Weil Family Foundation

The Weil Family Foundation (EIN 952379787) is a private, family-run philanthropic organization headquartered in Rose Valley, Pennsylvania, carrying $17.4 million in assets. Its giving philosophy centers on supporting public nonprofit research and charitable organizations — but in practice, the portfolio is overwhelmingly concentrated in a single anchor relationship: the University of Michigan, which has received $18,118,336 across 7 grants, representing 99.4% of all documented grant dollars.

Leadership is entirely unpaid. Michael Adesman serves as President, Nicole Adesman as Secretary, David Medine as Treasurer, and Marissa Medine as Vice President. This tightly held family governance structure means all grantmaking decisions are relationship-driven and discretionary. There is no professional grants staff, no formal RFP cycle, and no independent program officer shaping the portfolio — giving flows from the family's own priorities and personal networks.

Beyond the University of Michigan relationship (linked to the Weil Institute for Critical Care Research and Innovation), the foundation makes small, opportunistic gifts — typically $5,000 to $30,000 — to humanitarian organizations responding to global crises. Past recipients include Doctors Without Borders ($5,000), World Central Kitchen ($10,000 across 2 grants), Hope for Ukraine ($10,000), and India COVID Relief funds ($15,000 across 3 grants). These represent values-driven discretionary decisions rather than competitive awards.

The foundation lists November 30 as its annual application deadline and technically accepts applications, but no form URL, written guidelines, or application instructions exist in any public record. In practice, this foundation operates as a predominantly invitation-based funder. First-time applicants should not expect a standard proposal review process; relationship cultivation — ideally through connections to the Adesman or Medine family networks, or through the University of Michigan's Weil Institute — represents the most viable path to consideration.

Annual budgets fluctuate dramatically. The 2021 peak of $8.5 million followed a $14.7 million capital influx in 2020; 2022 saw only $25,000 distributed. Applicants should verify current-year activity before committing resources to an approach.

Across available 990 data (fiscal years 2010–2022), the Weil Family Foundation has distributed $18.2 million across 22 documented grant transactions. This total is almost entirely explained by one anchor relationship: the University of Michigan received $18,118,336 across 7 grants — 99.4% of all grant dollars. All other grantees together received $110,000 across 15 grants.

Annual grants paid have fluctuated dramatically: $23,664 (2010), $160,000 (2011), $256,000 (2012), $230,600 (2013), $299,000 (2014), $398,000 (2018), $450,000 (2019), $1,235,000 (2020), $8,484,168 (2021 peak), and $25,000 (2022). The 2021 surge followed a $14.7 million capital contribution received in 2020, which pushed total assets to $23.5 million — the highest on record. Assets have since settled to $17.4 million as of the most recent filing.

For discretionary small grants, the historical range is $5,000 (minimum) to $30,000. The Society of Critical Care Medicine has received $30,000 across 3 grants; Magen David Adom received $25,000; Global Giving India COVID relief received $15,000 across 3 grants; World Central Kitchen and Hope for Ukraine each received $10,000 across 2 grants; and four organizations — Salvation Army Texas, Solid Ground Ministry, Doctors Without Borders, and Austin Street Center — each received single $5,000 grants.

Geographically, grant activity spans 6 states: Michigan (7 grants, dominant by dollar volume), District of Columbia (5 grants), Illinois and Texas (3 grants each), and New York and New Jersey (2 grants each). However, all non-Michigan grants are in the small humanitarian category — Michigan is the near-exclusive focus by dollars.

Thematically: critical care medicine and biomedical research absorb ~99% of dollar volume; humanitarian emergency relief represents <1% of dollars but ~55% of grant count; reproductive health (Planned Parenthood Federation referenced in program descriptions) and Jewish/Israeli causes (Magen David Adom) account for additional small distributions. Net investment income has ranged from $19,108 (2010) to $3,534,016 (2020), confirming an endowment-style investment posture.

