The Feiss Foundation concentrates its giving on medical and Israel-related causes, consistently funding medical research organizations (notably neurological disorder and cancer research) and organizations that support Israel and its service members. Grants are typically unrestricted/general support and directed to a small set of repeat recipients, indicating focused, mission-aligned philanthropy rather than broad community giving.
Concentrated giving: a small number of mid-size grants (roughly $20k–$50k) to a few repeat grantees, primarily providing general/unrestricted support to medical research and Israel-related charities.
The Dorothy and Murray Feiss Foundation Inc. shows a tightly focused pattern: its largest recent grant went to Fidf for general support, while another major track supports dystonia research through Dystonia Medical Research Fdn. Across the recent record, the foundation backs medical causes, Israel-related institutions, and Jewish communal organizations with general-fund grants rather than restricted project awards. That mix suggests a grantmaker that prefers flexible support for organizations it already knows well. Medical research is a clear part of the profile. The foundation funded Dystonia Medical Research Fdn in both 2024 and 2025, and it also supported City of Hope and Weill Cornell Medicine. Alongside health giving, it made substantial grants to Israel Cancer Research Fund and Friends of the Israel Defense Force, showing sustained attention to both cancer research and Israel-related welfare. The grant list also includes community and cultural organizations such as Hillel International, Uja Federation of NY, New York Common Pantry, and Central Synagogue. Several recipients appear more than once, which points to a recurring relationship model rather than scattered one-time philanthropy.
Medical research is one of the foundation’s clearest themes. It gave $37,000 to Dystonia Medical Research Fdn in 2024 and $25,000 to Dystonia Medical Reasearch in 2025, both marked as general fund support. Israel-related giving is another major line of work. Recent grants include $24,980 to Israel Cancer Research Fund in 2025 and $12,200 to Friends of the Israel Defense Force in 2024, both as unrestricted support. The foundation also funds Jewish communal and educational organizations. It gave $5,500 to Hillel International in 2025 and $1,800 to Community Synagogue of Rye in 2024, again using general-fund grants. Its broader community support reaches food assistance and related services, including $5,000 to New York Common Pantry and $4,750 to Selfhelp Community Services Inc, both in New York.
Typical grants are modest, with a p25 of $1,000, a median of $1,800, and a p75 of $5,000. The recent list also shows a few much larger awards, which indicates a small number of higher-value grants alongside many lower-dollar commitments. Recipients recur across years in several cases, including Dystonia Medical Research Fdn, City of Hope, and Tunnels to Towers Foundation, suggesting ongoing relationships. The foundation is a private family foundation in legal form and does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. The grants shown are overwhelmingly general-fund awards.
$219K
$1.1M
$194K
$132K
Most grants fall between $1K and $5K, with a median of $2K.
25th Percentile
$1K
Median
$2K
75th Percentile
$5K
About 68% of grants go to recipients in NY.
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Notable grantees: Dystonia Medical Research Foundation, Israel Cancer Research Fund, Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF)
Giving is concentrated in New York, which accounts for 68% of grants and is the top state by grant count. Recent recipient cities include New York, Rye, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Purchase, and Palm Beach, with additional grants to Chicago, Washington, DC, Duarte, and Ithica. The recipient-country distribution is entirely U.S.-based, with 31 grants in the United States and none outside it.
Its recent grants center on medical research, especially dystonia and other neurological disorder research, plus Israel-related causes such as cancer research and support for Israel’s service members. The list also includes Jewish communal institutions, food assistance, and select cultural or educational organizations.
The recent grants are predominantly listed as general fund or general purpose support. Examples in the record include awards to Dystonia Medical Research Fdn, Israel Cancer Research Fund, Hillel International, and New York Common Pantry, all marked for flexible support rather than a named project.
The grant-size distribution is small-to-moderate: p25 is $1,000, median is $1,800, and p75 is $5,000. The recent record also includes several larger awards above $20,000, but most grants cluster below that level.
Yes. The recent grants include repeated support to Dystonia Medical Research Fdn across 2024 and 2025, City of Hope in both years, and Tunnels to Towers Foundation in multiple entries. That pattern suggests recurring relationships rather than one-time gifts.
