Tzedakah Foundation
Tzedakah Foundation is a private foundation based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Its 2025 grants supported charitable organizations, including Jewish schools and community organizations, cultural organizations, and organizations with education, humanitarian, and religious missions.
Tzedakah Foundation at a glance
In short: Tzedakah Foundation gave $101K across 39 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in Pennsylvania. 18% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $100,535
- +16.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 39
- +14.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,578
- +1.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $500
- Total assets
- $1,484,075
- +23.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 18% first-time grantees (7 of 39, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Pennsylvania (89% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Tzedakah Foundation
- 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: 5851 Phillips Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15217-2119
Phone: (412) 456-2841
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Tzedakah Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh ($39K). Together the top 10 received $85K.
Grant Size Distribution
181 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 181 grants of 181 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 89% of grant dollars went to recipients in Pennsylvania, 7% to New York, 2% to Washington, D.C., and 1% each to California and New Jersey.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 39 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Tzedakah Foundation open to new grantees?
18%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 7 of 39 grantees (18%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $493; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $500 first-time, $875 repeat.
- 74% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 148% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 102% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $21K (2020) to $101K (2025). In 2025 it made 39 grants totaling $101K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA | General charitable purposes | $38,600 |
| United Jewish Federation of Pgh Pittsburgh, PA | General charitable purposes | $18,000 |
| Congregation Poale Zedeck Pittsburgh, PA | General charitable purposes | $11,775 |
| Aleph Institute Pittsburgh, PA | General Charitable purposes | $4,000 |
| Film Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA | General charitable purposes | $3,000 |
| Jewish Cemetery and Burial Assoc Pittsburgh, PA | General charitable purposes | $2,000 |
| Anti Defamation League New York, NY | General charitable purposes | $2,000 |
| Rauh Jewish Archives Pittsburgh, PA | General charitable purposes | $2,000 |
| Jewish Family and Community Svcs Pittsburgh, PA | General charitable purposes | $2,000 |
| Shaarei Torah Congregation Pittsburgh, PA | General charitable purposes | $1,680 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,484,075 | $384,464 | $102,824 | $100,535 | 39 | $102,824 | $382,175 | $100,840 |
| 2024 | $1,202,235 | $156,437 | $87,877 | $86,230 | 34 | $87,877 | $154,790 | $96,409 |
| 2023 | $1,152,685 | $122,091 | $81,435 | $76,730 | 31 | $81,435 | $117,386 | $77,584 |
| 2022 | $1,090,379 | $56,467 | $42,667 | $40,465 | 39 | $42,667 | $54,265 | $68,437 |
| 2021 | $1,029,785 | $155,456 | $35,326 | $34,345 | 38 | $35,326 | $154,475 | $82,605 |
| 2020 | $892,291 | $71,321 | $22,958 | $21,157 | 31 | — | $69,520 | $63,095 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Tzedakah Foundation reported a distributable amount of $101K 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
The available grant information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 recipients include organizations with varied missions. Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh describes its mission as educating Orthodox Jewish students to become Torah-observant, exemplary individuals with a love of learning. Film Pittsburgh says it presents independent films to deepen audiences’ understanding of culture, tolerance, and common humanity. American Friends of Leket Israel describes its work as providing grants and assistance to organizations outside the United States that feed the hungry.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 39 grants totaling $100,535. Grants ranged from $100 to $38,600, with a median of $500. It made 34 grants totaling $86,230 in 2024 and 31 grants totaling $76,730 in 2023.
The largest 2025 grants included $38,600 to Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh, $18,000 to United Jewish Federation of Pgh, $11,775 to Congregation Poale Zedeck, $4,000 to Aleph Institute, and $3,000 to Film Pittsburgh. The stated purpose for these grants was general charitable purposes.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Philip Samson and Iris Samson as trustees.
Tzedakah Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Iris Samson
Trustee
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Philip Samson
Trustee
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/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.
Frequently asked questions about Tzedakah Foundation
How much does Tzedakah Foundation give each year?
Tzedakah Foundation gave $101K across 39 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $86K across 34 grants.
What is Tzedakah Foundation's typical grant size?
Tzedakah Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $500, and its average grant was $2,578, across 39 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Tzedakah Foundation that year got $493 on average.
Where does Tzedakah Foundation give grants?
Tzedakah Foundation gives mostly in Pennsylvania: 89% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Pittsburgh, PA (21 grants), New York, NY (7 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does Tzedakah Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 97% of Tzedakah Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (38 of 39) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Tzedakah Foundation's largest grantees?
Tzedakah Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh ($38,600), United Jewish Federation of Pgh ($18,000) and Congregation Poale Zedeck ($11,775), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 68% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Tzedakah Foundation?
Tzedakah Foundation reported $1.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $103K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $101K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Tzedakah Foundation fund?
The available grant information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 recipients include organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Tzedakah Foundation?
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 Tzedakah Foundation's EIN?
Tzedakah Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 25-1752556. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Tzedakah Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 16, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 11, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 12, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 18, 2026)
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Tzedakah Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Tzedakah Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/tzedakah-foundation-morg_56ed2f3aa1de4b83a826814b4b3f9021
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_251752556_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Tzedakah Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/tzedakah-foundation-morg_56ed2f3aa1de4b83a826814b4b3f9021},
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 Tzedakah 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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