The Morningstar Philanthropic Foundation
The Morningstar Philanthropic Foundation is a private family foundation based in Bethesda, Maryland. Established in 1982, it operates as a 501(c)(3) private grantmaking foundation with a substantial asset base and significant annual charitable giving.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$546.1M
+13.3% YoY
Annual Giving
$24.5M
+1.3% YoY
Grant Count
209
+4.5% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$117K
-3.1% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation has not publicly disclosed a formal mission statement. Based on available grantmaking records, the foundation supports organizations in the following areas:
- Education
- Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking
- Human Services
Grantmaking
The foundation operates as a private family foundation that awards grants through trustee discretion or to pre-selected organizations. No public application process is available, and the foundation maintains an extremely low public profile with no published website or publicly available application guidelines.
Grant Range
$1,000 to $4,000,000
Average Grant
$108,000
How to Apply
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation primarily funds organizations in:
- District of Columbia
- New York
- Maryland
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of 2024:
- Total Assets: $546.1 million
- Annual Revenue: $62.6 million
- Total Giving: $24.5–$25.5 million
- Annual Expenses: $32.6 million
- Total Liabilities: $16,300
Historical Growth:
- Total assets have grown from $122.5 million in 2011 to $546.1 million in 2024
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $546,085,405 | $482,179,775 | $422,763,428 |
| Revenue | $62,594,734 | $22,397,143 | $39,711,625 |
| Expenses | $32,562,624 | $30,844,229 | $26,647,958 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $33,185,467 | $25,119,213 | $20,849,537 |
| Net Investment Income | $55,511,767 | $16,662,127 | $33,913,204 |
| Distributable Amount | $24,749,589 | $23,265,889 | $27,466,082 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
250 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
- Susan R. Gelman (Director/President)
- Michael C. Gelman (Director/Vice President/Treasurer/Secretary)
- Gail Hyman (Grants Administrator)
- Lisa Jacobson (Senior Program Officer)
- Adina Barkinskiy (Director of Programs)
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSAN R GELMAN | DIRECTOR/PRESIDENT | 5 | — |
| MICHAEL C GELMAN | DIRECTOR/V.P./TREAS./SEC. | 20 | — |
Contact Information
- Address: 4550 Montgomery Ave # 810n, Bethesda, MD 20814-3304
- Telephone: 240-752-1700
- EIN: 52-1270464
Related Funders
Similar funders by location and focus area
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Mayfield Scholastic Ltd
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Total Given
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Assets
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Government Employees' Benefit
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Assets
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Grants
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Total Given
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Charles F and Margaret Mh Obrecht
BALTIMORE, MD
Assets
$1.2M
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Total Given
$131K
Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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