The Polen Foundation
The Polen Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, New York. In its 2025 filing, it reported giving $21,250 through 23 grants to charitable organizations.
The Polen Foundation at a glance
In short: The Polen Foundation gave $21K across 23 grants in 2025 (avg $923.913), mostly in New York. 13% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $21,250
- +7.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 23
- +9.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $924
- -1.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $287,099
- +4.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 13% first-time grantees (3 of 23, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (54% 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 Polen 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: 252 Seventh Ave 12P, New York, NY 10001
Phone: (212) 647-1377
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Polen Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Planned Parenthood ($2K). Together the top 10 received $12K.
Grant Size Distribution
114 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 114 grants of 114 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 54% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York, 29% to recipients in Washington, DC, and 5% each to recipients in Pennsylvania, Texas, and Massachusetts.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 23 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Polen Foundation open to new grantees?
13%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 23 grantees (13%) were first-time recipients. With only 23 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $833; repeat grants $938. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $1K repeat.
- 83% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+1%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 110% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $16K (2019) to $21K (2025). In 2025 it made 23 grants totaling $21K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Planned Parenthood New York, NY | Charitable | $2,000 |
| Friends of Copake Grange Copake, NY | Charitable | $1,500 |
| Lehigh University Bethlahem, PA | Charitable | $1,000 |
| Women for Women International Washington, DC | Charitable | $1,000 |
| Equality Now New York, NY | Charitable | $1,000 |
| International Rescue Comm New York, NY | Charitable | $1,000 |
| CCNY-Grove School of Engineering New York, NY | Charitable | $1,000 |
| Americans United Washington DC, DC | Charitable | $1,000 |
| Anti-Defamation League New York, NY | Charitable | $1,000 |
| Center for Constitutional Rights New York, NY | Charitable | $1,000 |
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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 | $287,099 | $36,196 | $24,080 | $21,250 | 23 | $22,601 | $34,717 | $20,581 |
| 2024 | $274,983 | $12,693 | $23,179 | $19,750 | 21 | $21,070 | $10,584 | $18,890 |
| 2023 | $282,469 | $53,750 | $21,475 | $18,750 | 22 | $20,070 | $52,345 | $16,549 |
| 2022 | $250,194 | $18,082 | $23,816 | $21,000 | 25 | $22,400 | $16,666 | $18,090 |
| 2021 | $255,928 | $27,382 | $21,359 | $18,750 | 23 | $20,102 | $26,125 | $18,763 |
| 2020 | $249,905 | $12,843 | $20,157 | $17,250 | 22 | — | $11,248 | $17,135 |
| 2019 | $257,219 | $19,126 | $18,463 | $15,500 | 20 | — | $17,515 | $15,234 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Polen Foundation reported a distributable amount of $21K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations with varied missions. For example, Equality Now describes its work as seeking legal and systemic change to address violence and discrimination against women and girls worldwide. The Center for Constitutional Rights describes its work as advancing and protecting rights and supporting social justice movements through litigation, advocacy, and narrative change. World Wildlife Fund describes its mission as conserving nature and reducing threats to the diversity of life on Earth.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 23 grants totaling $21,250. Grants ranged from $500 to $2,000, with a median grant of $1,000. Among the listed recipients, Planned Parenthood received $2,000, Friends of Copake Grange received $1,500, and Lehigh University, Women for Women International, Equality Now, and the Center for Constitutional Rights each received $1,000. Other 2025 recipients included People for the American Way and World Wildlife Fund, each receiving $1,000, and World Central Kitchen, which received $750.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Russell Polen and Signe Adam as trustees and Tara E Polen as managing director.
The Polen Foundation is led by Tara E. Polen, Managing Director on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Tara E. Polen
Managing Director
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Russell Polen
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Signe Adam
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Shirley Polen (2019–2023) — Trustee
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 Polen Foundation
How much does The Polen Foundation give each year?
The Polen Foundation gave $21K across 23 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $20K across 21 grants.
What is The Polen Foundation's typical grant size?
The Polen Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $924, across 23 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Polen Foundation that year got $833 on average.
Where does The Polen Foundation give grants?
The Polen Foundation gives mostly in New York: 54% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was District of Columbia (29%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (10 grants), Washington DC, DC (5 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does The Polen Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 23 grants with a stated purpose on The Polen Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (23 grants).
Who are The Polen Foundation's largest grantees?
The Polen Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Planned Parenthood ($2,000), Friends of Copake Grange ($1,500) and Lehigh University ($1,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 21% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Polen Foundation?
The Polen Foundation reported $287K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $23K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $21K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Polen Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations with varied missions. For example, Equality Now describes its work as seeking legal and systemic change to address violence and discrimination against women and girls worldwide. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Polen 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 Polen Foundation's EIN?
The Polen Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-3860198. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Polen 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 4, 2020)
- 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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Browse active grant opportunities in The Polen Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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