The RME Foundation Inc
The RME Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Buffalo, New York. It made charitable grants to organizations in Buffalo and beyond, and its 2024 filing states that it distributed its assets to a donor-advised fund and dissolved as of August 31, 2025.
The RME Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: The RME Foundation Inc gave $788K across 12 grants in 2025 (avg $66K), mostly in California. 17% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $787,733
- +424.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 12
- -55.6% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $65,644
- +1079.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 17% first-time grantees (2 of 12, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (98% 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 RME Foundation Inc
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1111 Elmwood Avenue 406, Buffalo, NY 14222
Phone: (716) 881-5074
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The RME Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc DBA DAFGIVING360 ($769K). Together the top 10 received $787K.
Grant Size Distribution
82 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 77 grants of 82 (94%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grants went primarily to recipients in California by grant dollars, with smaller shares going to recipients in New York and Washington, D.C., and a share reported as 0% for Wyoming. Recipients included organizations in Buffalo and elsewhere in Western New York, as well as organizations in California, Washington, D.C., and Wyoming.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The RME Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
17%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 12 grantees (17%) were first-time recipients. With only 12 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $385K; repeat grants $2K. How we count
Medians: $385K first-time, $1K repeat.
- 83% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 825% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2021–2025). 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 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $85K (2022) to $788K (2025). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $788K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc DBA DAFGIVING360 San Francisco, CA | Charitable | $768,883 |
| Center for Strategic and International Studies Washington, DC | Charitable | $5,000 |
| Westminster Foundation DBA Buffalo Promise Neighborhood Buffalo, NY | Charitable | $5,000 |
| The Martin House Buffalo, NY | Charitable | $2,500 |
| Hospice Foundation of WNY Inc Cheektowaga, NY | Charitable | $1,500 |
| Nichols School Buffalo, NY | Charitable | $1,000 |
| Roswell Park Alliance Foundation Buffalo, NY | Charitable | $1,000 |
| Teton Youth and Family Services Jackson, WY | Charitable | $1,000 |
| The Children's Hospital of Buffalo Foundation Buffalo, NY | Charitable | $1,000 |
| Feedmore Western New York Inc Buffalo, NY | Charitable | $500 |
Ready to take the next step with The RME Foundation Inc?
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 | — | $174,071 | $794,024 | $787,733 | 12 | $787,833 | $168,684 | $1,280 |
| 2024 | $788,776 | $63,390 | $156,954 | $150,250 | 27 | $150,350 | $57,002 | $36,852 |
| 2023 | $780,953 | $25,908 | $156,738 | $149,000 | 30 | $149,100 | $15,550 | $41,201 |
| 2022 | $824,689 | $27,323 | $93,244 | $85,125 | 6 | $85,375 | $20,130 | $47,688 |
| 2021 | $1,068,807 | $130,076 | $133,466 | $125,525 | 7 | — | $120,485 | $53,601 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The RME Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $1K 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
The 2025 grants went to a range of charitable organizations. Their stated missions include supporting hospice and palliative care, helping children and families, advancing cancer research and patient support, providing food and services to neighbors in need, offering temporary financial assistance to Erie County residents with medical conditions, and conserving wildlife. These are the grantees’ missions, not a stated mission of the foundation.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 12 grants totaling $787,733. Grant amounts ranged from $100 to $768,883, with a median of $1,000. The largest grant was $768,883 to Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc. DBA DAFgiving360 in San Francisco, California. Other notable grants included $5,000 each to the Center for Strategic and International Studies and Westminster Foundation DBA Buffalo Promise Neighborhood, and $2,500 to The Martin House.
The foundation’s 2024 filing states that its trustees resolved to terminate the foundation and distribute its assets to a donor-advised fund held with Charles Schwab. It states that all assets had been distributed and the foundation had dissolved as of August 31, 2025.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Ann Adam Hopkins as president and treasurer, and Lawrence V Whistler and Margaret Hopkins Whistler as directors.
The RME Foundation Inc is led by Ann Adam Hopkins, President & Treasurer since 2024 (on filings since 2021); none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Ann Adam Hopkins
President & Treasurer
Vice President & Secretary → President & Treasurer, 2024
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lawrence V. Whistler
Director
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Margaret Hopkins Whistler
Director
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: L. Nelson Hopkins III (2021–2023) — President & Treasurer
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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 RME Foundation Inc
How much does The RME Foundation Inc give each year?
The RME Foundation Inc gave $788K across 12 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $150K across 27 grants.
What is The RME Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
The RME Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $65,644, across 12 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The RME Foundation Inc that year got $385K on average.
Where does The RME Foundation Inc give grants?
The RME Foundation Inc gives mostly in California: 98% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Buffalo, NY (8 grants).
Does The RME Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 12 grants with a stated purpose on The RME Foundation Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (12 grants).
Who are The RME Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
The RME Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc DBA DAFGIVING360 ($768,883), Center for Strategic and International Studies ($5,000) and Westminster Foundation DBA Buffalo Promise Neighborhood ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 99% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
What does The RME Foundation Inc fund?
The 2025 grants went to a range of charitable organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The RME Foundation Inc?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
How much is The RME Foundation Inc required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2025, The RME Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $1K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is The RME Foundation Inc's EIN?
The RME Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 22-2989388. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Does The RME Foundation Inc 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 2021–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The RME Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-rme-foundation-inc-morg_9488c9a828d84b179c88e268618ba1ac
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_222989388_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The RME Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-rme-foundation-inc-morg_9488c9a828d84b179c88e268618ba1ac},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-22. 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 RME Foundation Inc'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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