Schroth Family Foundation Inc.

The Schroth Family Foundation Inc. is a deeply personal, family-operated private foundation bearing the name of Janet Schroth, who served as Vice President until her death on August 24, 2021. The foundation is now governed entirely by the Hislop family: Janet Hislop (President), James A. Hislop (Treasurer/Secretary), and three next-generation directors — Emily Hislop Gordon, Allison Hislop, and Ryan Hislop. This family continuity defines every aspect of how the foundation awards grants.

The single most critical fact for prospective grantees: this foundation operates on a strictly preselected basis. IRS Form 990-PF filings consistently note that the foundation "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations." There is no open application portal, no published RFP cycle, and no stated instructions for submitting proposals. The foundation's only publicly listed contact routes through the accounting firm Withum Smith+Brown PC in New Jersey — there is no dedicated program officer or grants staff.

For new grantees, the path to consideration is entirely relationship-based, not process-based. The grantee record reveals three concentrated giving pillars: Catholic institutional support in NJ's Asbury Park/Monmouth County corridor; disability and special needs services anchored by the Ladacin Network in Shrewsbury, NJ; and major pediatric healthcare through Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation in Miami, FL. Organizations aligned with one or more of these pillars — particularly those with NJ or NY geographic scope — have the strongest natural fit.

The typical relationship progression at a foundation of this character begins through personal connections with existing grantees. The Ladacin Network ($800,000+ cumulative), Our Lady of Mt. Carmel parish ($615,000 cumulative), and the Scholarship Fund for Inner City Children ($270,000+ cumulative) are natural entry points for building pathways to the Hislop family's priorities. Any approach should lead with demonstrated mission alignment and long-term community impact, not programmatic novelty or national scale.

Given the foundation's $28.99M asset base and $1.34M annual giving capacity, organizations should treat this as a potential major gift relationship. Core grantees have received $500,000 to $800,000+ in cumulative multi-year support. A modest initial request of $25,000–$75,000 establishes the relationship; the foundation rewards patience and consistency over time.

Annual giving has grown dramatically over the foundation's documented history, with the sharpest acceleration following a major estate bequest in FY2022:

• 2015: $253,000 total giving
• 2019: $313,002 total giving
• 2020: $327,095 total giving
• 2021: $404,970 total giving
• 2022: $620,540 total giving ($486,500 grants paid)
• 2023: $1,339,557 total giving ($1,021,000 grants paid)
• 2024: $1,343,750 charitable disbursements across 9 grants

The 2022 inflection traces directly to a $20.7M contribution influx — almost certainly from the Schroth estate following Janet Schroth's August 2021 death — which grew total assets from $4.7M to $29.9M. The subsequent doubling of annual giving reflects income deployment from this enlarged endowment base.

Grant size range: $350 (nominal church gift) to $750,000 (Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation, FY2024). Across documented giving years, the median individual grant is approximately $30,000 and the average is roughly $66,892. The foundation makes between 9 and 25 individual grants per year.

By geography (25 documented grants totaling $2,395,350): - New Jersey: 17 grants (68% of count, majority of total dollars) - New York: 5 grants (20% of count) - Georgia: 2 grants (8% of count) - Florida: 1 grant (4% of count)

By focus area (estimated from 990-PF grant purpose descriptions): - Disability and special needs services (Ladacin Network): ~$800,000+ (~33%) - Catholic religious institutions (Our Lady of Mt Carmel, Archdiocese of Newark, St Michael's Church): ~$700,000 (~29%) - Pediatric healthcare (Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation): $500,000–$750,000+ (~25%+) - Inner-city Catholic education (Scholarship Fund for Inner City Children, Carmel Connection Foundation, Brilla College Prep): ~$370,000 (~15%) - Community and other: ~$11,000 (<1%)

The foundation's FY2023 investment income was $591,014 on assets of $29.5M, with FY2024 dividend income of $1.19M. This suggests sustainable annual giving capacity of $1.3M–$1.5M at current asset levels — a profile consistent with an endowment deploying roughly 4–5% of assets annually.

