The Mermelstein Foundation
The Mermelstein Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, NY. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, including Jewish religious, educational, and community organizations.
The Mermelstein Foundation at a glance
In short: The Mermelstein Foundation gave $141K across 46 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in New York. 70% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $141,338
- -33.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 46
- -16.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,073
- -20.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $188,887
- -10.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 70% first-time grantees (32 of 46, 2025)
- Primary geography
- New York (83% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Mermelstein Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
- Contact
Mailing address: 353 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10016
Phone: (718) 472-7500
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Mermelstein Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Yeshiva HAR Torah ($20K). Together the top 10 received $104K.
Grant Size Distribution
140 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 139 grants of 140 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 83% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York, 11% to New Jersey, 3% to Florida, 1% to Illinois, and 1% to recipients listed with an unspecified state.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 46 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Mermelstein Foundation open to new grantees?
70%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 32 of 46 grantees (70%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $6K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 28% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+12%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 96% 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 (2022–2025). 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 2022 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $127K (2022) to $213K (2024). In 2025 it made 46 grants totaling $141K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Yeshiva HAR Torah Queens, NY | Donation to Charitable Organization. | $19,825 |
| JCC Chabad W Queens Long Island City, NY | Donation to Charitable Organization. | $18,000 |
| Hebrew Academy of Long Beach Woodmere, NY | Donation to Charitable Organization. | $15,660 |
| DAF a Week Inc Passaic, NJ | Donation to Charitable Organization. | $15,500 |
| Friends of United Hatzalah New York, NY | Donation to Charitable Organization. | $8,000 |
| Toy Drive of Great Neck Great Neck, NY | Donation to Charitable Organization. | $8,000 |
| JCC of Great Neck Great Neck, NY | Donation to Charitable Organization. | $5,200 |
| Chabad Lubavitch of Beach County Long Beach, NY | Donation to Charitable Organization. | $5,000 |
| Jewish Community Chabad Long Island City, NY | Donation to Charitable Organization. | $5,000 |
| Great Neck Synagogue Great Neck, NY | Donation to Charitable Organization. | $4,020 |
Ready to take the next step with The Mermelstein Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Reported grantmaking by filing year:
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $188,887 | $123,666 | $144,893 | $141,338 | 46 | $141,338 | $120,726 | $146,497 |
| 2024 | $210,115 | $113,063 | $213,992 | $212,958 | 55 | $212,958 | $113,063 | $88,388 |
| 2022 | $199,028 | $3,752 | $127,979 | $126,504 | 39 | $126,504 | $3,752 | $965,182 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Mermelstein Foundation reported a distributable amount of $146K 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
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its grants include support for organizations whose own stated missions involve Jewish education, religious learning, community services, and humanitarian needs. For example, Yeshiva Har Torah describes itself as a religious school teaching Jewish faith, history, literature, life, and ideals. Daf A Week Inc says it promotes awareness of Talmudic literature and learning. Friends of United Hatzalah says it raises funding for organizations providing medical and trauma-related first-responder services. One Israel Fund describes its work as raising funds for humanitarian needs, including healthcare, security, social welfare, religious, and educational needs.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 46 grants totaling $141,338. Grants ranged from $100 to $19,825, with a median grant of $1,000. The largest awards included $19,825 to Yeshiva Har Torah, $18,000 to JCC Chabad W Queens, $15,660 to Hebrew Academy of Long Beach, and $15,500 to Daf A Week Inc. Other notable grants were $8,000 each to Friends of United Hatzalah and Toy Drive of Great Neck.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Bernard Mermelstein is listed as an officer or director on the 2025 filing.
The Mermelstein Foundation's only listed officer is Bernard Mermelstein, Req on every filing since 2022 (uncompensated).
Officers on the 2025 filing
Bernard Mermelstein
Req
On filings since 2022
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Helen Mermelstein (2022) — Req
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2022–2025. "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 Mermelstein Foundation
How much does The Mermelstein Foundation give each year?
The Mermelstein Foundation gave $141K across 46 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $213K across 55 grants.
What is The Mermelstein Foundation's typical grant size?
The Mermelstein Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $3,073, across 46 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Mermelstein Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does The Mermelstein Foundation give grants?
The Mermelstein Foundation gives mostly in New York: 83% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New Jersey (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (11 grants), Great Neck, NY (8 grants), Brooklyn, NY (4 grants) and Long Island City, NY (3 grants).
Does The Mermelstein Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 46 grants with a stated purpose on The Mermelstein Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Donation to Charitable Organization." (44 grants).
Who are The Mermelstein Foundation's largest grantees?
The Mermelstein Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Yeshiva HAR Torah ($19,825), JCC Chabad W Queens ($18,000) and Hebrew Academy of Long Beach ($15,660), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 38% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Mermelstein Foundation?
The Mermelstein Foundation reported $189K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $141K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $146K (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 Mermelstein Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its grants include support for organizations whose own stated missions involve Jewish education, religious learning, community services, and humanitarian needs. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Mermelstein Foundation?
The foundation 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 Mermelstein Foundation's EIN?
The Mermelstein Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 11-2669722. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2022–2025.
Does The Mermelstein Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(4)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS June 21, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 12, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 27, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2022–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Mermelstein Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Mermelstein Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-mermelstein-foundation-morg_94823f8b7e8040d2b355923f5863f109
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_112669722_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Mermelstein Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-mermelstein-foundation-morg_94823f8b7e8040d2b355923f5863f109},
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 Mermelstein 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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