The Tessler Family Charitable Trust

Private foundation · Grantmaker New York, NY EIN: 20-3160368

The Tessler Family Charitable Trust is a private foundation based in New York, NY. In 2025, it reported grants to charitable organizations including New York hospitals, museums, arts organizations, and a public-service organization.

Key facts about The Tessler Family Charitable Trust

In short: The Tessler Family Charitable Trust gave $664K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $66K), mostly in New York. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
20-3160368
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025
Annual giving (2025)
$664,101
Grants made (2025)
10
Average grant
$66,410
Median grant
$22,500
Total assets
$1,956,215
Primary geography
New York (99% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to apply
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Financial Overview

From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$2.0M

+19.0% YoY

Annual Giving

$664K

-40.6% YoY

Grant Count

10

-28.6% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$66K

-16.9% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Tessler Family Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $86K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

How The Tessler Family Charitable Trust gives

  • 60% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving fell 57% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 775% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2025). 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

The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grantees describe varied work: the Children’s Museum of Manhattan says its mission is to support early childhood development; Guild Hall of East Hampton describes itself as a museum, performing-arts, and education center; and Denniston Hill Corp says it provides artist residencies, exhibitions, and education programs. The Center for Art Research and Alliances describes itself as an arts nonprofit, research center, and publisher. The Partnership for Public Service says it uses educational programming, research, and advocacy to help improve government.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation reported 10 grants totaling $664,101. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $200,000, with a median of $22,500. The largest awards included $200,000 to New York Presbyterian Hospital, $194,051 to the Whitney Museum, and $170,050 to the Children’s Museum of Manhattan. Other grants included $30,000 to Southampton Hospital Foundation, $25,000 to Robin Hood Foundation, and $20,000 to Guild Hall of East Hampton.

How to Apply

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

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, 99% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York and 1% to a recipient in Washington, DC.

Grant Distribution by State

3states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.

Cities

New YorkWashingtonAlexandriaEast HamptonSouthamptonBronxGlen WildReston

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$500K$1M$1.5M$2M0 grants2020 3 grants2021 9 grants2022 2 grants2023 14 grants2024 10 grants2025

From 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $75K (2023) to $1.6M (2022). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $664K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

New York Presbyterian Hospital: $200KNew York Presbyterian Hospital$200KWhitney Museum: $194KWhitney Museum$194KChildren's Museum of Manhattan: $170KChildren's Museum of Manhattan$170KSouthampton Hospital Foundation: $30KSouthampton HospitalFoundation$30KRobin Hood Foundation: $25KRobin Hood Foundation$25KGuild Hall of East Hampton: $20KGuild Hall of East Hampton$20KCanyon NY Foundation Inc: $10KCanyon NY Foundation Inc$10KDenniston Hill Corp: $5KDenniston Hill Corp$5KCenter for Art Research and Alliances Inc: $5KCenter for Art Research andAlliances Inc$5KPartnership for Public Service Inc: $5KPartnership for Public ServiceInc$5K

The largest 2025 recipient was New York Presbyterian Hospital ($200K). Together the top 10 received $664K.

Grant Size Distribution

38 grants across all recorded years

22<$50K3$50–100K6$100–250K6$250–500K1$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 22 grants of 38 (58%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
New York Presbyterian Hospital New York, NYGeneral$200,000
Whitney Museum New York, NYGeneral$194,051
Children's Museum of Manhattan New York, NYGeneral$170,050
Southampton Hospital Foundation Southampton, NYGeneral$30,000
Robin Hood Foundation New York, NYGeneral$25,000
Guild Hall of East Hampton East Hampton, NYGeneral$20,000
Canyon NY Foundation Inc New York, NYGeneral$10,000
Denniston Hill Corp Glen Wild, NYGeneral$5,000
Center for Art Research and Alliances Inc New York, NYGeneral$5,000
Partnership for Public Service Inc Washington, DCGeneral$5,000

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grants Grant count
2025 $1,956,215 $594,448 $698,223 $664,101 10
2024 $1,643,587 $827,260 $1,137,523 $1,118,629 14
2023 $3,317,617 $1,060,028 $121,598 $75,000 2
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$1M$2M$3M2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Metric202520242023
Total Assets$1,956,215$1,643,587$3,317,617
Revenue$594,448$827,260$1,060,028
Expenses$698,223$1,137,523$121,598
Qualifying Distributions$664,101$1,118,629$75,000
Net Investment Income$72,076$515,398$324,056
Distributable Amount$85,662$88,833$122,197

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 11, 2026)
  2. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Lenard B. Tessler and Fern Kaye Tessler as trustees.

The Tessler Family Charitable Trust's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Fern Kaye Tessler

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Lenard B. Tessler

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.

Contact

Mailing address: 733 Third Avenue Co Eag Llc-Popper, New York, NY 10017
Phone: (212) 772-9125

Frequently asked questions about The Tessler Family Charitable Trust

How much does The Tessler Family Charitable Trust give each year?

The Tessler Family Charitable Trust gave $664K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.1M across 14 grants.

What is The Tessler Family Charitable Trust's typical grant size?

The Tessler Family Charitable Trust's median grant in 2025 was $22,500, and its average grant was $66,410, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Where does The Tessler Family Charitable Trust give grants?

The Tessler Family Charitable Trust gives mostly in New York: 99% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (6 grants).

Does The Tessler Family Charitable Trust give general operating support?

Yes: 100% of The Tessler Family Charitable Trust's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (10 of 10) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are The Tessler Family Charitable Trust's largest grantees?

The Tessler Family Charitable Trust's largest 2025 grantees include New York Presbyterian Hospital ($200,000), Whitney Museum ($194,051) and Children's Museum of Manhattan ($170,050), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 85% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is The Tessler Family Charitable Trust?

The Tessler Family Charitable Trust reported $2.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $664K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $86K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does The Tessler Family Charitable Trust fund?

The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The Tessler Family Charitable Trust?

The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and 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 Tessler Family Charitable Trust's EIN?

The Tessler Family Charitable Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-3160368. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.

Does The Tessler Family Charitable Trust 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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