Norman & Elaine Polsky Family
Overland Park, KS · EIN 48-1232337. Reported 180 grants totalling $889,000 to 62 recipients across tax years 2021-2025. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. Norman & Elaine Polsky Family did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $3,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $2,000 and $5,000; the smallest was $1,000 and the largest $58,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by name and state as they were written on the returns, so an organization entered under two different names appears twice. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which that name received money.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charities Aid Foundation of America | Alexandria, VA | $181,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Village Shalom | Overland Park, KS | $81,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Congregation Beth Shalom | Overland Park, KS | $55,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Jewish Family Services of Greater Kansas City | Overland Park, KS | $50,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City | Overland Park, KS | $49,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Jewish Community Foundation | Overland Park, KS | $34,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Burns Recovered Support Group | St Louis, MO | $25,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy | Overland Park, KS | $23,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Rose Brooks Center | Kansas City, MO | $21,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Aspen Country Day School | Aspen, CO | $20,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Brothers for Life | Seattle, WA | $20,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Wonderscope | Kansas City, MO | $20,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Oasis Legal Services | Berkeley, CA | $16,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Groupmuse Foundation | Brooklyn, NY | $15,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Jordan Thomas Foundation | Brentwood, TN | $14,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Jewish Family & Children's Services of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA | $13,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Judaism Alivejewish Rock Radio | Chesterfield, MO | $13,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Congregation Sha'ar Zahav-the Rainbow Fund | San Francisco, CA | $12,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Ridhwan Foundationn | Berkeley, CA | $12,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Horizons Foundation | San Francisco, CA | $11,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Los Cenzontles Cultural Arts Academy | San Pablo, CA | $11,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Southern Poverty Law Center | Montgomery, AL | $10,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Dumb Friends League | Denver, CO | $9,500 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Hadassah of Greater Kansas City | Overland Park, KS | $9,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Midwest Center for Holocaust Education | Overland Park, KS | $9,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Richmond Community Foundation | Richmond, CA | $9,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Sheps Place Senior Dog Sanctuary | Independence, MO | $9,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| University of Kansas Hillel | Lawrence, KS | $9,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| The Spahr Center | Corte Madera, CA | $8,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Jewish Rock Radio | Chesterfield, MO | $7,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Lyric Center for Lgbtq Youth | San Francisco, CA | $7,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Our Family Coalition | San Francisco, CA | $7,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Jewish Community Center | Overland Park, KS | $6,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Maddie's Mission | Prairie Village, KS | $6,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Reach Out and Read Kansas City | Kansas City, KS | $6,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Stageworx | Olathe, KS | $6,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Denver Dumb Friends League Colorado | Denver, CO | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Metropolitan Ensemble Theater | Kansas City, MO | $5,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| National Council of Jewish Women | Prairie Village, KS | $5,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Jewish Community Relations Bureau | Overland Park, KS | $4,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Kc Shepherd's Center | Kansas City, MO | $4,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Reaching Out From Within | Prairie Village, KS | $4,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Stage of Life (sol) Theatre Company | Carbondale, CA | $4,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Jordon Thomas Foundation | Nashville, TN | $3,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Producers Association Inc (woodminster Summer Muscials) | Oakland, CA | $3,500 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Happy Bottoms | Kansas City, MO | $3,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Humane Colorado | Denver, CO | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Menbe's Way Foundation | Richmond, CA | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Wayside Waifs | Kansas City, MO | $3,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Camp Sabra | St Louis, MO | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Encircle | Salt Lake City, UT | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Pawsperity (formerly the Grooming Project) | Kansas City, MO | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Safehome | Overland Park, KS | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Sol Theatre Company | Carbondale, CA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| The Farm Collabortive | Aspen, CO | $2,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| The Shul - Chabad of Leawood | Overland Park, KS | $2,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Coterie Theatre | Kansas City, MO | $1,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Colorado Professional Fire Fighters Foundation | Denver, CO | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Family Visitor Program | Glenwood Springs, CO | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Jewish Braille Institute | New York, NY | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Pawsperity | Kansas City, MO | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Stridelabs | Richmond, CA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
45 of 62 (73%) received money in more than one year over the 5 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 79%, across 4 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is unusually consistent. This measures how often it paid the same organizations again. It says nothing about whether it would consider a new one.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- Charities Aid Foundation of America
PROVIDE GRANTS TO CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS - Village Shalom
BRING DIGNITY, CHOICE, COMPASSION AND CARE TO ELDERS DURING THEIR LIVES AND LIFE TRANSITIONS. - Congregation Beth Shalom
RELIGIOUS, EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSE OF TAX EXEMPT ORGANIZATION - Jewish Family Services of Greater Kansas City
JEWISH CHAPLAINCY PROGRAM AND FOOD PANTRY - Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City
RELIGIOUS, EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSE OF TAX EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONRELIGIOUS, EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE PURPOSE OF TAX EXEMPT ORGANIZATION - Brothers for Life
TO EMPOWER INJURED COMBAT SOLDIERS TO HELP RECENTLY INJURED COMBAT SOLDIERS RECLAIM THEIR LIVES, FULFULL THEIR DREAMS AND CONTINUE TO SERVE AND INSPIRE THE JEWISH NATION
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 83 grants where we could match the recipient to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's. The match, made from the name and address on the return, is ours.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 31 | $139,000 | $2,000 |
| 2022 | 40 | $213,000 | $3,500 |
| 2023 | 31 | $145,000 | $2,000 |
| 2024 | 41 | $222,000 | $4,000 |
| 2025 | 37 | $170,000 | $3,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Where its money goes
41% of its giving went to organizations in Kansas. If your organization is based elsewhere, look in the recipient list for grants to your area before writing.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. 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 foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $3,000. A request many times that size asks for something it has rarely or never given.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in Kansas.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Norman & Elaine Polsky Family's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 5 returns (tax years 2021-2025). Grant figures are from its returns. Matching recipients to registered organizations, their IRS classifications, the retention rate and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations, described in how we build this.
Address of record on the latest return: 4801 West 110TH Street 150, Overland Park, KS, 66211. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 48-1232337 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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