Nelson Family Foundation
The Nelson Family Foundation is a private foundation based in San Ramon, California. Its 2025 filing lists grants to charitable organizations, including organizations working in areas such as child protection, racial justice, education, health care, and counseling; these areas describe grantees’ work, not a stated mission of the foundation.
Nelson Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Nelson Family Foundation gave $105K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $11K), mostly in California. 10% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $105,105
- -54.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- -63.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $10,511
- +23.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,203
- Total assets
- $1,644,018
- +28.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 10% first-time grantees (1 of 10, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (90% 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 Nelson Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 3001 Bishop Drive 100, San Ramon, CA 94583
Phone: (925) 998-7685
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Nelson Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was New Story Inc ($50K). Together the top 10 received $105K.
Grant Size Distribution
101 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 92 grants of 101 (91%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 90% of grant dollars went to recipients in California; the remaining 10% went to a recipient whose state is unspecified in the filing. The listed 2025 grants include recipients in California and a grant for medical supplies for health care in South Africa.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Nelson Family Foundation open to new grantees?
10%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 10 grantees (10%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $11K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 70% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 77% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 122% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 $105K (2025) to $450K (2022). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $105K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| New Story Inc San Francisco, CA | Gen Ops. | $50,000 |
| The Freedom Story Oakland, CA | General Ops | $25,000 |
| Arrabon | Medical Supplies for Healthcare in South Africa | $10,000 |
| Mercy and Grace Ministries Livermore, CA | Gen Ops. | $6,000 |
| Flourish Collective San Ramon, CA | General Operations | $5,405 |
| Tri Valley Seek Save Livermore, CA | General Ops | $5,000 |
| Asante Africa Foundation Livermore, CA | General Operations | $2,000 |
| Path Light International Pleasanton, CA | Gen Ops. | $1,000 |
| Cross Winds Church Livermore, CA | Water Filter Project | $500 |
| Discovery Counseling Center Morgan Hill, CA | General Ops | $200 |
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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 | $1,644,018 | $216,833 | $105,313 | $105,105 | 10 | $105,257 | $216,833 | $86,627 |
| 2024 | $1,282,503 | $684,440 | $235,372 | $229,097 | 27 | $231,308 | $684,408 | $43,533 |
| 2023 | $1,158,281 | $413,552 | $193,954 | $177,769 | 13 | $193,703 | $150,001 | $47,530 |
| 2022 | $922,752 | $252,718 | $842,842 | $450,146 | 41 | $822,062 | $3,561 | $60,937 |
| 2021 | $1,512,874 | $797,412 | $396,676 | $255,960 | 10 | — | $360,958 | $73,449 |
| 2020 | $1,317,983 | $1,447,145 | $150,938 | $144,964 | 23 | — | — | $30,824 |
| 2019 | $21,777 | — | $274,350 | $273,200 | 24 | — | — | $3,520 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Nelson Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $87K 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
No foundation mission is stated. Its 2025 grants included general operating support and support for specific purposes, including medical supplies for health care in South Africa and a water filter project. Among its grantees, The Freedom Story says it protects children in Northern Thailand from trafficking and exploitation; Flourish Collective says it builds allies for racial justice; Asante Africa Foundation says it educates and empowers young people in Africa and beyond; and Discovery Counseling Center says it provides accessible, culturally informed counseling and training.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave $105,105 through 10 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $200 to $50,000, with a median grant of $5,202. Notable grants included $50,000 to New Story Inc, $25,000 to The Freedom Story, $10,000 to Arrabon, $6,000 to Mercy and Grace Ministries, and $5,405 to Flourish Collective.
The foundation states in its 2023 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 Gregg Nelson as CEO/Director and Emily Nelson as Secretary/CFO/Director.
Nelson Family Foundation is led by Gregg Nelson, CEO & Director on every filing since 2019; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Gregg Nelson
CEO & Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Emily Nelson
Secretary, CFO & Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/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 Nelson Family Foundation
How much does Nelson Family Foundation give each year?
Nelson Family Foundation gave $105K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $229K across 27 grants.
What is Nelson Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Nelson Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,203, and its average grant was $10,511, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Nelson Family Foundation that year got $10K on average.
Where does Nelson Family Foundation give grants?
Nelson Family Foundation gives mostly in California: 90% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Livermore, CA (4 grants).
Does Nelson Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 50% of Nelson Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (5 of 10) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Gen Ops." (3 grants).
Who are Nelson Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Nelson Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include New Story Inc ($50,000), The Freedom Story ($25,000) and Arrabon ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 81% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Nelson Family Foundation?
Nelson Family Foundation reported $1.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $105K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $87K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Nelson Family Foundation fund?
No foundation mission is stated. Its 2025 grants included general operating support and support for specific purposes, including medical supplies for health care in South Africa and a water filter project. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Nelson Family Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Nelson Family Foundation's EIN?
Nelson Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-4768099. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Nelson Family 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
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS April 9, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS October 21, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 21, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 18, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 17, 2026)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS September 2, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Nelson Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/nelson-family-foundation-morg_e86ed334d209473fa775ef25d831a872
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_814768099_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Nelson Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/nelson-family-foundation-morg_e86ed334d209473fa775ef25d831a872},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-05. 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 Nelson 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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