The Al-Sawwaf Family Foundation concentrates its philanthropy almost exclusively on supporting a single educational institution, providing scholarship and program funding for Rising Star Academy of New Jersey. Their giving appears locally focused (Edgewater/NJ) and directed toward sustaining a private/religious K–12 school’s student aid and educational programs.
Al-sawwaf Family Foundation’s giving is anchored by repeated support for Rising Star Academy of NJ, which received the largest recent grants at $53,500 in 2024 and $50,000 in both 2023 and 2025 for scholarship and educational programming. That recurring pattern makes the academy the clearest window into the foundation’s priorities: tuition support, school operations, and direct aid to a private religious K–12 setting. Beyond that central relationship, the foundation has also funded Muslim education and after-school learning through the Islamic Center of Union County and Darul Islah, while extending smaller grants to hunger relief, shelter, clean water, and child welfare organizations. The grant list shows a mix of recurring awards and one-time support, with several recipients appearing across multiple years. The foundation’s portfolio also includes direct-service grants to organizations serving New Yorkers, homeless individuals, and families in need, as well as international humanitarian aid tied to food, education, health care, and drinking water. Across the recent records, the foundation’s grantmaking is tightly patterned but not limited to one line of work, with education at the center and human services forming the broader circle.
Education is the dominant thread. Al-sawwaf Family Foundation gave $7,000 in 2024 and $2,000 in 2025 to the Islamic Center of Union County for an after-school educational program, and $2,500 in 2024 and $2,000 in 2023 to Darul Islah for Muslim school education. Its human services grants include $5,000 in 2024 and $3,000 in 2025 to Wafa House Inc for food and shelter for New Yorkers, plus $2,000 in 2025 to Evas Village for a community kitchen for homeless shelters. The foundation also supports hunger and food-access work through the Food Bank of New York City, which received $2,000 in 2023, $2,000 in 2024, and $2,000 in 2025 for food assistance to fight hunger for New Yorkers. Smaller grants go to Table to Table for reducing food waste while fighting hunger, and to Africa Relief and Community Development for food, education, and health care.
Typical awards are small: the p25, median, and p75 grant sizes are $2,000, $2,000, and $5,000. The structure is consistent with a family foundation making direct grants rather than program-related investments, and it also funds individuals. Recipients often reappear across years, especially in education and basic-needs support, which points to repeat relationships rather than purely one-off gifts. Grantmaking is regional and heavily centered in New Jersey, though the recent list also includes New York, Texas, California, and Virginia.
$68K
$3.3M
$130K
$73K
Most grants fall between $2K and $5K, with a median of $2K.
25th Percentile
$2K
Median
$2K
75th Percentile
$5K
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Highly concentrated: all recorded grants go to one grantee (Rising Star Academy of NJ), with repeated payments totaling $153,500, indicating focused, repeat support rather than diversified giving.
Notable grantees: Rising Star Academy of NJ
Most grants land in New Jersey, which accounts for 65% of grants in the HQ state category, and the top giving state by count is New York. Recent recipient cities include Union City, Union, Teaneck, Clinton, Clifton, Hasbrouck Heights, Patterson, and Newark-area service locations. Outside New Jersey, the foundation gave to New York City organizations such as Food Bank of New York City and to recipients in Irving, South San Francisco, Sterling, Farmingdale, and Brooklyn. All recent grants shown are to U.S. recipients.
Education is the clearest theme, especially scholarship and school programming for Rising Star Academy of NJ, after-school educational programming at the Islamic Center of Union County, and Muslim school education at Darul Islah. The foundation also funds food assistance, shelter, clean water, and child welfare.
The typical grant is $2,000. The grant-size distribution shown is p25 $2,000, median $2,000, and p75 $5,000, so most awards are in the low-thousands range.
Yes. Rising Star Academy of NJ appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025; the Islamic Center of Union County appears in 2024 and 2025; and the Food Bank of New York City appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025. That pattern suggests ongoing relationships.
The recent grants are all to U.S. recipients. New Jersey is the main location in the grant list, and New York is the top state by grant count. Recipient cities include Union City, Union, Teaneck, New York, and Brooklyn.
