Hobsonlucas Family Foundation
Hobsonlucas Family Foundation is a private foundation based in San Rafael, California. Its 2024 filing lists grants to organizations in areas including higher education, legal advocacy, theater, film preservation, substance-use and mental-health services, youth programs, and international development.
Hobsonlucas Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Hobsonlucas Family Foundation gave $56.8M across 336 grants in 2024 (avg $169K), top state California. 22% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $56,811,741
- -9.8% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 336
- -7.9% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $169,083
- -2.0% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $1,245,791,258
- +5.8% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 22% first-time grantees (60 of 269, 2024)
- Primary geography
- California (34% 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 Hobsonlucas Family Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The filing instructs applicants to send a letter with information regarding the request. It states that there are no restrictions or limitations on awards.
- Review Cycle
- There are no submission deadlines.
- Deadline
- There are no submission deadlines.
- Contact
Application contact: Hobson Lucas Family Foundation
Mailing address: PO Box 2009, San Rafael, CA 94912
Phone: (415) 746-5059
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Hobsonlucas Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Schwab Charitable Fund ($15.5M across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $50.7M.
Grant Size Distribution
1,612 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 1,328 grants of 1,612 (82%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2024 grant dollars were distributed primarily to recipients in California and New York (34% each) and New Jersey (23%). Illinois accounted for 4% and Minnesota for 2%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 336 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Hobsonlucas Family Foundation open to new grantees?
22%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 60 of 269 grantees (22%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $98K; repeat grants $244K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 68% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+1%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 93% 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 (2020–2024). 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 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $56.2M (2021) to $63.8M (2022). In 2024 it made 336 grants totaling $56.8M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Trustees of Princeton University Princeton, NJ | 3/5 Grant Payment | $13,000,000 |
| New York University New York, NY | Grant Payment 3/5 | $10,000,000 |
| Schwab Charitable Fund San Rafael, CA | General Donation | $8,500,000 |
| Schwab Charitable Fund San Rafael, CA | General Donation | $7,000,000 |
| NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund New York, NY | General Donation 4 of 5 PMT | $2,000,000 |
| NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund New York, NY | Grant Donation | $2,000,000 |
| ACLU Foundation New York, NY | General Donation | $1,000,000 |
| ACLU Foundation New York, NY | Immigrants Right Projects | $1,000,000 |
| Apollo Theater Foundation New York, NY | General Donation | $1,000,000 |
| Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation Center City, MN | General Donation | $1,000,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Hobsonlucas 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,245,791,258 | $73,455,573 | $36,506,396 | $56,811,741 | 336 | $56,952,390 | $51,787,568 | $61,319,128 |
| 2023 | $1,177,109,011 | $37,131,505 | $41,509,408 | $62,965,086 | 365 | $62,962,547 | $28,087,962 | $56,418,673 |
| 2022 | $1,097,213,558 | $41,002,391 | $29,900,696 | $63,813,688 | 328 | $63,931,901 | $33,009,487 | $56,260,141 |
| 2021 | $1,337,485,610 | $115,246,132 | $110,709,755 | $56,177,864 | 291 | $56,378,501 | $113,822,316 | $63,630,449 |
| 2020 | $1,224,427,404 | $46,978,147 | $111,293,591 | $56,566,205 | 292 | — | $47,081,712 | $59,568,981 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Hobsonlucas Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $61.3M 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 for the foundation is provided. Its grants show support for a range of organizations. For example, New York University describes its primary missions as education, research and scholarship, and patient care. The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation describes its work as supporting people, families, and communities affected by substance use and mental-health conditions. The Film Foundation says it works to protect and preserve motion picture history.
Other 2024 recipients included the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, the ACLU Foundation, Apollo Theater Foundation, After School Matters, and the ONE Campaign. After School Matters describes its mission as providing Chicago public high school teens with opportunities to develop talents and skills through hands-on programs.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 336 grants totaling $56,811,741. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $13,000,000, with a median of $5,000.
Among the largest reported grants were $13 million to the Trustees of Princeton University and $10 million to New York University. The foundation also reported two grants to Schwab Charitable Fund totaling $15.5 million; two grants of $2 million each to the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund; and two $1 million grants to the ACLU Foundation. Other grants included $1 million to Apollo Theater Foundation and $1 million to the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. The Film Foundation received multiple grants, including $650,000 and $621,882.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists George W. Lucas Jr. as president/director; Mellody Hobson and Andrea Wishom as vice presidents/directors; Michael Rider as treasurer; Natalie Talbott as secretary; and Kate Nyegaard and Elbert Robinson as directors.
Hobsonlucas Family Foundation is led by George W. Lucas Jr., President & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 7 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
George W. Lucas Jr.
President & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Andrea Wishom
Vice President & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Elbert Robinson
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kate Nyegaard
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mellody Hobson
Vice President & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michael Rider
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Natalie Talbott
Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Hobsonlucas Family Foundation
How much does Hobsonlucas Family Foundation give each year?
Hobsonlucas Family Foundation gave $56.8M across 336 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $63.0M across 365 grants.
What is Hobsonlucas Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Hobsonlucas Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $5,000, and its average grant was $169,083, across 336 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Hobsonlucas Family Foundation that year got $98K on average.
Where does Hobsonlucas Family Foundation give grants?
Hobsonlucas Family Foundation's top state is California, with 34% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (34%) and New Jersey (23%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (66 grants), San Francisco, CA (44 grants), Chicago, IL (38 grants) and Los Angeles, CA (21 grants).
Does Hobsonlucas Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 89% of Hobsonlucas Family Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (300 of 336) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Holiday Meals 2024" (3 grants).
Who are Hobsonlucas Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Hobsonlucas Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Schwab Charitable Fund ($15,500,000 across 2 grants), Trustees of Princeton University ($13,100,000 across 2 grants) and New York University ($10,000,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 68% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Hobsonlucas Family Foundation?
Hobsonlucas Family Foundation reported $1.2B in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $57.0M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $61.3M (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 Hobsonlucas Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants show support for a range of organizations. For example, New York University describes its primary missions as education, research and scholarship, and patient care. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Hobsonlucas Family Foundation?
The filing instructs applicants to send a letter with information regarding the request. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Hobsonlucas Family Foundation's EIN?
Hobsonlucas Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-3940983. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
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 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Hobsonlucas Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/hobsonlucas-family-foundation-morg_20162011f8d64ab99384ba3f54f3948a
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_203940983_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Hobsonlucas Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/hobsonlucas-family-foundation-morg_20162011f8d64ab99384ba3f54f3948a},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Hobsonlucas 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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