Stardust Foundation Inc.

Stardust Foundation Inc. is a highly specialized, mission-driven funder with one singular purpose: removing financial barriers to fertility treatment for Jewish families in the tri-state area of Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York. Unlike broad community foundations or institutional grantmakers, Stardust makes direct grants of $1,000–$15,000 to individual applicants — paid directly to fertility clinics — rather than funding nonprofit organizations in the conventional sense. This makes it fundamentally a direct-service grantmaker, which shapes everything about how prospective applicants should approach it.

The foundation's giving philosophy rests on five explicit pillars: continuity (supporting Jewish population growth), inclusivity (welcoming LGBTQ+ couples, single parents, and Jews across all denominations and levels of observance), hope (providing meaningful financial relief), connection (staying engaged with families throughout their journeys), and openness (destigmatizing infertility conversations in Jewish communities). Applicants who internalize these values and reflect them in their personal statements will resonate far more strongly than those who treat the application as a transactional funding request.

The financials signal an institution with serious capacity. With $26.4M in assets as of FY2023 and $2.995M in grants paid that year — the highest annual disbursement since 2011 — Stardust has the balance sheet of a mid-sized private foundation. The endowment model (asset base generating investment income of roughly $435K–$1.1M annually across recent years) means the foundation is not dependent on annual fundraising cycles in the way smaller nonprofits are, though the $600K in contributions received in FY2023 signals growing donor engagement.

For individual applicants, the relationship arc is relatively compact: submit an online application by a quarterly deadline, receive a decision within three weeks of that deadline, and — if approved — have the grant paid directly to your clinic. There is no LOI stage, no site visit, and no multi-year renewal requirement. However, the committee's needs assessment process means that incomplete applications are the single most common cause of rejection. The foundation is explicit about this: read every question before starting and gather all documents in advance, since the form cannot be saved mid-progress.

Stardust Foundation Inc.'s grantmaking record across twelve years of IRS filings reveals a highly variable pattern that reflects both its endowment-based funding model and what appear to be occasional large institutional disbursements alongside its core direct-to-individual fertility grants.

Annual grants paid (selected years): 2023: $2,995,000 | 2022: $0 | 2021: $1,025,000 | 2020: $25,000 | 2019: $0 | 2015: $786,479 | 2014: $522,500 | 2013: $750,700 | 2012: $985,504 | 2011: $3,453,300

The swings between $0 and $3.45M in a single year are the most striking feature of this data. The zeroed-out years (2019, 2022) likely reflect committee-level decisions to hold funds or a gap between grant cycles, not an absence of mission activity. The 2023 surge to $2.995M — following a complete halt in 2022 — is consistent with pent-up demand being cleared after a pause.

For individual fertility grant applicants, the program-level economics are more modest. The foundation's website reports 118 grants distributed totaling $533,000 in cumulative lifetime giving — an average of approximately $4,517 per grant. The stated range is $1,000–$15,000. Most recipients receive partial coverage rather than the full $15,000 cap, reflecting the committee's needs-based assessment of each applicant's financial situation relative to total treatment costs.

Geographically, all IRS-reported grantee disbursements in the database are to Arizona-based organizations (First Place Arizona: $1,000,000; Hispanic Church Word of Faith: $25,000; Teach for America: $25,000), which suggests a parallel or historical charitable program distinct from the fertility grants to tri-state individuals. The fertility grant program to CT/NJ/NY residents appears to be tracked and disbursed separately from organizational grantmaking reported on the 990.

Total assets have held remarkably stable at $23.9M–$30.9M over twelve years, confirming a true perpetual endowment model. Net investment income ranges from $22,445 (FY2012) to $1,100,324 (FY2021), providing the primary fuel for grantmaking. The FY2023 spike to $854,014 in investment income versus FY2022's $435,855 directly correlates to the return of significant grant activity that year.

The Jewish fertility grant landscape is a small, specialized niche with fewer than a dozen active funders nationwide. Stardust Foundation Inc. stands out for its institutional scale relative to peers, though its geographic restriction to the tri-state area limits its national reach.

