Davidow Family Foundation
The Davidow Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Woodside, California. It makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
Davidow Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Davidow Family Foundation gave $732K across 25 grants in 2025 (avg $29K), mostly in California. 32% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $732,145
- -82.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 25
- -24.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $29,286
- -76.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $2,062,894
- -4.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 32% first-time grantees (6 of 19, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (71% 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 Davidow 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: 85 Robles Drive, Woodside, CA 94062
Phone: (650) 854-7236
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Davidow Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was California Institute of Technology ($150K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $705K.
Grant Size Distribution
161 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 121 grants of 161 (75%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, California organizations received 71% of grant dollars, followed by New York (14%), New Hampshire (7%), Indiana (3%), and Michigan (3%). The listed grants also included recipients in New Jersey, Hawaii, and Oregon.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 25 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Davidow Family Foundation open to new grantees?
32%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 19 grantees (32%) were first-time recipients. With only 19 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $14K; repeat grants $50K. How we count
Medians: $6K first-time, $25K repeat.
- 63% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 89% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 688% 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 $420K (2020) to $7.6M (2023). In 2025 it made 25 grants totaling $732K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grateful Guitars Woodside, CA | General Fund | $150,000 |
| California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA | General Fund | $100,000 |
| Horse Park Woodside Woodside, CA | General Fund | $100,000 |
| St Lawrence University Canton, NY | General Fund | $100,000 |
| University of California San Francisco San Francisco, CA | General Fund | $50,000 |
| Colby Sawyer College New London, NH | General Fund | $50,000 |
| California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA | General Fund | $50,000 |
| Woodside Priory Portolo Valley, CA | General Fund | $30,000 |
| Esther Velasco Scholarship Farmington Hills, MI | General Fund | $20,000 |
| Computer History Museum Mountain View, CA | General Fund | $20,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Davidow 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $2,062,894 | $717,219 | $781,629 | $732,145 | 25 | $732,145 | $636,258 | $106,393 |
| 2024 | $2,166,887 | $273,758 | $4,116,767 | $4,065,500 | 33 | $4,065,500 | $232,055 | $221,960 |
| 2023 | $6,009,895 | $-338,499 | $7,634,166 | $7,582,000 | 43 | $7,582,000 | $166,748 | $388,917 |
| 2022 | $13,969,882 | $385,982 | $7,024,634 | $6,928,260 | 30 | $6,928,260 | $479,849 | $749,393 |
| 2021 | $20,599,701 | $25,391,869 | $7,435,816 | $7,081,629 | 30 | $7,081,629 | $24,800,474 | $688,213 |
| 2020 | $2,523,835 | $168,512 | $452,297 | $420,050 | 40 | — | $147,544 | $145,338 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Davidow Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $106K 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 grants show support for a range of organizations. St. Lawrence University describes itself as a liberal arts institution that prepares students to think critically and creatively. The Computer History Museum says it “decodes technology—its computing past, digital present, and future impact on humanity.” Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA describes its work as building healthy relationships between people and animals; Pets In Need focuses on animal care and lasting homes; and White Wolf Sanctuary describes its mission as conservation through education to encourage the preservation of wolves and wildlife.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation awarded 25 grants totaling $732,145. Grant amounts ranged from $249 to $150,000, with a median of $10,000. The largest listed awards included $150,000 to Grateful Guitars; $100,000 each to California Institute of Technology, Horse Park Woodside, and St. Lawrence University; and $50,000 each to University of California San Francisco, Colby-Sawyer College, and California Institute of Technology.
Other listed recipients included Woodside Priory ($30,000), Esther Velasco Scholarship ($20,000), Computer History Museum ($20,000), Old Barracks Museum ($10,000), and Hawaii Land Trust ($10,000). The Computer History Museum also reported a separate $5,000 award in 2025.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists William H. Davidow and Sonja A. Davidow as presidents, Carolyn Davidow Putney as a director, and Rebecca Davidow Logan as a director.
Davidow Family Foundation is led by William H. Davidow Sonja A. Davidow, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
William H. Davidow Sonja A. Davidow
President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Carolyn Davidow Putney
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Rebecca Davidow Logan
Director
On filings since 2020
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 Davidow Family Foundation
How much does Davidow Family Foundation give each year?
Davidow Family Foundation gave $732K across 25 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $4.1M across 33 grants.
What is Davidow Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Davidow Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $29,286, across 25 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Davidow Family Foundation that year got $14K on average.
Where does Davidow Family Foundation give grants?
Davidow Family Foundation gives mostly in California: 71% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (14%) and New Hampshire (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (3 grants), Woodside, CA (2 grants), Pasadena, CA (2 grants) and Portolo Valley, CA (2 grants).
Does Davidow Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Davidow Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (25 of 25) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Davidow Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Davidow Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include California Institute of Technology ($150,000 across 2 grants), Grateful Guitars ($150,000) and Horse Park Woodside ($100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 55% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Davidow Family Foundation?
Davidow Family Foundation reported $2.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $732K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $106K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Davidow Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants show support for a range of organizations. St. Lawrence University describes itself as a liberal arts institution that prepares students to think critically and creatively. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Davidow 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 Davidow Family Foundation's EIN?
Davidow Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 77-0449213. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Davidow 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 8, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Davidow Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Davidow Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/davidow-family-foundation-morg_f25034fbaaf84f3e81c45d29591029b4
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_770449213_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Davidow Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/davidow-family-foundation-morg_f25034fbaaf84f3e81c45d29591029b4},
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 Davidow 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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