Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust
Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust is a private foundation based in Los Angeles, California. Its 2025 grants supported organizations in education, the arts, charitable work, and recreation, with the largest shares of grant dollars going to recipients in California, Texas, Connecticut, and New York.
Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust at a glance
In short: Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust gave $1.6M across 59 grants in 2025 (avg $27K), mostly in California. 29% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,590,750
- +19.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 59
- +37.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $26,962
- -12.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $28,183,184
- -1.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 29% first-time grantees (17 of 59, 2025)
- Primary geography
- California (61% 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 Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust
- 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: 12400 Wilshire Blvd 1240, Los Angeles, CA 90025
Phone: (310) 979-0298
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Uscs Foundation ($300K). Together the top 10 received $1.0M.
Grant Size Distribution
227 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 182 grants of 227 (80%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, recipients in California received 61% of grant dollars, followed by Texas at 13%, Connecticut at 12%, New York at 8%, and Washington, D.C., at 2%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 59 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust open to new grantees?
29%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 17 of 59 grantees (29%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $16K; repeat grants $31K. How we count
Medians: $13K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 63% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−2%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 105% 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 $1.2M (2019) to $1.6M (2022). In 2025 it made 59 grants totaling $1.6M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Uscs Foundation Santa Cruz, CA | Education | $300,000 |
| Yale University New Haven, CT | Education | $155,000 |
| University of Houston Houston, TX | Education | $150,000 |
| Santa Barbara Botanic Garden Santa Barbara, CA | Charitable | $110,000 |
| Los Angeles Opera Los Angeles, CA | ARTS | $100,000 |
| Heartbeat Opera New York, NY | ARTS | $50,000 |
| Lewa Wildlife Conservancy USA New York, NY | Charitable | $40,000 |
| Marist University Weil Collection Poughkeepsie, NY | Education | $40,000 |
| Geffen School of Drama Yale University New Haven, CT | Education | $37,500 |
| Westerly School of Long Beach Long Beach, CA | Education | $35,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust?
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 | $28,183,184 | $1,526,597 | $1,923,547 | $1,590,750 | 59 | $1,599,258 | $1,508,961 | $1,523,499 |
| 2024 | $28,585,600 | $12,118,563 | $1,513,859 | $1,327,500 | 43 | $1,334,500 | $11,960,905 | $1,279,228 |
| 2023 | $17,961,391 | $1,451,078 | $1,410,510 | $1,300,000 | 39 | $1,300,000 | $1,340,668 | $1,293,960 |
| 2022 | $17,898,329 | $850,857 | $1,780,841 | $1,631,500 | 39 | $1,632,925 | $734,618 | $1,326,850 |
| 2021 | $18,843,563 | $1,742,240 | $1,449,820 | $1,330,500 | 47 | $1,331,925 | $1,624,420 | $1,468,964 |
| 2020 | $18,525,650 | $584,269 | $1,484,368 | $1,354,000 | 49 | — | $485,037 | $1,281,926 |
| 2019 | $19,425,749 | $1,136,745 | $1,319,788 | $1,200,000 | 35 | — | $1,026,056 | $1,252,742 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust reported a distributable amount of $1.5M 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 trust is provided. Its 2025 grant purposes included education, arts, charitable activities, and recreation. The supported organizations include educational institutions, arts organizations, and conservation groups. For example, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden describes its mission as conserving native plants and habitats for people and the planet; Heartbeat Opera says it creates adaptations and collaborations while working toward an equitable and inclusive future for opera.
Other 2024 grantees describe a range of work: Rare Village Foundation says it fights for cures for rare diseases and supports people with rare diseases through education, advocacy, and connections to research. Lewa Wildlife Conservancy USA says it supports the work of the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya and promotes community conservation. Westerly School of Long Beach says it empowers students to become lifelong learners.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the trust made 59 grants totaling $1,590,750. Grants ranged from $2,250 to $300,000, with a median grant of $10,000. The largest grants included $300,000 to USCS Foundation for education, $155,000 to Yale University for education, $150,000 to the University of Houston for education, $110,000 to Santa Barbara Botanic Garden for charitable purposes, and $100,000 to Los Angeles Opera for the arts.
Other 2025 grants included $50,000 to Heartbeat Opera for the arts, $40,000 to Lewa Wildlife Conservancy USA for charitable purposes, $40,000 to Marist University Weil Collection for education, and $37,500 to the Geffen School of Drama at Yale University for education.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Victoria S. Dean, R. Carlton Seaver, Patrick T. Seaver, Christopher Seaver, and Martha Seaver as trustees.
Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust's 2025 filing lists 5 officers; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Christopher Seaver
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Martha Seaver
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Patrick T. Seaver
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
R. Carlton Seaver
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Victoria S. Dean
Trustee
On filings since 2019
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 Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust
How much does Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust give each year?
Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust gave $1.6M across 59 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.3M across 43 grants.
What is Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust's typical grant size?
Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $26,962, across 59 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust that year got $16K on average.
Where does Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust give grants?
Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust gives mostly in California: 61% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Texas (13%) and Connecticut (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (13 grants), New York, NY (3 grants), San Marino, CA (3 grants) and Arcadia, CA (3 grants).
Does Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 59 grants with a stated purpose on Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (26 grants), "Education" (16 grants) and "Health Care" (6 grants).
Who are Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust's largest grantees?
Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust's largest 2025 grantees include Uscs Foundation ($300,000), Yale University ($155,000) and University of Houston ($150,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 38% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust?
Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust reported $28.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.6M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.5M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust fund?
No mission statement for the trust is provided. Its 2025 grant purposes included education, arts, charitable activities, and recreation. The supported organizations include educational institutions, arts organizations, and conservation groups. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust?
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 Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust's EIN?
Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 95-3311102. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust 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 2024 (received by the IRS April 15, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 8, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 6, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 13, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 1, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 14, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 13, 2024)
Live grants for the work Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
- Nixa Affiliate Grantmaking Program Up to US $10,000 · Due October 19, 2026
- Community and School Grants $28,000 total pool; 10-15 grants expected · Due October 19, 2026
- Mary Pinola/Crescenta Valley Chamber Education Fund $500 - $5,000 for ongoing programs; up to $15,000 for Strategic Initiative Grants · Due October 19, 2026
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/richard-c-seaver-1978-trust-morg_c8fb9024d4c4472e8ea675e6af7b0fc3
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_953311102_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/richard-c-seaver-1978-trust-morg_c8fb9024d4c4472e8ea675e6af7b0fc3},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-18. 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 Richard C Seaver 1978 Trust'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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