The Nessel Family Foundation concentrates its giving locally and exclusively on community-based wellness, providing substantial unrestricted support to a single organization. All recorded grants (two awards totaling $300,000) went to Thrive Cooperative Center for Wellness, indicating a focused, place-based interest in sustaining a community wellness center. This suggests the foundation prioritizes operating capacity and general program stability over diversified grantmaking.
Nessel Family Foundation Inc’s recorded giving shows a tight, repeated relationship with Thrive Cooperative Center for Wellness, including a $200,000 general grant in 2024 and a $100,000 general grant in 2025. That pairing stands out because it points to a funder using sizeable unrestricted support to sustain a single community wellness organization over multiple years. The foundation’s recent grants also reach a small circle of Connecticut health and human-service nonprofits, with awards to Bridgeport Hospital Foundation, Norwalk Hospital Foundation, and the Center for Family Justice. Several of those grants are labeled General, while others support specific efforts such as the Center for Family Justice’s Annual Appeal: Hope Starts Here and Empower House Project. Across the record, the foundation appears to back neighborhood-based services that combine wellness, safety, and practical support for local residents. Its pattern is not broad or experimental; it is concentrated and relationship-based, with repeated grants to the same organizations and a clear preference for operating support over one-time project funding.
Community wellness is the clearest throughline. Nessel Family Foundation Inc gave $200,000 in 2024 and $100,000 in 2025 to Thrive Cooperative Center for Wellness, both for General support. Health care access is another recurring area: the foundation awarded $40,000 to Norma F Pfriem Breast Care Center in 2023 and another $40,000 to Bridgeport Hospital Foundation in 2025, both general grants. Family and crisis support also appears in the record. In 2023, Center for Family Justice received $45,000 for Annual Appeal: Hope Starts Here and Empower House Project, then another $45,000 in 2024 for General support and $30,000 in 2025. Youth programming is present through Horizons at GFA, which received $20,000 in each of 2023, 2024, and 2025 for General support.
Typical grants are small to mid-sized, with a p25 of $5,000, a median of $5,000, and a p75 of $15,000. The recent record also includes a handful of larger awards, showing that the foundation uses a mix of routine grants and higher-value operating support. The pattern is notably recurring: several recipients appear in multiple years, including Thrive Cooperative Center for Wellness, Center for Family Justice, Bridgeport Hospital Foundation, Norwalk Hospital Foundation, Horizons at GFA, Nourish Bridgeport Inc, Bridgeport Rescue Mission, and Grace Cottage Foundation. The foundation is not a donor-advised fund and does not fund individuals or program-related investments. The grant record shown here is overwhelmingly general support, with a few named project or appeal grants.
$877K
$4.1M
$640K
$916K
Most grants fall between $5K and $15K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$15K
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Highly concentrated giving: a small number of large, repeat grants to a single local grantee; funds appear as general/unrestricted support rather than narrow project grants.
Notable grantees: Thrive Cooperative Center for Wellness
Grantmaking is heavily concentrated in Connecticut, which accounts for 90% of grants in the foundation’s record. Bridgeport appears repeatedly, including awards to Bridgeport Hospital Foundation, Center for Family Justice, Norma F Pfriem Breast Care Center, Nourish Bridgeport Inc, and Bridgeport Rescue Mission. Norwalk also appears as a recipient city through Norwalk Hospital Foundation. Outside Connecticut, the record includes grants to Grace Cottage Foundation in Townshend, Vermont. The top state by grant count is New York, but the recipient list shown here is dominated by Connecticut organizations.
The record centers on community wellness, health care, family support, and youth programming. Recent grants include general support for Thrive Cooperative Center for Wellness, Bridgeport Hospital Foundation, Norwalk Hospital Foundation, Horizons at GFA, and Bridgeport Rescue Mission, plus targeted support for the Center for Family Justice’s Annual Appeal: Hope Starts Here and Empower House Project.
Yes. The recent grants list shows many awards labeled General, including repeated support for Thrive Cooperative Center for Wellness, Bridgeport Hospital Foundation, Norwalk Hospital Foundation, Norma F Pfriem Breast Care Center, and Horizons at GFA. A smaller number of grants are tied to specific efforts such as the Center for Family Justice appeal and project.
The typical award is $5,000 at both the 25th percentile and the median, with a 75th percentile of $15,000. That suggests many grants are modest, even though the foundation also makes larger operating grants, including $200,000 and $100,000 awards in the recent record.
Connecticut receives 90% of grants in the record, with Bridgeport appearing especially often. Other Connecticut recipient cities include Norwalk and Stamford, and the only non-Connecticut location shown is Townshend, Vermont.
