Hard Yaka Foundation
Hard Yaka Foundation is a private foundation based in Berkeley, California. Its 2024 filing reports 13 grants totaling $52,000, with grants recorded for charitable organizations in several states and Washington, DC.
Hard Yaka Foundation at a glance
In short: Hard Yaka Foundation gave $52K across 13 grants in 2024 (avg $4K), top state California. 69% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $52,000
- -1.9% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 13
- +225.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $4,000
- -69.8% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $4,000
- Total assets
- $867,831
- -3.6% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 69% first-time grantees (9 of 13, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (37% 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 Hard Yaka 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: 1287 Francisco St, Berkeley, CA 94702
Phone: (510) 495-4686
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Hard Yaka Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Insight Photography Projects ($9K). Together the top 10 received $48K.
Grant Size Distribution
22 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 20 grants of 22 (91%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2024 filing reports that grant dollars went to recipients in California (37%), Vermont (17%), Florida (17%), Washington, DC (10%), and New York (10%). The listed grants also include a recipient in Alabama.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Hard Yaka Foundation open to new grantees?
69%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 9 of 13 grantees (69%) were first-time recipients. With only 13 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $4K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 31% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 117% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2022–2024). 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
From 2022 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $52K (2024) to $70K (2022). In 2024 it made 13 grants totaling $52K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Insight Photography Projects Brattleboro, VT | Support | $9,000 |
| Swop Behind Bars Brandon, FL | Support | $9,000 |
| Georgetown Univeristy Washington, DC | Support | $5,000 |
| Food for Thought Forestville, CA | Support | $5,000 |
| Feeding Westchester Elmsford, NY | Support | $5,000 |
| National Immigration Law Center Los Angeles, CA | Support | $4,000 |
| Equal Justice Initiative Montgomery, AL | Support | $4,000 |
| Western States Trail Endowment Auburn, CA | Support | $3,000 |
| The Center for Vilonce Free Placerville, CA | Support | $2,000 |
| Journey to the Hear Horse Sanctuary Georgetown, CA | Support | $2,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $867,831 | $40,455 | $52,972 | $52,000 | 13 | $52,050 | $40,428 | $44,347 |
| 2023 | $899,848 | $42,467 | $54,334 | $53,000 | 4 | $54,170 | $42,303 | $44,034 |
| 2022 | $912,215 | $11,830 | $71,051 | $70,000 | 5 | $71,000 | $11,830 | $46,371 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Hard Yaka Foundation reported a distributable amount of $44K for 2024 — 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 is provided. The 2024 grant records list support for organizations working in areas including food access, immigration law, photography, and bicycle safety. For example, Feeding Westchester describes its mission as leading hunger-action programs and mobilizing resources to eradicate hunger in Westchester County. Marin County Bicycle Coalition describes its mission as promoting safe bicycling for everyday transportation and recreation through work on bicycle facilities, project funding, and education.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation gave 13 grants totaling $52,000. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $9,000, with a median of $4,000. Listed recipients include Insight Photography Projects ($9,000), SWOP Behind Bars ($9,000), Georgetown University ($5,000), Food for Thought ($5,000), Feeding Westchester ($5,000), National Immigration Law Center ($4,000), and Equal Justice Initiative ($4,000). The filing lists each grant’s purpose as “support.”
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Emily Castelli is listed as president on the 2024 filing.
Hard Yaka Foundation is led by Emily Castelli, President since 2024 (on filings since 2022) — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Emily Castelli
President
Secretary → President, 2024
On filings since 2022
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Margaret Slemmer (2022–2023) — President
- Former: Brett Beldner (2023) — Treasurer
- Former: Joseph Christopher Lewis (2023) — Secretary
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2022–2024. "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 Hard Yaka Foundation
How much does Hard Yaka Foundation give each year?
Hard Yaka Foundation gave $52K across 13 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $53K across 4 grants.
What is Hard Yaka Foundation's typical grant size?
Hard Yaka Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $4,000, and its average grant was $4,000, across 13 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Hard Yaka Foundation that year got $5K on average.
Where does Hard Yaka Foundation give grants?
Hard Yaka Foundation's top state is California, with 37% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Vermont (17%) and Florida (17%).
Does Hard Yaka Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 13 grants with a stated purpose on Hard Yaka Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Support" (13 grants).
Who are Hard Yaka Foundation's largest grantees?
Hard Yaka Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Insight Photography Projects ($9,000), Swop Behind Bars ($9,000) and Georgetown Univeristy ($5,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 44% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Hard Yaka Foundation?
Hard Yaka Foundation reported $868K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $52K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $44K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Hard Yaka Foundation fund?
No mission statement is provided. The 2024 grant records list support for organizations working in areas including food access, immigration law, photography, and bicycle safety. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Hard Yaka 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 Hard Yaka Foundation's EIN?
Hard Yaka Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 84-3104012. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2022–2024.
Does Hard Yaka 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
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2022–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Hard Yaka Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/hard-yaka-foundation-morg_dcd9ac7000944715aff3c765a316ae9d
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_843104012_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Hard Yaka Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/hard-yaka-foundation-morg_dcd9ac7000944715aff3c765a316ae9d},
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 Hard Yaka 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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