Mirnahill Foundation
The Mirnahill Foundation is a private foundation based in Los Altos, California. Founded by Celeste and Kevin Ford, it partners with mission-aligned organizations to empower, educate, and inspire youth through sport, with a primary focus on youth-serving organizations rooted in the Bay Area and selected national partners advancing systems-level change.
Mirnahill Foundation at a glance
In short: Mirnahill Foundation gave $1.0M across 122 grants in 2024 (avg $8K), top state California. 11% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,036,572
- +4.2% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 122
- +5.2% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $8,496
- -0.9% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $5,791,336
- +7.3% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 11% first-time grantees (13 of 119, 2024)
- Primary geography
- California (46% 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 Mirnahill Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- Contact
Mailing address: 199 First Street 210, Los Altos, CA 94022
Phone: (408) 279-5566
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Mirnahill Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Papal Foundation ($100K). Together the top 10 received $424K.
Organizations only. It also paid 2 grants to individuals ($4,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
502 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 491 grants of 502 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation says it works primarily with youth-serving organizations rooted in the Bay Area, along with selected national partners advancing systems-level change. In 2024, 46% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 10% to Pennsylvania, 8% to Colorado, and 6% each to New York and the District of Columbia.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 122 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Mirnahill Foundation open to new grantees?
11%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 13 of 119 grantees (11%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $9K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 86% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+15%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 362% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $503K (2020) to $1.0M (2024). In 2024 it made 122 grants totaling $1.0M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Papal Foundation Chester, PA | Unrestricted Donation | $100,000 |
| United States Olympic & Paralympic Foundation Colorado Springs, CO | Unrestricted Donation | $75,200 |
| University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN | Unrestricted Donation | $50,000 |
| SV2 Redwood City, CA | Unrestricted Donation | $40,000 |
| Peace Players Washington, DC | Unrestricted Donation | $30,000 |
| Act Fort Myers, FL | Unrestricted Donation | $25,000 |
| Boys and Girls Club of San Francisco San Francisco, CA | Unrestricted Donation | $25,000 |
| Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula San Francisco, CA | Unrestricted Donation | $25,000 |
| Grass Root Soccer Inc Hanover, NH | Unrestricted Donation | $25,000 |
| Playworks Oakland, CA | Unrestricted Donation | $25,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Mirnahill 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 | $5,791,336 | $1,520,836 | $1,195,853 | $1,036,572 | 122 | $1,061,346 | — | $292,839 |
| 2023 | $5,395,866 | $2,058,626 | $1,170,475 | $994,788 | 116 | $1,024,941 | — | $231,328 |
| 2022 | $4,560,886 | $1,471,514 | $1,000,165 | $880,103 | 90 | $894,367 | — | $192,303 |
| 2021 | $3,699,656 | $2,308,894 | $992,912 | $904,615 | 85 | $913,865 | $704,793 | $144,099 |
| 2020 | $2,399,995 | $2,938,834 | $597,230 | $502,764 | 89 | — | $1,008,189 | $58,754 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Mirnahill Foundation reported a distributable amount of $293K for 2024 — 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 stated mission is to educate, empower, and inspire youth through sports to create healthy and supportive communities. It supports organizations using sport and play to expand youth opportunity, with interests including play equity, social-emotional learning, trauma-informed coaching, and systems-level change. Its website also highlights inclusion, collaboration, and the role of sport in youth development.
Its 2024 grants included organizations with a range of approaches. For example, Girls on the Run of the Bay Area says its program uses outdoor exercise and running to help youth become joyful, healthy, and confident, while aiming to serve participants across activity levels and backgrounds. Ultimate Impact says it uses ultimate to foster confidence, teamwork, and accountability among youth from underrepresented communities. East Palo Alto Tennis and Tutoring describes its work as addressing the opportunity gap for under-resourced K–12 students through academic and community partnerships. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own missions.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 122 grants totaling $1,036,572. Grants ranged from $100 to $100,000, with a median of $5,000.
Among the largest reported grants were $100,000 to Papal Foundation, $75,200 to United States Olympic & Paralympic Foundation, $50,000 to University of Notre Dame, $40,000 to SV2, and $30,000 to PeacePlayers. Other grants of $25,000 went to ACT, Boys and Girls Club of San Francisco, Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula, Grass Root Soccer Inc, Playworks, Positive Coaching Alliance, and Right to Play. The stated purposes for these largest grants were unrestricted donations.
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Celeste Ford as director and chair, Kevin Ford as director and vice chair, Miranda Ford Rising as director and treasurer, Nathan Ford as director and secretary, and Hillary Murphy as president and executive director.
Mirnahill Foundation is led by Hillary Murphy, President & Executive Director on every filing since 2022; none of the 5 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Hillary Murphy
President & Executive Director
On filings since 2022
20 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Celeste Ford
Director & Chair
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kevin Ford
Director & Vice Chair
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Miranda Ford Rising
Director & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nathan Ford
Director & Secretary
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Hillary Ford (2020–2021) — President & Executive Director
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 Mirnahill Foundation
How much does Mirnahill Foundation give each year?
Mirnahill Foundation gave $1.0M across 122 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $995K across 116 grants.
What is Mirnahill Foundation's typical grant size?
Mirnahill Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $5,000, and its average grant was $8,496, across 122 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Mirnahill Foundation that year got $4K on average.
Where does Mirnahill Foundation give grants?
Mirnahill Foundation's top state is California, with 46% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Pennsylvania (10%) and Colorado (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (19 grants), San Jose, CA (11 grants), Washington, DC (9 grants) and Oakland, CA (8 grants).
Does Mirnahill Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Mirnahill Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (122 of 122) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Mirnahill Foundation's largest grantees?
Mirnahill Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Papal Foundation ($100,000), United States Olympic & Paralympic Foundation ($75,200) and University of Notre Dame ($54,000 across 2 grants), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 2 grants to individuals ($4,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 22% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Mirnahill Foundation?
Mirnahill Foundation reported $5.8M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $293K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Mirnahill Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to educate, empower, and inspire youth through sports to create healthy and supportive communities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Mirnahill Foundation?
Mirnahill Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals, according to Grantable's research on its published guidelines.
What is Mirnahill Foundation's EIN?
Mirnahill Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-3695626. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Mirnahill 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
(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). Mirnahill Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/mirnahill-foundation-morg_7094f693fde24a5f85174af118fdbba2
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_263695626_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Mirnahill Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/mirnahill-foundation-morg_7094f693fde24a5f85174af118fdbba2},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Mirnahill 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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