Forestsong Foundation
Forestsong Foundation is a private foundation based in Sunnyvale, California. Its 2025 filing reports 11 grants totaling $814,521, including a large grant to DAFgiving360 and grants to organizations in education, community service, conservation, and other areas.
Forestsong Foundation at a glance
In short: Forestsong Foundation gave $815K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $74K), mostly in Nebraska. 36% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $814,521
- -7.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 11
- -35.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $74,047
- +42.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,000
- Total assets
- $1,524,753
- +2.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 36% first-time grantees (4 of 11, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Nebraska (95% 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 Forestsong Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1288 Kifer Rd Suite 208, Sunnyvale, CA 94086
Phone: (408) 859-3196
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Forestsong Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was DAFgiving360 ($770K). Together the top 10 received $814K.
Grant Size Distribution
73 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 68 grants of 73 (93%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing reports that grant dollars went to recipients in Nebraska (95%), California (5%), and Florida (1%). The largest grant, to DAFgiving360, went to an organization in Omaha, Nebraska. Other listed recipients were in California and Florida.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Forestsong Foundation open to new grantees?
36%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 11 grantees (36%) 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 $193K; repeat grants $6K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 64% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 302% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 98% 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 (2019–2025). 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 $67K (2021) to $881K (2024). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $815K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| DAFgiving360 Omaha, NE | To increase charitable giving in the U.S. DAFgiving360 does this by providing a tax-smart and simple giving solution to donors and financial advisors. | $770,390 |
| Svideaorg Santa Clara, CA | To provide valuable assistance and resources for Chinese young hi-tech talents. | $23,000 |
| University of Florida Gainsville, FL | Supporting education making a positive impact on the future of our university and its students. | $5,000 |
| Milpitas High School Milpitas, CA | To help a teacher in need, moving closer to a nation where students in every community have the tools and experiences they need for a great education. | $5,000 |
| Kind One Laguna Beach, CA | To foster racial unity by inspiring acts of kindness. | $5,000 |
| Silicon Valley Tsinghua Network Milpitas, CA | To unite and serve Tsinghua Univeristy alumni, providing various resources and conveniences in areas such as education, life, work, employment, and entrepreneurship through our alumni network. | $3,000 |
| Jewish Silicon Valley Los Gatos, CA | To harnesses the power of community to improve lives, build bridges of understanding, and strengthen the Jewish people here, in Israel, and around the world. | $1,030 |
| Santa Clara County Korean American Palo Alto, CA | To make the greatest positive impact on our community by empowering our members and volunteers to drive change and by using data-driven models to deliver solutions with lasting results. | $1,000 |
| San Francisco Zoo San Francisco, CA | To different conservation causes, such as impactful repopulation efforts and general funding for zoo animal care. | $501 |
| Childrens Fairyland Oakland, CA | To provide a safe, family-centered environment that stimulates a young child's imagination, creativity, love of books and reading, and desire to learn. | $500 |
Ready to take the next step with Forestsong Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The foundation reported 11 grants in 2025, 17 in 2024, and 14 in 2023.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,524,753 | $119,132 | $820,131 | $814,521 | 11 | $820,131 | $119,132 | $838,219 |
| 2024 | $1,481,566 | $512,198 | $905,838 | $880,802 | 17 | $905,838 | $512,198 | $641,600 |
| 2023 | $1,875,206 | $358,381 | $230,332 | $225,808 | 14 | $230,332 | $358,381 | $269,770 |
| 2022 | $1,747,157 | $26,379 | $208,277 | $202,852 | 18 | $208,277 | $26,379 | $190,162 |
| 2021 | $1,929,055 | $7,132 | $70,375 | $67,109 | 13 | $70,375 | $7,132 | $207,926 |
| 2020 | $1,992,298 | $24,132 | $101,431 | $90,000 | 11 | — | $19,132 | $134,198 |
| 2019 | $2,069,597 | $250,658 | $94,333 | $88,380 | 21 | — | $250,658 | $91,091 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Forestsong Foundation reported a distributable amount of $838K 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 foundation mission is stated in the available information. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations and purposes. For example, grantee Jewish Silicon Valley describes its mission as harnessing community to improve lives, build bridges of understanding, and strengthen Jewish people locally, in Israel, and around the world. The Wikimedia Foundation describes its mission as empowering people to develop and share educational content under a free license or in the public domain.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation gave 11 grants totaling $814,521. Grant amounts ranged from $100 to $770,390, with a median grant of $3,000. The largest grant was $770,390 to DAFgiving360, for its tax-smart charitable giving services. Other notable grants included $23,000 to SVIDEAORG to assist Chinese young hi-tech talents; $5,000 each to the University of Florida, Milpitas High School, and Kind One; and $3,000 to Silicon Valley Tsinghua Network. Jewish Silicon Valley received $1,030, and the Wikimedia Foundation received $100.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists SHUWU SONG as President & CEO and YUN LIN as Secretary.
Forestsong Foundation is led by Shuwu Song, President & CEO on every filing since 2019; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Shuwu Song
President & CEO
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Yun Lin
Secretary
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
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 Forestsong Foundation
How much does Forestsong Foundation give each year?
Forestsong Foundation gave $815K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $881K across 17 grants.
What is Forestsong Foundation's typical grant size?
Forestsong Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $3,000, and its average grant was $74,047, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Forestsong Foundation that year got $193K on average.
Where does Forestsong Foundation give grants?
Forestsong Foundation gives mostly in Nebraska: 95% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Milpitas, CA (2 grants) and San Francisco, CA (2 grants).
Does Forestsong Foundation give general operating support?
Occasionally: 9% of Forestsong Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 11) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Forestsong Foundation's largest grantees?
Forestsong Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include DAFgiving360 ($770,390), Svideaorg ($23,000) and University of Florida ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 98% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Forestsong Foundation?
Forestsong Foundation reported $1.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $820K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $838K (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 Forestsong Foundation fund?
No foundation mission is stated in the available information. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations and purposes. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Forestsong Foundation?
The foundation states that it 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 Forestsong Foundation's EIN?
Forestsong Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-4159667. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Forestsong 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
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 9, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 13, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 10, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 6, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 8, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 21, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 16, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Live grants for the work Forestsong Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Forestsong Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/forestsong-foundation-morg_bd98d50f5a70443dbdf76b6b2440c82e
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_814159667_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Forestsong Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/forestsong-foundation-morg_bd98d50f5a70443dbdf76b6b2440c82e},
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 Forestsong 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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