The Rodel Foundation
The Rodel Foundation is a private foundation based in Phoenix, Arizona. It says it seeks to address important national challenges and pursues this work primarily through Rodel Delaware, the Rodel Institute, and clean energy work. It also invests in programs supporting emotional health and wellness and funds high-quality research.
The Rodel Foundation at a glance
In short: The Rodel Foundation gave $2.0M across 17 grants in 2024 (avg $118K), mostly in Arizona. 12% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $2,005,000
- +17.3% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 17
- -19.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $117,941
- +44.8% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $64,056,374
- +3.8% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 12% first-time grantees (2 of 17, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Arizona (69% 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 Rodel Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- Invitation Only
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Its website also states that grants are awarded only by invitation.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 15799, Phoenix, AZ 85060
Phone: (480) 915-0838
Website: https://www.rodel.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Rodel Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Rodel Institute ($1.4M). Together the top 10 received $1.9M.
Grant Size Distribution
106 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 62 grants of 106 (58%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 69% of grant dollars went to recipients in Arizona, 16% to California, 10% to the District of Columbia, 2% to Colorado, and 1% to New York. The largest 2024 grant went to an Arizona recipient, the Rodel Institute.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Rodel Foundation open to new grantees?
12%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 2 of 17 grantees (12%) were first-time recipients. With only 17 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $55K; repeat grants $126K. How we count
Medians: $55K first-time, $25K repeat.
- 88% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−12%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 92% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. 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 $1.7M (2023) to $2.6M (2022). In 2024 it made 17 grants totaling $2.0M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Rodel Institute Phoenix, AZ | Education | $1,390,000 |
| Social Good Fund Richmond, CA | Community Concern | $100,000 |
| The Breakthrough Institute Berkeley, CA | Environment | $100,000 |
| Aspen Institute Washington, DC | Education | $75,000 |
| Democracy a Journal of Ideas Washington, DC | Environment | $75,000 |
| Hoffman Institute Foundation San Rafael, CA | Community Concern | $50,000 |
| Third Way Institute Washington, DC | Community Concern | $50,000 |
| Clean Air Task Force Boston, MA | Environment | $25,000 |
| Uc Berkeley Foundation Berkeley, CA | Education | $25,000 |
| Aha Santa Barbara, CA | Community Concern | $20,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Rodel Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The foundation files Form 990-PF.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $64,056,374 | $3,070,214 | $3,072,271 | $2,005,000 | 17 | $2,830,494 | $2,841,927 | $3,067,162 |
| 2023 | $61,707,291 | $2,009,247 | $2,836,840 | $1,709,950 | 21 | $2,608,899 | $1,783,389 | $2,887,278 |
| 2022 | $57,127,103 | $3,894,841 | $3,850,054 | $2,598,228 | 19 | $3,391,347 | $3,628,767 | $2,788,661 |
| 2021 | $67,060,715 | $12,227,457 | $3,130,445 | $2,266,541 | 23 | $2,907,799 | $11,924,860 | $2,953,077 |
| 2020 | $62,148,052 | $2,086,300 | $2,862,783 | $2,042,500 | 26 | — | $1,898,489 | $2,844,905 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Rodel Foundation reported a distributable amount of $3.1M 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 foundation does not provide a formal mission statement in the available information. Its website describes Rodel Delaware’s focus as public education, with work on funding and equity, early childhood education, social and emotional learning, and pathways to postsecondary success. The Rodel Institute works to support a healthy democracy by improving the quality of public leadership in the United States. The foundation’s clean energy work focuses on removing barriers to nuclear energy deployment.
Its 2024 grants included support for organizations working in education, environment, and community concern. For example, the Rodel Institute describes itself as a nonpartisan center for leadership and intellectual growth; The Breakthrough Institute describes its work as promoting technological solutions to environmental and human development challenges; and Clean Air Task Force describes its mission as advancing technology and policy changes toward a zero-emissions, high-energy planet at an affordable cost.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 17 grants totaling $2,005,000. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $1,390,000, with a median of $25,000. Its largest grant was $1,390,000 to the Rodel Institute for education. Other notable grants included $100,000 to The Breakthrough Institute for environment and $100,000 to Social Good Fund for community concern. The Aspen Institute and Democracy: A Journal of Ideas each received $75,000.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Susan M. Budinger as CEO and secretary, and Donald V. Budinger as chair and treasurer. William D. Budinger, William M. Budinger, and Lisa S. Budinger are listed as directors. The foundation’s website identifies Bill Budinger, Don Budinger, and Susan Budinger as founding directors.
The Rodel Foundation is led by Susan M. Budinger, CEO & Secretary since 2023 (on filings since 2020); 2 of 4 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Susan M. Budinger
CEO & Secretary
Director & Secretary → CEO & Secretary, 2023
On filings since 2020
35 hrs/week
$100K (2020) → $240K (2024)
Donald V. Budinger
Chair & Treasurer
Director & President → Chair & Treasurer, 2023
On filings since 2020
31 hrs/week
$275K (2020) → $190K (2024)
William M. Budinger
Director
On filings since 2020
29 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lisa S. Budinger
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $240K, to Susan M Budinger (CEO & Secretary). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about The Rodel Foundation
How much does The Rodel Foundation give each year?
The Rodel Foundation gave $2.0M across 17 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $1.7M across 21 grants.
What is The Rodel Foundation's typical grant size?
The Rodel Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $25,000, and its average grant was $117,941, across 17 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Rodel Foundation that year got $55K on average.
Where does The Rodel Foundation give grants?
The Rodel Foundation gives mostly in Arizona: 69% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were California (16%) and District of Columbia (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Santa Barbara, CA (4 grants), Washington, DC (3 grants), Berkeley, CA (2 grants) and Aspen, CO (2 grants).
Does The Rodel Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 17 grants with a stated purpose on The Rodel Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Community Concern" (8 grants), "Environment" (5 grants) and "Education" (4 grants).
Who are The Rodel Foundation's largest grantees?
The Rodel Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Rodel Institute ($1,390,000), Social Good Fund ($100,000) and The Breakthrough Institute ($100,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 79% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Rodel Foundation?
The Rodel Foundation reported $64.1M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.8M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $3.1M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does The Rodel Foundation fund?
The foundation does not provide a formal mission statement in the available information. Its website describes Rodel Delaware’s focus as public education, with work on funding and equity, early childhood education, social and emotional learning, and pathways to postsecondary success. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Rodel 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 Rodel Foundation's EIN?
The Rodel Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 86-1015598. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Rodel 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
(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 Rodel Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-rodel-foundation-morg_337ab6e3d50b4196ad1de646b94aea75
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_861015598_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Rodel Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-rodel-foundation-morg_337ab6e3d50b4196ad1de646b94aea75},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Rodel 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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