Hern Family Foundation
The Hern Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, founded in 2013 by Kevin and Tammy Hern. It supports organizations and programs focused on improving the quality of life of military veteran families and families that have experienced significant physical or economic loss, with the majority of its funding directed to Northeastern Oklahoma.
Hern Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Hern Family Foundation gave $269K across 21 grants in 2025 (avg $13K), mostly in Oklahoma. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $268,695
- -51.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 21
- -16.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $12,795
- -42.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $7,533,853
- -0.3% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Oklahoma (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.
How to apply to Hern Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The website describes an online application and upload process, while the foundation’s filing says it does not accept unsolicited requests. Applicants are directed to review the eligibility guidelines and deadlines; no specific deadline is stated here.
- Contact
Mailing address: 2411 East 34Th Street, Tulsa, OK 74105
Phone: (918) 812-6025
Website: https://hernfamilyfoundation.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Hern Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Church ($63K). Together the top 10 received $238K.
Grant Size Distribution
106 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 99 grants of 106 (93%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation says it directs the majority of its funds to organizations and programs operating in Northeastern Oklahoma. In 2025, 99% of grant dollars went to recipients in Oklahoma and 1% to recipients in Arkansas.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 21 itemized grants.
Cities
How Hern Family Foundation gives
- 43% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+13%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 94% 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 (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 $47K (2021) to $558K (2024). In 2025 it made 21 grants totaling $269K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Church Oklahoma City, OK | To provide capital support for furthering the purpose of the organization | $63,110 |
| United State Aviation CO Tulsa, OK | To provide capital support for furthering the purpose of the organization | $56,800 |
| Soldier's Wish Tulsa, OK | To provide capital support for furthering the purpose of the organization | $30,100 |
| Food Bank of East Oklahoma Tulsa, OK | To provide capital support for furthering the purpose of the organization | $25,000 |
| Ronald McDonald House Charities of Tulsa Inc Tulsa, OK | To provide capital support for furthering the purpose of the organization | $17,800 |
| Salvation Army Tulsa, OK | To provide capital support for furthering the purpose of the organization | $10,400 |
| Food on the Move Tulsa, OK | To provide capital support for furthering the purpose of the organization | $10,000 |
| Meals on Wheels-of Metro Tulsa Tulsa, OK | To provide capital support for furthering the purpose of the organization | $10,000 |
| Tulsa Fop 93 Foundation Tulsa, OK | To provide capital support for furthering the purpose of the organization | $10,000 |
| Eagle Ops Foundation Owasso, OK | To provide capital support for furthering the purpose of the organization | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Hern Family Foundation?
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 | $7,533,853 | $356,471 | $377,332 | $268,695 | 21 | $304,571 | $262,046 | $323,881 |
| 2024 | $7,553,782 | $333,896 | $658,933 | $558,250 | 25 | $589,223 | $267,891 | $426,456 |
| 2023 | $7,879,289 | $280,025 | $342,964 | $248,147 | 35 | $272,495 | $214,554 | $383,658 |
| 2022 | $7,942,228 | $241,040 | $326,482 | $237,200 | 22 | $259,787 | $174,973 | $380,673 |
| 2021 | $8,027,670 | $7,588,723 | $91,529 | $47,200 | 3 | $50,514 | $43,514 | $237,459 |
| 2020 | $530,476 | $55,037 | $77,782 | $72,113 | 23 | — | $8,674 | $27,901 |
| 2019 | $553,221 | $577,041 | $76,322 | $74,590 | 22 | — | $959 | $13,024 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Hern Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $324K 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
The foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life of military veteran families and families that have experienced significant physical and/or economic loss. Its focus areas also include military families and veterans services, educational services, family and children services, and community services. The foundation says it prefers programs and specific operating needs.
Its grantees’ missions illustrate the range of organizations it supports. Soldier’s Wish says it identifies veterans’ needs and provides resources to veterans and their families. Ronald McDonald House Charities of Tulsa says it provides services to remove barriers, strengthen families, and promote healing when children need healthcare. Food on the Move says its mission is to transform food deserts and the problems associated with living in food-insecure areas.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 21 grants totaling $268,695. Grant amounts ranged from $135 to $63,110, with a median grant of $5,000. Its largest reported awards included $63,110 to The Church, $56,800 to United State Aviation Co, $30,100 to Soldier’s Wish, $25,000 to Food Bank of East Oklahoma, and $17,800 to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Tulsa. The listed filing purposes describe capital support for furthering each organization’s purpose.
The foundation’s guidelines say it is not currently funding capital campaigns. It prefers program funding but considers specific operating support. Grants are generally offered up to $50,000; funding above that amount is by invitation only. Requests from organizations in their first year of operation are limited to $10,000 or less. The foundation’s website describes an online 2026 application process, including completing and uploading an application and required documents. It also asks first-time applicants to discuss eligibility before beginning. Separately, its filing states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Kevin Ray Hern, Tammy Lynn Hern, Gabrielle Ashtyn Rae Hern, Kelby Austin Hern, and Kaden Everett Hern as directors.
Hern Family Foundation's 2025 filing lists 5 officers; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Gabrielle Ashtyn Rae Hern
Director
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kaden Everett Hern
Director
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kelby Austin Hern
Director
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kevin Ray Hern
Director
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tammy Lynn Hern
Director
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
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 Hern Family Foundation
How much does Hern Family Foundation give each year?
Hern Family Foundation gave $269K across 21 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $558K across 25 grants.
What is Hern Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Hern Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $12,795, across 21 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Hern Family Foundation give grants?
Hern Family Foundation gives mostly in Oklahoma: 99% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Tulsa, OK (12 grants), Oklahoma City, OK (3 grants) and Broken Arrow, OK (2 grants).
Does Hern Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 21 grants with a stated purpose on Hern Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Hern Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Hern Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include The Church ($63,110), United State Aviation CO ($56,800) and Soldier's Wish ($30,100), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 56% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Hern Family Foundation?
Hern Family Foundation reported $7.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $305K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $324K (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 Hern Family Foundation fund?
The foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life of military veteran families and families that have experienced significant physical and/or economic loss. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Hern Family Foundation?
The website describes an online application and upload process, while the foundation’s filing says it does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Hern Family Foundation's EIN?
Hern Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 46-0768060. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Hern Family 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 February 9, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 12, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Hern Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Hern Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/hern-family-foundation-morg_d5cc37ffff5a442dba1ace5b438014b0
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_460768060_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Hern Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/hern-family-foundation-morg_d5cc37ffff5a442dba1ace5b438014b0},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. 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 Hern 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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