The Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation
The Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Its 2025 filing reports 52 grants totaling $1,277,166, with recipients in Ohio, New York, and Michigan.
The Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation gave $1.3M across 52 grants in 2025 (avg $25K), mostly in Ohio. 17% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,277,166
- -1.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 52
- -8.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $24,561
- +7.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $16,334
- Total assets
- $14,720,470
- -4.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 17% first-time grantees (9 of 52, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Ohio (76% 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 Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 500 First Ave P7-Pfsc-03-Z, Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Phone: (412) 442-8772
Website: https://robertblackfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Discovery School ($167K). Together the top 10 received $658K.
Grant Size Distribution
264 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 228 grants of 264 (86%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 76% of grant dollars went to recipients in Ohio, 20% to New York, and 4% to Michigan. The largest listed grants were concentrated among recipients in Ohio and New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 52 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation open to new grantees?
17%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 9 of 52 grantees (17%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $25K; repeat grants $24K. How we count
Medians: $17K first-time, $16K repeat.
- 79% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+10%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 124% 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 $1.0M (2021) to $1.3M (2024). In 2025 it made 52 grants totaling $1.3M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery School Mansfield, OH | General Support | $167,000 |
| Richland County Land Bank Mansfield, OH | General Support | $83,333 |
| United Way of Richland County Mansfield, OH | General Support | $61,000 |
| Fenimore Art Museum Cooperstown, NY | General Support | $56,667 |
| North Central State College Mansfield, OH | General Support | $50,000 |
| The Glimmerglass Festival Cooperstown, NY | General Support | $50,000 |
| Greater Cleveland Food Bank Inc Cleveland, OH | General Support | $50,000 |
| Third Street Family Health Services Mansfield, OH | General Support | $50,000 |
| Community Foundation of Gaylord, MI | General Support | $50,000 |
| Upstate Home for Children FD Oneonta, NY | General Support | $40,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation?
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 | $14,720,470 | $804,876 | $1,431,868 | $1,277,166 | 52 | $1,341,901 | $731,892 | $1,081,821 |
| 2024 | $15,334,704 | $1,154,427 | $1,438,269 | $1,298,568 | 57 | $1,361,275 | $1,080,586 | $1,023,564 |
| 2023 | $15,601,939 | $735,017 | $1,260,103 | $1,127,741 | 50 | $1,172,309 | $382,134 | $1,018,673 |
| 2022 | $16,093,945 | $584,161 | $1,293,595 | $1,157,398 | 54 | $1,200,203 | $495,248 | $1,046,820 |
| 2021 | $16,722,193 | $784,997 | $1,140,922 | $1,000,400 | 51 | $1,043,622 | $664,031 | $1,080,911 |
| 2020 | $17,066,591 | $204,105 | $1,253,160 | $1,123,984 | 54 | — | $331,168 | $904,271 |
| 2019 | $18,172,505 | $2,460,532 | $1,279,971 | $1,085,807 | 71 | — | $1,057,078 | $885,139 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.1M 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 Robert Black Foundation says it funds contemporary art music projects, education, and career development. Its stated interests include advancing the legacies of Robert Black and James Sellars, projects significantly involving the double bass, and support for individuals and organizations—especially those in early career stages. It describes eligible organizations broadly, including performing and presenting organizations, festivals, ensembles, museums, educational institutions, and publishers, provided they demonstrate nondiscriminatory policies or practices.
Its stated funding uses include commissioning or creating projects with a significant contemporary art music component; performances, residencies, educational opportunities, fellowships, workshops, and travel; and sharing work through performances, recordings, film, and publications. Ongoing programs include an annual scholarship for a double bassist to attend the Bang On A Can Summer Institute and prize money for the biennial David Walter Composition Competition.
The 2025 grant list also includes organizations serving other purposes. For example, Discovery School describes its mission as providing children an educational opportunity to discover the joy of learning, while United Way of Richland County describes its mission as raising funds for other exempt organizations. Greater Cleveland Food Bank says it works to ensure people in its communities have nutritious food.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 52 grants totaling $1,277,166. Awards ranged from $4,000 to $167,000, with a median grant of $16,334. The largest awards included $167,000 to Discovery School, $83,333 to Richland County Land Bank, $61,000 to United Way of Richland County, and $56,667 to Fenimore Art Museum. Other leading recipients included North Central State College, The Glimmerglass Festival, Greater Cleveland Food Bank, and Third Street Family Health Services, each receiving $50,000.
The foundation’s website also describes continuing education and competition awards. The Bass Scholarship is awarded annually to one double bassist, with Bang On A Can processing applications and selecting the awardee. The foundation provides prize money for the biennial David Walter Composition Competition.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Kenneth G Hochman as co-trustee and PNC Bank N A as trustee.
The Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; all 2 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Kenneth G. Hochman
Co-Trustee
Distribution Trustee → Co-Trustee, 2023
On filings since 2019
4 hrs/week
$30K (2019) → $39K (2025)
PNC Bank N A
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
$83K (2025)
Former officers (1)
- Former: PNC Bank NA (2019–2024) — 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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $83K, to PNC Bank N a (Trustee). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about The Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation
How much does The Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation give each year?
The Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation gave $1.3M across 52 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.3M across 57 grants.
What is The Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $16,334, and its average grant was $24,561, across 52 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation that year got $25K on average.
Where does The Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation give grants?
The Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation gives mostly in Ohio: 76% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (20%). The most frequent recipient cities were Mansfield, OH (25 grants), Cooperstown, NY (4 grants), Wooster, OH (4 grants) and Oneonta, NY (3 grants).
Does The Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 98% of The Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (51 of 52) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Discovery School ($167,000), Richland County Land Bank ($83,333) and United Way of Richland County ($61,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 24% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation?
The Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation reported $14.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.3M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.1M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation fund?
The Robert Black Foundation says it funds contemporary art music projects, education, and career development. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation?
The foundation states that it 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 Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation's EIN?
The Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 61-6433804. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Robert and Esther Black Family 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 September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 26, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 8, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 28, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 27, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 27, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 3, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS August 21, 2024)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 6, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-robert-and-esther-black-family-foundation-morg_d5b241ebd6bb423aac09b9f681f47c28
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_616433804_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-robert-and-esther-black-family-foundation-morg_d5b241ebd6bb423aac09b9f681f47c28},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-06. 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 Robert and Esther Black Family 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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