Charles Piper Cost Foundation
The Charles Piper Cost Foundation is a private foundation based in Berkeley, California. In 2025, it made grants to charitable organizations, with the listed grant purposes identified as general operating support.
Charles Piper Cost Foundation at a glance
In short: Charles Piper Cost Foundation gave $62K across 23 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in California. 9% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $62,200
- -2.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 23
- -8.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,704
- +5.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,500
- Total assets
- $538,075
- -3.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 9% first-time grantees (2 of 23, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (69% 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 Charles Piper Cost 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: 2950 Avalon Ave, Berkeley, CA 94705
Phone: (415) 613-3458
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Charles Piper Cost Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Fulcrum Foundation ($5K). Together the top 10 received $35K.
Grant Size Distribution
166 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 166 grants of 166 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, grant dollars went to recipients in California (69%), Montana (14%), Washington (8%), Minnesota (4%), and Oregon (4%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 23 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Charles Piper Cost Foundation open to new grantees?
9%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 23 grantees (9%) were first-time recipients. With only 23 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $4K first-time, $3K repeat.
- 91% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−1%). Method
- In 2023 it paid out 109% 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 $55K (2020) to $64K (2021). In 2025 it made 23 grants totaling $62K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Fulcrum Foundation Seattle, WA | General Operating | $5,000 |
| The Producer Partnership Livingston, MT | General Operating | $5,000 |
| Siesta Valley Foundation Lafayette, CA | General Operating | $5,000 |
| Chronicle Season of Sharing Fund San Francisco, CA | General Operating | $3,700 |
| Golden State Salmon Association San Francisco, CA | General Operating | $3,000 |
| Joe Goode Performace Group San Francisco, CA | General Operating | $3,000 |
| Caltrout San Francisco, CA | General Operating | $2,500 |
| Habitot Children's Museum Berkeley, CA | General Operating | $2,500 |
| Impact Justice Oakland, CA | General Operating | $2,500 |
| La Luz Center Sonoma, CA | General Operating | $2,500 |
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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 | $538,075 | $51,422 | $63,781 | $62,200 | 23 | $62,200 | $51,422 | — |
| 2024 | $559,677 | $61,501 | $67,077 | $64,000 | 25 | $64,000 | $61,501 | — |
| 2023 | $558,065 | $54,149 | $63,593 | $59,900 | 36 | $63,593 | $54,149 | $58,340 |
| 2022 | $571,509 | $52,687 | $66,713 | $62,900 | 38 | $66,713 | $52,687 | $61,124 |
| 2021 | $583,970 | $33,843 | $73,714 | $64,100 | 44 | $73,714 | $35,604 | $62,932 |
| 2020 | $612,341 | $380,988 | $58,116 | $54,600 | 43 | — | $126,053 | $57,979 |
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 support for organizations with varied missions. For example, the Chronicle Season of Sharing Fund says it distributes funds for critical family needs, housing assistance, and food programs in the San Francisco Bay Area. Golden State Salmon Association says it works to protect and enhance Central Valley salmon and their habitat. Habitot Children’s Museum says it provides art- and play-based experiences for young children and supports their caregivers.
Other recipients describe work on justice reform (Impact Justice), community services and economic advancement (La Luz Center), trail stewardship (Redwood Trails Alliance), river ecosystem conservation (Western Rivers Conservancy), and college access for Berkeley youth facing barriers (Berkeley Community Scholars).
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 23 grants totaling $62,200. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $5,000, with a median of $2,500. The largest grants were $5,000 each to Fulcrum Foundation, The Producer Partnership, and Siesta Valley Foundation; each was designated for general operating support. Other notable grants included $3,700 to Chronicle Season of Sharing Fund and $3,000 each to Golden State Salmon Association and Joe Goode Performace Group.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
David W Cost Jr was listed as a trustee on the 2025 filing.
Charles Piper Cost Foundation is led by David W. Cost Jr., Trustee on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
David W. Cost Jr.
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: David W Cost Sr. (2020–2023) — Trustee
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 Charles Piper Cost Foundation
How much does Charles Piper Cost Foundation give each year?
Charles Piper Cost Foundation gave $62K across 23 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $64K across 25 grants.
What is Charles Piper Cost Foundation's typical grant size?
Charles Piper Cost Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,500, and its average grant was $2,704, across 23 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Charles Piper Cost Foundation that year got $4K on average.
Where does Charles Piper Cost Foundation give grants?
Charles Piper Cost Foundation gives mostly in California: 69% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Montana (14%) and Washington (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (4 grants), Berkeley, CA (4 grants), Oakland, CA (2 grants) and Sonoma, CA (2 grants).
Does Charles Piper Cost Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 91% of Charles Piper Cost Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (21 of 23) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Charles Piper Cost Foundation's largest grantees?
Charles Piper Cost Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Fulcrum Foundation ($5,000), The Producer Partnership ($5,000) and Siesta Valley Foundation ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 24% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Charles Piper Cost Foundation?
Charles Piper Cost Foundation reported $538K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $51K.
What does Charles Piper Cost Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations with varied missions. For example, the Chronicle Season of Sharing Fund says it distributes funds for critical family needs, housing assistance, and food programs in the San Francisco Bay Area. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Charles Piper Cost 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 Charles Piper Cost Foundation's EIN?
Charles Piper Cost Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 41-1635764. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Charles Piper Cost 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 13, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 13, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 8, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 7, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS October 6, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Charles Piper Cost Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/charles-piper-cost-foundation-morg_f906a50e9d8f4a8ba004e41eb8778355
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_411635764_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Charles Piper Cost Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/charles-piper-cost-foundation-morg_f906a50e9d8f4a8ba004e41eb8778355},
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 Charles Piper Cost 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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