Yes. Several recipients appear across multiple years, including Thrive Cooperative Center for Wellness in 2024 and 2025; Center for Family Justice in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Bridgeport Hospital Foundation in 2023, 2024, and 2025; and Horizons at GFA in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trinity Episcopal Church | Southport, CT | $500,000 | 2026 | Funding for New Organ |
| Thrive Cooperative Center for Wellness | Bridgeport, CT | $100,000 | 2026 | General |
| Bridgeport Hospital Foundation | Bridgeport, CT | $35,000 | 2026 | General Support and Cardiac Facility Remodeling |
| Center for Family Justice | Bridgeport, CT | $30,000 | 2026 | General |
| Norwalk Hospital Foundation | Norwalk, CT | $30,000 | 2026 | General |
| Horizons at GFA | PO Box Greens Farm, CT | $20,000 | 2026 | General |
| Americares Foundation | Stamford, CT | $20,000 | 2026 | 2025 Emergency Support |
| Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | Emergency Support for Fire Relief |
| Everytown | New York, NY | $10,000 | 2026 | General |
| IRIS Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services | New Haven, CT | $10,000 | 2026 | General |
| Mercy Learning Center | Bridgeport, CT | $10,000 | 2026 | General |
| Applied Behaviorial Rehabilitation Institute dba Home For the Brave | Bridgeport, CT | $10,000 | 2026 | General |
| Norma F Pfriem Breast Care Center | Bridgeport, CT | $10,000 | 2026 | General |
| Nourish Bridgeport Inc | Bridgeport, CT | $10,000 | 2026 | General |
| Wilton High School | Wilton, CT | $7,500 | 2026 | Community Steps/Support Center |
| Prospector Theater | Ridgefield, CT | $7,500 | 2026 | General |
| Bridgeport Rescue Mission | Bridgeport, CT | $7,500 | 2026 | General |
| Connecticut Challenge & Mission Inc | Southport, CT | $5,000 | 2026 | General |
| Fairfield Woods Middle School PTSA | Fairfield, CT | $5,000 | 2026 | Scholarships for Outdoor Adventure Club |
| Roger Ludlowe Middle School PTA | Fairfield, CT | $5,000 | 2026 | Scholarships |
| Jerusalem Peacebuilders | Milford, CT | $5,000 | 2026 | General |
| Tomlinson Middle School PTSA | Fairfield, CT | $5,000 | 2026 | Counselors Discretionary Fund |
| Operation Hope Inc | Fairfield, CT | $5,000 | 2026 | General |
| Bridgeport Ladies Charitable Society | Easton, CT | $5,000 | 2026 | General |
| Planned Parenthood of Southern New England | New Haven, CT | $5,000 | 2026 | General |
| Wholesome Wave LLC | Bridgeport, CT | $2,500 | 2026 | General |
| My Sisters' Place | White Plains, NY | $2,500 | 2026 | General |
| Friends of The Norwalk River Valley Trail Inc | Georgetown, CT | $2,500 | 2026 | General |
| Mill River Wetland Committee | Fairfield, CT | $2,000 | 2026 | General |
| Thrive Cooperative Center for Wellness | Bridgeport, CT | $100,000 | 2025 | General |
| Bridgeport Hospital Foundation | Bridgeport, CT | $40,000 | 2025 | General |
| Norwalk Hospital Foundation | Norwalk, CT | $30,000 | 2025 | General |
| Norma F Pfriem Breast Care Center | Bridgeport, CT | $30,000 | 2025 | General |
| Center for Family Justice | Bridgeport, CT | $30,000 | 2025 | General |
| Horizons at GFA | PO Box Greens Farm, CT | $20,000 | 2025 | General |
| Nourish Bridgeport Inc | Bridgeport, CT | $15,000 | 2025 | General |
| Bridgeport Rescue Mission | Bridgeport, CT | $10,000 | 2025 | General |
| Applied Behaviorial Rehabilitation Institute dba Home For the Brave | Bridgeport, CT | $10,000 | 2025 | General |
| Everytown | New York, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | General |
| Americares Foundation | Stamford, CT | $10,000 | 2025 | General |
| Grace Cottage Foundation | Townshend, VT | $10,000 | 2025 | General |
| Wilton High School | Wilton, CT | $7,500 | 2025 | Community Steps/Support Center |
| IRIS Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services | New Haven, CT | $7,500 | 2025 | General |
| Prospector Theater | Ridgefield, CT | $7,500 | 2025 | General |
| Connecticut Challenge & Mission Inc | Southport, CT | $7,500 | 2025 | General |
| Jerusalem Peacebuilders | Milford, CT | $5,000 | 2025 | General |
| Fairfield Woods Middle School PTSA | Fairfield, CT | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarships |
| Haitian Educational Initiatives | Fairfield, CT | $5,000 | 2025 | General |
| Roger Ludlowe Middle School PTA | Fairfield, CT | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarships |
| Near and Far Aid Association Inc | Southport, CT | $5,000 | 2025 | General |
Trinity Episcopal Church
$500,000Funding for New Organ
Thrive Cooperative Center for Wellness
$100,000General
General Support and Cardiac Facility Remodeling
Horizons at GFA
General
Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles
$10,000Emergency Support for Fire Relief
Everytown
$10,000General
IRIS Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services
$10,000General
Mercy Learning Center
$10,000General
Applied Behaviorial Rehabilitation Institute dba Home For the Brave
$10,000General
Norma F Pfriem Breast Care Center
$10,000General
Wilton High School
$7,500Community Steps/Support Center
Connecticut Challenge & Mission Inc
$5,000General
Fairfield Woods Middle School PTSA
$5,000Scholarships for Outdoor Adventure Club
Roger Ludlowe Middle School PTA
$5,000Scholarships
Jerusalem Peacebuilders
$5,000General
Tomlinson Middle School PTSA
$5,000Counselors Discretionary Fund
Operation Hope Inc
$5,000General
Bridgeport Ladies Charitable Society
$5,000General
Friends of The Norwalk River Valley Trail Inc
$2,500General
Mill River Wetland Committee
$2,000General
Thrive Cooperative Center for Wellness
$100,000General
Norma F Pfriem Breast Care Center
$30,000General
Horizons at GFA
$20,000General
Applied Behaviorial Rehabilitation Institute dba Home For the Brave
$10,000General
Everytown
$10,000General
Grace Cottage Foundation
$10,000General
Wilton High School
$7,500Community Steps/Support Center
Connecticut Challenge & Mission Inc
$7,500General
Jerusalem Peacebuilders
$5,000General
Fairfield Woods Middle School PTSA
$5,000Scholarships
Haitian Educational Initiatives
$5,000General
Roger Ludlowe Middle School PTA
$5,000Scholarships
Near and Far Aid Association Inc
$5,000General