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Allen Family Charitable Trust

Private foundation · Grantmaker Woodside, CA EIN: 27-6799969 Website

The Allen Family Charitable Trust is a private foundation based in Woodside, California. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations in areas including land conservation, health, humanitarian response, and public-interest work.

Key facts about Allen Family Charitable Trust

In short: Allen Family Charitable Trust gave $413K across 69 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), top state California. 11% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
27-6799969
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025
Annual giving (2025)
$412,590
Grants made (2025)
69
Average grant
$5,980
Median grant
$3,000
New grantees (estimate)
11% first-time grantees (6 of 56, 2025)
Total assets
$2,998,552
Primary geography
California (32% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to apply
The trust states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Financial Overview

From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$3.0M

-28.5% YoY

Annual Giving

$413K

+22.2% YoY

Grant Count

69

+6.2% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$6K

+15.1% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Allen Family Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $324K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Is Allen Family Charitable Trust open to new grantees?

11%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 6 of 56 grantees (11%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $8K. How we count

Medians: $6K first-time, $3K repeat.

  • 89% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving grew 50% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 127% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

No mission statement for the trust is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations working in several areas. Peninsula Open Space Trust says it protects open space on the Peninsula and in the South Bay; World Central Kitchen says it provides meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises; and an individual recipient says it supports people living with cancer and their loved ones. Other 2025 grantees include medical, civil-liberties, journalism, housing, and food-assistance organizations.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the trust reported 69 grants totaling $412,590. Grants ranged from $100 to $30,000, with a median grant of $3,000. Among the largest awards were $30,000 to Peninsula Open Space Trust; $25,000 each to the National Resource Defense Fund and an individual recipient; and $20,000 each to Doctors Without Borders, the ACLU Foundation, and World Central Kitchen. Other notable grants included $15,000 to Solve ME/CFS Initiative and Mayo Clinic, and $12,000 each to an individual recipient, Hope Lodge American Cancer Society, and ProPublica.

How to Apply

The trust states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, California recipients received 32% of grant dollars, New York recipients 31%, and District of Columbia recipients 13%. Georgia and Connecticut recipients received 6% and 5%, respectively.

Grant Distribution by State

17states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 69 itemized grants.

Cities

New YorkWashingtonHalf Moon BayAtlantaSan FranciscoEast Palo AltoLos AngelesOaklandWoodsideSan RafaelStanfordNYRedwood CityNewtownSaint PaulAmericusBostonFairfieldMill ValleyMountain View

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$200K$400K$600K77 grants2020 68 grants2021 61 grants2022 65 grants2023 65 grants2024 69 grants2025

From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $275K (2022) to $413K (2025). In 2025 it made 69 grants totaling $413K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Peninsula Open Space Trust: $30KPeninsula Open Space Trust$30KNational Resource Defense Fund: $25KNational Resource Defense Fund$25KDoctors Without Borders: $20KDoctors Without Borders$20KACLU Foundation: $20KACLU Foundation$20KWorld Central Kitchen: $20KWorld Central Kitchen$20KAmerican Red Cross: $19KAmerican Red Cross$19KSolve Mecfs Initiative: $15KSolve Mecfs Initiative$15KMayo Clinic: $15KMayo Clinic$15KHope Lodgeamerican Cancer Soc: $12KHope Lodgeamerican Cancer Soc$12KPropublica: $12KPropublica$12K

The largest 2025 recipient was Peninsula Open Space Trust ($30K). Together the top 10 received $188K.

Organizations only. It also paid 13 grants to individuals ($74,350), which are not listed by name.

Grant Size Distribution

328 grants across all recorded years

328<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 328 grants of 328 (100%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Peninsula Open Space Trust Palo Alto, CATo extend financial aid or assistance for the support and maintenance of protecting the natural lands in and around silicon valley.$30,000
National Resource Defense Fund NY, NYTo extend financial aid or assistance for the support and maintenance of safeguarding the earth, its people, its plants and animals and the natural systems on which all life depends.$25,000
10 grants to individuals Recipients not named —$72,000
Doctors Without Borders NY, NYTo Extend Financial Aid or Assistance.$20,000
ACLU Foundation New York, NYTo Extend Financial Aid or Assistance.$20,000
World Central Kitchen Washington, DCTo Extend Financial Aid or Assistance$20,000
American Red Cross Los Angeles, CATo Extend Financial Aid or Assistance.$19,000
Solve Mecfs Initiative Los Angeles, CATo extend financial aid or assistance for the support and maintenance of medical aid, hospital care, or medical research purposes.$15,000
Mayo Clinic Scottsdale, AZTo Extend Financial Aid or Assistance$15,000
Hope Lodgeamerican Cancer Soc Atlanta, GATo Extend Financial Aid or Assistance$12,000

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grants
2025 $2,998,552 $81,614 $436,920 $412,590
2024 $4,192,915 $169,052 $347,092 $337,689
2023 $4,405,334 $176,674 $341,518 $317,624
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$200K$400K$600K2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Metric202520242023
Total Assets$2,998,552$4,192,915$4,405,334
Revenue$81,614$169,052$176,674
Expenses$436,920$347,092$341,518
Qualifying Distributions$412,590$337,689$317,624
Net Investment Income$146,803$156,806$152,003
Distributable Amount$323,990$308,303$275,457

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 14, 2022)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 8, 2023)
  4. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 12, 2026)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 12, 2026)
  7. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Harvey Allen and Donna Allen as trustees.

Allen Family Charitable Trust's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Donna Allen

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    No compensation reported

  • Harvey Allen

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    No compensation reported

Former officers (3)
  • Former: Janet Margulies (2021–2024) — Trustee
  • Former: Lois Allen (2020) — Trustee
  • Former: Ronald Buttner (2020) — Trustee

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.

Contact

Mailing address: 760 Bear Gulch Road, Woodside, CA 94062
Phone: (650) 851-5881

Frequently asked questions about Allen Family Charitable Trust

How much does Allen Family Charitable Trust give each year?

Allen Family Charitable Trust gave $413K across 69 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $338K across 65 grants.

What is Allen Family Charitable Trust's typical grant size?

Allen Family Charitable Trust's median grant in 2025 was $3,000, and its average grant was $5,980, across 69 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Allen Family Charitable Trust that year got $5K on average.

Where does Allen Family Charitable Trust give grants?

Allen Family Charitable Trust's top state is California, with 32% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (31%) and District of Columbia (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (8 grants), New York, NY (4 grants), NY, NY (3 grants) and Atlanta, GA (3 grants).

Does Allen Family Charitable Trust give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 69 grants with a stated purpose on Allen Family Charitable Trust's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "To Extend Financial Aid or Assistance." (64 grants).

Who are Allen Family Charitable Trust's largest grantees?

Allen Family Charitable Trust's largest 2025 grantees include Peninsula Open Space Trust ($30,000), National Resource Defense Fund ($25,000) and Doctors Without Borders ($20,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 13 grants to individuals ($74,350), which are not listed by name. Together they received 18% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Allen Family Charitable Trust?

Allen Family Charitable Trust reported $3.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $413K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $324K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Allen Family Charitable Trust fund?

No mission statement for the trust is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations working in several areas. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Allen Family Charitable Trust?

The trust states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is Allen Family Charitable Trust's EIN?

Allen Family Charitable Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 27-6799969. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.

Does Allen Family Charitable Trust accept unsolicited proposals?

No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑

Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.

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