Bob a Ross Foundation Inc
Bob a Ross Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in San Francisco, California. In its 2025 filing, it reported 29 grants totaling $519,639, supporting organizations that include arts and cultural institutions, LGBTQ+ organizations, and community-service organizations.
Bob a Ross Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Bob a Ross Foundation Inc gave $520K across 29 grants in 2025 (avg $18K), mostly in California. 21% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $519,639
- +15.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 29
- -6.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $17,919
- +23.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $931,014
- -28.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 21% first-time grantees (6 of 29, 2025)
- Primary geography
- California (82% 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 Bob a Ross Foundation Inc
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 950 Rockdale Drive, San Francisco, CA 94127-1725
Phone: (415) 861-5019
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Bob a Ross Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Santa Fe Opera ($60K). Together the top 10 received $356K.
Grant Size Distribution
134 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 124 grants of 134 (93%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars were reported as 82% to California recipients, 18% to New Mexico recipients, and 1% to Texas recipients. Named recipients include organizations in San Francisco and Santa Fe.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 29 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Bob a Ross Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
21%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 29 grantees (21%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $20K. How we count
Medians: $8K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 72% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+11%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 483% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $383K (2023) to $604K (2019). In 2025 it made 29 grants totaling $520K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Fe Opera Santa Fe, NM | Unrestricted | $60,000 |
| San Francisco Opera San Francisco, CA | Unrestricted | $46,000 |
| GLBT Historical Society San Francisco, CA | Unrestricted | $40,000 |
| San Francisco Ballet Association San Francisco, CA | Unrestricted | $40,000 |
| Yerba Buena Center for the Arts San Francisco, CA | Unrestricted | $35,000 |
| San Francisco Gay Mens Chorus San Francisco, CA | Unrestricted | $30,000 |
| San Francisco Symphony San Francisco, CA | Unrestricted | $30,000 |
| KDFC Classical Radio San Francisco, CA | Unrestricted | $25,000 |
| Larkin Street Youth Services San Francisco, CA | Unrestricted | $25,000 |
| Lensic Performing Arts Center Santa Fe, NM | Unrestricted | $25,000 |
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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 | $931,014 | $167,267 | $544,498 | $519,639 | 29 | $519,639 | $158,490 | $107,585 |
| 2024 | $1,308,245 | $271,180 | $468,117 | $449,117 | 31 | $457,726 | $262,364 | $113,079 |
| 2023 | $1,505,182 | $108,113 | $412,278 | $383,375 | 27 | $383,375 | $95,818 | $114,149 |
| 2022 | $1,809,347 | $166,233 | $486,216 | $467,500 | 27 | $467,500 | $158,473 | $134,382 |
| 2021 | $2,130,528 | $211,166 | $399,784 | $384,750 | 20 | $395,904 | $210,216 | $161,420 |
| 2020 | $2,327,948 | $167,308 | $617,345 | $602,000 | 24 | — | $163,138 | $141,937 |
| 2019 | $2,768,267 | $372,717 | $622,310 | $604,100 | 26 | — | $367,083 | $165,333 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Bob a Ross Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $108K 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 performing arts and cultural organizations, LGBTQ+ organizations, and community services. For example, the San Francisco Symphony describes its mission as inspiring and serving audiences and communities through musical performance. Frameline says it works to change the world through queer cinema, while Larkin Street Youth Services describes its mission as helping youth move beyond the street.
Other supported organizations describe a range of community roles: Openhouse serves LGBTQ+ seniors through housing, services, and programs; the Giants Community Fund uses baseball and softball to promote youth health, education, and character development; and the Old Santa Fe Association works to preserve Santa Fe’s heritage, structures, traditions, cultural assets, and environment. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts describes itself as a gathering space for creative expression and meaningful connection.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 29 grants totaling $519,639. Grants ranged from $2,500 to $60,000, with a median of $10,000. The largest listed awards included $60,000 to Santa Fe Opera, $46,000 to San Francisco Opera, $40,000 each to GLBT Historical Society and San Francisco Ballet Association, and $35,000 to Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. These grants were listed as unrestricted.
Other 2025 recipients included San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus and San Francisco Symphony ($30,000 each); KDFC Classical Radio, Larkin Street Youth Services, and Lensic Performing Arts Center ($25,000 each); and Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and Frameline ($20,000 each).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Thomas E Horn as president, Paul Melbostad as secretary, and Matthew Goudeau as CFO.
Bob a Ross Foundation Inc is led by Thomas E. Horn, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Thomas E. Horn
President
On filings since 2019
25 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Matthew Goudeau
CFO
Secretary → CFO, 2025
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Paul Melbostad
Secretary
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Singerlewak LLP (2021–2024) — CFO
- Former: Edward T. Peter (2019–2021) — Secretary
- Former: Mitchell Richstone (2019–2020) — CFO
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 Bob a Ross Foundation Inc
How much does Bob a Ross Foundation Inc give each year?
Bob a Ross Foundation Inc gave $520K across 29 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $449K across 31 grants.
What is Bob a Ross Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Bob a Ross Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $17,919, across 29 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Bob a Ross Foundation Inc that year got $10K on average.
Where does Bob a Ross Foundation Inc give grants?
Bob a Ross Foundation Inc gives mostly in California: 82% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New Mexico (18%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (23 grants) and Santa Fe, NM (3 grants).
Does Bob a Ross Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Bob a Ross Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (29 of 29) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Bob a Ross Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Bob a Ross Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Santa Fe Opera ($60,000), San Francisco Opera ($46,000) and GLBT Historical Society ($40,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 28% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Bob a Ross Foundation Inc?
Bob a Ross Foundation Inc reported $931K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $520K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $108K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Bob a Ross Foundation Inc fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for performing arts and cultural organizations, LGBTQ+ organizations, and community services. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Bob a Ross Foundation Inc?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Bob a Ross Foundation Inc's EIN?
Bob a Ross Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-3254090. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Bob a Ross Foundation Inc 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
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS August 19, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Bob a Ross Foundation Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Bob a Ross Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/bob-a-ross-foundation-inc-morg_c45d4f47239e46199aa134b1be09dea3
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_943254090_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Bob a Ross Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/bob-a-ross-foundation-inc-morg_c45d4f47239e46199aa134b1be09dea3},
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 Bob a Ross 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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