No. Education is central, but the foundation also gave to Wafa House Inc for food and shelter for New Yorkers, Evas Village for a community kitchen for homeless shelters, Table to Table for fighting hunger while reducing food waste, and Baitulmaal for a clean drinking water program.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RISING STAR ACADEMY OF NJ | UNION CITY, NJ | $50,000 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIP / EDUCTIONAL PROGRAM FOR RISING STAR ACADEMY |
| WAFA HOUSE INC | CLINTON, NJ | $3,000 | 2025 | FOOD AND SHELTER FOR NEW YORKERS |
| FOOD BANK OF NEW YORK CITY | NEW YORK, NY | $2,000 | 2025 | FOOD ASSISTANCE TO FIGHT HUNGER FOR NEW YORKERS |
| DARUL ISLAH | TEANECK, NJ | $2,000 | 2025 | MUSLIM SCHOOL EDUCATION |
| TABLE TO TABLE | HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, NJ | $2,000 | 2025 | FIGHT HUNGER WHILE REDUCING FOOD WASTE |
| EVAS VILLAGE | PATTERSON, NJ | $2,000 | 2025 | COMMUNITY KITCHEN FOR HOMELESS SHELTERS |
| AFRICA RELIEF AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT | CLIFTON, NJ | $2,000 | 2025 | AFRICAN AID WITH FOOD, EDUCATION AND HEALTH CARE |
| ISLAMIC CENTER OF UNION COUNTY | UNION, NJ | $2,000 | 2025 | AFTER SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM |
| PALS SKYHOPE | FARMINGDALE, NY | $1,500 | 2025 | TRANSPORTATION FOR MEDICAL NEEDS |
| ASIYAH WOMEN'S CENTER INC | BROOKLYN, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | SHELTER FOR MUSLIM WOMEN AND CHILDREN |
| RISING STAR ACADEMY OF NJ | UNION CITY, NJ | $53,500 | 2024 | SCHOLARSHIP / EDUCTIONAL PROGRAM FOR RISING STAR ACADEMY |
| ISLAMIC CENTER OF UNION COUNTY | UNION, NJ | $7,000 | 2024 | AFTER SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM |
| WAFA HOUSE INC | CLINTON, NJ | $5,000 | 2024 | FOOD AND SHELTER FOR NEW YORKERS |
| DARUL ISLAH | TEANECK, NJ | $2,500 | 2024 | MUSLIM SCHOOL EDUCATION |
| FOOD BANK OF NEW YORK CITY | NEW YORK, NY | $2,000 | 2024 | FOOD ASSISTANCE TO FIGHT HUNGER FOR NEW YORKERS |
| RISING STAR ACADEMY OF NJ | UNION CITY, NJ | $50,000 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIP / EDUCTIONAL PROGRAM FOR RISING STAR ACADEMY |
| ISLAMIC CENTER OF UNION COUNTY | UNION, NJ | $6,500 | 2023 | AFTER SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM |
| BAITULMAAL | IRVING, TX | $5,000 | 2023 | CLEAN DRINKING WATER PROGRAM |
| ABS-CBN FOUNDATION INTERNATIONAL | SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $2,000 | 2023 | CHILD WELFARE PROGRAM |
| DARUL ISLAH | TEANECK, NJ | $2,000 | 2023 | MUSLIM SCHOOL EDUCATION |
| FOOD BANK OF NEW YORK CITY | NEW YORK, NY | $2,000 | 2023 | FOOD ASSISTANCE TO FIGHT HUNGER FOR NEW YORKERS |
| BDESH FOUNDATION | STERLING, VA | $1,500 | 2023 | CLEAN DRINKING WATER PROGRAM |
| EVA'S VILLAGE | PATTERSON, NJ | $1,000 | 2023 | FOOD AND SHELTER FOR NEW YORKERS |
RISING STAR ACADEMY OF NJ
$50,000SCHOLARSHIP / EDUCTIONAL PROGRAM FOR RISING STAR ACADEMY
WAFA HOUSE INC
$3,000FOOD AND SHELTER FOR NEW YORKERS
FOOD BANK OF NEW YORK CITY
$2,000FOOD ASSISTANCE TO FIGHT HUNGER FOR NEW YORKERS
DARUL ISLAH
$2,000MUSLIM SCHOOL EDUCATION
TABLE TO TABLE
$2,000FIGHT HUNGER WHILE REDUCING FOOD WASTE
EVAS VILLAGE
$2,000COMMUNITY KITCHEN FOR HOMELESS SHELTERS
AFRICA RELIEF AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
$2,000AFRICAN AID WITH FOOD, EDUCATION AND HEALTH CARE
ISLAMIC CENTER OF UNION COUNTY
$2,000AFTER SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM
PALS SKYHOPE
$1,500TRANSPORTATION FOR MEDICAL NEEDS
ASIYAH WOMEN'S CENTER INC
$1,000SHELTER FOR MUSLIM WOMEN AND CHILDREN
RISING STAR ACADEMY OF NJ
$53,500SCHOLARSHIP / EDUCTIONAL PROGRAM FOR RISING STAR ACADEMY
ISLAMIC CENTER OF UNION COUNTY
$7,000AFTER SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM
WAFA HOUSE INC
$5,000FOOD AND SHELTER FOR NEW YORKERS
DARUL ISLAH
$2,500MUSLIM SCHOOL EDUCATION
FOOD BANK OF NEW YORK CITY
$2,000FOOD ASSISTANCE TO FIGHT HUNGER FOR NEW YORKERS
RISING STAR ACADEMY OF NJ
$50,000SCHOLARSHIP / EDUCTIONAL PROGRAM FOR RISING STAR ACADEMY
ISLAMIC CENTER OF UNION COUNTY
$6,500AFTER SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM
BAITULMAAL
$5,000CLEAN DRINKING WATER PROGRAM
ABS-CBN FOUNDATION INTERNATIONAL
$2,000CHILD WELFARE PROGRAM
DARUL ISLAH
$2,000MUSLIM SCHOOL EDUCATION
FOOD BANK OF NEW YORK CITY
$2,000FOOD ASSISTANCE TO FIGHT HUNGER FOR NEW YORKERS
BDESH FOUNDATION
$1,500CLEAN DRINKING WATER PROGRAM
EVA'S VILLAGE
$1,000FOOD AND SHELTER FOR NEW YORKERS