Byer Foundation
Byer Foundation is a private foundation based in San Francisco, California. Its 2025 grants supported organizations working in areas including animal rescue, youth development, education, community services, and water and agricultural development.
Byer Foundation at a glance
In short: Byer Foundation gave $663K across 31 grants in 2025 (avg $21K), mostly in California. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $662,500
- +0.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 31
- -11.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $21,371
- +13.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $15,000
- Total assets
- $13,122,256
- -1.1% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- California (63% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to Byer Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation accepts written communication. It does not restrict giving to preselected organizations, and its filing states there are no restrictions on awards. Contact Marian Byer.
- Contact
Application contact: Marian Byer
Mailing address: 66 Potrero Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94103
Phone: (415) 626-7844
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Byer Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Make-a-Wish Greater Bay Area ($90K). Together the top 10 received $405K.
Grant Size Distribution
143 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 135 grants of 143 (94%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, California received 63% of grant dollars, followed by Oregon at 11%, Florida at 8%, New York at 6%, and Tennessee at 5%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 31 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Byer Foundation gives
- 61% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 40% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 118% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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 $132K (2021) to $663K (2025). In 2025 it made 31 grants totaling $663K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Make-a-Wish Greater Bay Area Oakland, CA | Charitable Donation | $90,000 |
| The Asher House Salem, OR | Charitable Donation | $75,000 |
| Giants Community Fund San Francisco, CA | Charitable Donation | $36,667 |
| SF Campus for Jewish Living San Francisco, CA | Charitable Donation | $35,000 |
| California Community Foundation Los Angeles, CA | Charitable Donation | $30,000 |
| Chi Omega Foundation Memphis, TN | Charitable Donation | $30,000 |
| Water 4 Mercy Clearwater, FL | Charitable Donation | $30,000 |
| UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Foundation San Francisco, CA | Charitable Donation | $28,000 |
| Chronicle Season of Sharing San Francisco, CA | Charitable Donation | $25,000 |
| Lucille Packard Foundation for Children Palo Alto, CA | Charitable Donation | $25,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Byer 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 | $13,122,256 | $565,709 | $700,644 | $662,500 | 31 | $662,500 | $565,709 | $563,465 |
| 2024 | $13,263,370 | $1,232,203 | $688,403 | $657,500 | 35 | $657,500 | $1,232,203 | $622,575 |
| 2023 | $12,714,420 | $644,288 | $567,343 | $535,400 | 27 | $535,400 | $644,288 | $591,643 |
| 2022 | $12,621,875 | $-355,227 | $501,517 | $472,500 | 45 | $472,500 | $67,067 | $592,083 |
| 2021 | $13,478,619 | $1,095,033 | $156,011 | $132,000 | 5 | $132,000 | $1,095,033 | $612,933 |
| 2020 | $12,539,597 | $626,314 | $241,782 | $220,000 | 10 | — | $626,314 | $571,447 |
| 2019 | $11,491,358 | $8,314,557 | $197,132 | $194,000 | 15 | — | $66,166 | $584,051 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Byer Foundation reported a distributable amount of $563K 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 is stated. Its grantees describe a range of missions: The Asher House says it rescues and rehabilitates abused, abandoned, or discarded animals; the Giants Community Fund says it uses baseball and softball to promote health, education, and character development among youth in underserved regions; and the Chi Omega Foundation says it supports educational and leadership development. Water 4 Mercy says it funds sustainable water and energy resources, agricultural development, and vocational training.
Grantmaking
The foundation awarded 31 grants totaling $662,500 in 2025. Grants ranged from $2,500 to $90,000, with a median of $15,000. Recent large awards included $90,000 to Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area, $75,000 to The Asher House, and $36,667 to the Giants Community Fund. Other notable awards included $35,000 to SF Campus for Jewish Living, $30,000 each to California Community Foundation, Chi Omega Foundation, and Water 4 Mercy, and $28,000 to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Marian Byer and Philip J. Byer are listed as trustees.
Byer Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Marian Byer
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Philip J. Byer
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
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 Byer Foundation
How much does Byer Foundation give each year?
Byer Foundation gave $663K across 31 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $658K across 35 grants.
What is Byer Foundation's typical grant size?
Byer Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $15,000, and its average grant was $21,371, across 31 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Byer Foundation give grants?
Byer Foundation gives mostly in California: 63% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Oregon (11%) and Florida (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (6 grants), Burlingame, CA (2 grants) and San Rafael, CA (2 grants).
Does Byer Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 31 grants with a stated purpose on Byer Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable Donation" (31 grants).
Who are Byer Foundation's largest grantees?
Byer Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Make-a-Wish Greater Bay Area ($90,000), The Asher House ($75,000) and Giants Community Fund ($36,667), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 30% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Byer Foundation?
Byer Foundation reported $13.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $663K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $563K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Byer Foundation fund?
No foundation mission is stated. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Byer Foundation?
The foundation accepts written communication. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Byer Foundation's EIN?
Byer Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-3216991. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS April 28, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 29, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 26, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS June 23, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 10, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 1, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 18, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Byer Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Byer Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/byer-foundation-morg_bdc81c1109534ac6baf3a5345456bfb6
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_943216991_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Byer Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/byer-foundation-morg_bdc81c1109534ac6baf3a5345456bfb6},
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 Byer 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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