Philip D Sokol Foundation
The Philip D Sokol Foundation is a private foundation based in San Diego, California. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, most of them in California.
Philip D Sokol Foundation at a glance
In short: Philip D Sokol Foundation gave $355K across 15 grants in 2025 (avg $24K), mostly in California. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $355,000
- +46.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 15
- +50.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $23,667
- -2.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $15,000
- Total assets
- $7,592,198
- +6.2% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- California (92% 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 Philip D Sokol 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: 2907 Shelter Island Dr 105 Pmb61, San Diego, CA 92106
Phone: (858) 270-0707
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Philip D Sokol Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Scripps Foundation ($80K). Together the top 10 received $310K.
Grant Size Distribution
37 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 30 grants of 37 (81%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 92% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 4% to New York, and 4% to Missouri. The listed grants show substantial support for organizations in San Diego and nearby communities.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Philip D Sokol Foundation gives
- 47% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 129% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 100% 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 2018 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $3K (2018) to $355K (2025). In 2025 it made 15 grants totaling $355K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Scripps Foundation San Diego, CA | General Support | $80,000 |
| San Diego Humane Society San Diego, CA | General Support | $50,000 |
| San Diego Justice Foundation San Diego, CA | General Support | $40,000 |
| Mama's Kitchen San Diego, CA | General Support | $25,000 |
| Scripps Institution of Oceanography La Jolla, CA | General Support | $25,000 |
| Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance San Diego, CA | General Support | $25,000 |
| Promises2Kids San Diego, CA | General Support | $20,000 |
| Student Diplomact Corps New York, NY | General Support | $15,000 |
| Springboard to Learning St. Louis, MO | General Support | $15,000 |
| San Diego County Office of Educatio San Diego, CA | General Support | $15,000 |
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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 | $7,592,198 | $159,422 | $411,896 | $355,000 | 15 | $357,487 | $105,013 | $355,844 |
| 2024 | $7,150,493 | $222,176 | $295,571 | $241,750 | 10 | $244,363 | $170,968 | $355,239 |
| 2023 | $6,615,816 | $799,543 | $119,756 | $60,000 | 3 | $63,169 | $90,402 | $275,404 |
| 2022 | $5,428,977 | $3,542,072 | $183,791 | $155,000 | 6 | $155,000 | $553,366 | $183,322 |
| 2021 | $2,039,490 | $2,002,185 | $6,568 | $2,700 | 3 | $2,700 | $2,185 | $6,246 |
| 2020 | $38,058 | — | $10,674 | $6,500 | 2 | — | — | $1,874 |
| 2019 | $48,732 | $1,300 | $68 | — | — | — | — | $2,400 |
| 2018 | $47,500 | $50,000 | $2,500 | $2,500 | 1 | — | — | $2,339 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Philip D Sokol Foundation reported a distributable amount of $356K 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 include support for organizations working in areas such as food and nutrition, education, community safety and social justice, animal welfare, and ocean science. For example, Mama’s Kitchen describes its mission as providing nutritious food to people and families vulnerable to malnutrition due to critical illness. Springboard to Learning says it develops children’s abilities to think critically, create, collaborate, and communicate. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 15 grants totaling $355,000. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $80,000, with a median grant of $15,000. Notable awards included $80,000 to Scripps Foundation, $50,000 to San Diego Humane Society, $40,000 to San Diego Justice Foundation, and $25,000 each to Mama’s Kitchen, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. Other listed recipients included Promises2Kids ($20,000), Student Diplomacy Corps ($15,000), Springboard to Learning ($15,000), San Diego County Office of Education ($15,000), and Center for Community Solutions ($15,000).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Laura Miller as president and John Treiman as secretary/treasurer.
Philip D Sokol Foundation is led by Laura Miller, President since 2021 (on filings since 2018); none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Laura Miller
President
Secretary → President, 2021
On filings since 2018
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Treiman
Secretary & Treasurer
CFO → Secretary & Treasurer, 2021
On filings since 2018
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Joshua Sokol (2019–2020) — President
- Former: Philip D. Sokol (2018) — CEO
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2018–2025. "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 Philip D Sokol Foundation
How much does Philip D Sokol Foundation give each year?
Philip D Sokol Foundation gave $355K across 15 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $242K across 10 grants.
What is Philip D Sokol Foundation's typical grant size?
Philip D Sokol Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $15,000, and its average grant was $23,667, across 15 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Philip D Sokol Foundation give grants?
Philip D Sokol Foundation gives mostly in California: 92% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were San Diego, CA (12 grants).
Does Philip D Sokol Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Philip D Sokol Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (15 of 15) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Philip D Sokol Foundation's largest grantees?
Philip D Sokol Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Scripps Foundation ($80,000), San Diego Humane Society ($50,000) and San Diego Justice Foundation ($40,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 48% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Philip D Sokol Foundation?
Philip D Sokol Foundation reported $7.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $357K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $356K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Philip D Sokol Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations working in areas such as food and nutrition, education, community safety and social justice, animal welfare, and ocean science. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Philip D Sokol 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 Philip D Sokol Foundation's EIN?
Philip D Sokol Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 83-0580692. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2018–2025.
Does Philip D Sokol 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
(9)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2018 (received by the IRS November 15, 2019)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS September 14, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 17, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 12, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS July 17, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 13, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 9, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2018–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Philip D Sokol Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/philip-d-sokol-foundation-morg_3c4c7df3dd39494482975409325ae1ab
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_830580692_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Philip D Sokol Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/philip-d-sokol-foundation-morg_3c4c7df3dd39494482975409325ae1ab},
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 Philip D Sokol 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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