Bell Charitable Foundation
Bell Charitable Foundation is a private foundation based in Rancho Santa Fe, California. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations supporting causes that include thyroid-disease education and support, animal welfare, and legal advocacy.
Bell Charitable Foundation at a glance
In short: Bell Charitable Foundation gave $628K across 26 grants in 2025 (avg $24K), top state California. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $628,000
- -17.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 26
- -25.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $24,154
- +11.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $20,000
- Total assets
- $5,144,532
- -6.1% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- California (46% 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 Bell Charitable 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: PO Box 642, Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92067
Phone: (858) 756-3589
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Bell Charitable Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Walk Away Foundation ($100K). Together the top 10 received $380K.
Grant Size Distribution
164 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 157 grants of 164 (96%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 46% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 16% to New York, 12% to Washington, DC, 8% to Virginia, and 4% to Florida. Reported recipients also included organizations in Illinois, Delaware, and Indiana.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 26 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Bell Charitable Foundation gives
- 88% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−10%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 150% of 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $520K (2020) to $760K (2024). In 2025 it made 26 grants totaling $628K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Walk Away Foundation New York, NY | Support Programs to Push Back on Radical Left Agenda under the Walk Away Program | $100,000 |
| Graves' Disease and Thyroid Foundation Rancho Santa Fe, CA | Provide education and support for people with Graves' Disease & Thyroid Disorders | $85,000 |
| Government Accountability Institute Tallahassee, FL | Support Programs to Investigate Government Capitalism and Misuse of Taxpayer Monies | $25,000 |
| Helen Woodward Animal Center Rancho Santa Fe, CA | Sponsor Pet AniMeals Program | $25,000 |
| Not Me CA Inc San Diego, CA | Support for women's safety program | $25,000 |
| Judicial Watch Inc Washington DC, DC | Support programs That Fight for Accountability, Integrity in Law | $25,000 |
| Pacific Legal Foundation Sacramento, CA | Support Programs To Protect American Constitutional Rights | $25,000 |
| Thomas More Society Chicago, IL | Support Programs that Defend America's Pro-Life Movement | $25,000 |
| America First Legal Foundation Washington DC, DC | Support Programs that Protect America First Principles | $25,000 |
| Center for American Liberty Leesburg, VA | Support Programs to Defend First Amendment Freedoms & Civil Liberties of Americans | $20,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Bell Charitable Foundation?
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 | $5,144,532 | $340,221 | $673,424 | $628,000 | 26 | $632,753 | $304,240 | $422,105 |
| 2024 | $5,477,735 | $357,857 | $804,877 | $760,000 | 35 | $764,556 | $321,266 | $445,741 |
| 2023 | $5,924,755 | $308,372 | $720,738 | $671,000 | 33 | $675,318 | $268,327 | $475,741 |
| 2022 | $6,337,121 | $420,849 | $762,182 | $700,000 | 33 | $704,945 | $386,718 | $492,438 |
| 2021 | $6,678,454 | $1,711,202 | $678,224 | $620,000 | 37 | — | $1,662,325 | $479,901 |
| 2020 | $5,755,601 | $570,144 | $589,196 | $520,000 | 1 | — | $524,796 | $471,152 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Bell Charitable Foundation reported a distributable amount of $422K 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 foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations working in areas including health, animal welfare, government accountability, and legal advocacy. For example, the Graves' Disease and Thyroid Foundation says its mission is to provide education and support for people with Graves' disease and other thyroid-related disorders. Helen Woodward Animal Center describes its work as inspiring and teaching people about the animal-human bond.
Other 2025 recipients include organizations whose stated work relates to government accountability and legal rights. Judicial Watch says it promotes integrity, transparency, and accountability in government and fidelity to the rule of law. Pacific Legal Foundation says it litigates nationwide to secure Americans’ rights, and America First Legal Foundation says it provides litigation tools and strategies to advance conservative policy solutions.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 26 grants totaling $628,000. Grants ranged from $2,000 to $100,000, with a median of $20,000. Its largest reported grants included $100,000 to Walk Away Foundation for programs described as pushing back on the “Radical Left Agenda,” and $85,000 to the Graves' Disease and Thyroid Foundation for education and support for people with Graves' disease and thyroid disorders.
Other reported 2025 grants included $25,000 each to Government Accountability Institute, Helen Woodward Animal Center, Not Me CA Inc, Judicial Watch, Pacific Legal Foundation, Thomas More Society, and America First Legal Foundation. The stated purposes included investigating government capitalism and misuse of taxpayer money, sponsoring the Pet AniMeals Program, supporting a women’s safety program, and supporting legal and constitutional advocacy.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Kathleen Bell Flynn as president and director, and Steve Flynn as secretary and director.
Bell Charitable Foundation is led by Kathleen Bell Flynn, President & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Kathleen Bell Flynn
President & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Steve Flynn
Sec'y & Director
On filings since 2021
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 Bell Charitable Foundation
How much does Bell Charitable Foundation give each year?
Bell Charitable Foundation gave $628K across 26 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $760K across 35 grants.
What is Bell Charitable Foundation's typical grant size?
Bell Charitable Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $20,000, and its average grant was $24,154, across 26 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Bell Charitable Foundation give grants?
Bell Charitable Foundation's top state is California, with 46% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (16%) and District of Columbia (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were Rancho Santa Fe, CA (3 grants), Washington DC, DC (3 grants), Sacramento, CA (2 grants) and San Diego, CA (2 grants).
Does Bell Charitable Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 26 grants with a stated purpose on Bell Charitable Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Bell Charitable Foundation's largest grantees?
Bell Charitable Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Walk Away Foundation ($100,000), Graves' Disease and Thyroid Foundation ($85,000) and Government Accountability Institute ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 33% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Bell Charitable Foundation?
Bell Charitable Foundation reported $5.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $633K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $422K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Bell Charitable Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations working in areas including health, animal welfare, government accountability, and legal advocacy. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Bell Charitable 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 Bell Charitable Foundation's EIN?
Bell Charitable Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 33-0640946. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Bell Charitable 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Bell Charitable Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/bell-charitable-foundation-morg_d6d1d06f268e48a8be98fa129b83e7b7
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_330640946_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Bell Charitable Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/bell-charitable-foundation-morg_d6d1d06f268e48a8be98fa129b83e7b7},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Bell Charitable 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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