New York is the top state by grant count, and 68% of grants go to recipients in New York. The recipient list includes organizations in New York City, Rye, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Purchase, and other New York locations.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIDF | NEW YORK, NY | $47,432 | 2025 | GENERAL FUND |
| DYSTONIA MEDICAL REASEARCH | CHICAGO, IL | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL FUND |
| ISRAEL CANCER RESEARCH FUND | NEW YORK, NY | $24,980 | 2025 | GENERAL FUND |
| HILLEL INTERNATIONAL | WASHINGTON, DC | $5,500 | 2025 | GENERAL FUND |
| THE RIDGEFIELD PLAYHOUSE | RIDGEFIELD, CT | $3,000 | 2025 | GENERAL FUND |
| LOUIS D BRANDEIS CENTER | WASHINGTON, DC | $2,400 | 2025 | GENERAL FUND |
| TUNNELS TO TOWERS | STATEN ISLAND, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL FUND |
| OLD OAKS FOUNDATION | PURCHASE, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL FUND |
| JBI INTERNATIONAL | NEW YORK, NY | $775 | 2025 | GENERAL FUND |
| COLEL CHABAD | BROOKLYN, NY | $500 | 2025 | GENERAL FUND |
| SELF HELP COMMUNITY SERVICE | NEW YORK, NY | $500 | 2025 | GENERAL FUND |
| CITY OF HOPE | DUARTE, CA | $500 | 2025 | GENERAL FUND |
| DYSTONIA MEDICAL RESEARCH FDN | CHICAGO, IL | $37,000 | 2024 | GENERAL FUND |
| ISREAL CANCER RESEARCH FUND | NEW YORK, NY | $23,225 | 2024 | GENERAL FUND |
| FRIENDS OF THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCE | NEW YORK, NY | $12,200 | 2024 | GENERAL FUND |
| RIDGEFIELD PLAYHOUSE | RIDGEFIELD, CT | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL FUND |
| UJA FEDERATION OF NY | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL FUND |
| NEW YORK COMMON PANTRY | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL FUND |
| SELFHELP COMMUNITY SERVICES INC | NEW YORK, NY | $4,750 | 2024 | GENERAL FUND |
| WEILL CORNELL MEDICINE | ITHICA, NY | $3,000 | 2024 | GENERAL FUND |
| US HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM | WASHINGTON, DC | $2,000 | 2024 | GENERAL FUND |
| COMMUNITY SYNAGOGUE OF RYE | RYE, NY | $1,800 | 2024 | GENERAL FUND |
| NATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY | NEW YORK, NY | $1,500 | 2024 | GENERAL FUND |
| CENTRAL SYNAGOGUE | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000 | 2024 | GENERAL FUND |
| THE NEW YORK COMMUNITY TRUST | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000 | 2024 | GENERAL FUND |
| MET COUNCIL | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000 | 2024 | GENERAL FUND |
| CATSKILL RESORT MUSEUM | ELLENVILLE, NY | $1,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| TEMPLE EMANU-EL OF PALM BEACH | PALM BEACH, FL | $1,000 | 2024 | GENERAL FUND |
| CITY OF HOPE | DUARTE, CA | $500 | 2024 | GENERAL FUND |
| TUNNELS TO TOWERS FOUNDATION | STATEN ISLAND, NY | $200 | 2024 | GENERAL FUND |
| STEPHANIE'S HOUSE | CHESTER SPRINGS, PA | $100 | 2024 | GENERAL FUND |
FIDF
$47,432GENERAL FUND
DYSTONIA MEDICAL REASEARCH
$25,000GENERAL FUND
ISRAEL CANCER RESEARCH FUND
$24,980GENERAL FUND
HILLEL INTERNATIONAL
$5,500GENERAL FUND
THE RIDGEFIELD PLAYHOUSE
$3,000GENERAL FUND
LOUIS D BRANDEIS CENTER
$2,400GENERAL FUND
TUNNELS TO TOWERS
GENERAL FUND
OLD OAKS FOUNDATION
$1,000GENERAL FUND
JBI INTERNATIONAL
$775GENERAL FUND
COLEL CHABAD
$500GENERAL FUND
SELF HELP COMMUNITY SERVICE
$500GENERAL FUND
CITY OF HOPE
$500GENERAL FUND
DYSTONIA MEDICAL RESEARCH FDN
$37,000GENERAL FUND
ISREAL CANCER RESEARCH FUND
$23,225GENERAL FUND
FRIENDS OF THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCE
$12,200GENERAL FUND
RIDGEFIELD PLAYHOUSE
$5,000GENERAL FUND
UJA FEDERATION OF NY
$5,000GENERAL FUND
NEW YORK COMMON PANTRY
$5,000GENERAL FUND
SELFHELP COMMUNITY SERVICES INC
$4,750GENERAL FUND
WEILL CORNELL MEDICINE
$3,000GENERAL FUND
US HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM
$2,000GENERAL FUND
COMMUNITY SYNAGOGUE OF RYE
$1,800GENERAL FUND
NATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY
$1,500GENERAL FUND
CENTRAL SYNAGOGUE
$1,000GENERAL FUND
THE NEW YORK COMMUNITY TRUST
$1,000GENERAL FUND
MET COUNCIL
$1,000GENERAL FUND
CATSKILL RESORT MUSEUM
$1,000GENERAL PURPOSE
TEMPLE EMANU-EL OF PALM BEACH
$1,000GENERAL FUND
CITY OF HOPE
$500GENERAL FUND
TUNNELS TO TOWERS FOUNDATION
$200GENERAL FUND
STEPHANIE'S HOUSE
$100GENERAL FUND