Bessler Family Foundation
Bessler Family Foundation is a private foundation, based in Wilmington, DE. IRS filing data is available from 2022 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $1.3M in total assets. In 2025, it awarded 3 grants totaling $13K. Net investment income was $196K.
Bessler Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Bessler Family Foundation gave $13K across 3 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), mostly in Washington. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $13,000
- -78.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 3
- +50.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $4,333
- -85.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $1,285,284
- +15.4% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Washington (62% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026.
Who Bessler Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 3 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Communities in Schools of Tacoma ($5K). Together the top 3 received $13K.
Grant Size Distribution
5 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 4 grants of 5 (80%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 3 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Bessler Family Foundation gives
- In 2025 it paid out 39% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2024 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $13K (2025) to $60K (2024). In 2025 it made 3 grants totaling $13K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Communities in Schools of Tacoma Tacoma, WA | All IN for Kids Luncheon | $5,000 |
| Friends of the Sawtooth National Forest Avalanche Ketchum, ID | General & Unrestricted | $5,000 |
| Tacoma Education Dream Fund Tacoma, WA | General & Unrestricted | $3,000 |
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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 | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,285,284 | $198,137 | $26,770 | $13,000 | 3 | $23,530 | $196,352 | $60,019 |
| 2024 | $1,113,917 | $106,353 | $72,596 | $60,136 | 2 | $70,236 | $104,670 | $56,920 |
| 2023 | $1,080,160 | $49,883 | $31,398 | — | — | $15,737 | $48,693 | $50,814 |
| 2022 | $1,061,675 | $1,061,675 | — | — | — | — | $1,041,085 | — |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Bessler Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $60K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Bessler Family Foundation is led by Michele M Cannon Bessler, Director, President & Secretary on every filing since 2022; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Michele M Cannon Bessler
Director, President & Secretary
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Robert A Bessler
Treasurer, Director & Vice President
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 Bessler Family Foundation
How much does Bessler Family Foundation give each year?
Bessler Family Foundation gave $13K across 3 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $60K across 2 grants.
What is Bessler Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Bessler Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $4,333, across 3 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Bessler Family Foundation give grants?
Bessler Family Foundation gives mostly in Washington: 62% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Idaho (38%). The most frequent recipient cities were Tacoma, WA (2 grants).
Does Bessler Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 67% of Bessler Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (2 of 3) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
How large is Bessler Family Foundation?
Bessler Family Foundation reported $1.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $24K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $60K (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 is Bessler Family Foundation's EIN?
Bessler Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 88-3669001. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2022–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings.
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 August 2, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS July 18, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 17, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 1, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2022–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Bessler Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Bessler Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/bessler-family-foundation-morg_37eaeb578fbb43c7bba01bcf279aaa87
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_883669001_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Bessler Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/bessler-family-foundation-morg_37eaeb578fbb43c7bba01bcf279aaa87},
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 Bessler Family 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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