East Seattle Foundation
East Seattle Foundation (ESF) is a private foundation based in Mercer Island, Washington. Established by Alan and Mary Frazier and their family, ESF supports innovative, community-driven programs and projects with measurable impact, emphasizing creative approaches that challenge conventional thinking.
East Seattle Foundation at a glance
In short: East Seattle Foundation gave $494K across 39 grants in 2025 (avg $13K), mostly in Washington. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $493,600
- +22.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 39
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $12,656
- +22.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,000
- Total assets
- $7,043,800
- -3.6% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Washington (98% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to East Seattle Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- Invitation Only
-
ESF does not accept unsolicited requests. Organizations are invited to submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI); after review, selected organizations may be invited to submit a full application. ESF says the LOI review typically takes one month. The application due date is discussed with invited applicants and is typically 30 days after invitation; application review takes one to three months. The ESF Board makes grant decisions. Grantees must provide interim and year-end written reports. Applicants must be 501(c)(3) nonprofits and meet ESF’s organizational and project requirements, including measurable outcomes, data collection and reporting, collaboration, adequate staffing, and a sustainability plan. ESF does not consider requests for capital campaigns, fundraising or recognition events, or new construction and other large capital asset expenditures.
- Contact
Mailing address: 2856 80Th Avenue Se, Mercer Island, WA 98040
Phone: (206) 823-1091
Website: https://eastseattlefoundation.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who East Seattle Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was University of Washington Foundation ($140K across 3 grants). Together the top 10 received $359K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($100,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
148 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 135 grants of 148 (91%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
ESF prioritizes programs benefiting Washington communities, primarily in King County or the Seattle area. It says it may support causes and ideas outside its geographic region where there is a personal connection. In 2025, 98% of grant dollars went to recipients in Washington; 1% each went to recipients in Iowa and New York, and the share for Oregon was reported as 0%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 39 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How East Seattle Foundation gives
- 37% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 22% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 186% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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 $270K (2023) to $633K (2022). In 2025 it made 39 grants totaling $494K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 1 individual scholarship Recipients not named | — | $100,000 |
| University of Washington Foundation Seattle, WA | Uw Tacoma Student Affairs-Flight | $88,000 |
| University of Washington Foundation Seattle, WA | Frazier Scholars Fund | $50,000 |
| Garage a Teen Cafe Issaquah, WA | 2YR Resilience Fund | $40,000 |
| Young Women Empowered Seattle, WA | 2YR Resilience Fund | $40,000 |
| Rainier Athletes Bellevue, WA | Benchmark of Quality & Impact Report | $35,000 |
| Kindering Bellevue, WA | Cherish Database | $25,000 |
| Northwest Education Access Seattle, WA | Sound Reengagement Collaborative | $25,000 |
| Cocoon House Everett, WA | Emergency Relief - Budget Cuts | $10,000 |
| Eileen & Callie's Place Kent, WA | Emergency Relief - Budget Cuts | $10,000 |
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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 | $7,043,800 | $687,300 | $961,979 | $493,600 | 39 | $893,441 | $636,957 | $480,084 |
| 2024 | $7,303,223 | $1,083,532 | $846,720 | $402,000 | 39 | $784,922 | $1,029,877 | $455,603 |
| 2023 | $7,057,454 | $643,857 | $594,823 | $270,000 | 20 | $546,716 | $594,062 | $424,636 |
| 2022 | $7,043,741 | $61,363 | $876,828 | $633,000 | 25 | $805,690 | $92,509 | $440,005 |
| 2021 | $7,871,875 | $1,529,181 | $740,702 | $514,765 | 25 | $680,786 | $704,576 | $493,324 |
| 2020 | $7,027,354 | $1,835,662 | $638,593 | $493,020 | 35 | — | $170,888 | $361,794 |
| 2019 | $5,820,157 | $1,359,434 | $603,067 | $510,000 | 6 | — | $531,708 | $319,702 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, East Seattle Foundation reported a distributable amount of $480K 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
ESF’s stated funding focus includes Career & Education Development, Health & Wellbeing, and Community & Belonging. Its website also highlights Purpose & Belonging, Education & Career Development, and Safe, Accessible & Affordable Housing. ESF says it prioritizes work benefiting communities in Washington, primarily King County or the Seattle area.
