Brooks Foundation
Brooks Foundation is a private foundation based in Seattle, Washington. In 2025, it made 15 grants totaling $770,000, including support for a university scholarship and general support for charitable organizations.
Brooks Foundation at a glance
In short: Brooks Foundation gave $770K across 15 grants in 2025 (avg $51K), mostly in Washington. 0% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $770,000
- -1.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 15
- -11.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $51,333
- +11.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $12,801,661
- +3.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 0% first-time grantees (0 of 14, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Washington (84% 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 Brooks Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests; it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 200 W Mercer St Ste E300, Seattle, WA 98119
Phone: (206) 285-7242
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Brooks Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was University of Puget Sound ($400K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $700K.
Grant Size Distribution
74 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 54 grants of 74 (73%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 84% of grant dollars went to recipients in Washington, 10% to recipients in Washington, DC, 3% to recipients in Illinois, and 3% to recipients in California.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Brooks Foundation open to new grantees?
0%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 0 of 14 grantees (0%) were first-time recipients. With only 14 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. How we count
- 100% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 24% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 99% 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 (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 $602K (2020) to $780K (2024). In 2025 it made 15 grants totaling $770K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| University of Puget Sound Tacoma, WA | Endowed Scholarship | $300,000 |
| University of Puget Sound Tacoma, WA | General Support | $100,000 |
| American Lands Project Seattle, WA | General Support | $75,000 |
| Alaska Wilderness League Washington, DC | General Support | $50,000 |
| C895 - KNHC Public Radio Association Seattle, WA | General Support | $25,000 |
| KCTS 9 - Cascade Public Media Seattle, WA | General Support | $25,000 |
| Kuow - Puget Sound Public Radio Seattle, WA | General Support | $25,000 |
| National Park Foundation Washington, DC | General Support | $25,000 |
| Seattle Humane Society Bellevue, WA | General Support | $25,000 |
| Sigma Alpha Epsilon Foundation Evanston, IL | General Support | $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 | $12,801,661 | $1,412,430 | $947,267 | $770,000 | 15 | $779,807 | $532,486 | $787,506 |
| 2024 | $12,336,498 | $1,022,973 | $928,716 | $780,000 | 17 | $792,779 | $419,245 | $725,872 |
| 2023 | $12,242,241 | $924,176 | $889,135 | $770,000 | 16 | $778,645 | $302,300 | $648,497 |
| 2022 | $12,207,200 | $1,274,917 | $751,716 | $620,000 | 14 | $631,912 | $310,087 | $630,324 |
| 2021 | $11,683,999 | $1,494,617 | $866,138 | $750,000 | 12 | $759,656 | $370,136 | $630,274 |
| 2020 | $11,055,520 | $1,422,388 | $682,594 | $602,000 | 10 | — | $177,376 | $528,450 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Brooks Foundation reported a distributable amount of $788K 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 mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included an endowed scholarship at the University of Puget Sound and general support for organizations working in areas including public lands, wilderness protection, public media, parks, education, and outdoor recreation.
Those areas reflect the grantees’ own descriptions. For example, American Lands Project says its mission is to connect decision-makers and thought leaders with public lands through educational programming and travel opportunities. Alaska Wilderness League says it works to protect Alaska’s wild lands and waters by building support for federal policy action. Washington Trails Association describes its mission as connecting people to the outdoors and building a community that gives back to trails and public lands. KUOW says it provides news, information, and cultural programs to the greater Seattle area to help create and serve a more informed public.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 15 grants totaling $770,000. Grant amounts ranged from $10,000 to $300,000, with a median grant of $25,000. The largest listed grants included $300,000 for an endowed scholarship and $100,000 for general support, both to the University of Puget Sound. Other listed awards included $75,000 to American Lands Project and $50,000 to Alaska Wilderness League. Several organizations received $25,000, including the National Park Foundation, KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio, and UCLA Foundation.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Richard Brooks as president and treasurer and Stephanie Brooks as vice president and secretary.
Brooks Foundation is led by Richard Brooks, President & Treasurer on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Richard Brooks
President & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Stephanie Brooks
Vice President & Secretary
On filings since 2020
0.8 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 Brooks Foundation
How much does Brooks Foundation give each year?
Brooks Foundation gave $770K across 15 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $780K across 17 grants.
What is Brooks Foundation's typical grant size?
Brooks Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $51,333, across 15 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Brooks Foundation give grants?
Brooks Foundation gives mostly in Washington: 84% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was District of Columbia (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Seattle, WA (6 grants), Tacoma, WA (3 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does Brooks Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 93% of Brooks Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (14 of 15) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Brooks Foundation's largest grantees?
Brooks Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include University of Puget Sound ($400,000 across 2 grants), American Lands Project ($75,000) and Alaska Wilderness League ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 68% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Brooks Foundation?
Brooks Foundation reported $12.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $780K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $788K (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 Brooks Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included an endowed scholarship at the University of Puget Sound and general support for organizations working in areas including public lands, wilderness protection, public media, parks, education, and outdoor recreation. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Brooks Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests; it 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 Brooks Foundation's EIN?
Brooks Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 83-2764877. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Brooks 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 September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 10, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 11, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 6, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS September 7, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 12, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Brooks Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/brooks-foundation-morg_8c53ea49b7244137af9bd64a204955db
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_832764877_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Brooks Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/brooks-foundation-morg_8c53ea49b7244137af9bd64a204955db},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Brooks 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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