Thomas a and Georgina T Russo Foundation

LANCASTER, PA EIN: 20-3980555

The Thomas A and Georgina T Russo Foundation is a private independent foundation established in 2005 and located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization with tax-exempt status. It functions as a grantmaking foundation that provides funding to other nonprofit organizations.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$15.6M

+1.6% YoY

Annual Giving

$668K

-17.3% YoY

Grant Count

-30.8% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$74K

+19.4% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Thomas a and Georgina T Russo Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.3M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation's stated purpose is to provide a flowthrough of income from its margin of safety II. The foundation supports a diverse range of charitable causes, with recent grantmaking directed toward healthcare, education, and arts organizations.

Grantmaking

The foundation is actively engaged in grantmaking. In 2024, it made 18 grants to various organizations. Recent grant recipients and amounts include:

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation is based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and appears to support organizations in the Lancaster region and beyond, including national institutions.

Grant Distribution by State

Pennsylvania $4.5M (95%)

New York $237K (5%)

North Carolina $10K (0%)

States

North Carolina New York Pennsylvania

Cities

BrooklynCharlotteGrantvilleHummelstownLancasterMt GretnaNew York

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

As of 2024:

Total Assets: $15,648,742
Total Revenues: $1,168,588
Total Expenses: $763,792
Number of Employees: 0

Historical Data (2013):

Total Assets: $3,876,526
Income: $1,766,161

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$15,648,742	$15,402,446	$15,018,448
Revenue	$1,168,588	$1,826,368	$1,473,868
Expenses	$763,792	$897,979	$947,362
Qualifying Distributions	$668,314	$808,280	$856,253
Net Investment Income	$717,003	$794,342	$277,378
Distributable Amount	$1,280,407	$1,089,749	$1,003,002

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 9 recipients in 2024

Grant Size Distribution

63 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Lancasterhistoryorg ($250,000), Lancaster General Health Foundation ($102,700), Hospice and Community Care ($76,614).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
HORIZONS AT LCDS LANCASTER, PA	CHARITABLE DISTRIBUTION	$37,500
HOSPICE AND COMMUNITY CARE LANCASTER, PA	CHARITABLE DISTRIBUTION	$76,614
LANCASTER GENERAL HEALTH FOUNDATION LANCASTER, PA	CHARITABLE DISTRIBUTION	$102,700
LANCASTER SCIENCE FACTORY LANCASTER, PA	CHARITABLE DISTRIBUTION	$50,000
LANCASTERHISTORYORG LANCASTER, PA	CHARITABLE DISTRIBUTION	$250,000
MOUNT GRETNA SCHOOL OF ART MT GRETNA, PA	CHARITABLE DISTRIBUTION	$71,500
MUSIC FOR EVERYONE LANCASTER, PA	CHARITABLE DISTRIBUTION	$15,000
NAKEDEYE INC LANCASTER, PA	CHARITABLE DISTRIBUTION	$40,000
SUSQUEHANNA SERVICE DOGS GRANTVILLE, PA	CHARITABLE DISTRIBUTION	$25,000

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

Thomas A Russo is listed as the contact person for the foundation.

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
THOMAS A RUSSO	TRUSTEE	2	—
GEORGINA T RUSSO	TRUSTEE	2	—

Contact Information

Mailing Address: PO Box 6339 Lancaster, PA 17607

Physical Address: 596 River Drive Lancaster, PA 17603-2466

Telephone: 717-281-0070

Subject Areas

Focus areas based on grantmaking activity

Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Thomas a and Georgina T Russo Foundation fund?

How do I apply for a grant from Thomas a and Georgina T Russo Foundation?

The foundation is actively engaged in grantmaking. In 2024, it made 18 grants to various organizations. Recent grant recipients and amounts include: • Lancaster General Health Foundation: $102,700 (2024) • Choices Healthcare: $76,614 (2024) • Mount Gretna School of Art: $71,500 (2024) The foundation has also made significant endowment gifts, including a $30 million gift to Franklin and Marshall College and funding for the Dickey Center's Great Issues Scholars Program at Dartmouth.

Where does Thomas a and Georgina T Russo Foundation make grants?

The foundation is based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and appears to support organizations in the Lancaster region and beyond, including national institutions.

What size grants does Thomas a and Georgina T Russo Foundation award?

In 2024, Thomas a and Georgina T Russo Foundation awarded 9 grants totaling $668K — an average of about $74K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is Thomas a and Georgina T Russo Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Thomas a and Georgina T Russo Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.3M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

What is Thomas a and Georgina T Russo Foundation's EIN?

Thomas a and Georgina T Russo Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-3980555. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.