The five peer foundations nearest to Schroth Family Foundation Inc. in asset size are all classified under Philanthropy & Grantmaking, with total assets ranging from $28.97M to $29.02M. Despite similar financial profiles, they operate in distinct geographies and giving contexts.

Among this peer group, Schroth stands out for two reasons. First, it has exceptionally well-documented grantmaking — 25 named grants across multiple years, all with stated purposes in public 990-PF filings — compared to peers for whom detailed grantmaking data is not readily accessible. Second, Schroth has a distinctively concentrated sectoral identity: Catholic institutional giving, disability services, and pediatric healthcare form a coherent, values-driven portfolio uncommon at this asset level. The Marshall Foundation (AZ), which maintains an open application process for Arizona nonprofits, offers the sharpest contrast to Schroth's invitation-only model. Schroth's preselected approach is typical of family foundations in this size range that maintain deep, multi-year relationships with a small portfolio of trusted grantees rather than diversifying broadly across sectors or geographies.

The most consequential recent development was the death of Janet Schroth on August 24, 2021, documented directly in IRS Form 990-PF filings (her title was listed as "DIRECTOR/VICE PRES" with a deceased notation). The subsequent FY2022 filing recorded $20.7M in contributions received — almost certainly her estate — growing total assets from $4.7M to $29.9M and establishing the foundation as a significantly more capable grantmaker.

In FY2024 (the most recently available filing), the foundation disbursed $1,343,750 across nine grants. The three largest documented gifts were: - Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation: $750,000 - Ladacin Network: $247,750 - Carmel Connection Foundation: $100,000

The $750,000 gift to Nicklaus Children's represents a significant escalation from the $500,000 documented in prior cumulative data, indicating a deepening major-gift relationship with that institution.

No public announcements, press releases, or news coverage of the foundation's activities was found in web searches covering 2025–2026. The foundation's website (schroth.org) was inaccessible at time of research. The foundation maintains no identifiable social media presence. A notable governance shift: James A. Hislop (Treasurer/Secretary) began receiving $75,000 in annual compensation per the FY2024 filing, following years in which all board members received zero compensation — a possible indicator of the foundation formalizing operations as its asset base grows.

The Schroth Family Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. IRS 990-PF filings state the foundation "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations." The following guidance addresses how sophisticated grant seekers can position their organizations for eventual consideration.

Lead with Catholic mission alignment. An outsized share of the foundation's total documented giving flows to Catholic parishes, archdiocesan entities, Catholic schools, and organizations with explicit Catholic-mission services in New Jersey. Organizations with formal Catholic identity — or strong collaborative relationships with Catholic institutions in the Monmouth County/Asbury Park corridor — have the highest natural fit. The foundation's own 990-PF grant purpose language includes phrases like "promoting the inherent dignity" of those served, "spreading the Catholic faith," and "serving those most in need."

Pursue introduction through existing grantees. Map your organization's board and staff networks against the foundation's grantee list. The Ladacin Network (Shrewsbury, NJ), Our Lady of Mt. Carmel parish (Asbury Park, NJ), the Scholarship Fund for Inner City Children, and Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation are all potential referral sources. A credible introduction from a current grantee to Janet Hislop (President) carries far more weight than any cold outreach.

Anchor proposals in NJ service delivery. 68% of all documented grants fund NJ organizations or programs. Even if your headquarters is elsewhere, explicitly scoping your request to New Jersey programming signals geographic alignment with the foundation's core priorities.

Size your first ask modestly. Entry-level grants have ranged from $10,000 to $75,000 for new relationships. Core grantee relationships built over years have grown to six- and seven-figure cumulative totals. Plan for a 3–5 year relationship arc, not a single-cycle transaction.

Use formal postal outreach as a last resort. Address correspondence to Janet Hislop, President, Schroth Family Foundation Inc., The Carlyle, 19700 Beach Rd, Tequesta, FL 33469. For administrative inquiries: Withum Smith+Brown PC, (908) 464-5900. Do not expect rapid response — this foundation does not maintain a public-facing communications function.