Allen Family Philanthropies
Allen Family Philanthropies is based in Seattle, Washington, and supports arts and culture, youth, and environmental work in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Founded in 1988 by Jody Allen and the late Paul G. Allen, it was known as the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation until its July 2025 rebrand.
Key facts about Allen Family Philanthropies
In short: Allen Family Philanthropies gave $58.0M across 112 grants in 2024 (avg $517K), top state Washington. 32% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 94-3082532
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024
- Annual giving (2024)
- $57,950,248
- Grants made (2024)
- 112
- Average grant
- $517,413
- Median grant
- $300,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 32% first-time grantees (30 of 94, 2024)
- Total assets
- $1,380,464,618
- Primary geography
- Washington (39% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 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 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$1.4B
+7.3% YoY
Annual Giving
$58.0M
+21.7% YoY
Grant Count
112
-18.8% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$517K
+50.0% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Allen Family Philanthropies reported a distributable amount of $69.2M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is Allen Family Philanthropies open to new grantees?
32%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 30 of 94 grantees (32%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $371K; repeat grants $732K. How we count
Medians: $288K first-time, $340K repeat.
- 66% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 22% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 90% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s three core program areas are Arts & Culture, Youth, and Environment. Its website describes arts and cultural investments as supporting artists and culture bearers, organizational capacity, and public commitment to the arts. Youth investments help young people pursue issues they care about and take on leadership roles. Environmental investments support community-driven, science- and technology-informed work to protect wildlife and habitats and advance biodiversity and human well-being.
Examples of grantees’ work include ArtsFund, whose stated mission is to strengthen the community by supporting the arts through leadership, advocacy, and grantmaking; Friends of Seattle Waterfront, which says it brings people, communities, and resources together to support Waterfront Park as a gathering space; and the National Geographic Society, whose stated mission is to increase and diffuse geographic knowledge through science, exploration, education, and storytelling.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the filing lists 112 grants totaling $57,950,248. The median grant was $300,000; grants ranged from $2,922 to $10,422,623. Among the largest grants were $10,422,623 to ArtsFund for the second year of administration of the Community Accelerator Grant; $2.5 million each to Children’s Hospital Corporation, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Regents of the University of California at San Diego, and University of Washington Foundation for the Allen Discovery Centers named in their grant purposes; and $1,763,533 to the National Geographic Society for the Slingshot Challenge. Other listed grants included $1,518,612 to Friends of Seattle Waterfront for cultural programming at Waterfront Park and $1,435,763 to Florida International University Foundation for “Operation Pangolin.”
Open Grants
3 open opportunities from Allen Family Philanthropies
Allen Family Philanthropies Community Accelerator Grant
Allen Family Philanthropies
Amount
Unrestricted grants; $10M program pool in 2026
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Mobilizing Young Leaders Across Washington State
Allen Family Philanthropies
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
RFP- Supporting Natural Climate Solutions in the Pacific Northwest
Allen Family Philanthropies
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Ready to take the next step with Allen Family Philanthropies?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation says it funds work aligned with its priorities across the Pacific Northwest, the United States, and internationally. It also describes a range of sponsorships and community grants across Washington State. In 2024, 39% of grant dollars went to recipients in Washington, 12% to New York, 10% to California, and 6% to Massachusetts; another 11% is listed with the recipient state unspecified.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 112 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $47.6M (2021) to $63.2M (2020). In 2024 it made 112 grants totaling $58.0M.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Artsfund ($10.4M). Together the top 10 received $31.2M.
