The Robert & Lois Geller Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker New York, NY EIN: 13-4160893

The Robert & Lois Geller Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, NY. In filing year 2024, it reported 22 grants totaling $33,433, including support for charitable organizations in New York and Washington, DC.

Key facts about The Robert & Lois Geller Foundation

In short: The Robert & Lois Geller Foundation gave $33K across 22 grants in 2024 (avg $2K), mostly in New York. 18% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
13-4160893
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2024
Annual giving (2024)
$33,433
Grants made (2024)
22
Average grant
$1,520
Median grant
$750
New grantees (estimate)
18% first-time grantees (4 of 22, 2024; small sample)
Total assets
$315,091
Primary geography
New York (90% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
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. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$315K

+16.8% YoY

Annual Giving

$33K

+44.3% YoY

Grant Count

22

+15.8% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$2K

+24.6% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Robert & Lois Geller Foundation reported a distributable amount of $25K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Is The Robert & Lois Geller Foundation open to new grantees?

18%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 4 of 22 grantees (18%) were first-time recipients. With only 22 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $1K. How we count

Medians: $750 first-time, $750 repeat.

  • 64% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
  • Giving grew 38% from 2021 to 2024. Method
  • In 2024 it paid out 146% 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.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants include support for charitable organizations such as Jewish National Fund, Girls Inc., and Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter. Jewish National Fund describes its work as building a prosperous future for Israel and its people, including through forestry, water solutions, community building, education, research, and heritage preservation. Girls Inc. describes its work as providing mentorship, supportive spaces, and evidence-based programming for girls and young women. Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter says it helps New Yorkers experiencing homelessness, often alongside mental illness or substance use, work toward independence.

Grantmaking

In 2024, the foundation made 22 grants totaling $33,433. Grants ranged from $100 to $10,000, with a median grant of $750. Among the largest grants were $10,000 to Jewish National Fund, $5,000 each to Cambodian-American Foundation for and Girls Inc., $2,000 to God’s Love We Deliver, and $1,200 to the Philharmonic Symphony Society of NY. Other listed grants included $1,033 to 9-11 Memorial and Museum and $1,000 each to Central Park Conservancy, Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter, American Friends of the Israel Phil, Hillel International, and AFMDA-SHEADS.

How to Apply

The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2024, 90% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York, 6% to recipients in Washington, DC, and 1% each to recipients in Michigan, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania.

Grant Distribution by State

7states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 22 itemized grants.

Cities

New YorkBridgehamptonWashingtonHillsdaleArlingtonGreerEtnaFairfaxPhiladelphiaStaten Island

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$10K$20K$30K$40K20 grants2020 23 grants2021 23 grants2022 19 grants2023 22 grants2024

From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $15K (2020) to $33K (2024). In 2024 it made 22 grants totaling $33K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Jewish National Fund: $10KJewish National Fund$10KCambodian -American Foundation for: $5KCambodian -American Foundationfor$5KGirls Inc: $5KGirls Inc$5KGod's Love We Deliver: $2KGod's Love We Deliver$2KPhilarmonic Symphony Society of NY: $1KPhilarmonic Symphony Societyof NY$1K9-11 Memorial and Museum: $1K9-11 Memorial and Museum$1KCentral Park Conservancy: $1KCentral Park Conservancy$1KNeighborhood Coalition for Shelter: $1KNeighborhood Coalition forShelter$1KAMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE ISRAeL PHIL: $1KAMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE ISRAeLPHIL$1KHillel International: $1KHillel International$1K

The largest 2024 recipient was Jewish National Fund ($10K). Together the top 10 received $28K.

Grant Size Distribution

107 grants across all recorded years

107<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 107 grants of 107 (100%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Jewish National Fund New York, NYSupport Charitable Purpose$10,000
Cambodian -American Foundation for New York, NYSupport Charitable Purpose$5,000
Girls Inc New York, NYSupport Charitable Purpose$5,000
God's Love We Deliver New York, NYSupport Charitable Purpose$2,000
Philarmonic Symphony Society of NY New York, NYSupport Charitable Purpose$1,200
9-11 Memorial and Museum New York, NYSupport Charitable Purpose$1,033
Central Park Conservancy New York, NYSupport Charitable Purpose$1,000
Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter New York, NYSupport Charitable Purpose$1,000
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE ISRAeL PHIL New York, NYSupport Charitable Purpose$1,000
Hillel International Washington, DCSupport Charitable Purpose$1,000

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grant total Grant count
2024 $315,091 $87,437 $37,805 $33,433 22
2023 $269,882 $10,778 $28,831 $23,175 19
2022 $284,211 $31,709 $34,698 $29,450 23
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$25K$50K$75K$100K2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets$315,091$269,882$284,211
Revenue$87,437$10,778$31,709
Expenses$37,805$28,831$34,698
Qualifying Distributions$36,604$26,253$33,959
Net Investment Income$8,814$13,207$31,170
Distributable Amount$25,136$23,070$25,899

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2024 filing lists Robert Geller as President and Stephen L. Geller as Vice President.

The Robert & Lois Geller Foundation is led by Robert Geller, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • Robert Geller

    President

    On filings since 2020

    5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Stephen L. Geller

    Vice President

    On filings since 2023

    5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

Former officers (1)
  • Former: Lois F. Geller (2020–2022) — Vice President

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.

Contact

Mailing address: 155 East 76Th St 6H, New York, NY 10021
Phone: (212) 249-0258

Frequently asked questions about The Robert & Lois Geller Foundation

How much does The Robert & Lois Geller Foundation give each year?

The Robert & Lois Geller Foundation gave $33K across 22 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $23K across 19 grants.

What is The Robert & Lois Geller Foundation's typical grant size?

The Robert & Lois Geller Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $750, and its average grant was $1,520, across 22 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Robert & Lois Geller Foundation that year got $3K on average.

Where does The Robert & Lois Geller Foundation give grants?

The Robert & Lois Geller Foundation gives mostly in New York: 90% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was District of Columbia (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (14 grants), Washington, DC (3 grants) and Bridgehampton, NY (2 grants).

Who are The Robert & Lois Geller Foundation's largest grantees?

The Robert & Lois Geller Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Jewish National Fund ($10,000), Cambodian -American Foundation for ($5,000) and Girls Inc ($5,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 60% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.

How large is The Robert & Lois Geller Foundation?

The Robert & Lois Geller Foundation reported $315K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $37K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $25K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does The Robert & Lois Geller Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants include support for charitable organizations such as Jewish National Fund, Girls Inc., and Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The Robert & Lois Geller 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 & Lois Geller Foundation's EIN?

The Robert & Lois Geller Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-4160893. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

Does The Robert & Lois Geller 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.

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