Wasserstrom Foundation
The Wasserstrom Foundation is a private foundation based in Columbus, Ohio. Its 2025 grants included support for Jewish community organizations, a children’s hospital, culinary education, community events, and wildfire relief.
Wasserstrom Foundation at a glance
In short: Wasserstrom Foundation gave $287K across 19 grants in 2025 (avg $15K), mostly in Ohio. 26% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $286,500
- -35.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 19
- +5.6% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $15,079
- -38.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $9,000
- Total assets
- $7,482,264
- +11.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 26% first-time grantees (5 of 19, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Ohio (90% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Wasserstrom Foundation
- 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: 4500 E Broad St, Columbus, OH 43213-1360
Phone: (614) 228-6525
Website: https://www.wasserstrom.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Wasserstrom Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Jewish ColumbusAnnual Campaign ($100K). Together the top 10 received $267K.
Grant Size Distribution
79 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 67 grants of 79 (85%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 90% of grant dollars went to recipients in Ohio, 9% to California, and 1% to Texas. New York accounted for 0% of grant dollars.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Wasserstrom Foundation open to new grantees?
26%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 19 grantees (26%) were first-time recipients. With only 19 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $17K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 68% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+13%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 65% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2021–2025). 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 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $212K (2023) to $443K (2024). In 2025 it made 19 grants totaling $287K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Jewish ColumbusAnnual Campaign Columbus, OH | Big Give | $100,000 |
| Nationwide Childrens Hosp Found Columbus, OH | Expansion | $50,000 |
| Jfedla Los Angeles, CA | Wildfire crisis relief fund | $25,000 |
| Columbus St Com Coll Culinary Sch Columbus, OH | Taste of Future | $22,500 |
| Jewish Family Services Columbus, OH | Programs | $20,000 |
| Tifereth Israil Columbus, OH | Programs | $10,000 |
| Ohio Restaurant Hospitaltity Columbus, OH | Programs | $10,000 |
| Jewish Columbus Columbus, OH | Programs | $10,000 |
| Lifetown New Albany, OH | Programs | $10,000 |
| Bexley Community Foundation Bexley, OH | Bexley Celebrate Events | $9,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Wasserstrom Foundation?
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 | $7,482,264 | $1,079,875 | $325,119 | $286,500 | 19 | $286,500 | $276,818 | $437,873 |
| 2024 | $6,727,508 | $725,308 | $480,737 | $443,272 | 18 | $443,272 | $218,953 | $394,153 |
| 2023 | $6,482,937 | $565,441 | $246,346 | $211,636 | 12 | $211,636 | $214,795 | $353,851 |
| 2022 | $6,163,842 | $662,506 | $297,828 | $253,500 | 16 | $253,500 | $154,612 | $355,960 |
| 2021 | $5,799,164 | $349,002 | $371,114 | $334,500 | 14 | — | $116,979 | $367,043 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Wasserstrom Foundation reported a distributable amount of $438K 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
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations and activities in areas including community programs, healthcare expansion, culinary education, and disaster relief. For example, Jewish Family Services describes its mission as helping individuals and families achieve economic self-sufficiency and emotional stability. Bexley Community Foundation says it seeks to enhance quality of life in Bexley by investing in initiatives with a positive impact.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 19 grants totaling $286,500. Awards ranged from $500 to $100,000, with a median grant of $9,000. The largest grants included $100,000 to Jewish Columbus Annual Campaign for “Big Give,” $50,000 to Nationwide Children’s Hospital Foundation for “Expansion,” and $25,000 to JFEDLA for its wildfire crisis relief fund. Other grants included $22,500 to Columbus State Community College Culinary School for “Taste of Future” and $20,000 to Jewish Family Services for programs.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Rodney Wasserstrom and Alan Wasserstrom as trustees.
Wasserstrom Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Alan Wasserstrom
Trustee
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Rodney Wasserstrom
Trustee
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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 Wasserstrom Foundation
How much does Wasserstrom Foundation give each year?
Wasserstrom Foundation gave $287K across 19 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $443K across 18 grants.
What is Wasserstrom Foundation's typical grant size?
Wasserstrom Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $9,000, and its average grant was $15,079, across 19 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Wasserstrom Foundation that year got $10K on average.
Where does Wasserstrom Foundation give grants?
Wasserstrom Foundation gives mostly in Ohio: 90% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was California (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Columbus, OH (11 grants), New Albany, OH (2 grants) and Bexley, OH (2 grants).
Does Wasserstrom Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 19 grants with a stated purpose on Wasserstrom Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Programs" (11 grants).
Who are Wasserstrom Foundation's largest grantees?
Wasserstrom Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Jewish ColumbusAnnual Campaign ($100,000), Nationwide Childrens Hosp Found ($50,000) and Jfedla ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 61% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Wasserstrom Foundation?
Wasserstrom Foundation reported $7.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $287K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $438K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Wasserstrom Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations and activities in areas including community programs, healthcare expansion, culinary education, and disaster relief. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Wasserstrom Foundation?
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 Wasserstrom Foundation's EIN?
Wasserstrom Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 31-6041116. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Does Wasserstrom Foundation 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
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS August 9, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS July 4, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 13, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 13, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Wasserstrom Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/wasserstrom-foundation-morg_e68a1dba450a420fa0aec10ee138c8d6
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_316041116_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Wasserstrom Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/wasserstrom-foundation-morg_e68a1dba450a420fa0aec10ee138c8d6},
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 Wasserstrom 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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