Zenkel Foundation

WEST HARRISON, NY EIN: 13-3380631

The Zenkel Foundation is a private, non-operating foundation established in 1987 and based in West Harrison, New York. The foundation makes grants to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations across multiple sectors.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$4.3M

+31.8% YoY

Annual Giving

$229K

-7.4% YoY

Grant Count

-25.8% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$10K

+24.8% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Zenkel Foundation reported a distributable amount of $249K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation provides giving primarily for:

Jewish welfare
The arts
Higher education
The environment
Human rights

Grantmaking

The Zenkel Foundation is an active grantmaker with recent grant activity in 2023. The foundation made 38 grants in 2023, with recent recipients including:

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation's grantmaking focuses primarily on New York, California, and South Carolina.

Grant Distribution by State

Maryland $3.0M (72%)

New York $526K (13%)

Michigan $221K (5%)

New Hampshire $160K (4%)

Pennsylvania $79K (2%)

Connecticut $78K (2%)

Massachusetts $43K (1%)

California $23K (1%)

+11 more states

States

California Colorado Connecticut District of Columbia Florida Georgia Illinois Indiana Massachusetts Maryland Michigan North Carolina New Hampshire New Jersey New York Ohio Pennsylvania South Carolina Virginia

Cities

AmherestAmherstAnn ArborArvadaAstoriaAtlantaBaltimoreBeverly HillsBoca RatonBostonBoynton BeachBronxBrooklynColumbusDelray BeachDobbs FerryFlushingGreenwichGrrenwichHanover

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

As of December 2023:

Total Assets: $3,255,763
Total Revenue: $502,916
Total Expenses: $367,805
Net Income: $135

As of December 2024 (most recent filing):

Total Assets: $4,291,594
Total Giving: $1,829,406

The foundation has no employees and maintains an unconditional tax-exempt status. Donations to the foundation are tax-deductible.

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$4,291,594	$3,255,763	$3,120,652
Revenue	$876,572	$502,916	$9,175,759
Expenses	$290,110	$367,805	$3,375,647
Qualifying Distributions	$1,834,211	$265,268	$3,309,577
Net Investment Income	$832,673	$465,889	$4,612,087
Distributable Amount	$249,258	$215,172	$126,747

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Grant Size Distribution

171 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include University of Michigan ($50,000), The Rye Arts Center ($33,500), Dana Farber Cancer Institute ($25,000).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
AMERICAN CAMP ASSOCIATION MARTINSVILLE, IN	GENERAL SUPPORT	$2,500
AMHERST COLLEGE AMHEREST, MA	GENERAL SUPPORT	$3,000
COLLETON RIVER FOUNDATION HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC	GENERAL SUPPORT	$2,000
COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF THE LOW COUNTRY HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC	GENERAL SUPPORT	$500
DANA FARBER CANCER INSTITUTE BOSTON, MA	GENERAL SUPPORT	$25,000
DARTMOUTH COLLEGE HANOVER, NH	GENERAL SUPPORT	$25,000
FIRST TEE OF THE LOW COUNTRY HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC	GENERAL SUPPORT	$500
HAMMER MUSEUM LOS ANGELES, CA	GENERAL SUPPORT	$7,500
LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART LOS ANGELES, CA	GENERAL SUPPORT	$5,000
MAKE A WISH FOUNDATION RALEIGH, NC	GENERAL SUPPORT	$1,000

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

Lois Zenkel serves as President of the foundation.

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
BRUCE ZENKEL	DIRECTOR	1	—
DANIEL ZENKEL	DIRECTOR	1	—
GARY B ZENKEL	DIRECTOR	1	—
LISA Z SHELDON	DIRECTOR	1	—
LOIS ZENKEL	DIRECTOR	1	—
MICHELE CRAMES ZENKEL	DIRECTOR	1	—
SUZANE SIEGEL ZENKEL	DIRECTOR	1	—

Contact Information

Address: 4 New King Street, Suite 101, West Harrison, NY 10604-1228

Telephone: 914-400-8129

EIN: 13-3380631

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Zenkel Foundation fund?

The foundation provides giving primarily for: • Jewish welfare • The arts • Higher education • The environment • Human rights

How do I apply for a grant from Zenkel Foundation?

The Zenkel Foundation is an active grantmaker with recent grant activity in 2023. The foundation made 38 grants in 2023, with recent recipients including: • Greek Children's Fund of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center ($31,500) • Film at Lincoln Center ($25,000) • Dartmouth College ($25,000) • University of Michigan Typical grant awards range from $500 to $3,000,000.

Where does Zenkel Foundation make grants?

The foundation's grantmaking focuses primarily on New York, California, and South Carolina.

What size grants does Zenkel Foundation award?

In 2024, Zenkel Foundation awarded 23 grants totaling $229K — an average of about $10K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is Zenkel Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Zenkel Foundation reported a distributable amount of $249K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.