Urbanek Education Fund
Urbanek Education Fund is a private foundation based in Menlo Park, California. Its 2024 filing records grants for scholarship study at colleges and universities.
Urbanek Education Fund at a glance
In short: Urbanek Education Fund gave $208K across 34 grants in 2024 (avg $6K), top state California. 18% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $208,000
- -31.1% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 34
- -24.4% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $6,118
- -8.8% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $516,489
- +68.7% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 18% first-time grantees (4 of 22, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (35% 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 Urbanek Education Fund
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 7812 2120 Avy Ave, Menlo Park, CA 94026
Phone: (415) 729-9180
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Urbanek Education Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was University of California Berkeley ($16K). Together the top 10 received $109K.
Organizations only. It also paid 11 individual scholarships ($35,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
209 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 209 grants of 209 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2024 grant dollars were distributed across recipient states, with California accounting for 35%, Massachusetts 15%, Washington 6%, and Texas 6%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 34 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Urbanek Education Fund open to new grantees?
18%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 4 of 22 grantees (18%) were first-time recipients. With only 22 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $8K. How we count
Medians: $6K first-time, $8K repeat.
- 77% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+13%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 655% 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
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $184K (2021) to $302K (2023). In 2024 it made 34 grants totaling $208K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| University of California Berkeley Berkeley, CA | Scholarship for Study. | $16,000 |
| University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX | Scholarship for Study. | $13,000 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA | Scholarship for Study. | $11,000 |
| University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA | Scholarship for Study. | $11,000 |
| University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA | Scholarship for Study. | $10,000 |
| Columbia University New York, NY | Scholarship for Study. | $10,000 |
| University of California Irvine Irvine, CA | Scholarship for Study. | $10,000 |
| Univeristy of Wisconsin Madison Madison, WI | Scholarship for Study. | $10,000 |
| University of Washington Seattle, WA | Scholarship for Study. | $10,000 |
| Arizona State University Tempe, AZ | Scholarship for Study. | $8,000 |
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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 | $516,489 | $441,098 | $230,805 | $208,000 | 34 | $218,654 | $61,267 | $33,360 |
| 2023 | $306,196 | $332,006 | $318,705 | $302,000 | 45 | $313,168 | $399,696 | $27,690 |
| 2022 | $292,895 | $5,785 | $230,705 | $220,000 | 45 | $227,172 | $252 | $24,565 |
| 2021 | $517,815 | $168,633 | $191,470 | $183,500 | 42 | $188,840 | $492 | $29,946 |
| 2020 | $540,659 | $1,279 | $218,210 | $210,500 | 43 | — | — | $32,091 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Urbanek Education Fund reported a distributable amount of $33K 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
The available filing information does not state a separate mission for the fund. Its 2024 grants list “scholarship for study” as the purpose. Recipients include universities and colleges. For example, MIT describes its mission as advancing knowledge and educating students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship; Regis College describes its mission as empowering women and men through education in the arts, sciences, and professions.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the fund made 34 grants totaling $208,000. Grants ranged from $2,000 to $16,000, with a median of $5,000. In 2023, it made 45 grants totaling $302,000. Its 2024 filing, the latest on this page, reports 34 grants totaling $208,000.
Among the largest 2024 grants were $16,000 to the University of California Berkeley, $13,000 to the University of Texas at Dallas, $11,000 each to MIT and the University of California Santa Barbara, and $10,000 each to the University of Massachusetts, Columbia University, the University of California Irvine, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and the University of Washington.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Karen Urbanek as treasurer, Lida Urbanek as president, and Penny Gallo as secretary.
Urbanek Education Fund is led by Lida Urbanek, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Lida Urbanek
President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Penny Gallo
Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Karen Urbanek
Treasurer
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Maureen Mackowski (2020–2022) — Treasurer
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 Urbanek Education Fund
How much does Urbanek Education Fund give each year?
Urbanek Education Fund gave $208K across 34 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $302K across 45 grants.
What is Urbanek Education Fund's typical grant size?
Urbanek Education Fund's median grant in 2024 was $5,000, and its average grant was $6,118, across 34 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Urbanek Education Fund that year got $5K on average.
Where does Urbanek Education Fund give grants?
Urbanek Education Fund's top state is California, with 35% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Massachusetts (15%) and Washington (6%).
Does Urbanek Education Fund give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 34 grants with a stated purpose on Urbanek Education Fund's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Scholarship for Study." (27 grants) and "Scholarship for Study at an Educational Institution." (7 grants).
Who are Urbanek Education Fund's largest grantees?
Urbanek Education Fund's largest 2024 grantees include University of California Berkeley ($16,000), University of Texas at Dallas ($13,000) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology ($11,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 11 individual scholarships ($35,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 19% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Urbanek Education Fund?
Urbanek Education Fund reported $516K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $219K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $33K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Urbanek Education Fund fund?
The available filing information does not state a separate mission for the fund. Its 2024 grants list “scholarship for study” as the purpose. Recipients include universities and colleges. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Urbanek Education Fund?
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 Urbanek Education Fund's EIN?
Urbanek Education Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-3372793. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Urbanek Education Fund 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
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Urbanek Education Fund funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Urbanek Education Fund funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/urbanek-education-fund-morg_24129ca8f66a41fbb9002fe318c668b0
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_943372793_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Urbanek Education Fund funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/urbanek-education-fund-morg_24129ca8f66a41fbb9002fe318c668b0},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 Urbanek Education Fund'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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