The Weil Family Foundation occupies a distinctive niche among private medical research family foundations: mid-sized assets ($17.4M) paired with ultra-concentrated giving toward a single institutional partner. The comparison below situates it relative to comparable funders in the Pennsylvania region and medical research sector:

Note: Peer figures are approximate, drawn from publicly available 990 data and foundation profiles; verify directly before citing.

Compared to peers, the Weil Family Foundation is notable for three features: its giving concentration is far higher than any comparable funder (one grantee receives essentially all dollars); its all-family unpaid governance provides no professional intermediary for external organizations to engage; and its annual distribution variance is extreme (340x swing between 2022 and 2021). W.W. Smith Charitable Trust — also Pennsylvania-based and medically focused — represents the clearest regional peer in terms of philanthropic mission, though it offers a structured open application process that Weil Family Foundation lacks.

Public web searches conducted in July 2026 returned no direct news, press releases, or program announcements from the Weil Family Foundation. The foundation maintains no active social media presence and does not appear to have issued any public communications regarding new grants or strategic priorities in 2025 or 2026.

The most significant documented activity occurred in fiscal year 2021, when the foundation distributed $8,484,168 in grants — its single highest-giving year on record. This peak was almost certainly driven by a major planned institutional gift to the University of Michigan's Weil Institute for Critical Care Research and Innovation, funded by a $14.7 million capital infusion received in fiscal year 2020 that pushed total assets to $23.5 million.

Fiscal year 2022 saw a dramatic pullback to just $25,000 in grants paid — the lowest total since 2010. Third-party platforms confirm that 2024 produced only one grant of $5,000. The foundation currently holds $17.4 million in assets while distributing well below its IRS-required annual payout threshold of approximately $846,000 (5% of assets), suggesting either a formal accumulation phase or distribution activity not yet captured in public filings.

Leadership has remained stable: Michael Adesman (President), Nicole Adesman (Secretary), David Medine (Treasurer), and Marissa Medine (Vice President) have served consistently across multiple 990 filings with no compensation. No leadership transitions, new hires, or program restructuring were identified in available records.

Given the Weil Family Foundation's operating model as a relationship-based private funder with no professional staff and no published application process, the following guidance is specific to this foundation's actual behavior — not generic grant-writing advice.

Verify before applying. Call (610) 209-9887 to confirm whether the foundation is actively distributing grants in the current cycle. In 2022 and 2024, total giving was $25,000 and $5,000 respectively — effectively no open competition exists in those years. This single step will save significant effort.

Frame proposals around critical care medicine. The foundation's $18.1 million anchor relationship with the University of Michigan signals deep, long-term commitment to advancing critical care research and clinical outcomes. Proposals from academic medical centers, research hospitals, or nonprofit research organizations working on ICU outcomes, acute care, critical illness, or biomedical innovation carry the strongest thematic alignment. Use language like "critical care patient outcomes," "clinical research in acute illness," and "hospital-based research infrastructure" where accurate.

Pursue the humanitarian track for emergency needs. Crisis-response organizations have received $5,000–$10,000 discretionary grants for food security, disaster relief, and global health emergencies. These appear to be direct family decisions rather than competitive grants; a brief, specific letter tied to a current crisis with a defined funding need may resonate. Keep this ask under $15,000.

Submit by early October. The November 30 deadline is the stated cutoff; an October submission allows follow-up dialogue before the deadline closes.

Use physical mail, not email. Address correspondence to Michael Adesman, President, Weil Family Foundation, 400 Woodward Rd, Rose Valley, PA 19063-4227. The email address info@weilfamilyfoundation.org belongs to a completely different San Diego-based foundation with the same name — using it will reach the wrong organization.

Keep the initial contact to one page. The foundation has no grants staff. A brief letter of inquiry — organization overview, specific project, alignment with critical care research or humanitarian priorities, requested amount — is appropriate. Do not send a full proposal unsolicited.