Blackberry Creek Foundation
Blackberry Creek Foundation is a private foundation based in Berkeley, California. Its 2025 filing reports 17 grants totaling $336,000, primarily to California organizations.
Blackberry Creek Foundation at a glance
In short: Blackberry Creek Foundation gave $336K across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $20K), mostly in California. 6% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $336,000
- +33.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $19,765
- +33.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $6,664,470
- +7.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 6% first-time grantees (1 of 17, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (97% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Blackberry Creek 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: 260 Southampton Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94707
Phone: (510) 501-7046
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Blackberry Creek Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Alameda County Community Food Bank ($150K). Together the top 10 received $295K.
Grant Size Distribution
105 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 95 grants of 105 (90%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation is based in Berkeley, California. Its 2025 grants went predominantly to California recipients, with 97% of grant dollars in California and 3% in Massachusetts.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Blackberry Creek Foundation open to new grantees?
6%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 17 grantees (6%) were first-time recipients. With only 17 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $21K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 94% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−13%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 108% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2021–2025). 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 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $251K (2024) to $385K (2022). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $336K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Alameda County Community Food Bank Oakland, CA | Unrestricted for Charitable Exempt Purpose | $150,000 |
| Bike East Bay Oakland, CA | Unrestricted for Charitable Exempt Purpose | $50,000 |
| Cycles of Change Oakland, CA | Unrestricted for Charitable Exempt Purpose | $25,000 |
| Berkeley High School Development Fund Berkeley, CA | Unrestricted for Charitable Exempt Purpose | $10,000 |
| Berkeley Path Wanderers Berkeley, CA | Unrestricted for Charitable Exempt Purpose | $10,000 |
| Berkeley Public Schools Fund Berkeley, CA | Unrestricted for Charitable Exempt Purpose | $10,000 |
| California Housing Defense Fund Oakland, CA | Unrestricted for Charitable Exempt Purpose | $10,000 |
| California Mobility Fund Sacramento, CA | Unrestricted for Charitable Exempt Purpose | $10,000 |
| Rich City Rides Richmond, CA | Unrestricted for Charitable Exempt Purpose | $10,000 |
| Smith College Northampton, MA | Unrestricted for Charitable Exempt Purpose | $10,000 |
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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 | $6,664,470 | $221,959 | $420,501 | $336,000 | 17 | $345,020 | $158,428 | $318,241 |
| 2024 | $6,219,297 | $786,987 | $340,766 | $251,000 | 17 | $258,298 | $764,144 | $291,037 |
| 2023 | $5,707,153 | $-142,715 | $334,659 | $268,500 | 19 | $277,475 | $124,663 | $275,333 |
| 2022 | $5,399,982 | $-626,785 | $454,048 | $384,812 | 29 | $393,355 | $75,085 | $296,998 |
| 2021 | $7,059,945 | $297,556 | $368,539 | $279,000 | 23 | $293,634 | $223,502 | $348,905 |
| 2020 | $7,000,000 | $7,000,000 | — | — | — | — | — | $19,837 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Blackberry Creek Foundation reported a distributable amount of $318K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations whose own stated missions include pursuing a hunger-free community (Alameda County Community Food Bank), broadening access to cycling (Cycles of Change), making housing more affordable and accessible (California Housing Defense Fund), and championing equitable public education (Berkeley Public Schools Fund). The California Mobility Fund describes its mission as supporting organizations that advocate for equitable, inclusive, and prosperous communities where bicycling helps Californians lead healthy and joyful lives.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 17 grants totaling $336,000. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $150,000, with a median of $10,000. The largest grants were $150,000 to Alameda County Community Food Bank, $50,000 to Bike East Bay, and $25,000 to Cycles of Change. Other listed grants included $10,000 each to Berkeley High School Development Fund, Berkeley Path Wanderers, Berkeley Public Schools Fund, California Housing Defense Fund, California Mobility Fund, Rich City Rides, Smith College, Walk Bike Berkeley, and Walk Oakland Bike Oakland.
The foundation’s filing reports that 97% of 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in California and 3% to recipients in Massachusetts. Grants described in the filing were for unrestricted charitable exempt purposes.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Bryan Walser as chief executive officer and Bianca Walser as chief financial officer and secretary.
Blackberry Creek Foundation is led by Bryan Walser, Chief Executive Officer since 2022 (on filings since 2020); none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Bryan Walser
Chief Executive Officer
Cheif Executive Officer → Chief Executive Officer, 2022
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Bianca Walser
Chief Financial Officer & Secretary
Cheif Financial Officer & Secretary → Chief Financial Officer & Secretary, 2022
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
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 Blackberry Creek Foundation
How much does Blackberry Creek Foundation give each year?
Blackberry Creek Foundation gave $336K across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $251K across 17 grants.
What is Blackberry Creek Foundation's typical grant size?
Blackberry Creek Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $19,765, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Blackberry Creek Foundation that year got $5K on average.
Where does Blackberry Creek Foundation give grants?
Blackberry Creek Foundation gives mostly in California: 97% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Berkeley, CA (6 grants), Oakland, CA (5 grants) and Richmond, CA (3 grants).
Does Blackberry Creek Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Blackberry Creek Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (17 of 17) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Blackberry Creek Foundation's largest grantees?
Blackberry Creek Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Alameda County Community Food Bank ($150,000), Bike East Bay ($50,000) and Cycles of Change ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 67% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Blackberry Creek Foundation?
Blackberry Creek Foundation reported $6.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $345K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $318K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Blackberry Creek Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Blackberry Creek 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 Blackberry Creek Foundation's EIN?
Blackberry Creek Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 85-4263182. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Blackberry Creek 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS June 17, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 15, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 7, 2026)
Explore Open Grants
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Blackberry Creek Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/blackberry-creek-foundation-morg_970a91041af04ff79ab0930b69d095d9
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_854263182_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Blackberry Creek Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/blackberry-creek-foundation-morg_970a91041af04ff79ab0930b69d095d9},
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 Blackberry Creek 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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