The Michele & Agnese Cestone Foundation
Pennington, NJ · EIN 52-1720903. Reported 158 grants totalling $3,957,615 to 64 recipients across tax years 2021-2024. 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. The Michele & Agnese Cestone Foundation 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 $12,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $7,000 and $25,000; the smallest was $795 and the largest $457,000. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cornell University | Ithaca, NY | $1,337,000 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Animal Medical Center | New York, NY | $210,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Farm Sanctuary Inc | Watkins Glen, NY | $200,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Canine Companions for Independence | New Albany, OH | $180,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The Raptor Trust | Millington, NJ | $160,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Catskill Animal Sanctuary Inc | Saugerties, NY | $120,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Bangor Humane Society | Bangor, ME | $100,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Equine Advocates Inc | Chatham, NY | $100,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Front Range Equine Rescue | Ocala, FL | $100,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Veterinarians International Inc | New York, NY | $95,000 | 6 | 4 | 2024 |
| Mighty Mutts Inc | Brooklyn, NY | $94,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Helping Hands Monkey Helpers for the Disabled Inc | Allston, MA | $90,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Center for Orangutan and Chimpanzee Conservation Inc | Wauchula, FL | $82,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| National Aviary in Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, PA | $60,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Quack's Corner | Bridgeton, NJ | $52,000 | 4 | 3 | 2023 |
| Horse of Connecticut | Washington, CT | $51,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Envision Access | Conshohocken, PA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Longhopes Donkey Shelter | Bennett, CO | $50,000 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| The Seeing Eye Inc | Morristown, NJ | $42,750 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| For Our Friends Inc | Oakland Grds, NY | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Tourniquet Inc | Whitestone, NY | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Peaceable Primate Sanctuary | Winamac, IN | $39,400 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Florida Research Institute for Equine Nurturing Development and Safety in | Ft Lauderdale, FL | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Florida Research Institute for Equine Nurturing Development and Safety Inc | Ft Lauderdale, FL | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| High Hopes Therapeutic Riding | Old Lyme, CT | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Save the Chimps Inc | Fort Pierce, FL | $30,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| SPCA of Westchester Inc | Briarcliff Manor, NY | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Days End Farm Horse Rescue | Woodbine, MD | $29,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Teatown Lake Reservation | Ossining, NY | $27,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest | Cle Elum, WA | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Florida Research Institute for Equine Nurturing Development & Safety Inc | Ft Lauderdale, FL | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Mt Pleasant Animal Shelter Inc | East Hanover, NJ | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Pennsylvania Society for the Cruelty to Animals | Philadelphia, PA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Susquehanna Service Dogs | Harrisburg, PA | $22,500 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Sea Turtle Recovery | West Orange, NJ | $21,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| College of the Atlantic | Bar Harbor, ME | $20,170 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Windrush Farm Therapeutic Equitation Inc | North Andover, MA | $20,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Trrac Inc | West Chester, PA | $17,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| A Purrfect World | Bloomfield, NJ | $15,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| American Society for the Prevention of Animal Cruelty | New York, NY | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Cancercare | New York, NY | $15,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Cottontail Cottage Farm Sanctuary | Cherryfield, ME | $15,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Kelly's Kids | Prospect, CT | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| National Aquarium | Baltimore, MD | $15,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals | Philadelphia, PA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| United Disabilities Services Foundation | Lancaster, PA | $15,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Woodlands Wildlife | Pittstown, NJ | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Animal Protection League of Nj | Glen Gardner, NJ | $14,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Cow Sanctuary Inc | Shiloh, NJ | $12,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Happy Homes Animal Rescue | Old Bridge, NJ | $11,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Animal Legal Defense Fund | Cotati, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Pets Are Wonderful Support Inc | New York, NY | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Turpentine Creek | Eureka Springs, AR | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Angels Journey Home Animal Rescue | Belle Vernon, PA | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Animal Protection League of New Jersey's Mt Olive Tnr Project | Glen Gardner, NJ | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Born Free USA United With Api | Silver Spring, MD | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Cancer Care Inc | New York, NY | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Chimp Haven | Keithville, LA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Karma Cat Zen Dog Rescue Society | Milltown, NJ | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Lollypop Farm | Fairport, NY | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Paws for Purple Hearts | Penngrove, CA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Second Chance Animal Services Inc | E Brookfield, MA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| South Jersey Horse Rescue | Egg Harbor City, NJ | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Exponent Philanthropy | Washington, DC | $795 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
41 of 64 (64%) received money in more than one year over the 4 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 72%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is about typical. 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.
- Cornell University
CESTONE SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT - Animal Medical Center
FRANK V.D. LLOYD FUND FOR GUIDE DOGS - Helping Hands Monkey Helpers for the Disabled Inc
RETIRED MONKEY HEALTH AND WELLNESS CARE - Farm Sanctuary Inc
RESCUE & REFUGE PROGRAM: WATKINS GLEN, NY - The Animal Medical Center
HEALTH CARE FOR BREEDING AND WHELPING - Canine Companions for Independence
FEEDING & CARE OF SERVICE DOGS
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 132 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 | 36 | $867,700 | $11,000 |
| 2022 | 49 | $1,242,915 | $10,000 |
| 2023 | 38 | $986,500 | $15,000 |
| 2024 | 35 | $860,500 | $12,000 |
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
59% of its giving went to organizations in New York. 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 $12,000. 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 New York.
- 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 The Michele & Agnese Cestone Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). 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: Po Box 1517 Mailcode Taobeb, Pennington, NJ, 08534. 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 52-1720903 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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