Ninneweb Foundation
Ninneweb Foundation is a private foundation based in Seattle, Washington. Its 2024 grants supported organizations working in areas including the arts, cultural and land preservation, education, environmental research, and mental health services.
Ninneweb Foundation at a glance
In short: Ninneweb Foundation gave $455K across 27 grants in 2024 (avg $17K), top state Washington. 33% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $455,037
- +67.1% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 27
- +17.4% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $16,853
- +42.4% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $5,084,379
- +18.4% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 33% first-time grantees (9 of 27, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Washington (33% 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 Ninneweb Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1245 Federal Ave E, Seattle, WA 98102
Phone: (206) 235-1109
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Ninneweb Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Minnesota Dance Theatre ($75K). Together the top 10 received $345K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($30,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
99 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 97 grants of 99 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, recipient states accounted for grant dollars as follows: Washington, 33%; Hawaii, 29%; Minnesota, 16%; California, 9%; and Oregon, 7%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 27 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Ninneweb Foundation open to new grantees?
33%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 9 of 27 grantees (33%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $22K; repeat grants $14K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 67% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 149% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 203% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2024). 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 2019 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $183K (2021) to $455K (2024). In 2024 it made 27 grants totaling $455K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Dance Theatre Minneapolis, MN | Support ballet school. | $75,000 |
| Kupeke Ahupuaa Kaunakakai, HI | Support protection of cultural resources and restoration of native ecosystems. | $60,000 |
| Friends of Cooper Island Seattle, WA | Support Arctic Guillemot research. | $35,000 |
| Create Eugene, OR | Support building sustainable future coping with water food fuel shortages. | $30,000 |
| 1 individual scholarship Recipients not named | — | $30,000 |
| Bureau of Fearless Ideas Seattle, WA | Support writing and storytelling programs. | $25,000 |
| Molokai Land Trust Kanakakau, HI | Support land preservation. | $25,000 |
| Molokai Arts Center Kualapun, HI | Support enrichment Molokai community by way of art. | $25,000 |
| Documentaries Seattle Renton, WA | Support Dante Marioni documentary film production. | $25,000 |
| Hugo House Seattle, WA | Support literary arts organization operations. | $25,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $5,084,379 | $743,988 | $460,703 | $455,037 | 27 | $455,037 | $354,949 | $223,994 |
| 2023 | $4,292,744 | $459,412 | $274,282 | $272,300 | 23 | $272,300 | $91,623 | $173,509 |
| 2022 | $3,081,181 | $604,384 | $312,908 | $305,590 | 24 | $305,590 | $493,937 | $162,150 |
| 2021 | $2,669,156 | $2,083,963 | $184,419 | $182,900 | 11 | $182,900 | $102,411 | $94,933 |
| 2020 | $769,612 | $29,638 | $225,571 | $225,000 | 14 | — | $29,573 | $67,353 |
| 2019 | $965,545 | $29,571 | $236,526 | $236,000 | 15 | — | $29,512 | $70,904 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Ninneweb Foundation reported a distributable amount of $224K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s grants show support for a range of organizations. For example, an individual recipient Middle School describes its mission as operating a grades 6–9 school combining academics, arts, athletics, community service, and outdoor education. Molokai Land Trust says it works to protect and restore Molokaʻi’s land and natural and cultural resources, and to perpetuate Native Hawaiian traditions. Bertschi School describes its mission as educating children to become compassionate, confident, and creative learners in a global community.
Other 2024 grantees describe work in areas including educational films (Documentaries Seattle), investigative and watchdog journalism (Honolulu Civil Beat), restoring streams and protecting public lands and wildlife (Advocates for the West), and educating and empowering leaders (Seattle University).
Grantmaking
In 2024, Ninneweb awarded 27 grants totaling $455,037. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $75,000, with a median of $10,000. The largest grants included $75,000 to Minnesota Dance Theatre for ballet school support; $60,000 to Kupeke Ahupuaa for cultural resource protection and native ecosystem restoration; and $35,000 to Friends of Cooper Island for Arctic Guillemot research.
Other notable grants included $30,000 to CREATE for work on a sustainable future amid water, food, and fuel shortages; $30,000 to an individual recipient Middle School for its scholarship fund; $25,000 each to Bureau of Fearless Ideas, Molokai Land Trust, Molokai Arts Center, Documentaries Seattle, and Hugo House; and $20,000 to Skidmore College for its Opportunity Program and SEF Internships. Didi Hirsch received $10,010 for mental health services.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Margaret Kenly as president, Donald Cumming as secretary-treasurer, and Colin Narver as director.
Ninneweb Foundation is led by Margaret Kenly, President on every filing since 2021; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Margaret Kenly
President
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Colin Narver
Director
On filings since 2019
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Donald Cumming
Sec-Treasurer
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Margot Kenly (2019–2020) — President
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2024. "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 Ninneweb Foundation
How much does Ninneweb Foundation give each year?
Ninneweb Foundation gave $455K across 27 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $272K across 23 grants.
What is Ninneweb Foundation's typical grant size?
Ninneweb Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $10,000, and its average grant was $16,853, across 27 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Ninneweb Foundation that year got $22K on average.
Where does Ninneweb Foundation give grants?
Ninneweb Foundation's top state is Washington, with 33% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Hawaii (29%) and Minnesota (16%). The most frequent recipient cities were Seattle, WA (8 grants), Kaunakakai, HI (4 grants) and Honolulu, HI (3 grants).
Does Ninneweb Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 27 grants with a stated purpose on Ninneweb Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Support local journalism." (3 grants).
Who are Ninneweb Foundation's largest grantees?
Ninneweb Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Minnesota Dance Theatre ($75,000), Kupeke Ahupuaa ($60,000) and Friends of Cooper Island ($35,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($30,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 37% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Ninneweb Foundation?
Ninneweb Foundation reported $5.1M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $455K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $224K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Ninneweb Foundation fund?
The foundation’s grants show support for a range of organizations. For example, an individual recipient Middle School describes its mission as operating a grades 6–9 school combining academics, arts, athletics, community service, and outdoor education. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Ninneweb Foundation?
The foundation 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 Ninneweb Foundation's EIN?
Ninneweb Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-3065249. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2024.
Does Ninneweb 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 12, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 11, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS August 23, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS September 7, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 29, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS July 22, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Ninneweb Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/ninneweb-foundation-morg_d2aff7b53b714c9bbfd977981cd24b4c
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_473065249_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Ninneweb Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/ninneweb-foundation-morg_d2aff7b53b714c9bbfd977981cd24b4c},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Ninneweb 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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