Cox Family Fund
Cox Family Fund is a private foundation based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In its 2025 filing, it reported 40 grants totaling $173,252 and stated that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
Cox Family Fund at a glance
In short: Cox Family Fund gave $173K across 40 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), top state District of Columbia. 13% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $173,252
- +28.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 40
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $4,331
- +28.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $3,177,540
- -2.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 13% first-time grantees (5 of 40, 2025)
- Primary geography
- District of Columbia (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 Cox Family Fund
- 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: 275 Market Street Suite 274A, Minneapolis, MN 55405
Phone: (612) 338-4345
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Cox Family Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Environmental Investigation Agency ($50K). Together the top 10 received $142K.
Grant Size Distribution
162 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 156 grants of 162 (96%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 44% of grant dollars went to recipients in Washington, DC, and 43% went to recipients in California. Smaller shares went to New York (3%), Illinois (3%), and Oklahoma (2%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 40 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Cox Family Fund open to new grantees?
13%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 40 grantees (13%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $7K; repeat grants $4K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $1K repeat.
- 80% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 49% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 93% 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 $135K (2024) to $478K (2020). In 2025 it made 40 grants totaling $173K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental Investigation Agency Washington, DC | Environmental | $50,000 |
| Community Land Trust Association of West Marin Point Reyes Station, CA | Humanitarian | $30,120 |
| World Resources Institute Washington, DC | Environmental | $20,000 |
| Stanford University Redwood City, CA | Educational | $15,000 |
| Alzheimer's Association Chicago, IL | Humanitarian | $5,000 |
| Larkin Street Youth Services San Francisco, CA | Humanitarian | $5,000 |
| Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc New York, NY | Humanitarian | $5,000 |
| Sustainable Conservation San Francisco, CA | Environmental | $5,000 |
| Grace Cathedral San Francisco, CA | Religious | $3,500 |
| California Trout Inc San Francisco, CA | Environmental | $3,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Cox Family Fund?
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 | $3,177,540 | $97,460 | $175,317 | $173,252 | 40 | $173,292 | $97,410 | $186,967 |
| 2024 | $3,255,347 | $163,830 | $135,387 | $135,234 | 40 | $135,289 | $111,301 | $177,421 |
| 2023 | $3,241,560 | $128,110 | $229,143 | $227,700 | 16 | $227,815 | $65,595 | $164,904 |
| 2022 | $3,289,883 | $162,281 | $343,111 | $338,600 | 39 | $338,600 | $73,029 | $178,625 |
| 2021 | $3,350,064 | $301,146 | $383,979 | $378,152 | 27 | $378,248 | $218,760 | $198,460 |
| 2020 | $3,243,764 | $311,986 | $482,481 | $478,414 | 39 | — | $236,254 | $190,598 |
| 2019 | $3,228,788 | $189,789 | $345,841 | $343,650 | 51 | — | $122,221 | $194,883 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Cox Family Fund reported a distributable amount of $187K 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
The foundation’s own mission is not stated in the available information. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations working on environmental protection, conservation, education, health, and humanitarian services. For example, the Environmental Investigation Agency describes its mission as protecting the global climate, forests, wildlife, and natural environment through research, advocacy, and investigation. Sustainable Conservation says it advances collaborative stewardship of California’s land, air, and water; Larkin Street Youth Services says it supports youth to move beyond the street; and World Neighbors says it works with communities on lasting solutions to hunger, poverty, and disease.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the fund made 40 grants totaling $173,252. Grants ranged from $100 to $50,000, with a median of $1,000. The largest awards included $50,000 to the Environmental Investigation Agency, $30,120 to the Community Land Trust Association of West Marin, $20,000 to the World Resources Institute, and $15,000 to Stanford University. Other grants included $5,000 each to the Alzheimer’s Association, Larkin Street Youth Services, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and Sustainable Conservation.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Brian B. Cox as vice president and secretary, and Carson B. Cox as president and treasurer.
Cox Family Fund is led by Carson B. Cox, President & Treasurer since 2024 (on filings since 2020); none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Carson B. Cox
President & Treasurer
Director → President & Treasurer, 2024
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Brian B. Cox
Vice President & Secretary
Director → Vice President & Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: David C. Cox (2019–2023) — President & Treasurer
- Former: Vicki B. Cox (2019–2023) — Vice President & Secretary
- Former: Philip S. Sherburne (2019) — Director
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 Cox Family Fund
How much does Cox Family Fund give each year?
Cox Family Fund gave $173K across 40 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $135K across 40 grants.
What is Cox Family Fund's typical grant size?
Cox Family Fund's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $4,331, across 40 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Cox Family Fund that year got $7K on average.
Where does Cox Family Fund give grants?
Cox Family Fund's top state is District of Columbia, with 44% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest state was California (43%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (8 grants), Washington, DC (6 grants), Point Reyes Station, CA (2 grants) and New York, NY (2 grants).
Does Cox Family Fund give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 40 grants with a stated purpose on Cox Family Fund's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Humanitarian" (10 grants), "Educational" (8 grants) and "Environmental" (6 grants).
Who are Cox Family Fund's largest grantees?
Cox Family Fund's largest 2025 grantees include Environmental Investigation Agency ($50,000), Community Land Trust Association of West Marin ($30,120) and World Resources Institute ($20,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 58% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Cox Family Fund?
Cox Family Fund reported $3.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $173K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $187K (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 Cox Family Fund fund?
The foundation’s own mission is not stated in the available information. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations working on environmental protection, conservation, education, health, and humanitarian services. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Cox Family Fund?
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 Cox Family Fund's EIN?
Cox Family Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 41-1570849. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Cox Family Fund 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 July 10, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 7, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 11, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 31, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS October 28, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 11, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 15, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Cox Family Fund's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Cox Family Fund funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/cox-family-fund-morg_66d7fc61a75b4d89beb3669e6450662f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_411570849_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Cox Family Fund funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/cox-family-fund-morg_66d7fc61a75b4d89beb3669e6450662f},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Cox Family Fund'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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