Galen and Ada Belle Spencer Foundation
The Galen and Ada Belle Spencer Foundation is a private foundation based in Denver, Colorado. In 2025, it made 19 grants totaling $340,500, primarily to Colorado organizations, including arts, education, health, and social-service organizations.
Galen and Ada Belle Spencer Foundation at a glance
In short: Galen and Ada Belle Spencer Foundation gave $341K across 19 grants in 2025 (avg $18K), mostly in Colorado. 0% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $340,500
- -5.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 19
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $17,921
- -5.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $3,797,562
- -3.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 0% first-time grantees (0 of 19, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Colorado (99% 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 Galen and Ada Belle Spencer Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The filing names Thomas P. Kearns as the contact and lists no required form or materials. The foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations.
- Review Cycle
- Requests must be received by September 30 for consideration at the organization’s annual meeting.
- Deadline
- Requests must be received by September 30 for consideration at the organization’s annual meeting.
- Contact
Application contact: Thomas P Kearns
Mailing address: 568 Lafayette St, Denver, CO 80219
Phone: (303) 921-2735
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Galen and Ada Belle Spencer Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Girls Scouts of Colorado ($50K). Together the top 10 received $283K.
Grant Size Distribution
92 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 90 grants of 92 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 99% of grant dollars went to recipients in Colorado and 1% to recipients in New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Galen and Ada Belle Spencer Foundation open to new grantees?
0%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 0 of 19 grantees (0%) were first-time recipients. With only 19 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. How we count
- 100% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+15%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 133% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2021–2025). 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 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $283K (2021) to $361K (2024). In 2025 it made 19 grants totaling $341K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Girls Scouts of Colorado Denver, CO | Charitable Contributions | $50,000 |
| Central City Opera House Association Denver, CO | Charitable Contributions | $45,000 |
| The Eating Disorder Foundation Denver, CO | Charitable Contributions | $45,000 |
| Opera Colorado Englewood, CO | Charitable Contributions | $40,000 |
| Havern School Littleton, CO | Charitable Contributions | $25,000 |
| University of Denver Lamont School of Music Denver, CO | Charitable Contributions | $25,000 |
| Tennyson Center for Children Denver, CO | Charitable Contributions | $17,500 |
| Roundup River Ranch Avon, CO | Charitable Contributions | $15,000 |
| Bayaud Enterprises Inc Denver, CO | Charitable Contributions | $10,000 |
| Denver Children's Choir Denver, CO | Charitable Contributions | $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 | $3,797,562 | $265,903 | $393,345 | $340,500 | 19 | $340,500 | $229,307 | $256,191 |
| 2024 | $3,924,196 | $611,696 | $400,306 | $360,500 | 19 | $360,500 | $577,200 | $244,801 |
| 2023 | $3,712,806 | $139,617 | $339,036 | $300,500 | 18 | $300,500 | $106,178 | $243,852 |
| 2022 | $3,912,225 | $282,619 | $334,442 | $295,500 | 17 | $295,500 | $243,677 | $263,533 |
| 2021 | $3,966,890 | $252,343 | $320,222 | $283,000 | 19 | — | $215,121 | $267,293 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Galen and Ada Belle Spencer Foundation reported a distributable amount of $256K 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 show support for a range of charitable organizations. Among the grantees, The Eating Disorder Foundation describes its mission as helping the public and health care community prevent and eliminate eating disorders. Opera Colorado says it uses opera and musical storytelling to connect the community and collaborates with nonprofit institutions. Roundup River Ranch says it offers free, medically supported camp programs for children with life-altering diagnoses and their families.
Other 2025 grantees describe their work as developing children’s musical abilities and friendships (Denver Children’s Choir), supporting young singers and members’ appreciation of opera (Denver Lyric Opera Guild), and providing choral music training for young performers (Colorado Children’s Chorale). Bayaud Enterprises says it works to reduce barriers to self-sufficiency for adults with disabilities and people rebuilding after poverty, homelessness, incarceration, or addiction.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation awarded 19 grants totaling $340,500. Grants ranged from $3,000 to $50,000, with a median of $10,000. Its largest reported awards were $50,000 to Girls Scouts of Colorado; $45,000 each to Central City Opera House Association and The Eating Disorder Foundation; and $40,000 to Opera Colorado. Other notable grants included $25,000 each to Havern School and the University of Denver Lamont School of Music, and $17,500 to Tennyson Center for Children.
The foundation’s 2024 filing states that it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. It lists no required application form or materials and no restrictions on awards.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Thomas P. Kearns as director and president, John K. Weckbaugh as director and first, and John J. Silver as director and second.
Galen and Ada Belle Spencer Foundation is led by Thomas P. Kearns, Director & President on every filing since 2021; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Thomas P. Kearns
Director & President
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John J. Silver
Director & Second
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
John K. Weckbaugh
Director & First
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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 Galen and Ada Belle Spencer Foundation
How much does Galen and Ada Belle Spencer Foundation give each year?
Galen and Ada Belle Spencer Foundation gave $341K across 19 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $361K across 19 grants.
What is Galen and Ada Belle Spencer Foundation's typical grant size?
Galen and Ada Belle Spencer Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $17,921, across 19 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Galen and Ada Belle Spencer Foundation give grants?
Galen and Ada Belle Spencer Foundation gives mostly in Colorado: 99% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Denver, CO (13 grants) and Englewood, CO (2 grants).
Who are Galen and Ada Belle Spencer Foundation's largest grantees?
Galen and Ada Belle Spencer Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Girls Scouts of Colorado ($50,000), Central City Opera House Association ($45,000) and The Eating Disorder Foundation ($45,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 41% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Galen and Ada Belle Spencer Foundation?
Galen and Ada Belle Spencer Foundation reported $3.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $341K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $256K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Galen and Ada Belle Spencer Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of charitable organizations. Among the grantees, The Eating Disorder Foundation describes its mission as helping the public and health care community prevent and eliminate eating disorders. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Galen and Ada Belle Spencer Foundation?
The filing names Thomas P. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Galen and Ada Belle Spencer Foundation's EIN?
Galen and Ada Belle Spencer Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 74-2259763. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
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
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Galen and Ada Belle Spencer Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 23, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/galen-and-ada-belle-spencer-foundation-morg_ac711ea8647a4e4891246e349efe7d79
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_742259763_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Galen and Ada Belle Spencer Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/galen-and-ada-belle-spencer-foundation-morg_ac711ea8647a4e4891246e349efe7d79},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-23. 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 Galen and Ada Belle Spencer 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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