The Elizabeth Murray Ellis Family Foundation appears to operate primarily as a funding vehicle rather than a programmatic grantmaker: its sole recorded grant is a large, unrestricted in-kind transfer to the American Endowment Foundation. This suggests the foundation’s activity is focused on supporting philanthropic infrastructure or facilitating donor-advised/charitable giving rather than directly funding programmatic nonprofits or issue-specific projects.
Highly concentrated: a single large in-kind grant (pass-through style) to a grantmaking/charitable-fiscal sponsor organization rather than multiple programmatic grantees.
Elizabeth Murray Ellis Family Foundation’s recorded giving is anchored by a $402,349 in-kind transfer to American Endowment Foundation, alongside a $35,000 gift to Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund. That pattern points to a foundation that moves substantial resources through philanthropic vehicles as well as direct grants. The publicly listed recent grants also show smaller awards to community-serving nonprofits, including a $30,000 grant to Boys & Girls Club of Ridgefield for the Ellis Family Teen Center and unrestricted support for local organizations in Connecticut. The foundation’s named support for the Ellis Family Teen Center was directed to a safe, educational, and recreational space with activities and resources meant to promote personal development, education, and well-being for adolescents. Elsewhere in the record, the foundation appears in community food security work through grants tied to the Germantown Community Fridge of Philadelphia. Taken together, the grant record suggests a mix of philanthropic infrastructure support, youth-focused community space funding, and small-scale direct service grants. Its giving is recorded entirely within the United States, with a regional footprint rather than a broad national spread.
Youth and adolescent services are a visible part of the record. The foundation gave $30,000 to Boys & Girls Club of Ridgefield to support the Ellis Family Teen Center, described as a safe, educational, and recreational space with activities and resources that promote personal development, education, and well-being. Community food security also appears in the grant list. In 2024, it awarded $750 to Opencollective Foundation for Germantown Community Fridges, and in 2025 it gave another $750 through the same recipient for the Germantown Community Fridge of Philadelphia. The foundation also made general support grants to local nonprofits, including $10,000 to Visiting Nurse Association of Ridgefield Inc and $10,000 to Kids in Crisis Inc. Those awards show support for direct service organizations beyond the Teen Center and community fridge work.
The recorded grant sizes cluster at the small-to-mid range: the 25th percentile is $1,812, the median is $7,500, and the 75th percentile is $25,000. The distribution is skewed by a much larger in-kind transfer of $402,349. The grant record shows repeated support to some recipients across years, including Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund in 2025 and 2025, and Opencollective Foundation in 2024 and 2025. The foundation is a family foundation, and the grants are recorded as direct awards rather than program-related investments or individual support.
$500K
$0
$671
$446K
Most grants fall between $2K and $25K, with a median of $8K.
25th Percentile
$2K
Median
$8K
75th Percentile
$25K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in OH.
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeFree Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeRegístrate gratis para ver qué tan bien se adapta tu organización sin fines de lucro a este financiador, obtener un pitch generado por IA y descubrir fundaciones similares.
Notable grantees: American Endowment Foundation
Grants land entirely in the United States, with 10 recorded grants to U.S. recipients. The most frequent recipient state is Ohio, driven by grants to Hudson and Cincinnati, even though the foundation is headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware. Other recipient locations in the record include Ridgefield, Connecticut; Cos Cob, Connecticut; and Covina, California. The geographic pattern is regional rather than national, with a small set of states appearing in the recent grant list.
The record shows support for philanthropic infrastructure and direct service nonprofits. Examples include a $402,349 in-kind transfer to American Endowment Foundation, a $35,000 grant to Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund, and smaller grants to community organizations such as Boys & Girls Club of Ridgefield, Visiting Nurse Association of Ridgefield Inc, and Kids in Crisis Inc.
Typical grant size is small to mid-sized: the 25th percentile is $1,812, the median is $7,500, and the 75th percentile is $25,000. The distribution is lifted by one very large in-kind grant of $402,349.
Yes. Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund appears in both 2025 grants, and Opencollective Foundation appears in both 2024 and 2025 grants. That indicates some recurring relationships rather than one-time giving only.
The grant record is entirely U.S.-based. Ohio appears most often, with grants to Hudson and Cincinnati. Other named recipient locations include Ridgefield and Cos Cob, Connecticut, and Covina, California.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMERICAN ENDOWMENT FOUNDATION | HUDSON, OH | $402,349 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted (IN-KIND GRANTS - SEE GENERAL EXPLANATION) |
| FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND | CINCINNATI, OH | $35,000 | 2025 | ELIZABETH MURRAY ELLIS GIVING FUND |
| OPENCOLLECTIVE FOUNDATION | COVINA, CA | $750 | 2025 | funds for Germantown Community Fridge of Philadelphia |
| FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND | CINCINNATI, OH | $690 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF RIDGEFIELD | RIDGEFIELD, CT | $30,000 | 2024 | to support the Ellis Family Teen Center for a safe, educational, and recreational space in order to provide a variety of activities and resources to promote personal development, education, and well-being |
| VISITING NURSE ASSOCIATION OF RIDGEFIELD INC | RIDGEFIELD, CT | $10,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| KIDS IN CRISIS INC | COS COB, CT | $10,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| RIDGEFIELD VETERANS MEMORIAL COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION | RIDGEFIELD, CT | $5,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| FOUNDERS HALL FOUNDATION INC | RIDGEFIELD, CT | $5,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| OPENCOLLECTIVE FOUNDATION | COVINA, CA | $750 | 2024 | Germantown Community Fridges |
AMERICAN ENDOWMENT FOUNDATION
$402,349General & Unrestricted (IN-KIND GRANTS - SEE GENERAL EXPLANATION)
FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND
$35,000ELIZABETH MURRAY ELLIS GIVING FUND
OPENCOLLECTIVE FOUNDATION
$750funds for Germantown Community Fridge of Philadelphia
FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND
$690General & Unrestricted
BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF RIDGEFIELD
$30,000to support the Ellis Family Teen Center for a safe, educational, and recreational space in order to provide a variety of activities and resources to promote personal development, education, and well-being
VISITING NURSE ASSOCIATION OF RIDGEFIELD INC
General & Unrestricted
KIDS IN CRISIS INC
$10,000General & Unrestricted
RIDGEFIELD VETERANS MEMORIAL COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION
$5,000General & Unrestricted
FOUNDERS HALL FOUNDATION INC
$5,000General & Unrestricted
OPENCOLLECTIVE FOUNDATION
$750Germantown Community Fridges