Caruthers Family Foundation
The Caruthers Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Denver, Colorado. Its 2025 filing reports grants to organizations working in areas including conservation and wildlife, education, music, health, and community services.
Caruthers Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Caruthers Family Foundation gave $636K across 24 grants in 2025 (avg $27K), top state Colorado. 8% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $636,000
- -32.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 24
- -4.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $26,500
- -29.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $12,476,992
- +7.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 8% first-time grantees (2 of 24, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Colorado (44% 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 Caruthers Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
- Contact
Mailing address: 8181 E Tufts Ave Suite 600, Denver, CO 80237
Phone: (303) 740-9400
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Caruthers Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was National Audubon Society ($160K). Together the top 10 received $575K.
Grant Size Distribution
96 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 76 grants of 96 (79%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, grant dollars went to recipients in Colorado (44%), New York (28%), Hawaii (18%), Texas (8%), and California (2%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 24 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Caruthers Family Foundation open to new grantees?
8%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 24 grantees (8%) were first-time recipients. With only 24 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $53K; repeat grants $24K. How we count
Medians: $53K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 88% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 348% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 94% 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 (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 $142K (2022) to $935K (2024). In 2025 it made 24 grants totaling $636K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| National Audubon Society New York, NY | General Fund | $160,000 |
| Cu Foundation FBO Biochemistry Dept Denver, CO | General Fund | $100,000 |
| The Wild Animal Sanctuary Keenesburg, CO | General Fund | $100,000 |
| Island School Lihue, HI | General Fund | $100,000 |
| Southwest Llama Rescue Inc Kerrville, TX | General Fund | $30,000 |
| Rocky Mountain PBS Channel 6 Denver, CO | General Fund | $25,000 |
| Elephant Havens Wildlife Foundation Dallas, TX | General Fund | $20,000 |
| Parlando Incorporated Boulder, CO | General Fund | $20,000 |
| Doctors Wo Borders New York, NY | General Fund | $10,000 |
| Rocky Mountain Conservancy Estes Park, CO | General Fund | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Caruthers Family Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The 2025 filing reports 24 grants; the 2024 filing reports 25, and the 2023 filing reports 16.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $12,476,992 | $2,344,435 | $679,819 | $636,000 | 24 | $640,280 | $1,525,532 | $683,253 |
| 2024 | $11,601,279 | $601,490 | $970,497 | $935,000 | 25 | $935,000 | $576,448 | $628,200 |
| 2023 | $11,970,286 | $538,439 | $558,755 | $531,000 | 16 | $531,000 | $515,689 | $625,271 |
| 2022 | $11,993,480 | $408,120 | $178,942 | $142,000 | 14 | $143,177 | $384,110 | $662,148 |
| 2021 | $11,764,302 | $594,224 | $455,767 | $416,401 | 17 | — | $571,089 | $643,551 |
| 2020 | $11,625,845 | $326,178 | $378,239 | $272,525 | 14 | — | $305,471 | $583,541 |
| 2019 | $11,677,906 | $15,418,084 | $771,534 | $760,256 | 18 | — | $8,215,511 | $193,446 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Caruthers Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $683K 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 show support for a range of organizations. For example, the National Audubon Society says it works toward a future where birds thrive across the Americas through conservation. The Wild Animal Sanctuary describes its work as animal sanctuary and public education on captive wildlife, while The Marine Mammal Center says it advances ocean conservation through marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation, research, and education. Island School describes its mission as preparing students for productive, fulfilling lives and providing a challenging curriculum and nurturing environment. Parlando Incorporated provides music lessons and classes for people of all ages and abilities.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 24 grants totaling $636,000. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $160,000, with a median grant of $5,000. The largest reported awards included $160,000 to the National Audubon Society; $100,000 each to CU Foundation FBO Biochemistry Department, The Wild Animal Sanctuary, and Island School; and $30,000 to Southwest Llama Rescue.
Other reported grants included $25,000 to Rocky Mountain PBS Channel 6, $20,000 each to Elephant Havens Wildlife Foundation and Parlando Incorporated, and $10,000 each to Doctors Without Borders, Rocky Mountain Conservancy, and The Marine Mammal Center. The filing lists the purposes of these grants as “general fund.”
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Marvin H. Caruthers as director and president and Fiona M. Caruthers as director and vice president.
Caruthers Family Foundation is led by Marvin H. Caruthers, Director & President on every filing since 2019; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Marvin H. Caruthers
Director & President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Fiona M. Caruthers
Director & Vice President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
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 Caruthers Family Foundation
How much does Caruthers Family Foundation give each year?
Caruthers Family Foundation gave $636K across 24 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $935K across 25 grants.
What is Caruthers Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Caruthers Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $26,500, across 24 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Caruthers Family Foundation that year got $53K on average.
Where does Caruthers Family Foundation give grants?
Caruthers Family Foundation's top state is Colorado, with 44% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (28%) and Hawaii (18%). The most frequent recipient cities were Denver, CO (4 grants), New York, NY (3 grants), Boulder, CO (3 grants) and Honolulu, HI (3 grants).
Does Caruthers Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Caruthers Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (24 of 24) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Caruthers Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Caruthers Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include National Audubon Society ($160,000), Cu Foundation FBO Biochemistry Dept ($100,000) and The Wild Animal Sanctuary ($100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 57% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Caruthers Family Foundation?
Caruthers Family Foundation reported $12.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $640K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $683K (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 Caruthers Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations. For example, the National Audubon Society says it works toward a future where birds thrive across the Americas through conservation. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Caruthers Family Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Caruthers Family Foundation's EIN?
Caruthers Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 84-1289459. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Caruthers Family 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
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS January 13, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS January 14, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS January 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 8, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS January 27, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 30, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Live grants for the work Caruthers Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Browse active grant opportunities in Caruthers Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Caruthers Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/caruthers-family-foundation-morg_454e9b1649a94e2fb8c1babad3d16764
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_841289459_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Caruthers Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/caruthers-family-foundation-morg_454e9b1649a94e2fb8c1babad3d16764},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-21. 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 Caruthers 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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