Ja Community Foundation
JA Community Foundation is an Oakland, California-based private foundation that supports programs serving Japanese American and broader Asian American communities. Its website says the foundation was created in September 2015 by the JACL Health Benefits Trust to use remaining health-plan reserve funds for the community served by the plan.
Ja Community Foundation at a glance
In short: Ja Community Foundation gave $386K across 26 grants in 2025 (avg $15K), mostly in California. 54% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $386,120
- +11.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 26
- +18.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $14,851
- -5.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $13,750
- Total assets
- $11,770
- -96.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 54% first-time grantees (14 of 26, 2025)
- Primary geography
- California (65% 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 Ja Community Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The website describes an LOI followed, if invited, by a full proposal; however, the foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests.
- Review Cycle
- The website’s 2026 spring and fall LOI deadlines—January 25 and June 25, respectively—have passed. No later deadline is provided in the available information.
- Deadline
- The website’s 2026 spring and fall LOI deadlines—January 25 and June 25, respectively—have passed.
- Contact
Mailing address: 180 Grand Avenue 1530, Oakland, CA 94612
Phone: (800) 400-6633
Website: https://www.jagives.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from Ja Community Foundation
Who Ja Community Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Sacramento Jacl ($50K). Together the top 10 received $240K.
Grant Size Distribution
137 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 135 grants of 137 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation says it accepts applications from all 50 states. In 2025, 65% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 9% to Utah, 5% to New Mexico, 4% to Washington, and 4% to Illinois.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 26 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Ja Community Foundation open to new grantees?
54%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 14 of 26 grantees (54%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $15K; repeat grants $14K. How we count
Medians: $14K first-time, $14K repeat.
- 4% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+1%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above 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 $346K (2024) to $446K (2021). In 2025 it made 26 grants totaling $386K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Sacramento Jacl Sacramento, CA | Community Outreach | $50,000 |
| Japanese American Memorial Pilgrimages Aptos, CA | Community Outreach | $25,000 |
| J-SEI Inc Emeryville, CA | Community Outreach | $25,000 |
| Topaz Museum Delta, UT | Community Outreach | $25,000 |
| San Joaquin County Historical Society Lodi, CA | Community Outreach | $25,000 |
| Central California Nikkei Foundation Fresno, CA | Community Outreach | $20,000 |
| New Mexico Jacl Albuquerque, NM | Community Outreach | $20,000 |
| Jacl - Marysville Chapter San Francisco, CA | Community Outreach | $20,000 |
| Jan Ken Po Gakko Elk Grove, CA | Community Outreach | $15,000 |
| Nikkei Heritage Association of Washington Seattle, WA | Community Outreach | $15,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Ja Community Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The foundation files Form 990-PF.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $11,770 | $253,797 | $618,071 | $386,120 | 26 | $591,475 | $86,493 | $16,925 |
| 2024 | $376,192 | $142,494 | $603,492 | $345,876 | 22 | $572,113 | $82,983 | $40,025 |
| 2023 | $835,897 | $52,305 | $635,911 | $400,000 | 34 | $603,917 | $4,928 | $62,337 |
| 2022 | $1,418,884 | $159,656 | $611,919 | $380,556 | 24 | $575,176 | $72,983 | $89,756 |
| 2021 | $1,871,147 | $331,766 | $899,022 | $445,880 | 31 | $836,936 | $245,452 | $121,206 |
| 2020 | $2,438,403 | $202,058 | $420,095 | $361,032 | 25 | — | $179,840 | $129,828 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Ja Community Foundation reported a distributable amount of $17K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s mission is to identify and invest in solutions that meet the needs, interests, and concerns of Japanese American and broader Asian American communities, and to promote programs that benefit those communities.
