American Physical Society
College Park, MD · EIN 13-1656610. Reported 125 grants totalling $5,715,452 to 92 organizations across tax years 2021-2024, 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 Physical Society, the IRS classifies it under science & technology rather than as a grantmaker (NTEE U030) -- it is an operating charity that also makes grants.
- How spread out its giving is. 92 distinct organizations, with 11% 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. 28% of one year's grantees are funded again the next, across 3 year-to-year transitions. That is below the 57% median for grantmaking charities, and well below the 67% private foundations manage. A list that turns over this much is one a newcomer can realistically join.
How big are its grants?
The median reported grant is $25,132. Half of what it reported fell between $14,186 and $51,677; the smallest was $5,007 and the largest $340,785. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Maryland | College Park, MD | $653,645 | 6 | 4 | 2024 |
| Florida International University Foundation Inc | Miami, FL | $427,093 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Wested | Seal Beach, CA | $399,325 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Hope College | Holland, MI | $340,785 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| American Geophysical Union | Washington, DC | $196,220 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| American Mathematical Society | Providence, RI | $195,167 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Carleton College | Northfield, MN | $176,246 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Regents of the University of Colorado | Denver, CO | $173,074 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Board of Regents - Univ of Wi Madison | Madison, WI | $167,448 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Texas A&m University - Commerce | Commerce, TX | $155,260 | 2 | 1 | 2023 |
| University of Central Florida | Orlando, FL | $143,785 | 3 | 2 | 2024 |
| Materials Research Society | Warrendale, PA | $141,557 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Trustees of Boston University | Boston, MA | $124,277 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| American Astronomical Society | Washington, DC | $123,661 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Princeton University | Princeton, NJ | $112,776 | 4 | 3 | 2023 |
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Worcester, MA | $104,913 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Worcester Polytechnic Inst | Worcester, MA | $103,778 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Appalachian State Univ | Boone, NC | $93,332 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| University of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA | $82,177 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Board of Regents Univ of Wisconsin System | Madison, WI | $80,751 | 2 | 1 | 2023 |
| Trustees of Columbia University | New York, NY | $78,321 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Regents of the University of California at Riverside | Riverside, CA | $71,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Oregon State University | Corvallis, OR | $63,504 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| State University of Iowa | Iowa City, IA | $58,726 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| University of Colorado | Boulder, CO | $57,381 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Associated Students of California State University San Marcos | San Marcos, CA | $55,376 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University | Stanford, CA | $55,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Wiki Education Foundation | Chico, CA | $53,797 | 2 | 1 | 2021 |
| Rochester Institute of Technology | Rochester, NY | $51,677 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Government of the District of Columbia | Washington, DC | $45,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Florida International Univ | Miami, FL | $41,493 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| University of San Diego | San Diego, CA | $40,767 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| American Institute of Physics Incorporated | College Park, MD | $36,395 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Trustees of Tufts College | Medford, MA | $36,395 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Clemson University | Clemson, SC | $33,372 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| American Chemical Society | Washington, DC | $33,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Regents of the University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, MI | $32,894 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Boston College Trustees | Chestnut Hill, MA | $31,929 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Montana State University | Bozeman, MT | $31,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Auburn University | Auburn, AL | $28,343 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology | Socorro, NM | $27,688 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | $27,600 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| University of Rochester | Rochester, NY | $26,250 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| University of Kansas | Lawrence, KS | $25,671 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Alumni Association of St Marys College of Maryland Inc | St Marys City, MD | $25,515 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| California State University San Marcos Corporation | San Marcos, CA | $25,132 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Cornell University | Ithaca, NY | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| University Enterprises Corporation at Csusb | Sn Bernrdno, CA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| West Virginia University Research Corporation | Morgantown, WV | $24,517 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| University of California Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA | $23,260 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Florida State University Foundation Inc | Tallahassee, FL | $22,880 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| University of Oregon | Eugene, OR | $22,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Northwestern University | Evanston, IL | $20,058 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| The Administrators of the Tulane Educational Fund | New Orleans, LA | $18,099 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| University of Texas Austin | Austin, TX | $17,884 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC | $17,655 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Rowan University Libraries | Glassboro, NJ | $17,118 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Regents of the University of California | Santa Cruz, CA | $16,863 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Auburn University | Auburn, AL | $16,697 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Lewis University | Romeoville, IL | $16,616 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| University of North Georgia | Dahlonega, GA | $16,490 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Missouri University of Science & Technology | Rolla, MO | $16,266 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| University of Washington | Chicago, IL | $16,024 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Georgia Tech Research Corporation | Atlanta, GA | $15,957 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Cornell University | Ithaca, NY | $15,857 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Sodexo | Chicago, IL | $15,226 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Regents of the Univ of California Davis | Davis, CA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| The Ohio State University | Columbus, OH | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The University of Arizona | Tucson, AZ | $14,845 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Texas Christian University | Fort Worth, TX | $14,186 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Association of Graduates of the United States Military Academy | West Point, NY | $13,650 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Massachusetts Inst of Tech | Cambridge, MA | $13,286 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| University California Merced | Merced, CA | $12,178 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Brown University of Providence | Providence, RI | $12,100 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois | Urbana, IL | $11,296 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Committee of Concerned Scientists Inc | New York, NY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| University of Illinois | Urbana, IL | $9,988 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Bridgewater State University | Bridgewater, MA | $9,868 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Drew University | Madison, NJ | $8,400 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Marietta College | Marietta, OH | $8,400 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Weber State University | Ogden, UT | $8,400 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| American Association of Physics Teachers Inc | College Park, MD | $8,284 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge, MA | $7,990 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Board of Regents Univ Wisc Sys | Milwaukee, WI | $7,551 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Harvey Mudd College | Claremont, CA | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Harvard College | Cambridge, MA | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Pomona College | Claremont, CA | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Trustees of Amherst College | Amherst, MA | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| University of Massachusetts Boston | Shrewsbury, MA | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| New Mexico State University | Las Cruces, NM | $5,666 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Univ of Houston-Clear Lake | Houston, TX | $5,394 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Appalachian State University | Boone, NC | $5,007 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
20 of 92 (22%) received money in more than one year over the 4 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.
- Board of Trustees of the Stanford Univ
Travel - Participant Support - University of Oregon
Prizes & Awards - Stipends - University of Central Florida
TRAVEL-PARTICIPANT SUPPORT - Harvard College
Prizes & Awards - Receipient Travel
What kind of organizations it funds
By each recipient's own IRS classification, for the 44 of 92 recipients we could match to a registered organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses -- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 32 | $1,412,353 | $25,066 |
| 2022 | 12 | $418,388 | $27,506 |
| 2023 | 44 | $2,134,829 | $25,257 |
| 2024 | 37 | $1,749,882 | $24,517 |
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
16% of its giving went to organizations in California. 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.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These grantmakers and private foundations gave to organizations this one also funded. Shared grantees are the strongest signal available that two funders have overlapping priorities -- and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.
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 $25,132 -- 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 California.
- 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.
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Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from American Physical Society's own Form 990 Schedule I filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Nothing here is scraped, inferred or estimated.
On its most recent return it told the IRS it made grants to 37 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: One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD, 20740.
EIN 13-1656610 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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