The Pearlstein Foundation makes a small number of relatively large, unrestricted grants concentrated in health care, higher education, and animal welfare, with a clear local/regional focus on Baltimore-area institutions. It favors multi-grant relationships for a handful of organizations and provides general support rather than program-restricted funding.
Pearlstein Foundation Inc. gives a small number of relatively large, mostly unrestricted grants, with repeat support concentrated around Baltimore-area health care, animal welfare, and higher education. In the most recent records, the largest award was $46,140 to the Univ of Penn in Philadelphia for general support, followed by another $28,389 general grant to the same university. That pattern shows a funder that returns to a short list of organizations rather than spreading grants broadly. Baltimore institutions also appear prominently. Lifebridge Health received multiple general grants, including $23,500 in 2025 and $21,000 in 2024, while Baltimore Humane Society was funded in several years for general and annual-fund purposes. The foundation’s giving also reaches targeted work within its broader priorities, including the Child Abuse Divas Program at Lifebridge Health Sinai Hospital and canine cancer research through the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. Across the recent grants list, the foundation’s support is often general support, with event-linked and program-specific awards appearing alongside it. The overall picture is a regional grantmaker with durable relationships in health care, higher education, animal welfare, and selected family-support programs.
Health care is a central theme in the foundation’s giving. Lifebridge Health in Baltimore received $23,500 in 2025 and $21,000 in 2024 for general support, and Lifebridge Health Sinai Hospital received $10,000 for the Child Abuse Divas Program and another $10,000 for the Center for Hope. Higher education is another clear lane. The Univ of Penn in Philadelphia received $46,140 and $28,389 in 2025, both listed as general grants, and the foundation also gave $3,000 to the Upenn School of Veterinary for canine cancer research. Animal welfare appears in repeated support for Baltimore Humane Society, including $12,680 in 2025 and $11,500 in 2023 for a gala donation and annual fund. The grants list also includes smaller gifts to congregations and community organizations in Maryland and New York, which shows some breadth beyond the main institutional relationships.
Typical grants cluster at modest but uneven levels: p25 is $489, median is $1,000, and p75 is $10,000. The recent list shows repeat awards to the same organizations across multiple years, especially Lifebridge Health, Baltimore Humane Society, and the Univ of Penn, which points to ongoing relationships rather than one-time gifts. The foundation appears to give directly from a private foundation structure, not as a donor-advised fund or through program-related investments. Many awards are listed as general support, with some event-linked and program-specific grants mixed in.
$211K
$665K
$56K
$62K
Most grants fall between $489 and $10K, with a median of $1K.
25th Percentile
$489
Median
$1K
75th Percentile
$10K
About 58% of grants go to recipients in MD.
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Concentrated giving: few large grants per year, repeated support to select grantees, primarily unrestricted/general operating gifts with a regional (Baltimore/mid‑Atlantic) emphasis.
Notable grantees: LifeBridge Health, Baltimore Humane Society, University of Pennsylvania
Giving is concentrated in Maryland, which accounts for 58% of grants, but the recent list also includes Philadelphia, New York, and a single Florida recipient. Baltimore and Reisterstown are the most visible Maryland cities in the recipient list, while Philadelphia appears through the Univ of Penn and its veterinary school. New York recipients include Hadassah, Jewish National Fund, and Temple Israel. All recorded grants in the provided data go to U.S. recipients.
The recent grants point to health care, higher education, and animal welfare. Examples include general support for Lifebridge Health in Baltimore, general support for the Univ of Penn in Philadelphia, and general and annual-fund support for Baltimore Humane Society in Reisterstown.
Yes. Several organizations appear in multiple years, including Lifebridge Health in 2024 and 2025, Baltimore Humane Society in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and the Univ of Penn in 2024 and 2025. That pattern suggests ongoing relationships.
The grant-size distribution is centered around smaller gifts, with p25 at $489 and a median of $1,000, but the upper quartile reaches $10,000. The recent list also includes larger awards such as $46,140 and $28,389 to the Univ of Penn.
Maryland receives 58% of the grants in the dataset, with Baltimore, Reisterstown, and Pikesville among the recipient cities. Philadelphia and New York also appear in the recent grants list, and all recorded grants go to U.S. recipients.
