Perkins Hunter Foundation
Perkins Hunter Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. Its 2025 filing reports 73 grants totaling $1,205,430 to charitable organizations.
Perkins Hunter Foundation at a glance
In short: Perkins Hunter Foundation gave $1.2M across 73 grants in 2025 (avg $17K), mostly in California. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,205,430
- +184.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 73
- +284.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $16,513
- -25.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $7,776,546
- -16.0% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- California (77% 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 Perkins Hunter Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 20 North Clark Street 3000, Chicago, IL 60602
Phone: (415) 351-2300
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Perkins Hunter Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Tipping Point Community ($125K). Together the top 10 received $580K.
Grant Size Distribution
135 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 121 grants of 135 (90%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation is based in Chicago, Illinois. In 2025, California recipients received 77% of grant dollars, followed by recipients in Washington, D.C. (9%), Massachusetts (5%), Vermont (3%), and New York (3%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 73 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Perkins Hunter Foundation gives
- 14% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 118% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 437% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $424K (2024) to $1.2M (2025). In 2025 it made 73 grants totaling $1.2M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Tipping Point Community San Francisco, CA | General Use | $125,000 |
| San Francisco University High Schoo San Francisco, CA | General Use | $125,000 |
| La Luz Bilingual Center Sonoma, CA | General Use | $65,000 |
| San Francisco Educational Fund San Francisco, CA | General Use | $60,000 |
| Technoserve Washington, DC | General Use | $40,000 |
| Kqed Northern CA Public Radio San Francisco, CA | General Use | $35,000 |
| Population Media Center Shelburne, VT | General Use | $35,000 |
| Teach for America-Bay Area Los Angeles, CA | General Use | $35,000 |
| San Francisco General Hospital San Francisco, CA | General Use | $30,000 |
| Battery Foundation San Francisco, CA | General Use | $30,000 |
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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 | $7,776,546 | $990,045 | $1,238,540 | $1,205,430 | 73 | $1,205,430 | $956,935 | $275,685 |
| 2024 | $9,255,645 | $976,731 | $458,548 | $423,500 | 19 | $423,500 | $653,818 | — |
| 2023 | $8,809,019 | $63,519 | $628,826 | $625,600 | 16 | $625,600 | $183,613 | $281,825 |
| 2022 | $10,102,443 | $221,334 | $555,521 | $552,650 | 15 | $552,650 | $218,463 | $303,793 |
| 2021 | $10,567,726 | $1,684,000 | $673,411 | $664,500 | 12 | $664,500 | $1,675,089 | $402,040 |
| 2020 | $9,617,389 | $580,858 | $892,400 | $889,900 | 26 | — | $478,653 | $410,240 |
| 2019 | $8,962,321 | $598,698 | $679,412 | $664,500 | 15 | — | $422,748 | $402,079 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Perkins Hunter Foundation reported a distributable amount of $276K 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 grants went to organizations working in areas including poverty solutions, health care, education, media, civic engagement, and environmental and community rights. These are grantees’ missions, not stated focus areas of the foundation. For example, Tipping Point Community says it builds community to advance promising poverty-fighting solutions; San Francisco General Hospital Foundation says it supports patient care and innovation at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center; and Turnout Activism says it works to increase youth civic action and engagement.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave $1,205,430 through 73 grants. Grants ranged from $500 to $125,000, with a median grant of $10,000. Among the largest grants were $125,000 each to Tipping Point Community and San Francisco University High School; $65,000 to La Luz Bilingual Center; and $60,000 to San Francisco Educational Fund. Other notable awards included $40,000 to TechnoServe, $35,000 each to KQED Northern California Public Radio, Population Media Center, and Teach for America-Bay Area, and $30,000 each to San Francisco General Hospital, Battery Foundation, and Believe in SF Action.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Thomas Perkins, Alec Perkins, and Jamel Perkins as directors.
Perkins Hunter Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Alec Perkins
Director
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Jamel Perkins
Director
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Thomas Perkins
Director
On filings since 2019
5 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 Perkins Hunter Foundation
How much does Perkins Hunter Foundation give each year?
Perkins Hunter Foundation gave $1.2M across 73 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $424K across 19 grants.
What is Perkins Hunter Foundation's typical grant size?
Perkins Hunter Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $16,513, across 73 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Perkins Hunter Foundation give grants?
Perkins Hunter Foundation gives mostly in California: 77% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was District of Columbia (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (30 grants), Oakland, CA (7 grants), Washington, DC (6 grants) and Sonoma, CA (6 grants).
Does Perkins Hunter Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Perkins Hunter Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (73 of 73) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Perkins Hunter Foundation's largest grantees?
Perkins Hunter Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Tipping Point Community ($125,000), San Francisco University High Schoo ($125,000) and La Luz Bilingual Center ($65,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 26% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Perkins Hunter Foundation?
Perkins Hunter Foundation reported $7.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.2M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $276K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Perkins Hunter Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations working in areas including poverty solutions, health care, education, media, civic engagement, and environmental and community rights. These are grantees’ missions, not stated focus areas of the foundation. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Perkins Hunter Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Perkins Hunter Foundation's EIN?
Perkins Hunter Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-3486609. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Perkins Hunter 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
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 9, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Perkins Hunter Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Perkins Hunter Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/perkins-hunter-foundation-morg_1e42633f1efa48978f5e43d8a9a22697
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_363486609_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Perkins Hunter Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/perkins-hunter-foundation-morg_1e42633f1efa48978f5e43d8a9a22697},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Perkins Hunter 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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