Combs Foundation
Combs Foundation is a private foundation based in Los Altos Hills, California. Its 2025 filing reports 42 grants totaling $57,205 to charitable organizations, with most grant dollars going to recipients in California.
Combs Foundation at a glance
In short: Combs Foundation gave $57K across 42 grants in 2025 (avg $1K), mostly in California. 27% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $57,205
- +39.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 42
- +40.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $1,362
- -0.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $500
- Total assets
- $64,696
- -7.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 27% first-time grantees (11 of 41, 2025)
- Primary geography
- California (88% 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 Combs 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 for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 26640 Snell Ct, Los Altos Hls, CA 94022-2090
Phone: (650) 464-4641
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Combs Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Music for Minors ($11K). Together the top 10 received $41K.
Grant Size Distribution
152 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 152 grants of 152 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 88% of grant dollars went to recipients in California. New York and Washington, D.C., each received 5%; Illinois and Washington each received 1%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 42 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Combs Foundation open to new grantees?
27%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 11 of 41 grantees (27%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $532; repeat grants $2K. How we count
Medians: $500 first-time, $500 repeat.
- 68% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 65% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 181% 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 $25K (2020) to $57K (2025). In 2025 it made 42 grants totaling $57K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Music for Minors San Carlos, CA | contribution | $11,000 |
| Community Services Agency Mountain View, CA | contribution | $6,000 |
| Second Harvest San Jose, CA | contribution | $6,000 |
| Yosemite Conservancy San Francisco, CA | contribution | $5,000 |
| Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation Truckee, CA | contribution | $3,000 |
| Life Moves Menlo Park, CA | contribution | $2,500 |
| Schola Cantorum Mountain View, CA | contribution | $2,500 |
| Scarring Alopecia New York, NY | contribution | $2,000 |
| Ecumenical Hunger Palo Alto, CA | contribution | $2,000 |
| Tahoe Fund Tahoe City, CA | contribution | $1,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Combs 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 | $64,696 | $11,375 | $57,205 | $57,205 | 42 | $57,205 | $11,375 | $31,576 |
| 2024 | $70,096 | $11,170 | $40,950 | $40,950 | 30 | $40,950 | $11,170 | $30,868 |
| 2023 | $23,241 | $10,848 | $36,700 | $36,700 | 28 | $36,700 | $10,848 | $27,631 |
| 2022 | $60,792 | $8,951 | $34,600 | $34,600 | 29 | $34,600 | $8,951 | $25,431 |
| 2021 | $74,919 | $4,015 | $33,050 | $33,050 | 23 | $33,050 | $4,015 | $27,076 |
| 2020 | $99,279 | $8,079 | $25,576 | $25,350 | 22 | — | $87,340 | $18,249 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Combs Foundation reported a distributable amount of $32K 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 grantees include organizations working in music education, community and environmental initiatives, crisis response, media and education, children’s mental health, and inclusive recreation. For example, Music for Minors describes its mission as providing music education to elementary school-age children; Tahoe Fund says it uses philanthropy to improve the Lake Tahoe environment; and World Central Kitchen describes its work as providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 42 grants totaling $57,205. Grants ranged from $155 to $11,000, with a median of $500. The largest awards included $11,000 to Music for Minors, $6,000 each to Community Services Agency and Second Harvest, and $5,000 to Yosemite Conservancy. Other grants included $3,000 to Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, $2,500 each to Life Moves and Schola Cantorum, and $2,000 each to Scarring Alopecia and Ecumenical Hunger.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Stephen R Combs as president, Catherine B Combs as vice president, and Brian D Combs and Diana C Neebe as directors.
Combs Foundation is led by Stephen R. Combs, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Stephen R. Combs
President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Brian D. Combs
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Diana C. Neebe
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Catherine B. Combs
Vice President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/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 Combs Foundation
How much does Combs Foundation give each year?
Combs Foundation gave $57K across 42 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $41K across 30 grants.
What is Combs Foundation's typical grant size?
Combs Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $500, and its average grant was $1,362, across 42 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Combs Foundation that year got $532 on average.
Where does Combs Foundation give grants?
Combs Foundation gives mostly in California: 88% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (6 grants), Mountain View, CA (5 grants), Palo Alto, CA (5 grants) and New York, NY (3 grants).
Does Combs Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 42 grants with a stated purpose on Combs Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Contribution" (25 grants) and "Donation" (15 grants).
Who are Combs Foundation's largest grantees?
Combs Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Music for Minors ($11,000), Community Services Agency ($6,000) and Second Harvest ($6,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 40% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Combs Foundation?
Combs Foundation reported $65K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $57K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $32K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Combs Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grantees include organizations working in music education, community and environmental initiatives, crisis response, media and education, children’s mental health, and inclusive recreation. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Combs Foundation?
The foundation states that it 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 Combs Foundation's EIN?
Combs Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-5926294. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Combs 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 May 11, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 10, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 10, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 6, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 4, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 4, 2026)
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Combs Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Combs Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/combs-foundation-morg_39024fba1024466e83e71e69e1402ca2
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_205926294_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Combs Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/combs-foundation-morg_39024fba1024466e83e71e69e1402ca2},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Combs 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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