Gale Family Foundation
The Gale Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, with most grant dollars going to recipients in New Mexico.
Gale Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Gale Family Foundation gave $1.7M across 45 grants in 2025 (avg $37K), mostly in New Mexico. 27% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,675,200
- +12.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 45
- +7.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $37,227
- +4.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $20,000
- Total assets
- $17,522,789
- +5.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 27% first-time grantees (12 of 45, 2025)
- Primary geography
- New Mexico (74% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Gale Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
- Contact
Mailing address: 80 South 8Th Street 1900, Minneapolis, MN 55402
Phone: (612) 359-7632
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Gale Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was May Center for Learning ($250K). Together the top 10 received $1.1M.
Grant Size Distribution
224 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 148 grants of 224 (66%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 74% of grant dollars went to recipients in New Mexico, 8% to New York, 7% to California, 7% to Minnesota, and 2% to Utah.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 45 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Gale Family Foundation open to new grantees?
27%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 12 of 45 grantees (27%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $19K; repeat grants $44K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $25K repeat.
- 69% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−19%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 107% of 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 $1.5M (2024) to $2.1M (2022). In 2025 it made 45 grants totaling $1.7M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| May Center for Learning Santa Fe, NM | General Unrestricted | $250,000 |
| Santa Fe International Literary Festival Santa Fe, NM | General Unrestricted | $125,000 |
| Lensic Performing Arts Center Santa Fe, NM | General Unrestricted | $117,500 |
| Land Light Foundation New York, NY | General Unrestricted | $100,000 |
| Occidental College Las Angeles, CA | General Unrestricted | $100,000 |
| Santa Fe Community Foundation Santa Fe, NM | General Unrestricted | $100,000 |
| Site Santa Fe Santa Fe, NM | General Unrestricted | $100,000 |
| Santa Fe Preparatory School Santa Fe, NM | General Unrestricted | $75,000 |
| Radius Books Santa Fe, NM | General Unrestricted | $55,000 |
| Blake School Hopkins, MN | General Unrestricted | $50,000 |
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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 | $17,522,789 | $590,966 | $1,905,192 | $1,675,200 | 45 | $1,675,200 | $2,546,909 | $1,565,110 |
| 2024 | $16,559,769 | $595,227 | $1,729,948 | $1,491,700 | 42 | $1,502,878 | $2,060,254 | $1,528,740 |
| 2023 | $21,178,236 | $688,328 | $2,214,566 | $1,963,133 | 43 | $1,963,133 | $2,277,811 | $1,779,075 |
| 2022 | $20,766,344 | $630,292 | $2,327,665 | $2,059,000 | 45 | $2,059,000 | $457,984 | $1,790,401 |
| 2021 | $22,305,383 | $676,714 | $2,320,445 | $2,057,833 | 49 | $2,057,833 | $2,267,759 | $1,971,265 |
| 2020 | $21,959,442 | $596,365 | $1,947,437 | $1,741,833 | 41 | — | $493,917 | $1,612,881 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Gale Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.6M 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 grantees include arts and cultural organizations, educational institutions, and a relief organization. For example, SITE SANTA FE describes its work as celebrating contemporary creative expression, while Santa Fe Preparatory School describes itself as an independent college-preparatory day school. The Afghan Scout Relief Fund says it provides food aid and educational assistance to boys and girls in the Afghan scouting movement.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 45 grants totaling $1,675,200. Awards ranged from $2,500 to $250,000, with a median of $20,000. The reported grant totals were $1,491,700 across 42 grants in 2024 and $1,963,133 across 43 grants in 2023.
Among its largest 2025 grants were $250,000 to MAY CENTER FOR LEARNING; $125,000 to SANTA FE INTERNATIONAL LITERARY FESTIVAL; $117,500 to LENSIC PERFORMING ARTS CENTER; and $100,000 each to LAND LIGHT FOUNDATION, OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE, SANTA FE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, and SITE SANTA FE. The filing lists the grants as general unrestricted.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists ED GALE as president/director, MARIA GALE as director, and SAMUEL GALE as treasurer/director.
Gale Family Foundation is led by Ed Gale, President & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Ed Gale
President & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Maria Gale
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Samuel Gale
Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: James Patrick Gale (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Sarah Gale (2020–2023) — Director
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 Gale Family Foundation
How much does Gale Family Foundation give each year?
Gale Family Foundation gave $1.7M across 45 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.5M across 42 grants.
What is Gale Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Gale Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $20,000, and its average grant was $37,227, across 45 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Gale Family Foundation that year got $19K on average.
Where does Gale Family Foundation give grants?
Gale Family Foundation gives mostly in New Mexico: 74% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (8%) and California (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Santa Fe, NM (29 grants) and Minneapolis, MN (2 grants).
Does Gale Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Gale Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (45 of 45) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Gale Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Gale Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include May Center for Learning ($250,000), Santa Fe International Literary Festival ($125,000) and Lensic Performing Arts Center ($117,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 29% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Gale Family Foundation?
Gale Family Foundation reported $17.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.7M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.6M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Gale Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grantees include arts and cultural organizations, educational institutions, and a relief organization. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Gale Family Foundation?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Gale Family Foundation's EIN?
Gale Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 56-2676045. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Gale Family 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
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS August 3, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS June 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 11, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS July 1, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS July 10, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 5, 2026)
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Gale Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Gale Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/gale-family-foundation-morg_384d2a002d044564bc6352c6b9c08cd8
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_562676045_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Gale Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/gale-family-foundation-morg_384d2a002d044564bc6352c6b9c08cd8},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 Gale Family 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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