The Sumner Family Foundation Inc
The Sumner Family Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Califon, New Jersey. Its 2024 filing lists grants to charitable organizations, with all listed grant purposes designated as general support.
The Sumner Family Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: The Sumner Family Foundation Inc gave $4.0M across 29 grants in 2024 (avg $138K), top state New Jersey. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $4,013,000
- +29.0% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 29
- +26.1% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $138,379
- +2.3% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $15,000
- Total assets
- $143,335,334
- +2.8% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- New Jersey (38% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026.
How to apply to The Sumner Family Foundation Inc
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 77 Homestead Road, Califon, NJ 07830
Phone: (908) 439-2047
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Sumner Family Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Give Directly ($1.0M). Together the top 10 received $3.7M.
Grant Size Distribution
83 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 51 grants of 83 (61%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, grant dollars went to recipients in New Jersey (38%), New York (28%), Connecticut (19%), and California (15%). Tennessee accounted for 0%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 29 itemized grants.
Cities
How The Sumner Family Foundation Inc gives
- 66% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 85% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 80% 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 (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 2019 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $334K (2020) to $4.0M (2024). In 2024 it made 29 grants totaling $4.0M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Give Directly New York, NY | General Support | $1,000,000 |
| Innovations for Poverty New Haven, CT | General Support | $750,000 |
| Community Food Bank of NJ Hillside, NJ | General Support | $550,000 |
| Freedom House Morristown, NJ | General Support | $325,000 |
| Bail Projects Inc Venice, CA | General Support | $300,000 |
| Freeworld San Jose, CA | General Support | $300,000 |
| Tewksbury First Aid Squad Califon, NJ | General Support | $215,000 |
| AHS Hospital Morristown, NJ | General Support | $150,000 |
| Newark Academy Livingston, NJ | General Support | $51,000 |
| Great Swamp Watershed Association Morristown, NJ | General Support | $40,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $143,335,334 | $8,246,208 | $4,325,310 | $4,013,000 | 29 | $4,058,595 | $8,129,077 | $5,070,801 |
| 2023 | $139,414,436 | $7,123,395 | $3,430,518 | $3,111,000 | 23 | $3,130,900 | $7,061,280 | $5,823,122 |
| 2022 | $135,721,559 | $126,823,885 | $2,155,417 | $1,983,500 | 20 | $1,989,716 | $8,770,509 | $4,557,846 |
| 2021 | $11,053,091 | $4,149,300 | $2,220,821 | $2,175,000 | 10 | $2,175,000 | $3,665,544 | $507,875 |
| 2020 | $9,124,612 | $4,865,457 | $363,006 | $333,650 | 1 | — | $81,359 | $250,516 |
| 2019 | $4,622,161 | $115,044 | $375,066 | $350,000 | 2 | — | $103,646 | $251,910 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Sumner Family Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $5.1M 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
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grantees include organizations working in areas such as recovery services, education, watershed protection, and data science for social impact. For example, Freedom House describes its mission as empowering people affected by chemical dependency to live sober, independent lives and helping reunite families and build safe communities. Great Swamp Watershed Association says it works to protect and improve the health of the Passaic River region through education, science, land preservation, stewardship, and advocacy. DataKind says it uses data science and AI to help social-impact organizations address difficult challenges.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation awarded 29 grants totaling $4,013,000. Grants ranged from $15,000 to $1,000,000, with a median of $15,000. The largest awards included $1,000,000 to GiveDirectly, $750,000 to Innovations for Poverty, $550,000 to Community Food Bank of NJ, $325,000 to Freedom House, and $300,000 each to Bail Projects Inc and Freeworld.
Other 2024 grants included $215,000 to Tewksbury First Aid Squad, $150,000 to AHS Hospital, $51,000 to Newark Academy, $40,000 to Great Swamp Watershed Association, and $30,000 each to Authors League Fund and DataKind Inc. Newark Academy describes its mission as preparing thoughtful and compassionate citizens to serve as ethical, intellectual, and civic stewards. From Houses to Homes - Guatemala says it aims to strengthen community harmony in Highland Guatemala through housing, health care, education, and participation between poor communities and civil society.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Gary Prince, Aria D Pardilla, and Peter Olsen as trustees.
The Sumner Family Foundation Inc's 2024 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Aria D. Pardilla
Trustee
Director → Trustee, 2022
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gary Prince
Trustee
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Peter Olsen
Trustee
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Eric E. Summer (2019–2021) — President
- Former: Patricia Sumner (2019–2021) — Treasurer & Secretary
- Former: Beth Davisson (2019–2020) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2024. "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 Sumner Family Foundation Inc
How much does The Sumner Family Foundation Inc give each year?
The Sumner Family Foundation Inc gave $4.0M across 29 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $3.1M across 23 grants.
What is The Sumner Family Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
The Sumner Family Foundation Inc's median grant in 2024 was $15,000, and its average grant was $138,379, across 29 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Sumner Family Foundation Inc give grants?
The Sumner Family Foundation Inc's top state is New Jersey, with 38% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (28%) and Connecticut (19%). The most frequent recipient cities were Morristown, NJ (5 grants), New York, NY (3 grants), Brooklyn, NY (3 grants) and Oldwick, NJ (3 grants).
Does The Sumner Family Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Sumner Family Foundation Inc's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (29 of 29) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Sumner Family Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
The Sumner Family Foundation Inc's largest 2024 grantees include Give Directly ($1,000,000), Innovations for Poverty ($750,000) and Community Food Bank of NJ ($550,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 57% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Sumner Family Foundation Inc?
The Sumner Family Foundation Inc reported $143.3M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $4.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $5.1M (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 Sumner Family Foundation Inc fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grantees include organizations working in areas such as recovery services, education, watershed protection, and data science for social impact. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Sumner Family Foundation Inc?
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 Sumner Family Foundation Inc's EIN?
The Sumner Family Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-4017008. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2024.
Does The Sumner Family 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 15, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS September 30, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS June 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS September 16, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 14, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Sumner Family Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-sumner-family-foundation-inc-morg_f2a8d5155122461a8372116ee35af9c7
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_474017008_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Sumner Family Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-sumner-family-foundation-inc-morg_f2a8d5155122461a8372116ee35af9c7},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 Sumner Family 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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