American Epilepsy Society
Chicago, IL · EIN 04-6112600. Reported 168 grants totalling $7,194,429 to 88 organizations across tax years 2020-2024, on Form 990 Schedule I.
Does this grantmaker accept applications?
Its tax return does not say, and we will not guess. Private foundations file Form 990-PF, which asks outright whether they fund only organizations they select themselves -- 78% say yes, and that one answer is what lets the rest of this site tell you which foundations are worth approaching. Grantmaking charities like this one file a regular Form 990 instead, and the IRS never puts the question to them. Anyone claiming to know the answer from the filing is inventing it.
Three things in the filing do bear on it:
- What kind of organization it is. For American Epilepsy Society, the IRS classifies it under diseases & disorders rather than as a grantmaker (NTEE G540) -- it is an operating charity that also makes grants.
- How spread out its giving is. 88 distinct organizations, with 6% of the dollars going to the largest single recipient. That is genuinely spread out -- the mark of a funder making many independent decisions rather than underwriting one institution.
- How much its list changes. 44% of one year's grantees are funded again the next, across 4 year-to-year transitions. That is below the 56% median for grantmaking charities, and well below the 67% median for private foundations. It describes the organizations it already funds, not whether it would consider a new one.
How big are its grants?
The median reported grant is $40,000. Half of what it reported fell between $20,000 and $50,000; the smallest was $6,500 and the largest $150,800. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong organization.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by the EIN the filer reported, not by name, so an organization that was typed differently in two years appears once rather than twice.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baylor College of Medicine | Houston, TX | $406,535 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| American Brain Foundation | Minneapolis, MN | $224,917 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai | New York, NY | $223,505 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | $189,040 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| University of California San Francisco | San Francisco, CA | $180,800 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC | $180,800 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Associated Students of Stanford University | Stanford, CA | $173,800 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Northwestern University | Evanston, IL | $172,155 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT | $165,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Childrens Hospital Medical Center | Cincinnati, OH | $155,800 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Cleveland Clinic Foundation | Independence, OH | $153,189 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Childrens Research Institute | Washington, DC | $152,470 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| The Pennsylvania State University | University Park, PA | $150,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| University of Central Florida | Orlando, FL | $150,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Mass General Brigham Incorporated | Somerville, MA | $148,300 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Nyu Grossman School of Medicine | New York, NY | $145,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Regents Univ of California | Los Angeles, CA | $144,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| University of Washington Foundation | Seattle, WA | $138,770 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| University of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, PA | $130,494 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Yale University | New Haven, CT | $122,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Regents of the University of Colorado | Denver, CO | $120,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| New York University | New York, NY | $115,000 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| The Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia | Philadelphia, PA | $112,500 | 4 | 3 | 2024 |
| Trustees of Tufts College | Medford, MA | $111,500 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Trustees of Columbia University | New York, NY | $110,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Cornell University | Ithaca, NY | $109,964 | 4 | 3 | 2023 |
| Gordon Research Conferences | E Greenwich, RI | $105,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| M Club of the University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, MI | $105,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Brigham & Women's Physician Hospital Organization Inc | Boston, MA | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Duke University Health System Inc | Durham, NC | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Regents of the University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, MI | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| University of Vermont Medical Center Inc | Burlington, VT | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| University of Maryland Baltimore | Baltimore, MD | $76,455 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Cleveland Clinic Foundation | Independence, OH | $75,800 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Emory University | Atlanta, GA | $75,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, MD | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System | Madison, WI | $72,500 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Rutgers University Foundation | New Brunswick, NJ | $72,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Albert Einstein College of Medicine | Bronx, NY | $70,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Seattle Childrens Hospital | Seattle, WA | $70,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Washington University | St Louis, MO | $62,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| University of California- Davis | Davis, CA | $61,500 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Brigham Young University | Provo, UT | $61,200 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Vanderbilt University Medical Center | Nashville, TN | $60,905 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Creighton University | Omaha, NE | $60,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| University of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA | $60,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Childrens Hospital Corporation | Boston, MA | $59,125 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| University of Wisconsin Foundation | Madison, WI | $57,500 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| University of Alabama - Birmingham | Birmingham, AL | $52,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Regents of the University of California at Berkeley | Riverside, CA | $52,455 | 2 | 1 | 2022 |
