Zemsky Family Foundation
The Zemsky Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Buffalo, New York. Its 2024 filing reports 32 grants totaling $861,384, with listed recipients including health, education, religious, historic-preservation, and community organizations.
Zemsky Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Zemsky Family Foundation gave $861K across 32 grants in 2024 (avg $27K), mostly in New York. 47% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $861,384
- +35.1% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 32
- -20.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $26,918
- +68.8% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $4,000
- Total assets
- $6,191,216
- -10.8% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 47% first-time grantees (15 of 32, 2024)
- Primary geography
- New York (96% 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 Zemsky Family Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation has no application form. It requires details about the purpose of the grant and verification of the donee’s tax-exempt status. The foundation states that it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations and that awards have no restrictions or limitations by geography, charitable field, kind of institution, or other factors.
- Review Cycle
- There are no submission deadlines.
- Deadline
- There are no submission deadlines.
- Contact
Application contact: Ms Kayla Zemsky
Mailing address: 726 Exchange St Ste 412, Buffalo, NY 14210
Phone: (716) 566-2990
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Zemsky Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Kaleida Health Foundation ($240K). Together the top 10 received $755K.
Grant Size Distribution
160 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 141 grants of 160 (88%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation states that it does not limit awards by geography. In 2024, 96% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York and 4% to recipients in Pennsylvania.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 32 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Zemsky Family Foundation open to new grantees?
47%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 15 of 32 grantees (47%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $23K; repeat grants $30K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $3K repeat.
- 44% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 30% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 247% 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 $369K (2020) to $861K (2024). In 2024 it made 32 grants totaling $861K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Kaleida Health Foundation Buffalo, NY | Unrestricted | $240,000 |
| American Friends of Magen David Adom New York, NY | Unrestricted | $115,000 |
| Temple Beth Zion Buffalo, NY | Unrestricted | $101,000 |
| Buffalo State College Foundation Buffalo, NY | Unrestricted | $100,000 |
| Elmwood Franklin School Buffalo, NY | Unrestricted | $43,334 |
| Frank Lloyd Wright's Martin House Buffalo, NY | Unrestricted | $40,000 |
| Buffalo Jewish Federation Getzville, NY | Unrestricted | $36,000 |
| Colebrookdale Railroad Preservation Trust Boyertown, PA | Unrestricted | $30,000 |
| Harvest House Buffalo Inc Buffalo, NY | Unrestricted | $25,000 |
| Northland Workforce Training Center Buffalo, NY | Unrestricted | $25,000 |
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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 | $6,191,216 | $297,875 | $947,656 | $861,384 | 32 | $861,384 | $286,952 | $348,889 |
| 2023 | $6,938,820 | $937,880 | $649,805 | $637,800 | 40 | $637,800 | $170,106 | $331,617 |
| 2022 | $6,650,745 | $1,878,950 | $753,925 | $742,250 | 28 | $742,250 | $316,200 | $287,936 |
| 2021 | $5,525,720 | $5,934,839 | $674,669 | $660,500 | 31 | $660,500 | $319,336 | $147,343 |
| 2020 | $265,541 | $34,692 | $373,463 | $369,138 | 29 | — | $34,592 | $21,882 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Zemsky Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $349K 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
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for a range of organizations. For example, Kaleida Health Foundation says it raises and maintains contributions to support Kaleida Health’s work to advance community health. American Friends of Magen David Adom describes itself as the U.S. fundraising and advocacy organization supporting Magen David Adom’s lifesaving work in Israel. Buffalo State College Foundation says it supports the university’s teaching, scholarship, cultural enrichment, and service goals.
Other recipients describe work in historic preservation and interpretation (Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House), poverty-related support and services (Harvest House Buffalo), religious outreach (Jewish Discovery Center), and economic empowerment, education, and workforce development (Buffalo Urban League).
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 32 grants totaling $861,384. Grants ranged from $300 to $240,000, with a median grant of $4,000. The largest awards included $240,000 to Kaleida Health Foundation, $115,000 to American Friends of Magen David Adom, $101,000 to Temple Beth Zion, and $100,000 to Buffalo State College Foundation. The filing lists these awards as unrestricted. Other notable grants included $43,334 to Elmwood Franklin School, $40,000 to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House, and $36,000 to Buffalo Jewish Federation.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Kayla Zemsky and Howard Zemsky as trustees.
Zemsky Family Foundation's 2024 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Howard Zemsky
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kayla Zemsky
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
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 Zemsky Family Foundation
How much does Zemsky Family Foundation give each year?
Zemsky Family Foundation gave $861K across 32 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $638K across 40 grants.
What is Zemsky Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Zemsky Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $4,000, and its average grant was $26,918, across 32 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Zemsky Family Foundation that year got $23K on average.
Where does Zemsky Family Foundation give grants?
Zemsky Family Foundation gives mostly in New York: 96% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Buffalo, NY (27 grants).
Does Zemsky Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Zemsky Family Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (32 of 32) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Zemsky Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Zemsky Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Kaleida Health Foundation ($240,000), American Friends of Magen David Adom ($115,000) and Temple Beth Zion ($101,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 53% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Zemsky Family Foundation?
Zemsky Family Foundation reported $6.2M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $861K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $349K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Zemsky Family Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for a range of organizations. For example, Kaleida Health Foundation says it raises and maintains contributions to support Kaleida Health’s work to advance community health. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Zemsky Family Foundation?
The foundation has no application form. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Zemsky Family Foundation's EIN?
Zemsky Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 11-2867625. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
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
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Zemsky Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/zemsky-family-foundation-morg_52514c0e7ee2439191b7f291ea8b0ca2
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_112867625_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Zemsky Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/zemsky-family-foundation-morg_52514c0e7ee2439191b7f291ea8b0ca2},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-20. 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 Zemsky Family 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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