The Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Foundation
The Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Foundation is a private foundation based in Stamford, Connecticut. It serves as the philanthropic giving arm of Critical Mass Ventures and supports work addressing poor health and economic disparity.
The Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Foundation at a glance
In short: The Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Foundation gave $303K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $28K), top state New York. 9% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $303,084
- -24.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 11
- -65.6% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $27,553
- +118.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $20,000
- Total assets
- $4,523,121
- +4.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 9% first-time grantees (1 of 11, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (28% 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 Meera & Ashok Vasudevan 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: 2777 Summer Street 401, Stamford, CT 06905
Phone: (203) 327-7151
Website: https://www.mavfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Merit America ($56K). Together the top 10 received $293K.
Grant Size Distribution
150 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 145 grants of 150 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s 2025 grants went to organizations in several U.S. states and to the Community Foundation of Singapore. The filing’s state distribution lists New York (28% of grant dollars), Washington, DC (18%), Massachusetts (16%), and Virginia (12%); it also lists an unlabelled category at 12%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Foundation open to new grantees?
9%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 11 grantees (9%) 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 $37K; repeat grants $27K. How we count
Medians: $37K first-time, $20K repeat.
- 82% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−7%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 90% 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 (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $301K (2021) to $404K (2024). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $303K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Merit America Washington, DC | General Support | $55,700 |
| Year up United Boston, MA | General Support | $50,000 |
| Brooklyn Workforce Innovation Brooklyn, NY | General Support | $40,000 |
| Community Foundation of Singapore | General Support | $37,384 |
| Strive International Inc New York, NY | General Support | $25,000 |
| Hot Bread Kitchen New York, NY | General Support | $20,000 |
| Jewish Vocational & Career Counseling Service San Francisco, CA | General Support | $20,000 |
| The Society of St Andrew Inc Big Island, VA | General Support | $20,000 |
| Shalom Farms Inc Richmond, VA | General Support | $15,000 |
| Windy City Harvest Glencoe, IL | General Support | $10,000 |
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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 | $4,523,121 | $558,644 | $374,495 | $303,084 | 11 | $320,824 | $510,389 | $355,815 |
| 2024 | $4,336,844 | $314,004 | $464,689 | $403,500 | 32 | $424,107 | $274,498 | $337,479 |
| 2023 | $4,487,364 | $182,967 | $427,249 | $366,500 | 35 | $390,242 | $149,320 | $298,292 |
| 2022 | $4,731,292 | $278,797 | $385,147 | $326,500 | 36 | $350,525 | $244,626 | $300,941 |
| 2021 | $4,837,297 | $265,787 | $376,538 | $300,500 | 36 | $327,145 | $227,174 | $344,820 |
| 2020 | $4,937,641 | $483,130 | $360,955 | $304,600 | 40 | — | $453,213 | $287,884 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Foundation reported a distributable amount of $356K 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 mission is to expand the years of vibrant life by advancing scientific understanding of healthspan, eradicating financial and digital barriers that sustain inequality, and empowering people and communities with the knowledge, resources, and agency to shape their lives. It says it is particularly interested in novel, creative, and multidisciplinary ideas, including work that moves cross-disciplinary ideas from research into lived experience.
Its 2025 grants included organizations working in career training, food access, and food waste reduction. For example, Merit America describes its mission as providing a path to skilled careers for Americans without college degrees. Hot Bread Kitchen says it creates economic opportunity through culinary job-skills training, placement, food entrepreneurship, and support for people facing barriers to meaningful careers. The Society of St. Andrew says it brings people together to harvest and share healthy food, reduce food waste, and nourish hungry neighbors.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 11 grants totaling $303,084. Grant amounts ranged from $10,000 to $55,700, with a median of $20,000. The listed grants were for general support. Notable grants included $55,700 to Merit America, $50,000 to Year Up United, $40,000 to Brooklyn Workforce Innovation, and $37,384 to the Community Foundation of Singapore. Other grants included $25,000 to STRIVE International, $20,000 each to Hot Bread Kitchen and the Society of St. Andrew, and $15,000 to Shalom Farms.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Ashok Vasudevan and Meera Vasudevan as co-presidents and Supriya Srinivasan as trustee.
The Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Foundation is led by Ashok Vasudevan, Co-President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Ashok Vasudevan
Co-President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Meera Vasudevan
Co-President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Supriya Srinivasan
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
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 Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Foundation
How much does The Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Foundation give each year?
The Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Foundation gave $303K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $404K across 32 grants.
What is The Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Foundation's typical grant size?
The Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $20,000, and its average grant was $27,553, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Foundation that year got $37K on average.
Where does The Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Foundation give grants?
The Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Foundation's top state is New York, with 28% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were District of Columbia (18%) and Massachusetts (16%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (2 grants).
Does The Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (11 of 11) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Foundation's largest grantees?
The Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Merit America ($55,700), Year up United ($50,000) and Brooklyn Workforce Innovation ($40,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 48% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Foundation?
The Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Foundation reported $4.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $321K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $356K (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 Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Foundation fund?
The foundation’s mission is to expand the years of vibrant life by advancing scientific understanding of healthspan, eradicating financial and digital barriers that sustain inequality, and empowering people and communities with the knowledge, resources, and agency to shape their lives. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Meera & Ashok Vasudevan 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 Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Foundation's EIN?
The Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-7154309. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Meera & Ashok Vasudevan 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 8, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-meera-and-ashok-vasudevan-foundation-morg_e12ef036bb4949c9b739524f75cf3406
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_477154309_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Meera \& Ashok Vasudevan Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-meera-and-ashok-vasudevan-foundation-morg_e12ef036bb4949c9b739524f75cf3406},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Meera & Ashok Vasudevan 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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