Asher Student Foundation
Asher Student Foundation is a private foundation based in San Francisco, California. It states that its direct charitable activity is to encourage spiritual growth and the practice of Christian Science healing through nurturing community, supporting home and housing, and inspiring continuous learning and service.
Asher Student Foundation at a glance
In short: Asher Student Foundation gave $481K across 72 grants in 2025 (avg $7K), top state Oregon. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $481,327
- -10.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 72
- +7.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $6,685
- -16.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $4,000
- Total assets
- $60,731,500
- +4.8% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Oregon (20% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Asher Student Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 345 West Portal Avenue 120, San Francisco, CA 94127
Phone: (415) 242-1500
Website: https://asherstudentfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Asher Student Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Cherishability (Formerly Rainbow Valley Resource Network Inc) ($86K). Together the top 10 received $238K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($4,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
251 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 247 grants of 251 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars by recipient state went to Oregon (20%), Illinois (12%), California (11%), Missouri (9%), and Colorado (5%). The listed grants also went to recipients in other states, including Florida, Michigan, Maine, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Virginia.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 72 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Asher Student Foundation gives
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $174K (2021) to $537K (2024). In 2025 it made 72 grants totaling $481K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Cherishability (Formerly Rainbow Valley Resource Network Inc) Portland, OR | Work Experience Program | $86,000 |
| The Principia Elsah, IL | Housing Scholarship | $56,000 |
| Rollins College Winter Park, FL | Housing Scholarship | $16,000 |
| Au DB Foundation Greenwood Village, CO | Campership | $12,000 |
| Camps Leelanau & Kohahna Maple City, MI | Campership | $12,000 |
| Camps Newfound & Owatonna Harrison, ME | Campership | $12,000 |
| Cedars Camps Ballwin, MO | Campership | $12,000 |
| Crystal Lake Camps Hughesville, PA | Campership | $12,000 |
| Friends of Camp Bow-Isle Renton, WA | Campership | $12,000 |
| Ucsc Uc Regents Santa Cruz, CA | Housing Scholarship | $8,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $60,731,500 | $6,023,104 | $2,917,487 | $481,327 | 72 | $2,311,044 | $5,212,174 |
| 2024 | $57,947,318 | $4,221,655 | $2,930,363 | $536,857 | 67 | $2,309,748 | $3,364,215 |
| 2023 | $53,796,873 | $2,346,129 | $2,579,416 | $296,006 | 54 | $2,060,432 | $802,872 |
| 2022 | $48,835,725 | $5,587,443 | $2,459,322 | $370,212 | 49 | $2,103,627 | $5,180,627 |
| 2021 | $60,377,371 | $3,391,172 | $1,650,308 | $173,949 | 9 | — | $3,143,897 |
| 2020 | $41,580,341 | $1,583,688 | $1,984,717 | $286,986 | 10 | — | $1,042,938 |
| 2019 | $47,038,773 | $5,922,023 | $1,834,938 | $249,376 | 9 | — | $920,306 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated charitable activity is to encourage spiritual growth and the practice of Christian Science healing through nurturing community, supporting home and housing, and inspiring continuous learning and service.
Its 2025 grant purposes included work experience, housing scholarships, and camperships. The Principia, which received a housing scholarship grant, describes its purpose as serving the cause of Christian Science through pre-K–12 and college education. Friends of Camp Bow-Isle, which received a campership grant, says it solicits, manages, and awards campership funds for people in need or deemed deserving to attend the camp. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own missions and activities.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 72 grants totaling $481,327. Grant amounts ranged from $473 to $86,000, with a median of $4,000. The largest grant was $86,000 to Cherishability (formerly Rainbow Valley Resource Network Inc.) for a work experience program. Other notable grants included $56,000 to The Principia for a housing scholarship; $16,000 to Rollins College for a housing scholarship; and $12,000 each to AU DB Foundation, Camps Leelanau & Kohahna, Camps Newfound & Owatonna, Cedars Camps, Crystal Lake Camps, and Friends of Camp Bow-Isle for camperships.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Sherry Mitchell as executive director; Bobbi McAdoo Gahlon as president; Todd Goldman as treasurer; and Marie Jureit-Beamish as secretary. It lists Les Fishman as vice president through February 2025 and Jonathan Borja as vice president beginning in February 2025. Directors listed are Laura Long, Elizabeth Massey, Sue Ellen Coughtry, and Caitlin Sheasley.
Asher Student Foundation is led by Sherry Mitchell, Executive Director on every filing since 2019; 1 of 10 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Sherry Mitchell
Executive Director
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$157K (2019) → $217K (2025)
Bobbi McAdoo Gahlon
President
Trustee → President, 2020
On filings since 2019
1.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Laura Long
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Elizabeth Massey
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sue Ellen Coughtry
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Caitlin Sheasley
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Les Fishman
Vice President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Marie Jureit-Beamish
Secretary
Trustee → Secretary, 2020
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Todd Goldman
Treasurer
Trustee → Director, 2021
Director → Treasurer, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jonathan Borja
Vice President
Director → Vice President, 2025
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (7)
- Former: Rod Essen (2019–2024) — Director
- Former: Laura Distel (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Melissa Duffy (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Trevor Yates (2022) — Director
- Former: James Dowcett (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Marjorie Deline (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Gerald Ellithorpe (2019) — Trustee
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $217K, to Sherry Mitchell (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about Asher Student Foundation
How much does Asher Student Foundation give each year?
Asher Student Foundation gave $481K across 72 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $537K across 67 grants.
What is Asher Student Foundation's typical grant size?
Asher Student Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $4,000, and its average grant was $6,685, across 72 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Asher Student Foundation give grants?
Asher Student Foundation's top state is Oregon, with 20% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Illinois (12%) and California (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Diego, CA (4 grants), Berkeley, CA (3 grants), St. Louis, MO (3 grants) and Columbia, MO (3 grants).
Does Asher Student Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 72 grants with a stated purpose on Asher Student Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Housing Scholarship" (64 grants) and "Campership" (6 grants).
Who are Asher Student Foundation's largest grantees?
Asher Student Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Cherishability (Formerly Rainbow Valley Resource Network Inc) ($86,000), The Principia ($56,000) and Rollins College ($16,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($4,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 33% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Asher Student Foundation?
Asher Student Foundation reported $60.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $6.0M.
What does Asher Student Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated charitable activity is to encourage spiritual growth and the practice of Christian Science healing through nurturing community, supporting home and housing, and inspiring continuous learning and service. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Asher Student Foundation?
The foundation 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 Asher Student Foundation's EIN?
Asher Student Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 38-1690200. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Asher Student Foundation 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
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 1, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Asher Student Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Asher Student Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/asher-student-foundation-morg_9590364a1e7f488498af0058694fe5a8
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_381690200_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Asher Student Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/asher-student-foundation-morg_9590364a1e7f488498af0058694fe5a8},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Asher Student Foundation'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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