The Merle S Cahn Foundation
The Merle S Cahn Foundation is a private foundation based in Madison, Wisconsin. It made 17 grants totaling $675,000 in filing year 2025, supporting charitable organizations with program support. Its 2026 filing, the latest on this page, reports 17 grants totaling $675,000.
The Merle S Cahn Foundation at a glance
In short: The Merle S Cahn Foundation gave $675K across 17 grants in 2026 (avg $40K), mostly in New York. 6% of 2026 grantees were new. Source: 2026 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2026)
- $675,000
- +0.0% vs 2025
- Grants made (2026)
- 17
- +0.0% vs 2025
- Average grant
- $39,706
- +0.0% vs 2025
- Median grant
- $20,000
- Total assets
- $6,973,622
- -3.0% vs 2025
- New grantees (estimate)
- 6% first-time grantees (1 of 17, 2026; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (82% of itemized 2026 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2026 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2026; updated November 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Merle S Cahn Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests; it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 30 Virginia Ter, Madison, WI 53726
Phone: (608) 233-0322
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Merle S Cahn Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2026
The largest 2026 recipient was American Friends of Hebrew University ($125K). Together the top 10 received $625K.
Grant Size Distribution
85 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 60 grants of 85 (71%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In filing year 2025, recipient organizations in New York received 81% of grant dollars. The remaining reported shares went to organizations in Arizona (7%), Washington, D.C. (4%), Pennsylvania (4%), and Maryland (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2026 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Merle S Cahn Foundation open to new grantees?
6%
first-time grantees, 2026
In 2026, 1 of 17 grantees (6%) were first-time recipients. With only 17 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $85K; repeat grants $37K. How we count
Medians: $85K first-time, $20K repeat.
- 76% of 2026 grantees were also funded in 2025. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2023 to 2026 (+6%). Method
- In 2026 it paid out 177% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2021–2026). 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 2026, annual grant giving ranged from $635K (2023) to $675K (2026). In 2026 it made 17 grants totaling $675K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| American Friends of Hebrew University New York, NY | Program Support | $125,000 |
| Cancer Research Institute New York, NY | Program Support | $125,000 |
| Fisher Cetner for Alzheimer Research Foundation New York, NY | Program Support | $125,000 |
| American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science New York, NY | Program Support | $85,000 |
| Valley of the Sun JCC Scottsdale, AZ | Program Support | $50,000 |
| New Israel Fund Philadelphia, PA | Program Support | $25,000 |
| American Friends of Parents Circle New York, NY | Program Support | $25,000 |
| T'ruah New York, NY | Program Support | $25,000 |
| American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee New York, NY | Program Support | $20,000 |
| Hias Silver Spring, MD | Program Support | $20,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $6,973,622 | $576,353 | $791,717 | $675,000 | 17 | $721,275 | $522,009 | $407,152 |
| 2025 | $7,188,986 | $905,683 | $767,934 | $675,000 | 17 | $717,833 | $852,547 | $398,108 |
| 2024 | $7,051,263 | $209,050 | $736,793 | $640,000 | 16 | $640,000 | $134,791 | $384,231 |
| 2023 | $7,579,006 | $121,005 | $701,314 | $635,000 | 16 | $635,000 | $124,715 | $406,261 |
| 2022 | $8,159,315 | $700,086 | $747,267 | $641,000 | 19 | $641,000 | $597,883 | $459,036 |
| 2021 | $8,206,496 | $662,650 | $760,095 | $643,000 | 19 | — | $554,070 | $405,271 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Merle S Cahn Foundation reported a distributable amount of $407K for 2026 — 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 available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations whose own descriptions cover cancer immunotherapy research, human rights advocacy and leadership, public radio, and education related to Israeli-Palestinian issues. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not a stated mission of the foundation.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation gave 17 grants totaling $675,000. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $125,000, with a median of $20,000. The largest listed grants were $125,000 each to AFHU, Cancer Research Institute, and Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s; $85,000 to American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science; and $50,000 to Valley of the Sun JCC. Each was listed for program support. Its 2026 filing, the latest on this page, reports 17 grants totaling $675,000.
Other listed grants included $25,000 each to New Israel Fund, American Friends of Parents, and T’ruah; $20,000 to Association of Jewish JDC; $20,000 to HIAS; $10,000 each to Workers Circle and NPR Foundation; and $5,000 to Encounter Programs. Cancer Research Institute describes its work as advancing cancer immunotherapy through scientific discovery and global collaboration. T’ruah describes work organizing and training Jewish clergy and amplifying their voices on human rights concerns. NPR Foundation says it supports NPR’s operations and promotion. Encounter Programs describes itself as an educational organization working toward informed, courageous, and resilient American and Israeli Jewish communal leadership on the Israeli-Palestinian reality.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Charles B Vetzner and Stephen M Vetzner as trustees.
The Merle S Cahn Foundation's 2026 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2026 report compensation.
Officers on the 2026 filing
Charles B. Vetzner
Trustee
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Stephen M. Vetzner
Trustee
On filings since 2021
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2026. "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 Merle S Cahn Foundation
How much does The Merle S Cahn Foundation give each year?
The Merle S Cahn Foundation gave $675K across 17 grants in 2026, according to its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2025 it gave $675K across 17 grants.
What is The Merle S Cahn Foundation's typical grant size?
The Merle S Cahn Foundation's median grant in 2026 was $20,000, and its average grant was $39,706, across 17 grants on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Merle S Cahn Foundation that year got $85K on average.
Where does The Merle S Cahn Foundation give grants?
The Merle S Cahn Foundation gives mostly in New York: 82% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Arizona (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (10 grants).
Does The Merle S Cahn Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2026: none of the 17 grants with a stated purpose on The Merle S Cahn Foundation's 2026 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Program Support" (17 grants).
Who are The Merle S Cahn Foundation's largest grantees?
The Merle S Cahn Foundation's largest 2026 grantees include American Friends of Hebrew University ($125,000), Cancer Research Institute ($125,000) and Fisher Cetner for Alzheimer Research Foundation ($125,000), according to its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 56% of its itemized 2026 grant dollars.
How large is The Merle S Cahn Foundation?
The Merle S Cahn Foundation reported $7.0M in total assets on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $721K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $407K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Merle S Cahn Foundation fund?
The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations whose own descriptions cover cancer immunotherapy research, human rights advocacy and leadership, public radio, and education related to Israeli-Palestinian issues. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Merle S Cahn Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests; it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Merle S Cahn Foundation's EIN?
The Merle S Cahn Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 46-5353484. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2026.
Does The Merle S Cahn Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated November 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2026 (received by the IRS September 8, 2026)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 3, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 29, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 9, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 23, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
Live grants for the work The Merle S Cahn Foundation funds
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Browse active grant opportunities in The Merle S Cahn Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Merle S Cahn Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-merle-s-cahn-foundation-morg_7717b37a861b43c99ca0aa37a951c66c
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_465353484_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Merle S Cahn Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-merle-s-cahn-foundation-morg_7717b37a861b43c99ca0aa37a951c66c},
note = {Accessed 2026-11-07. 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 Merle S Cahn 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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