The Louis and Bessie Stein Foundation Fund #2 makes relatively few, large awards and appears to steward both donor-advised giving (a very large transfer to Vanguard Charitable) and direct support for local institutions. Their direct grants emphasize Philadelphia-area independent and faith-based education, Jewish communal and emergency medical causes, and cultural institutions, with occasional health and senior-care gifts. Repeated grants to the same local schools and theater suggest an interest in sustaining long-term community institutions.
Concentrated giving: one very large pass-through/DAF transfer plus a small set of sizable direct grants. Mix of repeat support to a handful of local institutions and targeted gifts to national Jewish and health organizations.
A single $3.75 million transfer to Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program dominates the Louis and Bessie Stein Foundation Fund #2’s recent giving and signals how much of its activity moves through donor-advised channels. Beyond that transfer, the fund makes direct awards that are tightly centered on Philadelphia-area institutions, especially schools, universities, Jewish organizations, medical causes, and arts groups. Friends Select School received both a $100,000 grant in 2025 for the Advance Friends Select transformation campaign and a $25,000 grant in 2024 for the same campaign, showing repeated support for a major institutional effort. Temple University also appears more than once, with grants of $125,000 in 2023 and $75,200 in 2024, both unrestricted. The pattern extends to cultural and community organizations such as Walnut Street Theatre, Temple Adath Israel, American Friends of Magen David Adom, and Abramson Senior Care. The foundation’s direct grants are often unrestricted, while some awards are tied to campaign or advancement efforts, indicating a mix of general support and targeted institutional backing.
Education is a clear thread in the fund’s direct giving. Temple University received $125,000 in 2023 and $75,200 in 2024, both unrestricted, while Friends Select School received $100,000 in 2025 and $25,000 in 2024 for the Advance Friends Select transformation campaign. The foundation also supported Drexel University-hillel with $5,000 in 2024 and Thomas Jefferson University with $10,000 in 2025 plus $5,000 in 2023. Jewish communal giving appears in grants to Temple Adath Israel in Merion Station, JTS Crossroads Campaign in New York, the Jewish Theological Seminary, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston. Health-related support includes Dana-farber Cancer Institute at $120,000 in 2025, Abramson Senior Care at $30,000 in 2025, and Macular Degeneration Research across multiple years.
Typical awards are small, with a p25 of $1,000 and a median of $1,000, but the upper quartile reaches $22,500, reflecting a mix of modest gifts and a few much larger transfers. The recent record shows repeated support for the same recipients over multiple years, including Temple University, Friends Select School, Walnut Street Theatre, Thomas Jefferson University, Bryn Mawr Film Institute, and Macular Degeneration Research. That repetition suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-time grants. The fund is also notable for a very large donor-advised style transfer to Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program, alongside direct institutional grants. Most awards are unrestricted, with some tied to campaign or advancement support.
$4.1M
$4.5M
$4.6M
$4.1M
Most grants fall between $1K and $23K, with a median of $1K.
25th Percentile
$1K
Median
$1K
75th Percentile
$23K
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Notable grantees: Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program, Temple University, Friends Select School, Walnut Street Theatre, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Giving is heavily concentrated in Pennsylvania, which accounts for 65% of recipient grants and is the top state by grant count. Philadelphia is the main city appearing in the recent grants list, with recipients such as Temple University, Friends Select School, Walnut Street Theatre, and Thomas Jefferson University. Other Pennsylvania locations include Merion Station, Bryn Mawr, Jenkintown, Conshohocken, and Philadelphia-suburban institutions. Outside Pennsylvania, the foundation’s recent grants reached recipients in New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, Georgia, Texas, Florida, and Rhode Island. All recorded grants in the recent list went to U.S. recipients.
Recent grants favor Philadelphia-area schools, universities, Jewish communal organizations, cultural institutions, and some health or senior-care groups. Examples include Temple University, Friends Select School, Walnut Street Theatre, Temple Adath Israel, Dana-farber Cancer Institute, and Abramson Senior Care.
Yes. Temple University appears in 2023 and 2024, Friends Select School in 2024 and 2025, Walnut Street Theatre in 2023 and 2024, and Macular Degeneration Research in 2023, 2024, and 2025. That pattern points to ongoing relationships with selected institutions.
The grant-size distribution is small at the center: p25 is $1,000, median is $1,000, and p75 is $22,500. Recent giving also includes a very large $3,747,243 transfer to Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program and several six-figure gifts.
Pennsylvania is the top giving state and receives 65% of grants. Philadelphia is the most common recipient city, and other Pennsylvania destinations in the recent list include Merion Station, Bryn Mawr, Jenkintown, Conshohocken, and Warwick, RI is home to the large Vanguard Charitable transfer.
