Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc
The Ben B. Cheney Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Tacoma, Washington. It makes grants in communities where Cheney Lumber Company operated, aiming to support projects that improve quality of life in those communities.
Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc gave $3.4M across 136 grants in 2024 (avg $25K), mostly in Washington. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $3,411,165
- +10.1% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 136
- -1.4% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $25,082
- +11.7% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $68,858,292
- +3.4% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- Washington (91% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- Yes
- How to Apply
-
The Foundation accepts unsolicited requests through a letter of inquiry (LOI), including from new applicants. Its website says LOIs are accepted throughout the year and must summarize a developed proposal, including the organization’s background, project and total budget, requested amount, other fundraising plans, and intended use of the grant. The LOI should be no more than three pages and submitted as a PDF through the organization’s grant portal. The filing lists no required form or materials, no deadlines, and geographic restrictions covering Washington, Oregon, and selected areas of Northern California. The website says a two-year interval is generally preferred between a grant and a new LOI. Larger requests may take six to nine months from LOI receipt to consideration by the board.
- Review Cycle
- No deadline for grant LOIs; the Foundation accepts them throughout the year.
- Deadline
- No deadline for grant LOIs; the Foundation accepts them throughout the year.
- Contact
Application contact: Erika Tucci
Mailing address: 3110 Ruston Way Suite A, Tacoma, WA 98402
Phone: (253) 572-2442
Website: https://benbcheneyfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc
Who Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Multicare Health Foundations ($540K across 3 grants). Together the top 10 received $2.4M.
Organizations only. It also paid 4 grants to individuals ($21,750), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
462 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 404 grants of 462 (87%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Foundation makes grants in communities where Cheney Lumber mills operated. In Washington, Pierce County is its primary giving area; it also considers requests from southwest Washington, the Olympic Peninsula (Thurston, Mason, Jefferson, and Clallam counties), and Kitsap County. In Oregon, its primary area is Jackson County, with some giving in Josephine County. Its Northern California giving includes Del Norte, Siskiyou, Humboldt, Trinity, Shasta, Lassen, and Plumas counties.
In 2024, 91% of grant dollars went to Washington recipients, 5% to Oregon, and 3% to California.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 136 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc gives
- 43% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−15%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 92% 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 (2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $3.1M (2020) to $4.0M (2021). In 2024 it made 136 grants totaling $3.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Multicare Health Foundations Tacoma, WA | Mary Bridge Children's Hospital Capital Campaign | $525,000 |
| Habitat for Humanity Tacomapierce County Tacoma, WA | Building Hope Campaign | $500,000 |
| Tacoma Rescue Mission Tacoma, WA | Good Neighbor Village | $500,000 |
| Pacific Lutheran University Tacoma, WA | Phase 3: community serving investments in plus science education facilities | $300,000 |
| Peninsula Metropolitan Park District (Greater Tacoma Community Foundation) Gig Harbor, WA | Penmet Parks Recreation Center | $100,000 |
| YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties Tacoma, WA | Pearl Street Family YMCA - Phase 1 | $100,000 |
| Grand Cinema Tacoma, WA | Save the grand: a campaign to buy our building & secure our future | $80,000 |
| Mercy Foundation North Redding, CA | Regional Cancer Center | $75,000 |
| University of Puget Sound Tacoma, WA | Cheney Foundation Scholarship Program 2024-2025 | $60,000 |
| University of Washington Tacoma Tacoma, WA | Uw Tacoma: Sports Enterprise Management Program | $60,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $68,858,292 | $7,086,394 | $4,784,516 | $3,411,165 | 136 | $4,150,208 | $6,347,913 | $4,519,013 |
| 2023 | $66,572,977 | $4,036,139 | $4,538,297 | $3,098,562 | 138 | $3,942,321 | $3,399,076 | $4,152,511 |
| 2022 | $67,376,991 | $4,485,432 | $4,579,585 | $3,157,882 | 91 | $3,926,356 | $3,895,833 | $4,270,062 |
| 2021 | $67,257,239 | $5,613,914 | $5,363,314 | $4,005,458 | 96 | $4,749,370 | $5,034,714 | $4,559,370 |
| 2020 | $67,016,328 | $2,202,862 | $4,271,295 | $3,053,881 | 1 | — | $1,687,742 | $3,814,427 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $4.5M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Foundation’s stated goal is to improve quality of life in the communities where it gives. It favors projects with a defined timeframe, accomplishments, and budget, particularly those investing in durable equipment or facilities, demonstrating local support, developing innovative approaches to community problems, or expanding programs to serve more people or areas.
