Ken & Dean Kirn Foundation
The Ken & Dean Kirn Foundation is a private foundation based in Vancouver, Washington. In 2025, it reported making 21 grants totaling $310,000 to charitable organizations.
Ken & Dean Kirn Foundation at a glance
In short: Ken & Dean Kirn Foundation gave $310K across 21 grants in 2025 (avg $15K), mostly in Washington. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $310,000
- +69.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 21
- +61.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $14,762
- +5.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $3,895,745
- +15.8% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Washington (76% 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 Ken & Dean Kirn 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: 13615 Se Rivercrest Dr, Vancouver, WA 98683
Phone: (360) 696-3312
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Ken & Dean Kirn Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Community Foundation of SW WA ($186K). Together the top 10 received $281K.
Grant Size Distribution
73 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 68 grants of 73 (93%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 76% of grant dollars went to recipients in Washington and 11% to recipients in Oregon. The remaining shares were 4% to the District of Columbia, 3% to New York, and 2% to California.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 21 itemized grants.
Cities
How Ken & Dean Kirn Foundation gives
- 62% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 45% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 98% 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 $19K (2019) to $310K (2025). In 2025 it made 21 grants totaling $310K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Community Foundation of SW WA Vancouver, WA | Donation to General Fund | $186,000 |
| Columbia River Maritime Museum Astoria, OR | Donation to General Fund | $25,000 |
| Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Vancouver, WA | Donation to General Fund | $25,000 |
| Freedom Foundation Brooklyn, NY | Donation to General Fund | $10,000 |
| Open House Ministries Vancouver, WA | Donation to General Fund | $10,000 |
| Clark County Food Bank Vancouver, WA | Donation to General Fund | $5,000 |
| Free Clinics of SW Washington Vancouver, WA | Donation to General Fund | $5,000 |
| Judicial Watch Washington, DC | Donation to General Fund | $5,000 |
| Pacific Legal Foundation Sacramento, CA | Donation to General Fund | $5,000 |
| Young America's Foundation Reston, VA | Donation to General Fund | $5,000 |
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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 | $3,895,745 | $954,768 | $322,547 | $310,000 | 21 | $313,709 | $551,377 | $320,274 |
| 2024 | $3,363,989 | $907,822 | $190,485 | $182,500 | 13 | $186,308 | $168,143 | $295,474 |
| 2023 | $2,882,226 | $833,912 | $262,429 | $255,000 | 8 | $258,568 | $126,395 | $254,861 |
| 2022 | $2,664,695 | $752,080 | $222,694 | $213,500 | 15 | $218,778 | $106,822 | $217,157 |
| 2021 | $2,536,209 | $644,529 | $156,466 | $149,500 | 16 | $154,349 | $91,756 | $210,969 |
| 2020 | $2,302,890 | $300,189 | $115,575 | $107,250 | 13 | — | $78,061 | $153,227 |
| 2019 | $2,125,257 | $1,025,148 | $27,980 | $18,500 | 4 | — | $45,086 | $106,632 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Ken & Dean Kirn Foundation reported a distributable amount of $320K 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 grantees describe a range of activities: the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra says it provides symphonic music and music education in Southwest Washington, while the Columbia River Maritime Museum says it collects, preserves, displays, and interprets maritime history and culture. Open House Ministries describes its work as providing shelter and intervention for homeless families; Clark County Food Bank says its mission is to alleviate hunger and its root causes.
Other grantees’ stated missions include nationwide litigation to secure rights (Pacific Legal Foundation), promoting government integrity and accountability (Judicial Watch), youth outreach around conservative ideas (Young America’s Foundation), and promoting conservative public policies (The Heritage Foundation). These are the grantees’ descriptions of their missions, not statements of the foundation’s own mission.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 21 grants totaling $310,000. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $186,000, with a median of $5,000. The largest reported grants were $186,000 to the Community Foundation of Southwest Washington, $25,000 each to the Columbia River Maritime Museum and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and $10,000 each to Freedom Foundation and Open House Ministries. Each was listed as a donation to the recipient’s general fund.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists S Kenneth Kirn as president, Steven Kenneth Kirn as vice president and treasurer, T Randall Grove as secretary, and Christopher Kirn as director.
Ken & Dean Kirn Foundation is led by S. Kenneth Kirn, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
S. Kenneth Kirn
President
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Christopher Kirn
Director
New on the 2025 filing
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Steven Kenneth Kirn
Vice President & Treasurer
On filings since 2019
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
T. Randall Grove
Secretary
On filings since 2019
0.1 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 Ken & Dean Kirn Foundation
How much does Ken & Dean Kirn Foundation give each year?
Ken & Dean Kirn Foundation gave $310K across 21 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $183K across 13 grants.
What is Ken & Dean Kirn Foundation's typical grant size?
Ken & Dean Kirn Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $14,762, across 21 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Ken & Dean Kirn Foundation give grants?
Ken & Dean Kirn Foundation gives mostly in Washington: 76% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Oregon (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were Vancouver, WA (7 grants), Washington, DC (4 grants) and Portland, OR (4 grants).
Does Ken & Dean Kirn Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Ken & Dean Kirn Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (21 of 21) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Ken & Dean Kirn Foundation's largest grantees?
Ken & Dean Kirn Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Community Foundation of SW WA ($186,000), Columbia River Maritime Museum ($25,000) and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 76% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Ken & Dean Kirn Foundation?
Ken & Dean Kirn Foundation reported $3.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $314K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $320K (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 Ken & Dean Kirn Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Ken & Dean Kirn 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 Ken & Dean Kirn Foundation's EIN?
Ken & Dean Kirn Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 82-3097498. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Ken & Dean Kirn 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
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS April 24, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Ken & Dean Kirn Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Ken & Dean Kirn Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/ken-and-dean-kirn-foundation-morg_eff3b9a71a304e559ff535ccccfaaad5
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_823097498_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Ken \& Dean Kirn Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/ken-and-dean-kirn-foundation-morg_eff3b9a71a304e559ff535ccccfaaad5},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Ken & Dean Kirn 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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