The Rust Family Foundation
The Rust Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Fairfield, Connecticut. Its 2025 grants supported charitable organizations working in areas including animal welfare, disaster response, health, and community services.
The Rust Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Rust Family Foundation gave $255K across 20 grants in 2025 (avg $13K), top state Connecticut. 65% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $255,000
- -9.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 20
- -48.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $12,750
- +77.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $5,042,590
- -0.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 65% first-time grantees (13 of 20, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Connecticut (35% 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 Rust Family Foundation
- 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: 3244 Bronson Road, Fairfield, CT 06824
Phone: (203) 259-4576
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Rust Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Connecticut Humane Society ($30K). Together the top 10 received $165K.
Grant Size Distribution
147 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 147 grants of 147 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars by recipient state went to Connecticut (35%), Washington, DC (16%), Tennessee (12%), New York (10%), and Texas (8%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 20 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Rust Family Foundation open to new grantees?
65%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 13 of 20 grantees (65%) were first-time recipients. With only 20 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $13K; repeat grants $13K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 25% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 60% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 78% 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 (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 $152K (2020) to $280K (2024). In 2025 it made 20 grants totaling $255K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Connecticut Humane Society Newington, CT | Support Work | $30,000 |
| St Jude Children's Research Hospita Memphis, TN | Support Work | $30,000 |
| World Central Kitchen Washington, DC | Support Work | $25,000 |
| Save the Children Fairfield, CT | Support Work | $15,000 |
| Blood Cancer United Washington, DC | Support Work | $15,000 |
| ASPCA New York, NY | Support Work | $10,000 |
| Mercy Ships Garden Valley, TX | Support Work | $10,000 |
| Fairfield County's Community Founda Norwalk, CT | Support Work | $10,000 |
| Tunnel to Towers Foundation Staten Island, NY | Support Work | $10,000 |
| Water for Good Bentonville, AR | Support Work | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Rust 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 | $5,042,590 | $262,415 | $269,966 | $255,000 | 20 | $255,000 | $244,399 | $328,637 |
| 2024 | $5,050,141 | $258,337 | $303,124 | $280,299 | 39 | $280,299 | $235,975 | $301,544 |
| 2023 | $5,094,928 | $238,616 | $243,876 | $230,539 | 34 | $230,539 | $225,601 | $272,137 |
| 2022 | $5,100,188 | $1,847,239 | $188,911 | $159,181 | 20 | $159,181 | $200,368 | $207,712 |
| 2021 | $3,441,860 | $196,486 | $202,154 | $174,752 | 34 | $174,752 | $174,798 | $189,866 |
| 2020 | $3,447,528 | $298,618 | $168,751 | $152,391 | 30 | — | $259,476 | $170,461 |
| 2019 | $3,317,661 | $577,787 | $281,984 | $264,930 | 48 | — | $196,773 | $192,905 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Rust Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $329K 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
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations. For example, the Connecticut Humane Society describes its work as companion-animal welfare, including adoption services, medical care, education, and cruelty prevention. World Central Kitchen says it provides meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises. Blood Cancer United describes its mission as curing blood cancers and improving the quality of life of patients and their families.
Other 2025 recipients include organizations whose stated missions address financial education and empowerment (Operation HOPE), affordable housing (Habitat for Humanity–North Central Georgia), horse rehabilitation and care (Habitat for Horses), maternal and infant health (March of Dimes), and hunger (Connecticut Foodshare).
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 20 grants totaling $255,000. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $30,000, with a median award of $10,000. The largest listed grants were $30,000 each to the Connecticut Humane Society and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and $25,000 to World Central Kitchen. Other listed awards included $15,000 each to Save the Children and Blood Cancer United, and $10,000 each to organizations including ASPCA, Mercy Ships, Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, and Operation HOPE.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Randi Rust as president and Jeffrey D. Mitchell as director.
The Rust Family Foundation is led by Randi L. Rust, President since 2024 (on filings since 2019); none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Randi L. Rust
President
Secretary → President, 2024
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jeffrey D. Mitchell
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: William F. Rust III (2019–2023) — Director & President
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 Rust Family Foundation
How much does The Rust Family Foundation give each year?
The Rust Family Foundation gave $255K across 20 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $280K across 39 grants.
What is The Rust Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Rust Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $12,750, across 20 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Rust Family Foundation that year got $13K on average.
Where does The Rust Family Foundation give grants?
The Rust Family Foundation's top state is Connecticut, with 35% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were District of Columbia (16%) and Tennessee (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (2 grants) and Fairfield, CT (2 grants).
Does The Rust Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 20 grants with a stated purpose on The Rust Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Support Work" (19 grants).
Who are The Rust Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Rust Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Connecticut Humane Society ($30,000), St Jude Children's Research Hospita ($30,000) and World Central Kitchen ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 33% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Rust Family Foundation?
The Rust Family Foundation reported $5.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $255K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $329K (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 Rust Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations. For example, the Connecticut Humane Society describes its work as companion-animal welfare, including adoption services, medical care, education, and cruelty prevention. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Rust Family Foundation?
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 ↑
What is The Rust Family Foundation's EIN?
The Rust Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 54-1925955. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Rust 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
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 15, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 11, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work The Rust Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Rust Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Rust Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-rust-family-foundation-morg_f58cddb1d48b437a8edc75926f9d183d
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_541925955_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Rust Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-rust-family-foundation-morg_f58cddb1d48b437a8edc75926f9d183d},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 Rust 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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