The Panama Street Fund
The Panama Street Fund is a private foundation based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 2024, it reported giving to 20 preselected charitable organizations, with grants supporting organizations in Pennsylvania and several other states.
The Panama Street Fund at a glance
In short: The Panama Street Fund gave $215K across 20 grants in 2024 (avg $11K), mostly in Pennsylvania. 15% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $215,306
- -43.8% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 20
- -33.3% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $10,765
- -15.6% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $6,500
- Total assets
- $913,136
- -12.1% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 15% first-time grantees (3 of 20, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Pennsylvania (71% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Panama Street Fund
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1717 Arch Street 4020, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Phone: (215) 320-5660
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Panama Street Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Jewish Family Childrens Services ($50K). Together the top 10 received $189K.
Grant Size Distribution
139 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 127 grants of 139 (91%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2024 grant dollars went primarily to recipients in Pennsylvania (71%), followed by New York (15%), Massachusetts (9%), and Washington, DC (5%). New Jersey accounted for 0%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 20 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Panama Street Fund open to new grantees?
15%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 3 of 20 grantees (15%) were first-time recipients. With only 20 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $12K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 80% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving fell 52% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 385% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $215K (2024) to $450K (2021). In 2024 it made 20 grants totaling $215K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Jewish Family Childrens Services Philadelphia, PA | Unrestricted | $50,000 |
| Philabundance Philadelphia, PA | Unrestricted | $25,300 |
| American Jewish World Service New York, NY | Unrestricted | $20,000 |
| Partners in Health Boston, MA | Unrestricted | $20,000 |
| Project Home Philadelphia, PA | Unrestricted | $20,000 |
| Chabad of NW Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA | Unrestricted | $17,000 |
| Magee Rehabilitation Hospital Philadelphia, PA | Unrestricted | $10,000 |
| New Israel Fund Washington, DC | Unrestricted | $10,000 |
| America Gives New York, NY | Unrestricted | $10,000 |
| Ahavas Torah Congregation Philadelphia, PA | Unrestricted | $7,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $913,136 | $100,028 | $226,052 | $215,306 | 20 | $215,306 | $50,911 | $55,940 |
| 2023 | $1,039,160 | $60,365 | $384,049 | $382,810 | 30 | $382,810 | $62,555 | $65,035 |
| 2022 | $1,362,844 | $-40,759 | $285,884 | $283,499 | 25 | $283,499 | $29,495 | $83,742 |
| 2021 | $1,689,485 | $231,865 | $453,022 | $449,879 | 27 | $449,879 | $78,811 | $101,984 |
| 2020 | $1,910,642 | $22,356 | $453,577 | $449,516 | 37 | — | $20,823 | $110,862 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Panama Street Fund reported a distributable amount of $56K for 2024 — 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 funder’s filing describes its direct charitable activity as contributions to preselected public charities; it does not state a separate mission. Its 2024 recipients included organizations working on hunger, homelessness, human rights, and philanthropy. For example, Philabundance says its mission is to drive hunger from communities and end hunger, while Project HOME says it works to help adults, children, and families break the cycle of homelessness and poverty. American Jewish World Service describes its work as advancing human rights and ending poverty in several regions, and America Gives describes its role as providing information about charities and promoting and facilitating philanthropy.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the fund reported 20 grants totaling $215,306. Grants ranged from $80 to $50,000, with a median of $6,500. The largest awards included $50,000 to Jewish Family Children’s Services, $25,300 to Philabundance, and $20,000 each to American Jewish World Service, Partners In Health, and Project HOME. These grants were listed as unrestricted.
Other 2024 awards included $17,000 to Chabad of NW Philadelphia, $10,000 each to Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, New Israel Fund, and America Gives, and $7,000 to Ahavas Torah Congregation.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists BARABARA JAFFE as President and HOWARD LANGER as Secretary.
The Panama Street Fund is led by Barabara Jaffe, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Barabara Jaffe
President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Howard Langer
Secretary
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Panama Street Fund
How much does The Panama Street Fund give each year?
The Panama Street Fund gave $215K across 20 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $383K across 30 grants.
What is The Panama Street Fund's typical grant size?
The Panama Street Fund's median grant in 2024 was $6,500, and its average grant was $10,765, across 20 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Panama Street Fund that year got $1K on average.
Where does The Panama Street Fund give grants?
The Panama Street Fund gives mostly in Pennsylvania: 71% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (15%) and Massachusetts (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Philadelphia, PA (14 grants) and New York, NY (3 grants).
Does The Panama Street Fund give general operating support?
Yes: 85% of The Panama Street Fund's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (17 of 20) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Unresrticted" (3 grants).
Who are The Panama Street Fund's largest grantees?
The Panama Street Fund's largest 2024 grantees include Jewish Family Childrens Services ($50,000), Philabundance ($25,300) and American Jewish World Service ($20,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 44% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Panama Street Fund?
The Panama Street Fund reported $913K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $215K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $56K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Panama Street Fund fund?
The funder’s filing describes its direct charitable activity as contributions to preselected public charities; it does not state a separate mission. Its 2024 recipients included organizations working on hunger, homelessness, human rights, and philanthropy. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Panama Street Fund?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and 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 Panama Street Fund's EIN?
The Panama Street Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-1877195. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Panama Street Fund 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Panama Street Fund funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-panama-street-fund-morg_ecea8e751b0845d8aea40dbd4c0e9893
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_201877195_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Panama Street Fund funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-panama-street-fund-morg_ecea8e751b0845d8aea40dbd4c0e9893},
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 Panama Street Fund'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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