General support is common, but the list also includes named program and event-based purposes. Examples include the Child Abuse Divas Program, the Center for Hope, canine cancer research, gala donation/annual fund, and gift pediatrics.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNIV OF PENN | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $46,140 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| UNIV OF PENN | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $28,389 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| LIFEBRIDGE HEALTH | BALTIMORE, MD | $23,500 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| BALTIMORE HUMANE SOCIETY | REISTERSTOWN, MD | $12,680 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| LIFEBRIDGE HEALTH | BALTIMORE, MD | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| BALTIMORE HUMANE SOCIETY | REISTERSTOWN, MD | $9,800 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| HADASSAH | NEW YORK, NY | $3,000 | 2025 | GENERAL FUND |
| JAY G COHEN MEMORIAL ENDOWMENT FUND | COLLEGE PARK, MD | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| UNIV OF MARYLAND - J COHEN MEMORIAL | COLLEGE PARK, MD | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| TEMPLE ISRAEL | GREAT NECK, NY | $560 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| CHIZUK AMUNO CONGREGATION | PIKESVILLE, MD | $500 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| JEWISH NATIONAL FUND | HICKSVILLE, NY | $500 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| CHIZUK AMUNO CONGREGATION | PIKESVILLE, MD | $456 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| TEMPLE ISRAEL | GREAT NECK, NY | $360 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| HADASSAH | NEW YORK, NY | $180 | 2025 | GENERAL FUND |
| LIFEBRIDGE HEALTH | BALTIMORE, MD | $21,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| BALTIMORE HUMANE SOCIETY | REISTERSTOWN, MD | $5,298 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| UNIV OF PENN | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| UNIV OF MARYLAND - J COHEN MEMORIAL | COLLEGE PARK, MD | $1,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| CHIZUK AMUNO CONGREGATION | PIKESVILLE, MD | $500 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| TEMPLE ISRAEL | GREAT NECK, NY | $350 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| BALTIMORE HUMANE SOCIETY | REISTERSTOWN, MD | $11,500 | 2023 | GALA DONATION/ANNUAL FUND |
| LIFEBRIDGE HEALTH SINAI HOSPITAL | BALTIMORE, MD | $10,000 | 2023 | CHILD ABUSE DIVAS PROGRAM |
| LIFEBRIDGE HEALTH SINAI HOSPITAL | BALTIMORE, MD | $10,000 | 2023 | CENTER FOR HOPE |
| UPENN SCHOOL OF VETERINARY | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $3,000 | 2023 | CANINE CANCER RESEARCH FUND |
| JAY G COHEN MEMORIAL FUND UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND | COLLEGE PARK, MD | $1,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| HADASSAH | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| ST JOE MEDICAL CENTER | HOMOSASSA, FL | $1,000 | 2023 | GIFT PEDIATRICS |
| JEWISH NATIONAL FUND | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| LIFEBRIDGE HEALTH | BALTIMORE, MD | $500 | 2023 | CARE BRAVELY COMPASSION FUND |
| BETH TFILOH CONGREGATION | PIKESVILLE, MD | $254 | 2023 | DONATION |
| TEMPEL ISRAEL | GREAT NECK, NY | $250 | 2023 | DONATION |
UNIV OF PENN
$46,140GENERAL
UNIV OF PENN
$28,389GENERAL
LIFEBRIDGE HEALTH
$23,500GENERAL
BALTIMORE HUMANE SOCIETY
$12,680GENERAL
LIFEBRIDGE HEALTH
$10,000GENERAL
BALTIMORE HUMANE SOCIETY
$9,800GENERAL
HADASSAH
GENERAL FUND
JAY G COHEN MEMORIAL ENDOWMENT FUND
$1,000GENERAL
UNIV OF MARYLAND - J COHEN MEMORIAL
$1,000GENERAL
TEMPLE ISRAEL
$560GENERAL
CHIZUK AMUNO CONGREGATION
$500GENERAL
JEWISH NATIONAL FUND
$500GENERAL
CHIZUK AMUNO CONGREGATION
$456GENERAL
TEMPLE ISRAEL
$360GENERAL
HADASSAH
$180GENERAL FUND
LIFEBRIDGE HEALTH
$21,000GENERAL
BALTIMORE HUMANE SOCIETY
$5,298GENERAL
UNIV OF PENN
$5,000GENERAL
UNIV OF MARYLAND - J COHEN MEMORIAL
$1,000GENERAL
CHIZUK AMUNO CONGREGATION
$500GENERAL
TEMPLE ISRAEL
$350GENERAL
BALTIMORE HUMANE SOCIETY
$11,500GALA DONATION/ANNUAL FUND
LIFEBRIDGE HEALTH SINAI HOSPITAL
$10,000CHILD ABUSE DIVAS PROGRAM
LIFEBRIDGE HEALTH SINAI HOSPITAL
$10,000CENTER FOR HOPE
UPENN SCHOOL OF VETERINARY
$3,000CANINE CANCER RESEARCH FUND
JAY G COHEN MEMORIAL FUND UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
$1,000GENERAL
HADASSAH
$1,000GENERAL
ST JOE MEDICAL CENTER
$1,000GIFT PEDIATRICS
JEWISH NATIONAL FUND
$1,000GENERAL
LIFEBRIDGE HEALTH
$500CARE BRAVELY COMPASSION FUND
BETH TFILOH CONGREGATION
$254DONATION
TEMPEL ISRAEL
$250DONATION