John Sperling Foundation
The John Sperling Foundation is a private foundation based in Litchfield Park, Arizona. Its 2025 filing reports grants to organizations working on environmental and public-lands issues, voting rights, reproductive health care, food-system transparency, disaster response, and local arts and heritage.
John Sperling Foundation at a glance
In short: John Sperling Foundation gave $3.8M across 22 grants in 2025 (avg $172K), top state California. 26% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $3,776,000
- +0.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 22
- +15.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $171,636
- -13.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $20,000
- Total assets
- $86,222,585
- +7.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 26% first-time grantees (5 of 19, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (44% 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 John Sperling Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states in its 2024 filing that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
- Contact
Mailing address: 5115 N Dysart Rd Suite 202 Pmb305, Litchfield Park, AZ 85340
Phone: (602) 364-8000
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who John Sperling Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Earthjustice ($1.5M). Together the top 10 received $3.7M.
Grant Size Distribution
109 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 50 grants of 109 (46%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in California (44%), New York (26%), Oregon (13%), and the District of Columbia (13%); Colorado received 2%. The listed grants also included awards to organizations in Arizona.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 22 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is John Sperling Foundation open to new grantees?
26%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 19 grantees (26%) 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. First grants averaged $11K; repeat grants $266K. How we count
Medians: $8K first-time, $48K repeat.
- 58% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+19%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 107% of 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 $2.4M (2020) to $3.8M (2025). In 2025 it made 22 grants totaling $3.8M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Earthjustice San Francisco, CA | First installment of a three-year grant for prevailing justice: fight back, fight forward | $1,500,000 |
| American Civil Liberties Union Foundation New York, NY | For the Voting Rights Project | $500,000 |
| American Civil Liberties Union Foundation New York, NY | To support work related to protection of abortion and reproductive health care | $500,000 |
| Western Environmental Law Center Eugene, OR | Second installment of a two-year grant for defending public lands across the western U.S. | $500,000 |
| Center for Science in the Public Interest Washington, DC | Second installment of a two-year grant for advocating for a safer and more transparent food system | $300,000 |
| Los Padres Forest Watch Santa Barbara, CA | Second installment of a two-year grant for protecting the public lands of the central coast of California | $100,000 |
| World Central Kitchen Washington, DC | Restricted to efforts related to helene with a focus on nc, ga and tn | $75,000 |
| World Central Kitchen Washington, DC | Restricted to recovery efforts associated with the wildfires in southern California | $75,000 |
| Western Resource Advocates Boulder, CO | First installment of a three-year grant to protect the Colorado river | $75,000 |
| Gaviota Coast Conservancy Goleta, CA | For General Support | $20,000 |
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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 | $86,222,585 | $8,207,662 | $4,991,400 | $3,776,000 | 22 | $4,229,647 | $7,446,819 | $3,970,321 |
| 2024 | $80,243,940 | $2,715,432 | $5,176,927 | $3,755,000 | 19 | $4,210,031 | $1,749,455 | $3,722,628 |
| 2023 | $73,594,521 | $773,167 | $5,415,701 | $3,180,000 | 20 | $3,591,986 | $462,475 | $2,709,218 |
| 2022 | $63,403,300 | $3,071,599 | $4,360,825 | $3,180,000 | 20 | $3,569,050 | $2,280,249 | $3,494,760 |
| 2021 | $77,288,509 | $3,080,219 | $3,601,086 | $2,638,000 | 28 | — | $2,457,210 | $3,557,214 |
| 2020 | $67,949,269 | $4,083,052 | $3,325,321 | $2,370,000 | 16 | — | $812,701 | $3,207,216 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, John Sperling Foundation reported a distributable amount of $4.0M 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 environmental advocacy and public-lands protection, civil liberties and reproductive health care, food-system advocacy, disaster response, and local community organizations.
Among its grantees, Earthjustice describes itself as a public-interest environmental law organization working to protect health, places and wildlife, advance clean energy, and combat climate change. The Western Environmental Law Center says it uses law to support western lands, waters, wildlife, and communities in a changing climate. The ACLU Foundation describes its mission as promoting knowledge and understanding of civil liberties and civil rights protected by U.S. and state laws. World Central Kitchen says it provides meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises. Gaviota Coast Conservancy says it works to protect the rural character and environmental integrity of the Gaviota Coast.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 22 grants totaling $3,776,000. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $1,500,000, with a median of $20,000.
The largest reported awards included $1,500,000 to Earthjustice for the first installment of a three-year grant for “Prevailing Justice: Fight Back, Fight Forward”; two $500,000 grants to the ACLU Foundation, one for its Voting Rights Project and one for work related to protection of abortion and reproductive health care; and $500,000 to the Western Environmental Law Center for the second installment of a two-year grant defending public lands across the western U.S. Other reported grants included $300,000 to the Center for Science in the Public Interest for work advocating for a safer and more transparent food system, and two $75,000 grants to World Central Kitchen for specified disaster-recovery efforts.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Peter V Sperling as Vice President & Director, Terri C Bishop as Chairman & Director, and Darby E Shupp as Secretary Treasurer Director.
John Sperling Foundation is led by Terri C. Bishop, Chairman & Director on every filing since 2020; 2 of 3 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Terri C. Bishop
Chairman & Director
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
$65K (2020) → $71K (2025)
Darby E. Shupp
Secretary Treasurer Director
On filings since 2020
38 hrs/week
$200K (2020) → $237K (2025)
Peter V. Sperling
Vice President & Director
On filings since 2020
1.7 hrs/week
No compensation reported
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 $237K, to Darby E Shupp (Secretary Treasurer Direct). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about John Sperling Foundation
How much does John Sperling Foundation give each year?
John Sperling Foundation gave $3.8M across 22 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $3.8M across 19 grants.
What is John Sperling Foundation's typical grant size?
John Sperling Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $20,000, and its average grant was $171,636, across 22 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from John Sperling Foundation that year got $11K on average.
Where does John Sperling Foundation give grants?
John Sperling Foundation's top state is California, with 44% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (26%) and Oregon (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (5 grants), San Francisco, CA (2 grants) and New York, NY (2 grants).
Does John Sperling Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 41% of John Sperling Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (9 of 22) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are John Sperling Foundation's largest grantees?
John Sperling Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Earthjustice ($1,500,000), American Civil Liberties Union Foundation ($1,000,000 across 2 grants) and Western Environmental Law Center ($500,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 79% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is John Sperling Foundation?
John Sperling Foundation reported $86.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $4.2M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $4.0M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does John Sperling Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for environmental advocacy and public-lands protection, civil liberties and reproductive health care, food-system advocacy, disaster response, and local community organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from John Sperling Foundation?
The foundation states in its 2024 filing that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is John Sperling Foundation's EIN?
John Sperling Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 32-0284165. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does John Sperling 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). John Sperling Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/john-sperling-foundation-morg_44089e9ee18b468896f12ec581bb4d3d
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_320284165_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{John Sperling Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/john-sperling-foundation-morg_44089e9ee18b468896f12ec581bb4d3d},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 John Sperling 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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