Y a Istel Foundation Inc

Private foundation · Grantmaker New York, NY EIN: 13-3524729
Arts and culturePerforming artsTheaterEducationHuman services

Y A Istel Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in New York, NY. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, including arts and cultural organizations, a medical institution, and organizations working in other areas.

Y a Istel Foundation Inc at a glance

In short: Y a Istel Foundation Inc gave $202K across 38 grants in 2025 (avg $5K), mostly in New York. 47% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$202,131
-44.3% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
38
+40.7% vs 2024
Average grant
$5,319
-60.4% vs 2024
Median grant
$1,135
Total assets
$284,664
+1.7% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
47% first-time grantees (18 of 38, 2025)
Primary geography
New York (96% 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 Y a Istel Foundation Inc

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: Co Andersen 1177 6Th Ave 18Fl, New York, NY 10036
Phone: (646) 213-5100

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

Who Y a Istel Foundation Inc funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Irish Repertory Theatre Company Inc: $45KIrish Repertory TheatreCompany Inc$45KWeill Cornell Medicine: $28KWeill Cornell Medicine$28KWhite Bird Productions Inc: $25KWhite Bird Productions Inc$25KAmerica Press Inc: $15KAmerica Press Inc$15KLibraries Without Borders US: $15KLibraries Without Borders US$15KMyriad USA Inc: $11KMyriad USA Inc$11KRemarque Institute NYU: $10KRemarque Institute NYU$10KJacques Pepin Foundation Barrington: $6KJacques Pepin FoundationBarrington$6KAli Forney Center: $6KAli Forney Center$6KAction Against Hunger: $5KAction Against Hunger$5K

The largest 2025 recipient was Irish Repertory Theatre Company Inc ($45K). Together the top 10 received $166K.

Grant Size Distribution

138 grants across all recorded years

131<$50K6$50–100K1$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 131 grants of 138 (95%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, 96% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York, 1% each to recipients in New Jersey, Connecticut, and Maryland, and less than 1% to recipients in Washington, DC.

Grant Distribution by State

7states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 38 itemized grants.

Cities

New YorkBridgehamptonPrincetonBronxBrooklynSouthamptonWashingtonCambridgeParamusSan DiegoSilver SpringStamfordToms RiverWater Mill

Is Y a Istel Foundation Inc open to new grantees?

47%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 18 of 38 grantees (47%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $8K. How we count

Medians: $1K first-time, $3K repeat.

  • 45% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving grew 54% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 915% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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

$0$100K$200K$300K$400K19 grants2021 21 grants2022 33 grants2023 27 grants2024 38 grants2025

From 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $128K (2021) to $363K (2024). In 2025 it made 38 grants totaling $202K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Irish Repertory Theatre Company Inc New York, NYTo Support Donee's Charitable Mission.$44,827
Weill Cornell Medicine New York, NYTo Support Donee's Charitable Mission.$28,000
White Bird Productions Inc Brooklyn, NYTo Support Donee's Charitable Mission.$25,000
America Press Inc New York, NYTo Support Donee's Charitable Mission.$15,363
Libraries Without Borders US New York, NYTo Support Donee's Charitable Mission.$15,000
Myriad USA Inc New York, NYTo Support Donee's Charitable Mission.$11,000
Remarque Institute NYU New York, NYTo Support Donee's Charitable Mission.$10,000
Jacques Pepin Foundation Barrington New York, NYTo Support Donee's Charitable Mission.$6,218
Ali Forney Center New York, NYTo Support Donee's Charitable Mission.$5,609
Action Against Hunger New York, NYTo Support Donee's Charitable Mission.$5,000
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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
2025$284,664$351,363$213,396$202,13138$210,821$186,993$23,035
2024$279,837$440,758$373,417$362,97827$371,092$222,271$22,167
2023$328,046$479,528$272,285$266,53833$269,960$314,263$20,860
2022$108,084$93,460$135,163$131,63321$133,588—$28,797
2021$236,633$368,906$133,802$127,95219—$125,380$20,411

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Y a Istel Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $23K 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 included support for organizations whose own missions include presenting Irish and Irish American theater, developing theater about urban life and communities, facilitating cross-border giving, and protecting LGBTQ youth from homelessness. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not a stated mission or formal focus area of the foundation.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation made 38 grants totaling $202,131. Grant amounts ranged from $100 to $44,827, with a median of $1,134.

The largest grants included $44,827 to Irish Repertory Theatre Company Inc.; $28,000 to Weill Cornell Medicine; $25,000 to White Bird Productions Inc.; $15,363 to America Press Inc.; $15,000 to Libraries Without Borders US; and $11,000 to Myriad USA Inc. The listed grant purposes state that they support the recipient’s charitable mission.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Yves Andre Istel as president/treasurer, Kathleen Begala as director, and Noelle Margand as director.

Y a Istel Foundation Inc is led by Yves Andre Istel, President & Treasurer on every filing since 2021; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Yves Andre Istel

    President & Treasurer

    On filings since 2021

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Kathleen Begala

    Director

    On filings since 2021

    No compensation reported

  • Noelle Margand

    Director

    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 Y a Istel Foundation Inc

How much does Y a Istel Foundation Inc give each year?

Y a Istel Foundation Inc gave $202K across 38 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $363K across 27 grants.

What is Y a Istel Foundation Inc's typical grant size?

Y a Istel Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $1,135, and its average grant was $5,319, across 38 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Y a Istel Foundation Inc that year got $2K on average.

Where does Y a Istel Foundation Inc give grants?

Y a Istel Foundation Inc gives mostly in New York: 96% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (27 grants) and Princeton, NJ (2 grants).

Does Y a Istel Foundation Inc give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 38 grants with a stated purpose on Y a Istel Foundation Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "To Support Donee's Charitable Mission." (38 grants).

Who are Y a Istel Foundation Inc's largest grantees?

Y a Istel Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Irish Repertory Theatre Company Inc ($44,827), Weill Cornell Medicine ($28,000) and White Bird Productions Inc ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 48% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Y a Istel Foundation Inc?

Y a Istel Foundation Inc reported $285K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $211K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $23K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Y a Istel Foundation Inc fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Y a Istel Foundation Inc?

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 Y a Istel Foundation Inc's EIN?

Y a Istel Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-3524729. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.

Does Y a Istel 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 2021–2025

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Y a Istel Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/y-a-istel-foundation-inc-morg_169cc6b2ec754f61bda4d9d04b998fef

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_133524729_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Y a Istel Foundation Inc funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/y-a-istel-foundation-inc-morg_169cc6b2ec754f61bda4d9d04b998fef},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 Y a Istel 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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