The Tierney Family Foundation Inc

Private foundation · Grantmaker New York, NY EIN: 13-3541596

The Tierney Family Foundation Inc. is a private foundation based in New York, NY. Its 2024 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, including education, poverty-alleviation, arts, and health-related organizations.

The Tierney Family Foundation Inc at a glance

In short: The Tierney Family Foundation Inc gave $748K across 28 grants in 2024 (avg $27K), mostly in New York. 41% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2024)
$748,186
+121.6% vs 2023
Grants made (2024)
28
+3.7% vs 2023
Average grant
$26,721
+113.7% vs 2023
Median grant
$7,000
Total assets
$4,974,270
-16.4% vs 2023
New grantees (estimate)
41% first-time grantees (11 of 27, 2024)
Primary geography
New York (62% 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 Tierney 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: 645 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022
Phone: (212) 758-5822

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who The Tierney Family Foundation Inc funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Future Fund for Education: $383KFuture Fund for Education$383KWomens Alliance for Knowledge Exchange: $110KWomens Alliance for KnowledgeExchange$110KTechnoserve Inc: $50KTechnoserve Inc$50KTrinity School: $25KTrinity School$25KUniversity of Notre Dame: $25KUniversity of Notre Dame$25KBudi Foundation - Indonesia: $20KBudi Foundation - Indonesia$20KMeto: $20KMeto$20KGeorgetown University: $15KGeorgetown University$15KCornell University: $15KCornell University$15KStamford Hospital Foundation: $10KStamford Hospital Foundation$10K

The largest 2024 recipient was Future Fund for Education ($383K). Together the top 10 received $673K.

Grant Size Distribution

115 grants across all recorded years

104<$50K4$50–100K5$100–250K2$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 104 grants of 115 (90%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2024, recipients in New York received 62% of grant dollars, followed by California (16%), Virginia (7%), Washington, DC (5%), and Indiana (3%).

Grant Distribution by State

11states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 28 itemized grants.

Cities

New YorkSan FranciscoAspenWashington DcArlingtonDarienDenverStamfordKyleBoulderBridgeportBrooklynChicagoIselinIthacaManhattan BeachMenlo ParkNorthfieldNotre DameOak Park

Is The Tierney Family Foundation Inc open to new grantees?

41%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 11 of 27 grantees (41%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $9K; repeat grants $40K. How we count

Medians: $4K first-time, $7K repeat.

  • 59% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
  • Giving grew 42% from 2021 to 2024. Method
  • In 2024 it paid out 174% 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.

Giving History

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$200K$400K$600K$800K19 grants2020 25 grants2021 16 grants2022 27 grants2023 28 grants2024

From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $266K (2022) to $748K (2024). In 2024 it made 28 grants totaling $748K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Future Fund for Education New York, NYGeneral Charitable Purposes$383,000
Womens Alliance for Knowledge Exchange San Francisco, CAGeneral Charitable Purposes$110,000
Technoserve Inc Arlington, VAGeneral Charitable Purposes$50,000
Trinity School New York, NYGeneral Charitable Purposes$25,000
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, INGeneral Charitable Purposes$25,000
Budi Foundation - Indonesia New York, NYGeneral Charitable Purposes$20,000
Meto Washington, DCGeneral Charitable Purposes$20,000
Georgetown University Washington DC, DCGeneral Charitable Purposes$15,000
Cornell University Ithaca, NYGeneral Charitable Purposes$15,000
Miscellaneous Darien, CTGeneral Charitable Purposes$10,170
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2024$4,974,270$-17,257$793,348$748,18628$752,493—$431,501
2023$5,951,144$-219,277$380,422$337,66927$358,942—$434,722
2022$6,550,843$-399,936$346,341$266,28516$266,285—$438,459
2021$7,297,120$2,223,013$581,728$525,11025$545,803$2,187,088$416,574
2020$5,656,535$2,352,167$582,065$538,02919—$1,278,069$360,302

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Tierney Family Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $432K 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 grants include support for organizations with varied missions. For example, TechnoServe says its mission is to fight poverty by helping people build regenerative farms, businesses, and markets that increase incomes. METO says it works to ameliorate global poverty by connecting students with educational and professional opportunities. Aperture Foundation says it promotes appreciation of photography and visual arts through publications and an art gallery. The Arthritis Foundation says it pursues a cure for arthritis and provides resources, science, advocacy, and community connections.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2024, the foundation reported 28 grants totaling $748,186. Grant amounts ranged from $200 to $383,000, with a median of $7,000. The largest reported grants included $383,000 to Future Fund for Education, $110,000 to Womens Alliance for Knowledge Exchange, and $50,000 to TechnoServe Inc.; each was designated for general charitable purposes. Other reported grants included $25,000 to Trinity School, $25,000 to the University of Notre Dame, $20,000 to Budi Foundation - Indonesia, and $20,000 to METO.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2024 filing lists Susan E. Tierney as president; Patricia E. Tierney, Michael P. Tierney, and Matthew S. Tierney as vice presidents; and Paul E. Tierney Jr. as secretary.

The Tierney Family Foundation Inc is led by Susan E. Tierney, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 5 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • Susan E. Tierney

    President

    On filings since 2020

    10 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Matthew S. Tierney

    Vice President

    On filings since 2020

    10 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Michael P. Tierney

    Vice President

    On filings since 2020

    10 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Patricia E. Tierney

    Vice President

    On filings since 2020

    10 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Paul E. Tierney Jr.

    Secretary

    On filings since 2020

    10 hrs/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.

Frequently asked questions about The Tierney Family Foundation Inc

How much does The Tierney Family Foundation Inc give each year?

The Tierney Family Foundation Inc gave $748K across 28 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $338K across 27 grants.

What is The Tierney Family Foundation Inc's typical grant size?

The Tierney Family Foundation Inc's median grant in 2024 was $7,000, and its average grant was $26,721, across 28 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Tierney Family Foundation Inc that year got $9K on average.

Where does The Tierney Family Foundation Inc give grants?

The Tierney Family Foundation Inc gives mostly in New York: 62% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were California (16%) and Virginia (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (8 grants), San Francisco, CA (3 grants) and Aspen, CO (3 grants).

Does The Tierney Family Foundation Inc give general operating support?

Yes: 100% of The Tierney Family Foundation Inc's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (28 of 28) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are The Tierney Family Foundation Inc's largest grantees?

The Tierney Family Foundation Inc's largest 2024 grantees include Future Fund for Education ($383,000), Womens Alliance for Knowledge Exchange ($110,000) and Technoserve Inc ($50,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 73% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.

How large is The Tierney Family Foundation Inc?

The Tierney Family Foundation Inc reported $5.0M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $752K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $432K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does The Tierney Family Foundation Inc fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants include support for organizations with varied missions. For example, TechnoServe says its mission is to fight poverty by helping people build regenerative farms, businesses, and markets that increase incomes. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The Tierney 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 Tierney Family Foundation Inc's EIN?

The Tierney Family Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-3541596. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

Does The Tierney 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

(1)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

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

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). The Tierney Family Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-tierney-family-foundation-inc-morg_ff8c8ec0b583449e8a834ecec8f5d01b

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_133541596_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{The Tierney Family Foundation Inc funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-tierney-family-foundation-inc-morg_ff8c8ec0b583449e8a834ecec8f5d01b},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Tierney 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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