Examples of supported organizations illustrate a range of work. Young Women Empowered describes its mission as cultivating diverse young women’s leadership through transformative programs and a collaborative community. Rainier Athletes says it affirms young people’s sense of belonging by connecting their teachers, families, mentors, and coaches. Northwest Education Access says it provides individualized support to help low-income young people build paths to higher education and beyond. The Service Board describes mentoring youth through outdoor adventure, environmental and social justice education, and public service; Eileen & Callie’s Place says it supports young women aging out of foster care in building independent lives.
Grantmaking
ESF reported 39 grants totaling $493,600 in 2025, compared with 39 grants totaling $402,000 in 2024 and 20 grants totaling $270,000 in 2023. In 2025, itemized grants ranged from $500 to $100,000, with a median grant of $2,000.
Among its 2025 grants were $100,000 to an individual recipient Seattle High School for student scholarships; $88,000 to the University of Washington Foundation for UW Tacoma Student Affairs-Flight; $50,000 to the University of Washington Foundation for the Frazier Scholars Fund; $40,000 each to Garage A Teen Cafe and Young Women Empowered for two-year resilience funds; and $35,000 to Rainier Athletes for a benchmark of quality and impact report. ESF also awarded $25,000 to Kindering for the Cherish Database and $25,000 to Northwest Education Access for the Sound Reengagement Collaborative.
The Frazier Scholars program is an ESF program, not an outside grant opportunity. It provides participating University of Washington students with career development support and may provide scholarships for unmet financial need.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Mary D. Frazier as president, Alan D. Frazier as VP / secretary, and Alicia Bradbury as treasurer. The foundation’s website lists Natalie Frazier as East Seattle Foundation Director and JoAnna Frazier as Grants Program Associate.
East Seattle Foundation is led by Mary D. Frazier, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Mary D. Frazier
President
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Alan D. Frazier
Vice President & Secretary
Vice President → Director, 2020
Director → Vice President & Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Alicia Bradbury
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (7)
- Former: Bridget Rauvola (2019–2023) — Vice President
- Former: Cindy Erler (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Joanna Frazier (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Natalie Frazier (2019–2023) — Secretary
- Former: Nicole Zabriskie (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Colin Frazier (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: James McBride (2021) — 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 East Seattle Foundation
How much does East Seattle Foundation give each year?
East Seattle Foundation gave $494K across 39 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $402K across 39 grants.
What is East Seattle Foundation's typical grant size?
East Seattle Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $12,656, across 39 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does East Seattle Foundation give grants?
East Seattle Foundation gives mostly in Washington: 98% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Seattle, WA (19 grants), Bellevue, WA (6 grants), Issaquah, WA (2 grants) and Everett, WA (2 grants).
Does East Seattle Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 38% of East Seattle Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (15 of 39) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Emergency Relief - Budget Cuts" (5 grants).
Who are East Seattle Foundation's largest grantees?
East Seattle Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include University of Washington Foundation ($140,000 across 3 grants), Garage a Teen Cafe ($42,000 across 2 grants) and Young Women Empowered ($40,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($100,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 45% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is East Seattle Foundation?
East Seattle Foundation reported $7.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $893K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $480K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does East Seattle Foundation fund?
ESF’s stated funding focus includes Career & Education Development, Health & Wellbeing, and Community & Belonging. Its website also highlights Purpose & Belonging, Education & Career Development, and Safe, Accessible & Affordable Housing. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from East Seattle Foundation?
ESF does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is East Seattle Foundation's EIN?
East Seattle Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 91-2171978. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does East Seattle Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 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 2024 (received by the IRS May 15, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 15, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS September 13, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS October 17, 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 15, 2024)
Live grants for the work East Seattle Foundation funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). East Seattle Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/east-seattle-foundation-morg_a10362d87be046338ed6726fe3aa7851
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_912171978_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{East Seattle Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/east-seattle-foundation-morg_a10362d87be046338ed6726fe3aa7851},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 East Seattle 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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