Brett Family Foundation
The Brett Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Boulder, Colorado. Founded by Linda Shoemaker and Steve Brett in 2000, it supports organizations working for social justice and nonprofit media across Colorado, as well as Boulder County nonprofits serving at-risk youth and families.
Brett Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Brett Family Foundation gave $481K across 46 grants in 2025 (avg $10K), mostly in Colorado. 12% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $481,000
- -4.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 46
- -6.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $10,457
- +1.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $6,457,497
- -4.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 12% first-time grantees (5 of 43, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Colorado (93% 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 Brett Family Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation has no prescribed application form. First-time applicants should submit a letter of inquiry at least two months before the relevant deadline, describing their organization, the proposed program or project and amount requested, anticipated outcomes and assessment plans, current operating budget and any project budget, and a current IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter. The foundation will invite a full proposal or decline the inquiry; it encourages use of the Colorado Common Grant Application format for full proposals. The foundation generally does not fund individuals, programs outside Colorado, religious organizations, individual schools, or large public charities. It cannot fund candidates for political office, but can support voter registration efforts.
- Review Cycle
- Social Justice applications have a March 31 cycle deadline, with invitations sent in early March. Media applications have a June 30 deadline, with invitations sent in early June. The Direct Services program is administered by The Community Foundation Boulder County.
- Deadline
- Social Justice applications have a March 31 cycle deadline, with invitations sent in early March.
- Contact
Application contact: The Brett Family Foundation
Mailing address: 1123 Spruce Street, Boulder, CO 80302
Phone: (303) 442-1200
Email: info@brettfoundation.org
Website: https://brettfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Brett Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County ($90K). Together the top 10 received $304K.
Grant Size Distribution
242 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 230 grants of 242 (95%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s stated programs focus on organizations throughout Colorado and direct-service nonprofits in Boulder County. In 2025, reported grant dollars went to recipients in Colorado (93%), New York (4%), Washington, D.C. (2%), Pennsylvania (1%), and Wyoming (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 46 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Brett Family Foundation open to new grantees?
12%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 43 grantees (12%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $12K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 81% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−16%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 119% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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 $474K (2021) to $573K (2022). In 2025 it made 46 grants totaling $481K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County Boulder, CO | Brett - Shoemaker Fund: Lyons Community Foundation | $90,000 |
| The Bell Policy Center Denver, CO | General support | $60,000 |
| New Era Colorado Foundation Boulder, CO | General Support | $35,000 |
| University of Colorado Foundation Broomfield, CO | Center for African and African American Studies | $30,000 |
| Colorado Symphony Association Denver, CO | General Support | $15,000 |
| Colorado Times Recorder Denver, CO | General Support | $15,000 |
| Community Resource Center Inc Denver, CO | General support | $13,000 |
| Colorado Democracy Network Denver, CO | General support | $10,000 |
| Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition Denver, CO | General support | $10,000 |
| Conservation Colorado Education Fund Denver, CO | General support | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Brett Family 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 | $6,457,497 | $370,638 | $651,514 | $481,000 | 46 | $552,080 | $261,071 | $465,820 |
| 2024 | $6,745,226 | $246,657 | $662,021 | $503,500 | 49 | $564,978 | $148,407 | $445,523 |
| 2023 | $7,159,330 | $293,618 | $643,397 | $494,000 | 47 | $553,219 | $198,395 | $416,777 |
| 2022 | $8,175,550 | $236,438 | $736,165 | $573,000 | 53 | $627,264 | $138,734 | $437,543 |
| 2021 | $10,700,976 | $866,675 | $644,089 | $473,500 | 47 | $524,595 | $761,118 | $500,635 |
| 2020 | $10,054,065 | $708,893 | $654,067 | $504,000 | 41 | — | $607,068 | $436,480 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Brett Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $466K 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
The foundation’s mission is to promote caring communities by investing in Colorado organizations working for social justice, developing nonprofit media, and addressing the needs of at-risk families in Boulder County.
Its three program areas are statewide social justice, media grantmaking, and direct services in Boulder County. Social justice support focuses on addressing the root causes of social, economic, gender, and racial inequities through community organizing, research, policy development, and civic engagement. Media grants support Colorado nonprofits working in public interest journalism, news literacy, and civic engagement. Direct services grants support Boulder County nonprofits providing services to traditionally marginalized youth and families; this program is administered by The Community Foundation Boulder County.
Examples of grantees’ work include The Bell Policy Center, whose mission is to promote economic mobility for every Coloradan, and New Era Colorado Foundation, which says it organizes young people to participate in the political process and develop as leaders. Community Resource Center describes its work as empowering Colorado nonprofits through connections, convenings, and capacity building. Public Broadcasting of Colorado says it delivers news, music, and cultural experiences to people across Colorado.
Grantmaking
The foundation awarded 46 grants totaling $481,000 in 2025, compared with 49 grants totaling $503,500 in 2024 and 47 grants totaling $494,000 in 2023. In 2025, grants ranged from $1,000 to $90,000, with a median of $5,000. The foundation says grants typically range from $2,500 to $10,000; it considers multi-year grants for organizations with which it has a past funding relationship.
The largest reported 2025 grant was $90,000 to The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County for the “Brett - Shoemaker Fund: Lyons Community Foundation.” Other notable awards included $60,000 to The Bell Policy Center for general support, $35,000 to New Era Colorado Foundation for general support, and $30,000 to University of Colorado Foundation for the Center for African and African American Studies.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Linda Shoemaker and Steve Brett founded the foundation and serve as trustees. The foundation’s website says they and their three adult children direct its grantmaking.
Brett Family Foundation is led by Linda J. Shoemaker, President since 2023 (on filings since 2020); none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Linda J. Shoemaker
President
President & Trustee → President, 2023
On filings since 2020
2.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Stephen M. Brett
Chairman
Chairman & Trustee → Chairman, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/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 Brett Family Foundation
How much does Brett Family Foundation give each year?
Brett Family Foundation gave $481K across 46 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $504K across 49 grants.
What is Brett Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Brett Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $10,457, across 46 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Brett Family Foundation that year got $6K on average.
Where does Brett Family Foundation give grants?
Brett Family Foundation gives mostly in Colorado: 93% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Denver, CO (24 grants), Broomfield, CO (4 grants), Boulder, CO (3 grants) and New York, NY (3 grants).
Does Brett Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 85% of Brett Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (39 of 46) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Brett Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Brett Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County ($90,000), The Bell Policy Center ($60,000) and University of Colorado Foundation ($46,000 across 4 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 41% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Brett Family Foundation?
Brett Family Foundation reported $6.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $552K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $466K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Brett Family Foundation fund?
The foundation’s mission is to promote caring communities by investing in Colorado organizations working for social justice, developing nonprofit media, and addressing the needs of at-risk families in Boulder County. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Brett Family Foundation?
The foundation has no prescribed application form. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Brett Family Foundation's EIN?
Brett Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 84-1525821. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 2, 2021)
- 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 9, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 8, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 21, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 20, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Live grants for the work Brett Family Foundation funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Brett Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/brett-family-foundation-morg_95c22d5325ea49bcb5abc0af1db8704b
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_841525821_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Brett Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/brett-family-foundation-morg_95c22d5325ea49bcb5abc0af1db8704b},
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 Brett 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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