Patterson Family Foundation
Patterson Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Hockessin, Delaware. Its 2025 filing reports grants to organizations in California, Massachusetts, New York, Washington, DC, and New Hampshire, including education, civic, reproductive-rights, and arts organizations.
Patterson Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Patterson Family Foundation gave $360K across 30 grants in 2025 (avg $12K), mostly in California. 30% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $360,000
- -27.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 30
- -11.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $12,000
- -17.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $6,000
- Total assets
- $9,605,865
- +1512.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 30% first-time grantees (8 of 27, 2025)
- Primary geography
- California (58% 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 Patterson Family 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: 7234 Lancaster Pike Suite 300-A, Hockessin, DE 19707
Phone: (302) 234-5750
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Patterson Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Neighbors for a Better San Francisco ($75K). Together the top 10 received $282K.
Grant Size Distribution
149 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 136 grants of 149 (91%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 58% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 19% to Massachusetts, 14% to New York, 8% to Washington, DC, and 1% to New Hampshire.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 30 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Patterson Family Foundation open to new grantees?
30%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 8 of 27 grantees (30%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $14K; repeat grants $13K. How we count
Medians: $8K first-time, $7K repeat.
- 56% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 46% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 217% 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 $282K (2023) to $845K (2020). In 2025 it made 30 grants totaling $360K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Neighbors for a Better San Francisco San Rafael, CA | 2025 Annual Fund | $75,000 |
| President and Fellows of Harvard College Boston, MA | Professor Jeffrey Macklis' Research on ALS | $50,000 |
| Spark SF Public Schools San Francisco, CA | General & Unrestricted | $50,000 |
| Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY | Capital Campaign in Honor of President Bradley | $20,000 |
| Campaign Legal Center Inc Washington, DC | General & Unrestricted | $15,000 |
| Center for Reproductive Rights Inc New York, NY | General & Unrestricted | $15,000 |
| Reproductive Freedom for All Foundation Washington, DC | General & Unrestricted | $15,000 |
| Big Sur Food & Wine Foundation Inc Big Sur, CA | General & Unrestricted | $10,000 |
| Emile Norman Arts Foundation Inc Big Sur, CA | General & Unrestricted | $10,000 |
| Grabhorn Institute San Francisco, CA | General & Unrestricted | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Patterson Family 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $9,605,865 | $9,390,109 | $385,798 | $360,000 | 30 | $375,337 | $416,904 | $172,782 |
| 2024 | $595,554 | $175,445 | $535,084 | $493,000 | 34 | $525,340 | $209,521 | $165,612 |
| 2023 | $955,193 | $26,953 | $305,138 | $281,500 | 21 | $293,976 | $15,791 | $243,206 |
| 2022 | $1,233,378 | $9,216 | $724,455 | $666,400 | 35 | $688,895 | — | $314,488 |
| 2021 | $1,948,617 | $1,035,629 | $826,625 | $769,700 | 29 | $802,764 | $1,070,524 | $547,734 |
| 2020 | $1,739,613 | $7,376 | $890,506 | $844,500 | 31 | — | — | $339,341 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Patterson Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $173K 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 mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for a public-school fundraising organization, colleges and universities, civic and legal organizations, reproductive-rights organizations, and arts and cultural organizations. For example, SPARK SF Public Schools says its mission is to build private support and partnerships for San Francisco public schools, with priorities that include learning, equity, access, wellness, and talent. The Emile Norman Arts Foundation says it highlights Big Sur’s cultural influence and preserves and documents the artist’s work and way of life.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 30 grants totaling $360,000. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $75,000, with a median of $6,000. Notable grants included $75,000 to Neighbors for a Better San Francisco for its 2025 Annual Fund; $50,000 to Harvard for Professor Jeffrey Macklis’ ALS research; $50,000 to SPARK SF Public Schools for general and unrestricted support; and $20,000 to Vassar College for a capital campaign in honor of its president. The foundation also gave $15,000 each to Campaign Legal Center, the Center for Reproductive Rights, and Reproductive Freedom for All Foundation, and $10,000 each to Big Sur Food & Wine Foundation, Emile Norman Arts Foundation, Grabhorn Institute, and Keep Big Sur Wild.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Arthur C Patterson as Chairman, Treasurer, and Director; Louise M Patterson as President and Director; and Hume R Steyer as Secretary.
Patterson Family Foundation is led by Louise M Patterson, President & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Louise M Patterson
President & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Arthur C Patterson
Chairman, Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Hume R Steyer
Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/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.
Frequently asked questions about Patterson Family Foundation
How much does Patterson Family Foundation give each year?
Patterson Family Foundation gave $360K across 30 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $493K across 34 grants.
What is Patterson Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Patterson Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $6,000, and its average grant was $12,000, across 30 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Patterson Family Foundation that year got $14K on average.
Where does Patterson Family Foundation give grants?
Patterson Family Foundation gives mostly in California: 58% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Massachusetts (19%) and New York (14%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (4 grants), Big Sur, CA (3 grants), Fishers Island, NY (3 grants) and San Rafael, CA (2 grants).
Does Patterson Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 73% of Patterson Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (22 of 30) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Patterson Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Patterson Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Neighbors for a Better San Francisco ($75,000), President and Fellows of Harvard College ($60,000 across 2 grants) and Spark SF Public Schools ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 51% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Patterson Family Foundation?
Patterson Family Foundation reported $9.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $375K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $173K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Patterson Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for a public-school fundraising organization, colleges and universities, civic and legal organizations, reproductive-rights organizations, and arts and cultural organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Patterson Family 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 Patterson Family Foundation's EIN?
Patterson Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-3268717. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Patterson 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 12, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Patterson Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Patterson Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Patterson Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 23, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/patterson-family-foundation-morg_c988b50271d144618af1a8217f397c49
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_943268717_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Patterson Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/patterson-family-foundation-morg_c988b50271d144618af1a8217f397c49},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-23. 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 Patterson 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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