Most recent awards are unrestricted, but some are linked to campaign or advancement work. Friends Select School received two grants labeled for the Advance Friends Select transformation campaign, and the foundation also gave an unrestricted grant to Temple University and several other institutions.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VANGUARD CHARITABLE ENDOWMENT PROGRAM | WARWICK, RI | $3,747,243 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| DANA-FARBER CANCER INSTITUTE | BOSTON, MA | $120,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| FRIENDS SELECT SCHOOL | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $100,000 | 2025 | ADVANCE FRIENDS SELECT:TRANSFORMATION CAMPAIGN |
| ABRAMSON SENIOR CARE | JENKINTOWN, PA | $30,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| TEMPLE UNIVERSITY | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $20,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $10,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| BRYN MAWR FILM INSTITUTE | BRYN MAWR, PA | $10,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| HIGH MUSEUM | ATLANTA, GA | $10,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| AIM | CONSHOHOCKEN, PA | $2,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| MACULAR DEGENERATION RESEARCH | CLARKSBURG, MD | $1,500 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| WHYY-TV | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $1,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT | JAKSONVILLE, FL | $1,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| LUDDINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY | BRYN MAWR, PA | $1,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| WELLSPRING LIVING | PEACHTREE CITY, GA | $500 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| TEMPLE UNIVERSITY | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $75,200 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| WALNUT STREET THEATRE | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $30,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| FRIENDS SELECT SCHOOL | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $25,000 | 2024 | ADVANCE FRIENDS SELECT:TRANSFORMATION CAMPAIGN |
| AMERICAN FRIENDS OF MAGEN DAVID ADOM | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY | NEW YORK, NY | $20,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| DREXEL UNIVERSITY-HILLEL | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $5,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| MACULAR DEGENERATION RESEARCH | CLARKSBURG, MD | $1,500 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $1,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| WHYY-TV | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $1,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| CROHN'S & COLITIS FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| BRYN MAWR FILM INSTITUTE | BRYN MAWR, PA | $1,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| LUDDINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY | BRYN MAWR, PA | $1,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| BIRTHRIGHT ISRAEL FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT | JAKSONVILLE, FL | $1,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER PHILADELPHIA | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $1,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| TEMPLE UNIVERSITY - HILLEL | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $500 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| MERION FIRE COMPANY | ARDMORE, PA | $250 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| TEMPLE UNIVERSITY | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $125,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| WALNUT STREET THEATRE | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $50,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| TEMPLE ADATH ISRAEL | MERION STATION, PA | $27,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| JTS CROSSROADS CAMPAIGN | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $5,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER HOUSTON | HOUSTON, TX | $2,500 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| PJ LIBRARY | AGAWAM, MA | $2,500 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| MACULAR DEGENERATION RESEARCH | CLARKSBURG, MD | $1,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $1,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| BRYN MAWR FILM INSTITUTE | BRYN MAWR, PA | $1,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| BIRTHRIGHT ISRAEL FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $500 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ELDERNET OF LOWER MERION | BRYN MAWR, PA | $200 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| NARBETH AMBULANCE | ARDMORE, PA | $100 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| PENNA SHERIFF'S ASSOCIATION | HARRISBURG, PA | $100 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
VANGUARD CHARITABLE ENDOWMENT PROGRAM
$3,747,243UNRESTRICTED
FRIENDS SELECT SCHOOL
$100,000ADVANCE FRIENDS SELECT:TRANSFORMATION CAMPAIGN
UNRESTRICTED
BRYN MAWR FILM INSTITUTE
$10,000UNRESTRICTED
HIGH MUSEUM
$10,000UNRESTRICTED
AIM
$2,000UNRESTRICTED
MACULAR DEGENERATION RESEARCH
$1,500UNRESTRICTED
LUDDINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
$1,000UNRESTRICTED
WELLSPRING LIVING
$500UNRESTRICTED
WALNUT STREET THEATRE
$30,000UNRESTRICTED
FRIENDS SELECT SCHOOL
$25,000ADVANCE FRIENDS SELECT:TRANSFORMATION CAMPAIGN
JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
$20,000UNRESTRICTED
DREXEL UNIVERSITY-HILLEL
$5,000UNRESTRICTED
MACULAR DEGENERATION RESEARCH
$1,500UNRESTRICTED
BRYN MAWR FILM INSTITUTE
$1,000UNRESTRICTED
LUDDINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
$1,000UNRESTRICTED
TEMPLE UNIVERSITY - HILLEL
$500UNRESTRICTED
MERION FIRE COMPANY
$250UNRESTRICTED
TEMPLE UNIVERSITY
$125,000UNRESTRICTED
WALNUT STREET THEATRE
$50,000UNRESTRICTED
TEMPLE ADATH ISRAEL
$27,000UNRESTRICTED
JTS CROSSROADS CAMPAIGN
$25,000UNRESTRICTED
BRYN MAWR FILM INSTITUTE
$1,000UNRESTRICTED
ELDERNET OF LOWER MERION
$200UNRESTRICTED
NARBETH AMBULANCE
$100UNRESTRICTED
PENNA SHERIFF'S ASSOCIATION
$100UNRESTRICTED