| Rector & Visitors of the University of Virginia | Charlottesvle, VA | $51,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Thomas Jefferson University | Philadelphia, PA | $50,800 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Albert Einstein College of Medicine | Bronx, NY | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| State University of Iowa Foundation | Iowa City, IA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Texas A&m Univ Health Science Ctr | College Station, TX | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| The Medical College of Wisconsin Inc | Milwaukee, WI | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| The State University of Iowa | Iowa City, IA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York | New York, NY | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| University of Virginia Foundation | Charlottesvle, VA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Wake Forest University Health Sciences | Winston Salem, NC | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Trustees of Purdue University | West Lafayette, IN | $49,165 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Regents of the University of California | Oakland, CA | $49,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| University of Kansas Medical Center Research Institute | Kansas City, KS | $42,960 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Southern Methodist University | Dallas, TX | $41,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| St Jude Childrens Research Hospital Inc | Memphis, TN | $41,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska | Lincoln, NE | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Northwestern University | Evanston, IL | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh, PA | $32,625 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Colorado State University Sponsored Programs | Fort Collins, CO | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Mayo Clinic | Rochester, MN | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| St Johns University New York | Jamaica, NY | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Trustees of Boston University | Boston, MA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| J David Gladstone Institutes | San Francisco, CA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Research Foundation of the City University of New York | New York, NY | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Texas A&m Foundation | College Sta, TX | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| University of Illinois Foundation | Champaign, IL | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The University of Texas at San Antonio | San Antonio, TX | $19,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Pediatric Epilepsy Research Consortium Inc | Chicago, IL | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene Inc | Menands, NY | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| University of Minnesota Foundation | Minneapolis, MN | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| University of Alabama Health Services Foundation Pc | Birmingham, AL | $14,400 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Mass General Brigham Incorporated | Somerville, MA | $13,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Candid | New York, NY | $11,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Regents of the University of California at Riverside | Riverside, CA | $11,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Alliance for Epilepsy Research | Dexter, MI | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy | Chicago, IL | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| The FAMILIESCN2A Foundation Inc | E Longmeadow, MA | $6,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
44 of 88 (50%) received money in more than one year over the 5 years we hold. Remember the $5,000 floor: an organization funded every year at $3,000 shows up here as never funded at all.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose column of its filings, largest first. This is the closest thing to a statement of what it funds, in its own words.
- Baylor College of Medicine
JUNIOR INVESTIGATOR AWARD GRANT - Massachusetts General Hospital Research
POSTDOCTORAL, JUNIOR INVESTIGATOR AWARD, AND WORKSHOP GRANTS - University of Utah
POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH GRANT - Nyu Grossman School of Medicine
JUNIOR INVESTIGATOR AWARD AND SEED GRANTS - University of Pittsburgh
SUMMER BRIDGE INTERNSHIP, JUNIOR INVESTIGATOR AWARD. AND ESC GRANTS - Northwestern University
SUMMER BRIDGE INTERNSHIP AND SEED GRANTS
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 60 of 88 recipients we could match to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's, not ours -- Schedule I reports the recipient's EIN, so this is a lookup rather than a name match.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants reported | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 25 | $1,215,000 | $50,000 |
| 2021 | 32 | $1,280,489 | $38,812 |
| 2022 | 41 | $1,502,624 | $30,000 |
| 2023 | 40 | $1,519,687 | $34,250 |
| 2024 | 30 | $1,676,629 | $50,400 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- Form 990 arrives about a year after the year it covers, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a grantmaker winding down.
Where its money goes
13% of its giving went to organizations in New York. Community foundations and federated funds are usually the most geographically bounded funders there are -- being outside the footprint is normally disqualifying in a way that a weak programme fit is not.
Down to the city
Get funders for your state and cause by email
We email you funders that gave to organizations in your state and cause, up to five at a time each week and never the same one twice, from their own IRS filings. Free. The weekly email has not started yet.
Unsubscribe in one click from any email. We never sell or share your address. To match on your organization and typical grant size too, keep a private profile.
Funders that support the same organizations
These grantmakers and private foundations gave to organizations this one also funded. Shared grantees are a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more: they do not show that any of these funders would consider a new organization. Each page says what its filings show.
How to approach this grantmaker
- Look for a published programme first. Unlike most private foundations, organizations of this kind often do run open, deadlined grant cycles with written guidelines. Its own website is the authority on that; this page is the authority on who it has actually paid.
- Check you are its size. The median reported grant is $40,000 -- and because grants under $5,000 need not be reported, it very likely writes smaller cheques than this page can see.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving concentrates in New York.
- Read the recipient list for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer and a cheap one to get.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from American Epilepsy Society's own Form 990 Schedule I filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 5 returns (tax years 2020-2024). Grant figures are from its returns. Recipient classifications, the concentration and retention figures and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations from them, described in how we build this.
On its most recent return it told the IRS it made grants to 30 section 501(c)(3) organizations and 0 other organizations. That is the filer's own count for one year; the totals above cover every year we hold.
Address of record on the latest return: 141 W Jackson Blvd 1065, Chicago, IL, 60604.
EIN 04-6112600 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
Is something here wrong about your organization? Email [email protected] and we will correct it.