Back Seat Foundation
Back Seat Foundation is a private foundation based in Spokane, Washington. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations and support for charitable purposes, including flood relief, holiday giving, missionary support, and assistance to indigent individuals.
Back Seat Foundation at a glance
In short: Back Seat Foundation gave $16K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $2K), top state Texas. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $15,781
- -45.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- -23.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $1,578
- -28.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,200
- Total assets
- $24,511
- -5.1% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Texas (32% 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 Back Seat Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 100 N Howard Street Ste R, Spokane, WA 99201
Phone: (360) 926-4909
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Back Seat Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Texas Flood Relief ($5K). Together the top 10 received $16K.
Grant Size Distribution
25 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 25 grants of 25 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in multiple states. The largest reported shares were Texas (32%), Illinois (19%), Ohio (13%), New York (8%), and Maryland (8%). The 2024 filing also describes direct support for Hurricane Helene relief efforts in Swannanoa, North Carolina.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
Cities
How Back Seat Foundation gives
- 50% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 1478% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
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 2022 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1K (2022) to $29K (2024). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $16K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Texas Flood Relief Fredericksburg, TX | TX Flood Relief Project | $5,000 |
| Opportunity International Chicago, IL | Charitable Donation | $3,000 |
| The River- River Christmas Giving Toledo, OH | Charitable Holiday Donations | $2,000 |
| Give Directly New York, NY | Charitable Donation | $1,200 |
| Michael J Fox Foundation Hagerstown, MD | Charitable Donation | $1,200 |
| MAF US Nampa, ID | Missionary Support | $1,200 |
| Community Benevolence Spokane, WA | Support to Indigent Individuals | $1,000 |
| Alzheimers Association Nashville, TN | Charitable Donation | $631 |
| Local Church San Luis Obispo, CA | Charitable Support | $500 |
| Malm Group Kerrville, TX | Charitable Donation | $50 |
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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 | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $24,511 | $15,696 | $17,015 | $15,781 | 10 | $17,015 | $172 | $910 |
| 2024 | $25,832 | $43,232 | $30,516 | $28,793 | 13 | $30,516 | $158 | $548 |
| 2023 | $13,016 | $4,003 | $9,987 | $1,872 | 1 | $9,987 | $341 | $867 |
| 2022 | $19,000 | $25,815 | $6,815 | $1,000 | 1 | $6,815 | — | $76 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Back Seat Foundation reported a distributable amount of $910 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 formal mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its reported giving includes disaster relief, charitable donations, holiday support, missionary support, and assistance to individuals with basic needs.
One 2025 grantee, Opportunity International, describes its own mission as equipping people living in poverty in developing countries through financial solutions, support, and training so they can build sustainable incomes, educate their children, and escape generational poverty. This is the grantee’s stated mission, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 10 grants totaling $15,781. Grant amounts ranged from $50 to $5,000, with a median grant of $1,200. Notable grants included $5,000 to Texas Flood Relief for a Texas flood relief project; $3,000 to Opportunity International; $2,000 to The River-River Christmas Giving; and $1,200 each to GiveDirectly, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, and MAF US.
The 2025 filing also lists $1,000 to Community Benevolence for support to indigent individuals, $631 to the Alzheimer’s Association, $500 to Local Church, and $50 to Malm Group.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Carolyn Olson as president, Nathan Young as secretary, Austin Lentz as treasurer, Abby Lentz as vice president, and David Seumalo as chair.
Back Seat Foundation is led by Carolyn Olson, President on every filing since 2022; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Carolyn Olson
President
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
David Seumalo
Chair
Director → Chair, 2023
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Abby Lentz
Vice President
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Austin Lentz
Treasurer
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nathan Young
Secretary
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2022–2025. "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 Back Seat Foundation
How much does Back Seat Foundation give each year?
Back Seat Foundation gave $16K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $29K across 13 grants.
What is Back Seat Foundation's typical grant size?
Back Seat Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,200, and its average grant was $1,578, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Back Seat Foundation give grants?
Back Seat Foundation's top state is Texas, with 32% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Illinois (19%) and Ohio (13%).
Does Back Seat Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 10 grants with a stated purpose on Back Seat Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable Donation" (5 grants).
Who are Back Seat Foundation's largest grantees?
Back Seat Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Texas Flood Relief ($5,000), Opportunity International ($3,000) and The River- River Christmas Giving ($2,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 63% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Back Seat Foundation?
Back Seat Foundation reported $25K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $17K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $910 (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Back Seat Foundation fund?
No formal mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its reported giving includes disaster relief, charitable donations, holiday support, missionary support, and assistance to individuals with basic needs. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Back Seat Foundation?
The foundation 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 Back Seat Foundation's EIN?
Back Seat Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 88-3207238. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2022–2025.
Does Back Seat 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
(5)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 8, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS June 24, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 15, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2022–2025
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