Stardust's most significant competitive advantage is its asset base: at $26.4M, it holds more endowment capital than virtually any other focused Jewish fertility funder. This translates to sustained grantmaking capacity regardless of annual fundraising results. Its most significant limitation is geographic — CT, NJ, and NY residents only — which makes Jewish Fertility Foundation the more relevant resource for applicants elsewhere in the country.

Bonei Olam, while well-resourced, primarily serves the Orthodox community; Stardust's explicit inclusivity across denominations, sexual orientations, and family structures makes it uniquely accessible to the full spectrum of Jewish identity. The Sharsheret partnership now extends Stardust's reach into oncofertility, a lane previously occupied almost exclusively by Sharsheret's own programming.

The most significant programmatic development in recent years is Stardust's formal oncofertility partnership with Sharsheret, a national organization serving Jewish women and families affected by cancer. This collaboration adds an emergency fertility preservation track — covering egg and embryo freezing for Jewish cancer patients who face a narrow window before chemotherapy or radiation begins. The partnership materially broadens the foundation's eligible population beyond conventional infertility cases.

A second clinical partnership with The Fertility Concierge provides all Stardust grant recipients with free administration of their first injectable medication — a practical intervention that addresses the anxiety and logistical barriers many first-time patients face when beginning complex hormone protocols.

On the fundraising front, FY2023 filings (the most recent available) recorded $600,000 in contributions received — a figure absent from all other years in the ten-year financial record. This suggests meaningful donor development activity beginning around 2022-2023, likely tied to the Manhattan gala and the 'Move for Miracles' June fundraiser. The gala, reported by eJewishPhilanthropy, marked the foundation's fourth anniversary with 31 babies born and $2M in cumulative grants — numbers that have since grown to 36 babies and 118 grants.

No leadership changes were announced in publicly available materials. President Gerald Bisgrove and Secretary/Treasurer Jon Munson continue to serve without compensation, consistent with the foundation's operational history since at least 2011.

Timing is everything. Stardust reviews applications four times per year, with hard deadlines on March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31. There is no rolling review and no exceptions for late submissions. Plan your treatment timeline around these windows — a submission one day late means waiting a full quarter. Results arrive within three weeks of the deadline, so you will know quickly either way.

Prepare everything before opening the application. The online form at stardustfoundation.org/apply cannot be saved mid-progress. Before you begin, gather: (1) a personal statement describing your fertility journey, financial need, and vision for your Jewish family; (2) a reference letter from a rabbi or Jewish community leader who can specifically attest to your Jewish identity and household religious practice — not a generic character reference; and (3) the last two IRS tax returns for each applicant.

Jewish identity documentation matters more than denomination. The foundation serves Jews across all affiliations — Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, unaffiliated — and explicitly welcomes LGBTQ+ couples and single parents. What matters is that at least one intended parent is Jewish and that Judaism is the sole religion practiced in the household and in which the child will be raised. Your rabbi reference should address these specific points, not just vouch for your character.

Income uncertainty should not stop you from applying. There is no published income cutoff. If you are unsure whether your financial situation qualifies — either because you think it may be too high or too low — email info@stardustfoundation.org before applying. The foundation explicitly invites this inquiry.

Know what is and is not covered. Covered treatments include IVF (with ICSI and PGT), IUI, donor materials with IVF, and surrogacy with documented initial payments. Not covered: embryo banking, egg freezing (except for cancer patients via the Sharsheret track), IVF for women over 45 without donor eggs, fertility medications, and treatments for a third or subsequent child. Applying for an ineligible treatment category is an automatic disqualifier.

For cancer patients: contact the foundation immediately upon diagnosis rather than waiting for a quarterly deadline. The Sharsheret oncofertility partnership exists precisely because cancer patients cannot wait 90 days. Email info@stardustfoundation.org with your situation.

Frame your application around Stardust's stated values. The foundation's five pillars — continuity, inclusivity, hope, connection, and openness — are not marketing language; they reflect how the committee evaluates mission alignment. A personal statement that articulates your vision of Jewish family life and why building that family matters to you will outperform a clinically focused financial narrative.