $4K first-time, $7K repeat.
- 78% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 64% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 114% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $84K (2020) to $216K (2022). In 2024 it made 27 grants totaling $186K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Family Promise of Bergen County Ridgewood, NJ | General Purpose | $23,800 |
| Multiple Scerosis of America Cherry Hill, NJ | General Purposes | $23,500 |
| Florida International University Foundation Miami, FL | General Purpose | $16,000 |
| Hackensack Meridan School Nutley, NJ | General Purpose | $13,500 |
| Home Fit for Heroes Ramsey, NJ | General Purpose | $13,000 |
| Ramapo Bergen Animal Refuge Center Oakland, NJ | General Purpose | $12,200 |
| Learning Spring New York, NY | General Purpose | $9,500 |
| Table to Table Hasbrouck Heights, NJ | General Purpose | $7,500 |
| Rivervale Fire Department Association River Vale, NJ | General Purpose | $7,261 |
| Youth Council Services River Vale, NJ | General Purpose | $6,750 |
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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 | $2,822,830 | $62,760 | $229,881 | $186,300 | 27 | $186,300 | $40,187 | $163,519 |
| 2023 | $2,359,325 | $152,615 | $203,500 | $155,777 | 25 | $155,777 | $38,157 | $136,293 |
| 2022 | $2,041,682 | $693,356 | $244,421 | $215,763 | 22 | $215,763 | $29,433 | $111,270 |
| 2021 | $1,552,751 | $67,190 | $190,414 | $113,450 | 24 | $113,450 | $50,714 | $139,328 |
| 2020 | $1,862,507 | $68,588 | $413,928 | $83,615 | 20 | — | $68,588 | $132,703 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Matthew 185 Foundation reported a distributable amount of $164K for 2024 — 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 2024 grants went to organizations with varied purposes. For example, Family Promise of Bergen County describes its mission as providing temporary shelter and support to working families experiencing homelessness and a dinner program addressing community food insecurity. Table to Table describes its work as rescuing fresh food that would otherwise be wasted and delivering it to nonprofits serving food-insecure and at-risk populations in northeastern New Jersey. Spectrum for Living describes its mission as helping people with developmental and/or physical disabilities build skills, purpose, and independence through services, advocacy, and family partnership.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the foundation awarded 27 grants totaling $186,300. Grants ranged from $80 to $23,800, with a median grant of $5,000. The largest listed grants included Family Promise of Bergen County ($23,800), Multiple Sclerosis of America ($23,500), Florida International University Foundation ($16,000), Hackensack Meridan School ($13,500), Home Fit for Heroes ($13,000), and Ramapo Bergen Animal Refuge Center ($12,200). Other listed recipients included Learning Spring ($9,500), Table to Table ($7,500), Rivervale Fire Department Association ($7,261), and Youth Council Services ($6,750).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Charles Matar as president, secretary, and director, and Jennifer Matar as vice president and director.
The Matthew 185 Foundation is led by Charles Matar, President, Secretary & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Charles Matar
President, Secretary & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Jennifer Matar
Vice President & Director
On filings since 2020
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 Matthew 185 Foundation
How much does The Matthew 185 Foundation give each year?
The Matthew 185 Foundation gave $186K across 27 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $156K across 25 grants.
What is The Matthew 185 Foundation's typical grant size?
The Matthew 185 Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $5,000, and its average grant was $6,900, across 27 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Matthew 185 Foundation that year got $5K on average.
Where does The Matthew 185 Foundation give grants?
The Matthew 185 Foundation gives mostly in New Jersey: 79% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Florida (9%) and New York (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were River Vale, NJ (6 grants), New York, NY (2 grants) and Woodbridge, NJ (2 grants).
Does The Matthew 185 Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Matthew 185 Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (27 of 27) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Matthew 185 Foundation's largest grantees?
The Matthew 185 Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Family Promise of Bergen County ($23,800), Multiple Scerosis of America ($23,500) and Florida International University Foundation ($16,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 34% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Matthew 185 Foundation?
The Matthew 185 Foundation reported $2.8M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $186K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $164K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Matthew 185 Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants went to organizations with varied purposes. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Matthew 185 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 Matthew 185 Foundation's EIN?
The Matthew 185 Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 45-3077267. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Matthew 185 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
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 22, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS January 29, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 12, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work The Matthew 185 Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Browse active grant opportunities in The Matthew 185 Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Matthew 185 Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-matthew-185-foundation-morg_b3ad80ba4ed6408d851711411d08f2ec
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_453077267_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Matthew 185 Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-matthew-185-foundation-morg_b3ad80ba4ed6408d851711411d08f2ec},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 Matthew 185 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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