Enersen Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker San Rafael, CA EIN: 91-1913330

Enersen Foundation is a private foundation based in San Rafael, California. Its 2024 filing describes its direct charitable activity as “contributions for the betterment of mankind.” Its grants that year supported organizations working in areas including higher education, collegiate sports, humanitarian aid, health care, youth sailing, and film education.

Enersen Foundation at a glance

In short: Enersen Foundation gave $146K across 34 grants in 2024 (avg $4K), mostly in California. 12% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2024)
$145,706
+20.4% vs 2023
Grants made (2024)
34
-2.9% vs 2023
Average grant
$4,285
+24.0% vs 2023
Median grant
$2,000
Total assets
$1,637,391
+13.0% vs 2023
New grantees (estimate)
12% first-time grantees (4 of 33, 2024)
Primary geography
California (55% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).

How to apply to Enersen 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: 78 Edward Ave, San Rafael, CA 94903
Phone: (415) 819-3040

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Enersen Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

New York University: $26KNew York University$26KStanford Sailing: $25KStanford Sailing$25KSail to Shelter: $14KSail to Shelter$14KMarin Health Foundation: $10KMarin Health Foundation$10KRoseland Collegiate Prep: $10KRoseland Collegiate Prep$10KInter Yacht Restoration School: $5KInter Yacht Restoration School$5KPhillips Exeter Academy: $5KPhillips Exeter Academy$5KStanford Lacrosse: $5KStanford Lacrosse$5KStudents Rising Above: $3KStudents Rising Above$3KTreasure Island Sailing Center: $3KTreasure Island Sailing Center$3K

The largest 2024 recipient was New York University ($26K). Together the top 10 received $106K.

Grant Size Distribution

183 grants across all recorded years

183<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 183 grants of 183 (100%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2024, California received 55% of grant dollars, followed by New York at 19%, Nevada at 9%, Rhode Island at 7%, and New Hampshire at 3%.

Grant Distribution by State

14states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 34 itemized grants.

Cities

San FranciscoSan RafaelNew YorkSanta RosaNewportSeattleStanfordWashingtonPortsmouthCamdenExeterFriday HarborSalinasDavisGreenbraeNovatoAnnapolisBelvedere TiburonCincinnatiHagerstown

Is Enersen Foundation open to new grantees?

12%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 4 of 33 grantees (12%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $4K. How we count

Medians: $2K first-time, $2K repeat.

  • 88% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−8%). Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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

$0$50K$100K$150K$200K36 grants2020 39 grants2021 39 grants2022 35 grants2023 34 grants2024

From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $113K (2020) to $177K (2022). In 2024 it made 34 grants totaling $146K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
New York University New York, NYHigher Education$25,512
Stanford Sailing Stanford, CACollegiate Sports$25,433
Sail to Shelter Henderson, NVHumanitarian Aid$13,763
Marin Health Foundation Greenbrae, CAStrengthen Health Care Programs$10,000
Roseland Collegiate Prep Santa Rosa, CAPromote Higher Education$10,000
Inter Yacht Restoration School Newport, RIEducation on Boat Restoration$5,000
Phillips Exeter Academy Exeter, NHPromote Education$5,000
Stanford Lacrosse Stanford, CACollegiate Sports$5,000
Students Rising Above San Francisco, CAPromote Higher Education$3,000
Treasure Island Sailing Center San Francisco, CASupport Youth Sailing$3,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment Income
2024$1,637,391$104,168$233,039$145,70634$145,706$311,630
2023$1,448,573$85,270$213,726$120,99535$167,822$56,479
2022$1,486,009$79,042$269,825$177,26439$220,706$65,350
2021$1,625,308$85,680$245,005$159,05039$42,515$94,990
2020$1,728,283$49,638$193,952$113,17936——

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation’s stated direct charitable activity is “contributions for the betterment of mankind.” Its 2024 grants show support for education, collegiate sports, humanitarian aid, health care, youth sailing, and film and arts education.

Grantees describe a range of activities in their own missions. New York University says its primary missions are education, research and scholarship, and patient care. Treasure Island Sailing Center describes its programs as teaching water safety and skills such as teamwork and leadership through sailing. The California Film Institute says it celebrates film and video as art and education and supports filmmakers through its festival, programs, and educational activities.

Grantmaking

In 2024, the foundation awarded 34 grants totaling $145,706. Grants ranged from $148 to $25,512, with a median of $2,000.

The largest 2024 grants included $25,512 to New York University for higher education; $25,433 to Stanford Sailing for collegiate sports; $13,763 to Sail to Shelter for humanitarian aid; and $10,000 each to Marin Health Foundation for health care programs and Roseland Collegiate Prep to promote higher education. Other grants included $5,000 to Inter Yacht Restoration School for boat-restoration education and $3,000 to Treasure Island Sailing Center to support youth sailing.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

Richard W. Enersen is listed as president on the 2024 filing.

Enersen Foundation is led by Richard W. Enersen, President on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and compensated.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • Richard W. Enersen

    President

    On filings since 2020

    25 hrs/week

    $65K (2020) → $70K (2024)

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

Richard W Enersen — President: $70KRichard W EnersenPresident$70K

The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $70K, to Richard W Enersen (President).

Frequently asked questions about Enersen Foundation

How much does Enersen Foundation give each year?

Enersen Foundation gave $146K across 34 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $121K across 35 grants.

What is Enersen Foundation's typical grant size?

Enersen Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $2,000, and its average grant was $4,285, across 34 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Enersen Foundation that year got $4K on average.

Where does Enersen Foundation give grants?

Enersen Foundation gives mostly in California: 55% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (19%) and Nevada (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (7 grants), Newport, RI (3 grants), San Rafael, CA (3 grants) and Stanford, CA (2 grants).

Does Enersen Foundation give general operating support?

Not in 2024: none of the 34 grants with a stated purpose on Enersen Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.

Who are Enersen Foundation's largest grantees?

Enersen Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include New York University ($25,512), Stanford Sailing ($25,433) and Sail to Shelter ($13,763), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 44% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.

How large is Enersen Foundation?

Enersen Foundation reported $1.6M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $104K.

What does Enersen Foundation fund?

The foundation’s stated direct charitable activity is “contributions for the betterment of mankind.” Its 2024 grants show support for education, collegiate sports, humanitarian aid, health care, youth sailing, and film and arts education. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Enersen 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 Enersen Foundation's EIN?

Enersen Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 91-1913330. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

Does Enersen 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

(1)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Enersen Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/enersen-foundation-morg_7ea910556177472aa115f4974ad1d30c

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_911913330_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Enersen Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/enersen-foundation-morg_7ea910556177472aa115f4974ad1d30c},
  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 Enersen 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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