It funds projects by registered 501(c)(3) public benefit nonprofit organizations. Examples among its 2025 grantees illustrate the range of work supported: Topaz Museum says its mission is to preserve and interpret the Topaz internment site and educate the public; J-Sei says it provides services and programs for seniors and their families; and Genryu Arts says it presents Japanese American culture through taiko and other music and dance forms.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 26 grants totaling $386,120. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $50,000, with a median of $13,750. The largest award was $50,000 to Sacramento JACL for community outreach. Other notable awards included $25,000 each to Japanese American Memorial Pilgrimages, J-Sei Inc., Topaz Museum, and San Joaquin County Historical Society, all for community outreach.
The foundation’s website describes a two-stage process: submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI), then submit a full proposal if invited. Its guidelines request project information including a description, dates, requested amount, total project budget, project budget, and funding sources. Applicants must submit through the online grant system. Grants may be for one-time or multi-year projects, but the total requested for the first and second payments of a multi-year grant cannot exceed $50,000. Grants cannot fund ongoing operating costs, and organizations with an open grant cannot apply until it is closed. Fiscal sponsors are not accepted. The foundation states on its 2025 filing 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 Doug Urata as president and director; Carole Yamakoshi as vice-president and director; James Oshima as treasurer and director; Carole Nishita as secretary and director; Edward Oda, Gayle Kono, Gregory Mukai, and Peter Nakaso as directors; and Stephen Divizich as chief executive.
Ja Community Foundation is led by Stephen Divizich, Chief Executive on every filing since 2020; 5 of 9 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Stephen Divizich
Chief Executive
On filings since 2020
20 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Doug Urata
President & Director
Vice President & Director → President & Director, 2025
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
$1K (2020) → $3K (2025)
Carole Nishita
Secretary & Director
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
$1K (2020) → $3K (2025)
Carole Yamakoshi
Vice President & Director
Director → Vice President & Director, 2025
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
$1K (2020) → $0 (2025)
Edward Oda
Director
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
$1K (2020) → $3K (2025)
James Oshima
Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$1K (2020) → $3K (2025)
Peter Nakaso
Director
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
$1K (2021) → $0 (2025)
Gayle Kono
Director
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
$3K (2023) → $3K (2025)
Gregory Mukai
Director
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
$1K (2022) → $0 (2025)
Former officers (4)
- Former: Leroy Morishita (2020–2024) — President & Director
- Former: Kevin Nagata (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Kikuo Nakahara (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Shig Naito (2020–2021) — 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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $3K, to Doug Urata (President & Director). 5 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Ja Community Foundation
How much does Ja Community Foundation give each year?
Ja Community Foundation gave $386K across 26 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $346K across 22 grants.
What is Ja Community Foundation's typical grant size?
Ja Community Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $13,750, and its average grant was $14,851, across 26 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Ja Community Foundation that year got $15K on average.
Where does Ja Community Foundation give grants?
Ja Community Foundation gives mostly in California: 65% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Utah (9%) and New Mexico (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (2 grants) and Fresno, CA (2 grants).
Does Ja Community Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 26 grants with a stated purpose on Ja Community Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Community Outreach" (26 grants).
Who are Ja Community Foundation's largest grantees?
Ja Community Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Sacramento Jacl ($50,000), Japanese American Memorial Pilgrimages ($25,000) and J-SEI Inc ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 26% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Ja Community Foundation?
Ja Community Foundation reported $12K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $591K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $17K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Ja Community Foundation fund?
The foundation’s mission is to identify and invest in solutions that meet the needs, interests, and concerns of Japanese American and broader Asian American communities, and to promote programs that benefit those communities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Ja Community Foundation?
The website describes an LOI followed, if invited, by a full proposal; however, the foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Ja Community Foundation's EIN?
Ja Community Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-5147963. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Ja Community 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Ja Community Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/ja-community-foundation-morg_87d796a2e0624f61bfe83342e96dc5ef
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_475147963_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Ja Community Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/ja-community-foundation-morg_87d796a2e0624f61bfe83342e96dc5ef},
note = {Accessed 2026-11-02. 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 Ja Community 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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