Its 2024 grants included support for health care, housing, food access, education, recreation, arts, and community facilities. For example, Pacific Lutheran University received a grant for science education facilities; Mercy Foundation North received support for a regional cancer center; and the University of Puget Sound received support for its scholarship program. These are the grantees’ activities and stated purposes, not categories the Foundation identifies as exclusive areas of focus.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the Foundation awarded 136 grants totaling $3,411,165. Grant amounts ranged from $50 to $525,000, with a median of $5,000. The largest awards included $525,000 to MultiCare Health Foundations for the Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital capital campaign, $500,000 to Habitat for Humanity Tacoma-Pierce County for the Building Hope campaign, and $500,000 to Tacoma Rescue Mission for Good Neighbor Village. Other notable grants included $300,000 to Pacific Lutheran University for science education facilities and $100,000 to the an individual recipient District through the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation for the PenMet Parks Recreation Center.
The Foundation’s website describes two grant levels: grants of $15,000 or less through its small-grants program, and larger grants that go to a full board meeting. Most grants approved at board meetings are in the $20,000–$40,000 range. It notes that it is rarely a top-level donor to a capital campaign. Separately, the Foundation awards scholarships to scholar-athletes from Pierce County high schools and South Bend. The 2025 scholarship application deadline was March 15, 2025, and has passed.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Erika Tucci as executive director; Bradbury F. Cheney as board chair; Carolyn Cheney as vice chair; Matthew Beckingham as treasurer; and Jordan Beckingham as secretary. It also lists Andrew Cheney, Bob Hall, Henry Cheney, and Jamie Foster as directors.
Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc is led by Erika Tucci, Executive Director on the 2024 filing; all 9 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Erika Tucci
Executive Director
New on the 2024 filing
40 hrs/week
$185K (2024)
Bradbury F. Cheney
Board Chair
President & Executive Director → Board Chair & Executive Director, 2023
Board Chair & Executive Director → Board Chair, 2024
On filings since 2020
30 hrs/week
$201K (2020) → $57K (2024)
Andrew Cheney
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
$4K (2021) → $6K (2024)
Bob Hall
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
$6K (2023) → $6K (2024)
Henry Cheney
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
$750 (2023) → $6K (2024)
Jamie Foster
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
$6K (2023) → $5K (2024)
Carolyn J. Cheney
Vice Chair
Secretary & Treasurer → Vice President, 2021
Vice President → Vice Chair, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$6K (2020) → $6K (2024)
Matthew Beckingham
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2021
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$6K (2020) → $6K (2024)
Jordan Beckingham
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2023
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
$4K (2021) → $6K (2024)
Former officers (3)
- Former: Jamie Algee (2020–2022) — Secretary
- Former: Mallory Delabar (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Piper Cheney (2020) — Vice President
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $185K, to Erika Tucci (Executive Director). 9 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc
How much does Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc give each year?
Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc gave $3.4M across 136 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $3.1M across 138 grants.
What is Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc's median grant in 2024 was $5,000, and its average grant was $25,082, across 136 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc give grants?
Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc gives mostly in Washington: 91% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Oregon (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Tacoma, WA (56 grants), Gig Harbor, WA (8 grants), Medford, OR (4 grants) and Buckley, WA (3 grants).
Does Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 136 grants with a stated purpose on Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "2024 High School Scholarship" (26 grants), "Matching Gift" (25 grants) and "Board Directed Gift" (12 grants).
Who are Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc's largest 2024 grantees include Multicare Health Foundations ($540,000 across 3 grants), Habitat for Humanity Tacomapierce County ($523,332 across 5 grants) and Tacoma Rescue Mission ($514,063 across 6 grants), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 4 grants to individuals ($21,750), which are not listed by name. Together they received 46% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc?
Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc reported $68.9M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $4.2M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $4.5M (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 Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc fund?
The Foundation’s stated goal is to improve quality of life in the communities where it gives. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc?
The Foundation accepts unsolicited requests through a letter of inquiry (LOI), including from new applicants. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc's EIN?
Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 91-6053760. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc accept unsolicited proposals?
Yes, 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/ben-b-cheney-foundation-inc-morg_365a31a498ef4ce5818b52c55f5c1a55
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_916053760_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/ben-b-cheney-foundation-inc-morg_365a31a498ef4ce5818b52c55f5c1a55},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Ben B Cheney Foundation 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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