Donald Brian Miselis Foundation
The Donald Brian Miselis Foundation is a private foundation based in Stateline, Nevada. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, including organizations working in conservation, community activities, education, journalism, public media, and hunger relief.
Donald Brian Miselis Foundation at a glance
In short: Donald Brian Miselis Foundation gave $102K across 12 grants in 2025 (avg $9K), mostly in California. 55% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $102,000
- +24.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 12
- +20.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $8,500
- +3.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $3,240,563
- +23.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 55% first-time grantees (6 of 11, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (79% 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 Donald Brian Miselis Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds; it states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 3159, Stateline, NV 89449
Phone: (707) 272-4200
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Donald Brian Miselis Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Mendocino Land Trust ($50K). Together the top 10 received $101K.
Grant Size Distribution
61 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 60 grants of 61 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 79% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 10% to Virginia, 5% to Alaska, 5% to Massachusetts, and 1% to New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Donald Brian Miselis Foundation open to new grantees?
55%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 11 grantees (55%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $13K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 45% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 104% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 79% 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 (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 $18K (2020) to $102K (2025). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $102K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Mendocino Land Trust Fort Bragg, CA | Habitat Restoration | $50,000 |
| Institute for Justice Arlington, VA | General Fund | $10,000 |
| The Harwood Memorial Park Laytonville, CA | General Fund | $10,000 |
| Mendocino Producers Guild Laytonville, CA | Willitsfest | $10,000 |
| Laytonville Long Valley Lioness CLU Laytonville, CA | Scholarship Fund | $8,000 |
| Copper River Watershed Project Cordova, AK | Enviromental Restoration | $5,000 |
| Boston University Boston, MA | Scholarship | $5,000 |
| Pro Publica New York, NY | General Fund | $1,000 |
| Mendocino Co Public Broadcasting Philo, CA | General Fund | $1,000 |
| Redwood Community Radio Redway, CA | General Fund | $1,000 |
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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 | $3,240,563 | $609,158 | $110,310 | $102,000 | 12 | $105,289 | $76,415 | $133,786 |
| 2024 | $2,630,500 | $537,231 | $86,397 | $82,000 | 10 | $84,415 | $95,481 | $107,432 |
| 2023 | $2,106,953 | $452,918 | $71,714 | $67,500 | 13 | $70,464 | $70,384 | $84,490 |
| 2022 | $1,639,824 | $366,371 | $55,395 | $50,000 | 14 | $54,039 | $59,474 | $67,819 |
| 2021 | $1,444,579 | $320,990 | $43,266 | $36,500 | 12 | $41,006 | $64,235 | $55,216 |
| 2020 | $1,098,471 | $273,795 | $25,548 | $18,300 | 3 | — | $58,937 | $41,844 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Donald Brian Miselis Foundation reported a distributable amount of $134K 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 grants included support for organizations whose own missions describe work such as conserving and restoring Mendocino County’s natural resources (Mendocino Land Trust), promoting a salmon-rich watershed (Copper River Watershed Project), and feeding neighbors in need (Redwood Empire Food Bank). Other recipients included a community park, a scholarship fund, public-interest journalism and radio organizations, and organizations receiving general-fund support.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation gave $102,000 through 12 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $50,000, with a median grant of $5,000. Its largest awards were $50,000 to Mendocino Land Trust for habitat restoration; $10,000 each to the Institute for Justice for its general fund, The Harwood Memorial Park for its general fund, and Mendocino Producers Guild for WillitsFest; and $8,000 to Laytonville Long Valley Lioness Club for a scholarship fund.
Other 2025 recipients included Copper River Watershed Project ($5,000), Boston University ($5,000), Pro Publica ($1,000), Mendocino County Public Broadcasting ($1,000), Redwood Community Radio ($1,000), Earthmind ($500), and Redwood Empire Food Bank ($500).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Donald Miselis as president.
Donald Brian Miselis Foundation is led by Donald Miselis, President on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Donald Miselis
President
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 Donald Brian Miselis Foundation
How much does Donald Brian Miselis Foundation give each year?
Donald Brian Miselis Foundation gave $102K across 12 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $82K across 10 grants.
What is Donald Brian Miselis Foundation's typical grant size?
Donald Brian Miselis Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $8,500, across 12 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Donald Brian Miselis Foundation that year got $5K on average.
Where does Donald Brian Miselis Foundation give grants?
Donald Brian Miselis Foundation gives mostly in California: 79% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Virginia (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Laytonville, CA (3 grants).
Does Donald Brian Miselis Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 58% of Donald Brian Miselis Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (7 of 12) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Donald Brian Miselis Foundation's largest grantees?
Donald Brian Miselis Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Mendocino Land Trust ($50,000), Institute for Justice ($10,000) and The Harwood Memorial Park ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 69% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Donald Brian Miselis Foundation?
Donald Brian Miselis Foundation reported $3.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $105K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $134K (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 Donald Brian Miselis Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Donald Brian Miselis Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds; it states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Donald Brian Miselis Foundation's EIN?
Donald Brian Miselis Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-3481018. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Donald Brian Miselis 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 November 13, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 10, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS June 19, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 9, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Donald Brian Miselis Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/donald-brian-miselis-foundation-morg_78ced6187627407b96dcbf4e5a015329
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_473481018_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Donald Brian Miselis Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/donald-brian-miselis-foundation-morg_78ced6187627407b96dcbf4e5a015329},
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 Donald Brian Miselis 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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