The Mayer Foundation
The Mayer Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, NY. Incorporated in March 2002 as a New York nonprofit corporation, it supports economic relief for people facing hardship, grants to charitable organizations, and student scholarships and aid.
The Mayer Foundation at a glance
In short: The Mayer Foundation gave $125K across 87 grants in 2025 (avg $1K), mostly in New York. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $124,750
- +61.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 87
- +22.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $1,434
- +31.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,250
- Total assets
- $824,231
- +760.9% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- New York (89% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to The Mayer Foundation
- How to Apply
The foundation’s 2025 filing states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
The foundation’s 2025 filing states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and **does not accept unsolicited requests**. Its website, however, says it accepts unsolicited applications. For organizations, the website describes applying by completing and mailing its application form. For individuals, it describes submitting a letter outlining the assistance requested, the applicant’s need and supporting evidence, goals, plans, and other funding sources. It says individual proposals are considered by a selection committee that meets quarterly. The filing’s stated policy and the website’s application instructions conflict.
- Contact
Mailing address: 300 E 74Th St Apt 35A, New York, NY 10021-3746
Phone: (212) 772-0004
Website: https://www.mayerfoundation.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from The Mayer Foundation
Who The Mayer Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was VIM Berkshires ($5K). Together the top 10 received $23K.
Grant Size Distribution
312 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 312 grants of 312 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s website states that its geographic focus is New York City. In 2025, 89% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York, with the remainder reported in Massachusetts (4%), Washington (2%), Florida (2%), and South Carolina (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 87 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How The Mayer Foundation gives
- Giving grew 45% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 291% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $58K (2021) to $130K (2020). In 2025 it made 87 grants totaling $125K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| VIM Berkshires Great Barrington, MA | General Welfare | $5,000 |
| The Fresh Air Fund New York, NY | General Welfare | $2,500 |
| Chemotherapy Foundation New York, NY | General Welfare | $2,500 |
| Meals of Hope Boyton Beach, FL | General Welfare | $2,000 |
| Daniel Reiser Brooklyn, NY | General Welfare | $1,750 |
| Sarah Fonseca Brooklyn, NY | General Welfare | $1,750 |
| Ron Mathews Uniondale, NY | General Welfare | $1,750 |
| Ashley Galleger Brooklyn, NY | General Welfare | $1,750 |
| Nicolas Tung Brooklyn, NY | General Welfare | $1,750 |
| Jayra Turner Bronx, NY | General Welfare | $1,750 |
Ready to take the next step with The Mayer Foundation?
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 | $824,231 | $856,062 | $127,808 | $124,750 | 87 | $124,750 | $23,900 | $42,853 |
| 2024 | $95,745 | $147,917 | $78,850 | $77,350 | 71 | $77,350 | $65,840 | $2,470 |
| 2023 | $92,543 | $126,374 | $102,197 | $100,950 | 71 | $100,950 | $49,029 | $3,501 |
| 2022 | $117,355 | $114,613 | $88,549 | $85,750 | 45 | $85,750 | $37,693 | $4,349 |
| 2021 | $128,974 | $138,870 | $58,685 | $57,700 | 38 | $57,700 | $58,873 | $4,649 |
| 2020 | $107,651 | $65,018 | $130,640 | $129,600 | 115 | — | $18 | $5,095 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Mayer Foundation reported a distributable amount of $43K 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
The foundation’s stated mission includes economic relief for people experiencing poverty, low income, or other financial hardship; help with healthcare costs for people unable to afford needed care; grants to other IRS 501(c)(3) organizations for educational, literary, cultural, humanitarian, scientific, health-care-related, and other charitable purposes; and scholarships or student aid for high school, college, and graduate students.
For scholarships, the foundation’s website says applicants should meet at least one of its criteria related to academic ability, character or motivation, or financial need. The website says scholarship awards are generally $2,000–$3,000 per year and typically last one year.
Among 2025 grantees, Meals of Hope describes its mission as bringing communities together to end hunger through food packing. Grace Outreach says it serves low-income women seeking to improve academic skills, pursue postsecondary education, and establish employment paths toward economic security.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 87 grants totaling $124,750. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $5,000, with a median of $1,250. The foundation’s website says grants to organizations generally range around $2,000.
Notable 2025 grants included $5,000 to VIM Berkshires; $2,500 each to The Fresh Air Fund and the Chemotherapy Foundation; $2,000 to Meals of Hope; and $1,500 to Grace Outreach. The listed purposes for these grants were “general welfare.”
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists CHARLES MAYER as president, DANIEL BOOKVAR as secretary/treasurer, and ANNA MAYER as vice president.
The Mayer Foundation is led by Charles Mayer, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Charles Mayer
President
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Daniel Bookvar
Secretary & Treasurer
Secytreas → Secretary & Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Anna Mayer
Vice President
Vpdir → Vice President, 2025
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Robert Lopatin (2020) — Vpdir
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 Mayer Foundation
How much does The Mayer Foundation give each year?
The Mayer Foundation gave $125K across 87 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $77K across 71 grants.
What is The Mayer Foundation's typical grant size?
The Mayer Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,250, and its average grant was $1,434, across 87 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Mayer Foundation give grants?
The Mayer Foundation gives mostly in New York: 89% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Brooklyn, NY (27 grants), New York, NY (22 grants), Bronx, NY (19 grants) and Astoria, NY (3 grants).
Does The Mayer Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Mayer Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (87 of 87) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Mayer Foundation's largest grantees?
The Mayer Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include VIM Berkshires ($5,000), The Fresh Air Fund ($2,500) and Chemotherapy Foundation ($2,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 8% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Mayer Foundation?
The Mayer Foundation reported $824K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $125K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $43K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Mayer Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission includes economic relief for people experiencing poverty, low income, or other financial hardship; help with healthcare costs for people unable to afford needed care; grants to other IRS 501(c)(3) organizations for educational, literary, cultural, humanitarian, scientific, health-care-related, and other charitable purposes; and scholarships or student aid for high school, college, and graduate students. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Mayer Foundation?
The foundation’s 2025 filing states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Mayer Foundation's EIN?
The Mayer Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 02-0569535. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
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 August 6, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Mayer Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Mayer Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-mayer-foundation-morg_78df6744708e4aff8526a1f176efa1b6
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_020569535_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Mayer Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-mayer-foundation-morg_78df6744708e4aff8526a1f176efa1b6},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Mayer 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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