Five Arts Foundation
Five Arts Foundation is a private foundation based in San Francisco, California. Its 2025 filing states that its activities are limited to grantmaking and that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations.
Five Arts Foundation at a glance
In short: Five Arts Foundation gave $352K across 40 grants in 2025 (avg $9K), mostly in California. 32% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $352,348
- +21.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 40
- +90.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $8,809
- -36.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,500
- Total assets
- $147,435
- +76.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 32% first-time grantees (8 of 25, 2025)
- Primary geography
- California (93% 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 Five Arts Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds; it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 460908, San Francisco, CA 94146
Phone: (415) 647-1340
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Five Arts Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was San Francisco Opera ($100K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $326K.
Grant Size Distribution
108 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 98 grants of 108 (91%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 93% of grant dollars went to recipients in California and 7% to recipients in New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 40 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Five Arts Foundation open to new grantees?
32%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 8 of 25 grantees (32%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $17K; repeat grants $13K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $3K repeat.
- 52% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 42% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above 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 $197K (2020) to $352K (2025). In 2025 it made 40 grants totaling $352K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Conservatory of Music San Francisco, CA | In Support of San Francisco Conservatory of Music. | $50,000 |
| San Francisco Opera San Francisco, CA | In Support of San Francisco Opera. | $50,000 |
| San Francisco Opera San Francisco, CA | In Support of the San Francisco Opera. | $50,000 |
| Napa Valley Community Foundation Napa, CA | In Support of Napa Valley Community Foundation. | $40,000 |
| Cal Performances Berkeley, CA | In Support of Cal Performances. | $25,000 |
| San Francisco Foundation San Francisoc, CA | In Support of San Francisco Foundation. | $25,000 |
| San Francisco Conservatory of Music San Francisco, CA | In Support of San Francisco Conservatory of Music. | $20,000 |
| Cal Performances Berkeley, CA | In Support of Cal Performances. | $15,000 |
| San Francisco Baykeeper Oakland, CA | In Support of San Francisco Baykeeper. | $15,000 |
| The Metropolitan Opera New York, NY | In Support of the Metropolitan Opera. | $15,000 |
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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 | $147,435 | $382,236 | $364,083 | $352,348 | 40 | $356,541 | $246,730 | $610 |
| 2024 | $83,469 | $305,710 | $302,930 | $290,050 | 21 | $298,865 | $235,646 | $791 |
| 2023 | $76,789 | $356,773 | $348,220 | $341,390 | 16 | $344,680 | $228,675 | $5,345 |
| 2022 | $55,046 | $221,361 | $265,555 | $247,650 | 14 | $258,872 | $125,888 | $2,056 |
| 2021 | $86,469 | $320,622 | $294,901 | $291,650 | 17 | $293,340 | $214,635 | $1,355 |
| 2020 | $66,748 | $168,736 | $213,033 | $196,750 | 14 | — | $91,267 | $1,945 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Five Arts Foundation reported a distributable amount of $610 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 arts and cultural organizations, educational institutions, and other charitable organizations. For example, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music describes its mission as educating exceptionally talented musicians to become high-caliber artists and musical citizens. West Edge Opera says it presents early and contemporary works and reimagines opera traditions to engage and entertain a diverse audience. Merola Opera Program describes itself as a San Francisco-based training program for opera singers, pianists, and stage directors.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave 40 grants totaling $352,348. Grant amounts ranged from $85 to $50,000, with a median of $2,500. Notable grants included $50,000 each to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the San Francisco Opera; $40,000 to Napa Valley Community Foundation; $25,000 to Cal Performances and $25,000 to San Francisco Foundation; and $15,000 each to San Francisco Baykeeper and the Metropolitan Opera.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Helen Berggruen and Hilary Rand as trustees.
Five Arts Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Helen Berggruen
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Hilary Rand
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
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 Five Arts Foundation
How much does Five Arts Foundation give each year?
Five Arts Foundation gave $352K across 40 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $290K across 21 grants.
What is Five Arts Foundation's typical grant size?
Five Arts Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,500, and its average grant was $8,809, across 40 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Five Arts Foundation that year got $17K on average.
Where does Five Arts Foundation give grants?
Five Arts Foundation gives mostly in California: 93% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (21 grants), New York, NY (8 grants), Berkeley, CA (3 grants) and San Francisoc, CA (3 grants).
Does Five Arts Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 40 grants with a stated purpose on Five Arts Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "In Support of Pocket Opera." (3 grants), "In Support of the Metropolitan Opera." (3 grants) and "In Support of West Edge Opera." (3 grants).
Who are Five Arts Foundation's largest grantees?
Five Arts Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include San Francisco Opera ($100,000 across 2 grants), San Francisco Conservatory of Music ($70,000 across 2 grants) and Cal Performances ($40,000 across 2 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 60% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Five Arts Foundation?
Five Arts Foundation reported $147K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $357K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $610 (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Five Arts Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included arts and cultural organizations, educational institutions, and other charitable organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Five Arts Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds; 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 Five Arts Foundation's EIN?
Five Arts Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-6644155. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Five Arts 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 Five Arts Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Five Arts Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/five-arts-foundation-morg_d907c18cf5194991bc80d151883a64a6
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_816644155_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Five Arts Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/five-arts-foundation-morg_d907c18cf5194991bc80d151883a64a6},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Five Arts 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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