Grant Size Distribution
552 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 158 grants of 552 (29%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Artsfund Seattle, WA | To support the community accelerator grant renewal for the second year of program administration. | $10,422,623 |
| Childrens Hospital Corporation Boston, MA | To support the allen discovery center for human brain evolution at boston children's hospital and harvard medical school | $2,500,000 |
| Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, NY | To support the allen discovery center for neuroimmune interactions | $2,500,000 |
| Regents of the University of California at San Diego La Jolla, CA | To support the allen discovery center for neurobiology in changing environments | $2,500,000 |
| University of Washington Foundation Seattle, WA | To support allen discovery center for cell lineage tracing phase 2 | $2,500,000 |
| National Geographic Society Washington, DC | To Support the Slingshot Challenge | $1,763,533 |
| Friends of Seattle Waterfront Seattle, WA | To Support Cultural Programming at Waterfront Park | $1,518,612 |
| Florida International University Foundation Inc Miami, FL | To Support a Project Titled "Operation Pangolin" | $1,435,763 |
| The Earthshot Prize | To support the renewal for the earthshot prize founding partnership | $1,276,100 |
| American Heart Association Inc Seattle, WA | To support bioscience research in relation to advancing our understanding of brain health and cognitive impairment | $1,250,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,380,464,618 | $180,688,400 | $72,202,296 | $57,950,248 |
| 2023 | $1,286,324,323 | $115,479,539 | $63,956,084 | $47,615,054 |
| 2022 | $1,081,476,929 | $18,339,364 | $55,372,911 | $48,712,939 |
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $1,380,464,618 | $1,286,324,323 | $1,081,476,929 |
| Revenue | $180,688,400 | $115,479,539 | $18,339,364 |
| Expenses | $72,202,296 | $63,956,084 | $55,372,911 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $62,560,157 | $51,856,973 | $50,191,155 |
| Net Investment Income | $171,735,268 | $106,059,889 | $13,919,971 |
| Distributable Amount | $69,198,979 | $59,429,561 | $58,069,343 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The foundation’s website identifies Jody Allen as co-founder, board chair, and president. Its 2024 filing lists Jo Lynn Allen as chair/director and president; Danielle Harper as vice president; Alison Ivey as vice president and secretary; Marilyn Valentine and Thomas Daniel as directors; and Joyce Lee as vice president and treasurer.
Allen Family Philanthropies is led by Jo Lynn Allen, Chair, Director & President on every filing since 2020; none of the 6 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Jo Lynn Allen
Chair, Director & President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Marilyn Valentine
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Thomas Daniel
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alison Ivey
Vice President & Secretary
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Danielle Harper
Vice President
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Joyce Lee
Vice President & Treasurer
New on the 2024 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Allen D. Israel (2020–2023) — Assistant Secretary · Filing note: Ended 472023
- Former: Susan Drake (2020–2023) — Vice President · Filing note: Ended 472023
- Former: Joyce Lee Start (2023) — Vice President & Treasurer
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Contact
Mailing address: 505 Fifth Avenue South 900, Seattle, WA 98104
Phone: (206) 342-2000
Website: https://allenphilanthropies.org
Frequently asked questions about Allen Family Philanthropies
How much does Allen Family Philanthropies give each year?
Allen Family Philanthropies gave $58.0M across 112 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $47.6M across 138 grants.
What is Allen Family Philanthropies's typical grant size?
Allen Family Philanthropies's median grant in 2024 was $300,000, and its average grant was $517,413, across 112 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Allen Family Philanthropies that year got $371K on average.
Where does Allen Family Philanthropies give grants?
Allen Family Philanthropies's top state is Washington, with 39% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (12%) and California (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Seattle, WA (28 grants), New York, NY (8 grants), Chicago, IL (4 grants) and Sarasota, FL (4 grants).
Does Allen Family Philanthropies give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 112 grants with a stated purpose on Allen Family Philanthropies's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "To Support the Spirit of 12 Program (2023 Season)" (22 grants).
Who are Allen Family Philanthropies's largest grantees?
Allen Family Philanthropies's largest 2024 grantees include Artsfund ($10,422,623), University of Washington Foundation ($3,769,139 across 4 grants) and Regents of the University of California at San Diego ($3,499,802 across 3 grants), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 31% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Allen Family Philanthropies?
Allen Family Philanthropies reported $1.4B in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $62.6M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $69.2M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Allen Family Philanthropies fund?
The foundation’s three core program areas are Arts & Culture, Youth, and Environment. Its website describes arts and cultural investments as supporting artists and culture bearers, organizational capacity, and public commitment to the arts. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Allen Family Philanthropies?
Allen Family Philanthropies does not accept unsolicited proposals, according to Grantable's research on its published guidelines. Check allenphilanthropies.org for any change to that policy.
What is Allen Family Philanthropies's EIN?
Allen Family Philanthropies's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-3082532. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Allen Family Philanthropies accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Here's the math on researching Allen Family Philanthropies by hand.
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