Cestra Butner Family Foundation
Cestra Butner Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Oakland, California. Its 2024 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, including organizations in Oakland and elsewhere.
Cestra Butner Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Cestra Butner Family Foundation gave $1.4M across 15 grants in 2024 (avg $93K), mostly in California. 13% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,400,000
- +22.8% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 15
- +15.4% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $93,333
- +6.4% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $12,819,757
- -3.2% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 13% first-time grantees (2 of 15, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (76% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Cestra Butner Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 13485 Campus Drive, Oakland, CA 94619
Phone: (510) 500-9548
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Cestra Butner Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Children's Fairyland ($375K). Together the top 10 received $1.3M.
Grant Size Distribution
63 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 34 grants of 63 (54%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 76% of grant dollars went to recipients in California and 18% to recipients in Washington, DC. The remaining shares went to Georgia (4%), Massachusetts (2%), and Illinois (1%). Oakland organizations among the listed recipients included Children’s Fairyland, Oakland Symphony, Hidden Genius Project, OK Program of Oakland, and Oakland Zoo.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Cestra Butner Family Foundation open to new grantees?
13%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 2 of 15 grantees (13%) were first-time recipients. With only 15 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $138K; repeat grants $87K. How we count
Medians: $138K first-time, $25K repeat.
- 80% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving fell 43% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 218% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $635K (2020) to $2.4M (2021). In 2024 it made 15 grants totaling $1.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Children's Fairyland Oakland, CA | General Support | $375,000 |
| Peace Corps Foundation Washington, DC | General Support | $250,000 |
| Oakland Symphony Oakland, CA | General Support | $175,000 |
| Hidden Genius Project Oakland, CA | General Support | $125,000 |
| Ok Program of Oakland Oakland, CA | General Support | $125,000 |
| Oakland Zoo Oakland, CA | General Support | $125,000 |
| Oral Lee Brown Foundation Oakland, CA | General Support | $50,000 |
| 100 Black Men of America Inc Atlanta, GA | Scholarships | $25,000 |
| Alpha Gamma Boule Foundation Oakland, CA | General Support | $25,000 |
| Boule Foundation Atlanta, GA | General Support | $25,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Cestra Butner 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $12,819,757 | $856,907 | $1,274,855 | $1,400,000 | 15 | $1,414,458 | $780,110 | $648,545 |
| 2023 | $13,241,990 | $271,488 | $1,820,423 | $1,140,000 | 13 | $1,157,595 | $236,572 | $625,043 |
| 2022 | $12,575,363 | $1,313,952 | $1,368,911 | $960,000 | 12 | $973,580 | $1,224,795 | $623,503 |
| 2021 | $15,816,372 | $1,311,696 | $3,242,078 | $2,442,000 | 15 | $2,460,591 | $1,257,393 | $785,777 |
| 2020 | $16,146,104 | $6,367,821 | $943,142 | $635,000 | 8 | — | $314,364 | $561,597 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Cestra Butner Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $649K for 2024 — 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 2024 grants show support for organizations whose own missions include training and mentoring Black male youth in technology, entrepreneurship, and leadership (Hidden Genius Project); improving community quality of life and educational and economic opportunities (100 Black Men of America); and providing scholarships and community grants (Boule Foundation).
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the foundation made 15 grants totaling $1,400,000. Grants ranged from $15,000 to $375,000, with a median of $25,000. Among the largest awards were $375,000 to Children’s Fairyland, $250,000 to Peace Corps Foundation, $175,000 to Oakland Symphony, and $125,000 each to Hidden Genius Project, OK Program of Oakland, and Oakland Zoo. The listed purposes for these grants were general support. Other grants included $50,000 to Oral Lee Brown Foundation for general support and $25,000 to 100 Black Men of America for scholarships.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Cestra Butner and Teresa Butner as trustees.
Cestra Butner Family Foundation's 2024 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Cestra Butner
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Teresa Butner
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Cestra Butner Family Foundation
How much does Cestra Butner Family Foundation give each year?
Cestra Butner Family Foundation gave $1.4M across 15 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $1.1M across 13 grants.
What is Cestra Butner Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Cestra Butner Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $25,000, and its average grant was $93,333, across 15 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Cestra Butner Family Foundation that year got $138K on average.
Where does Cestra Butner Family Foundation give grants?
Cestra Butner Family Foundation gives mostly in California: 76% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was District of Columbia (18%). The most frequent recipient cities were Oakland, CA (9 grants) and Atlanta, GA (2 grants).
Does Cestra Butner Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 93% of Cestra Butner Family Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (14 of 15) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Cestra Butner Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Cestra Butner Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Children's Fairyland ($375,000), Peace Corps Foundation ($250,000) and Oakland Symphony ($175,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 57% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Cestra Butner Family Foundation?
Cestra Butner Family Foundation reported $12.8M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.4M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $649K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Cestra Butner Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Cestra Butner Family Foundation?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Cestra Butner Family Foundation's EIN?
Cestra Butner Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-0730704. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Cestra Butner 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Cestra Butner Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/cestra-butner-family-foundation-morg_8dac11e50fb4454a9af5f05b685ce25c
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_810730704_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Cestra Butner Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/cestra-butner-family-foundation-morg_8dac11e50fb4454a9af5f05b685ce25c},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-04. 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 Cestra Butner 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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