Ascending Way Inc

Private foundation · Grantmaker Los Altos, CA EIN: 81-3901518

Ascending Way Inc is a private foundation based in Los Altos, California. It gave $60,639 through 11 grants in filing year 2025, with listed recipients including charitable organizations working in humanitarian relief, food access, housing, children’s services, and religious missions.

Ascending Way Inc at a glance

In short: Ascending Way Inc gave $61K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), mostly in California. 27% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$60,639
+19.0% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
11
-42.1% vs 2024
Average grant
$5,513
+105.6% vs 2024
Median grant
$1,500
Total assets
$329,095
-7.2% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
27% first-time grantees (3 of 11, 2025; small sample)
Primary geography
California (68% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).

How to apply to Ascending Way Inc

Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to Apply

Ascending Way Inc does not accept unsolicited requests for funds; it states that contributions are made only to preselected charitable organizations.

Contact

Mailing address: 665 Birchwood Ct, Los Altos, CA 94024
Phone: (650) 714-3795

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Ascending Way Inc funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

River of Life Christian Church: $36KRiver of Life Christian Church$36KWorld Vision: $5KWorld Vision$5KHeart of Hope Asian American Hospice: $5KHeart of Hope Asian AmericanHospice$5KSamaritan's Purse: $5KSamaritan's Purse$5KCompassion International: $2KCompassion International$2KChristian Mission to Gaza: $2KChristian Mission to Gaza$2KHabitat for Humanity International: $2KHabitat for HumanityInternational$2KStephen's Children: $2KStephen's Children$2KFeeding America: $2KFeeding America$2KNo Kid Hungry: $2KNo Kid Hungry$2K

The largest 2025 recipient was River of Life Christian Church ($36K). Together the top 10 received $60K.

Grant Size Distribution

53 grants across all recorded years

53<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 53 grants of 53 (100%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, 68% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 8% to Washington, 8% to North Carolina, 3% to Colorado, and 2% to Connecticut. The listed recipients were based in several additional states as well.

Grant Distribution by State

18states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.

Cities

Colorado SpringsMountain ViewSan JoseRentonAuburnNew YorkRadfordAmericusBooneChicagoDarienGaithersburgGrand RapidsLawrencevilleBerkeleyFullertonGoletaHoolehuaHoustonMerrifield

Is Ascending Way Inc open to new grantees?

27%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 3 of 11 grantees (27%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $13K; repeat grants $3K. How we count

Medians: $2K first-time, $2K repeat.

  • 73% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving grew 413% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 129% 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.

Giving History

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$20K$40K$60K$80K7 grants2020 10 grants2021 5 grants2022 8 grants2023 19 grants2024 11 grants2025

From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $12K (2023) to $61K (2025). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $61K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
River of Life Christian Church Santa Clara, CACharitable$36,000
World Vision Auburn, WACharitable$5,050
Heart of Hope Asian American Hospice San Jose, CACharitable$5,000
Samaritan's Purse Boone, NCCharitable$5,000
Compassion International Colorado Springs, COCharitable$1,589
Christian Mission to Gaza Darien, CTCharitable$1,500
Habitat for Humanity International Americus, GACharitable$1,500
Stephen's Children Grand Rapids, MICharitable$1,500
Feeding America Chicago, ILCharitable$1,500
No Kid Hungry Washington, DCCharitable$1,500
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$329,095$13,645$62,971$60,63911$62,796$13,487$48,802
2024$354,710$6,342$53,413$50,95219$53,116$10,893$36,012
2023$403,423$13,242$14,589$11,5188$14,335$10,718$26,148
2022$403,520$9,739$14,393$11,8145$13,867$9,719$22,908
2021$408,620$29,577$27,285$24,67110$26,955$29,570$25,315
2020$409,375$13,335$21,125$18,8587—$13,322$20,610

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Ascending Way Inc reported a distributable amount of $49K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

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

Mission & Focus Areas

No mission statement for Ascending Way Inc is provided. Its 2025 grants went to charitable organizations including River of Life Christian Church, World Vision, Heart of Hope Asian American Hospice, Samaritan’s Purse, and Feeding America. World Vision describes its work as addressing poverty and injustice through emergency relief and long-term community development. Samaritan’s Purse says it provides spiritual and physical aid to people affected by war, poverty, disasters, disease, and famine. Feeding America describes its mission as advancing equitable access to nutritious food. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not statements of Ascending Way Inc’s mission.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2025, Ascending Way Inc made 11 grants totaling $60,639. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $36,000, with a median of $1,500. Its largest grants included $36,000 to River of Life Christian Church; $5,050 to World Vision; $5,000 each to Heart of Hope Asian American Hospice and Samaritan’s Purse; and $1,589 to Compassion International. Other listed recipients included Christian Mission to Gaza, Habitat for Humanity International, Stephen’s Children, Feeding America, No Kid Hungry, and The Grace Children’s Foundation.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists CHIN-PENG DOW as CEO and ANNY DOW and ANCY DOW as directors.

Ascending Way Inc is led by Chin-Peng Dow, CEO on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Chin-Peng Dow

    CEO

    On filings since 2020

    2 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Ancy Dow

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    2 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Anny Dow

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    2 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

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.

Frequently asked questions about Ascending Way Inc

How much does Ascending Way Inc give each year?

Ascending Way Inc gave $61K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $51K across 19 grants.

What is Ascending Way Inc's typical grant size?

Ascending Way Inc's median grant in 2025 was $1,500, and its average grant was $5,513, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Ascending Way Inc that year got $13K on average.

Where does Ascending Way Inc give grants?

Ascending Way Inc gives mostly in California: 68% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Washington (8%) and North Carolina (8%).

Does Ascending Way Inc give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 11 grants with a stated purpose on Ascending Way Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (11 grants).

Who are Ascending Way Inc's largest grantees?

Ascending Way Inc's largest 2025 grantees include River of Life Christian Church ($36,000), World Vision ($5,050) and Heart of Hope Asian American Hospice ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 76% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Ascending Way Inc?

Ascending Way Inc reported $329K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $63K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $49K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Ascending Way Inc fund?

No mission statement for Ascending Way Inc is provided. Its 2025 grants went to charitable organizations including River of Life Christian Church, World Vision, Heart of Hope Asian American Hospice, Samaritan’s Purse, and Feeding America. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Ascending Way Inc?

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

What is Ascending Way Inc's EIN?

Ascending Way Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-3901518. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.

Does Ascending Way Inc 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 September 2026.

Data update history

(6)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS August 10, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 11, 2022)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS July 13, 2023)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 9, 2024)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS June 12, 2025)
  6. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Ascending Way Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/ascending-way-inc-morg_d443f5daacc747b0b58c9a510c451a20

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_813901518_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Ascending Way Inc funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/ascending-way-inc-morg_d443f5daacc747b0b58c9a510c451a20},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-16. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}

The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.

Figures come from Ascending Way Inc's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.

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