Risser Family Foundation
Risser Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Clearwater, Florida. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations in Florida, New York, Ohio, and Illinois, with stated purposes including social services, animal welfare, conservation, performing arts, and educational television programming.
Risser Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Risser Family Foundation gave $135K across 12 grants in 2025 (avg $11K), mostly in Florida. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $135,000
- +125.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 12
- +20.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $11,250
- +87.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $3,412,741
- -2.9% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Florida (67% 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 Risser 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: 2865 Executive Dr, Clearwater, FL 33762
Phone: (727) 573-4000
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Risser Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Sunken Gardens Forever Foundation ($50K). Together the top 10 received $130K.
Grant Size Distribution
22 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 21 grants of 22 (95%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing reports that grant dollars went to recipients in Florida (67%), New York (19%), Ohio (11%), and Illinois (4%). These figures reflect the locations of that year’s recipients.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
Cities
How Risser Family Foundation gives
- 67% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 82% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. 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 2024 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $60K (2024) to $135K (2025). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $135K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Sunken Gardens Forever Foundation St Petersburg, FL | Conservation and Animal Welfare | $50,000 |
| Ready for Life Largo, FL | Social Services | $25,000 |
| Jefferson County SPCA Watertown, NY | Animal Welfare | $10,000 |
| Playhouse Square Foundation Cleveland, OH | Performing Arts Programs | $10,000 |
| Polywogs Charities Inc St Petersburg, FL | Social Services | $10,000 |
| Homeless Empowerment Program Clearwater, FL | Social Services | $5,000 |
| The Thresholds Chicago, IL | Social Services | $5,000 |
| Zoo New York at Thompson Park Watertown, NY | Conservation and Animal Welfare | $5,000 |
| Greater Cleveland Food Bank Cleveland, OH | Social Services and Food Bank | $5,000 |
| St Lawrence Valley Educational Television Council Inc DBA WPBS-TV Watertown, NY | Educational TV Programming and Workshops | $5,000 |
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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 | $3,412,741 | $78,944 | $182,180 | $135,000 | 12 | $142,825 | $75,944 | $174,539 |
| 2024 | $3,515,977 | $1,112,363 | $96,386 | $60,000 | 10 | $68,596 | $84,573 | $124,885 |
| 2023 | $2,500,000 | $2,500,000 | — | — | — | — | — | $4,922 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Risser Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $175K 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 social services, animal welfare and conservation, performing arts, food assistance, and educational television programming.
Grantees describe their own work in varied ways. Ready for Life says it supports young people transitioning out of foster care, with services extending to age 28. The Jefferson County SPCA describes its work as finding homes for homeless pets and promoting humane treatment and responsible pet ownership. Playhouse Square Foundation says it presents and produces performing arts and advances arts education. The Thresholds describes providing behavioral and primary healthcare for people living with mental health and substance use conditions, while the Greater Cleveland Food Bank says it provides food and essential resources to neighbors facing hunger.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 12 grants totaling $135,000. Grant amounts ranged from $2,500 to $50,000, with a median of $5,000.
The largest reported grants included $50,000 to Sunken Gardens Forever Foundation for conservation and animal welfare, $25,000 to Ready for Life for social services, and $10,000 each to Jefferson County SPCA for animal welfare, Playhouse Square Foundation for performing arts programs, and Polywogs Charities Inc for social services. Other 2025 recipients included Homeless Empowerment Program ($5,000), The Thresholds ($5,000), Zoo New York at Thompson Park ($5,000), Greater Cleveland Food Bank ($5,000), St. Lawrence Valley Educational Television Council Inc DBA WPBS-TV ($5,000), All Creatures Big and Small ($2,500), and Salvation Army of Jefferson County NY ($2,500).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists the following trustees: Phares N Risser III, Frances Walker Risser, Peter N Risser, and Jennifer L Risser. Amelia James for Hancock Whitney BA is listed as corporate trustee.
Risser Family Foundation's 2025 filing lists 5 officers; 1 of 5 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Amelia James For Hancock Whitney Ba
Corporate Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
$35K (2025)
Frances Walker Risser
Trustee
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jennifer L. Risser
Trustee
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Peter N. Risser
Trustee
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Phares N. Risser III
Trustee
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Amelia G James FOR Sabal Trust CO (2023–2024) — Corporate Trustee
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2023–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $35K, to Amelia James for Hancock Whitney Ba (Corporate Trustee).
Frequently asked questions about Risser Family Foundation
How much does Risser Family Foundation give each year?
Risser Family Foundation gave $135K across 12 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $60K across 10 grants.
What is Risser Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Risser Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $11,250, across 12 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Risser Family Foundation give grants?
Risser Family Foundation gives mostly in Florida: 67% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (19%) and Ohio (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were Watertown, NY (4 grants), St Petersburg, FL (2 grants) and Cleveland, OH (2 grants).
Does Risser Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 12 grants with a stated purpose on Risser Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Social Services" (4 grants).
Who are Risser Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Risser Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Sunken Gardens Forever Foundation ($50,000), Ready for Life ($25,000) and Jefferson County SPCA ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 63% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Risser Family Foundation?
Risser Family Foundation reported $3.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $143K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $175K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Risser Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations working in social services, animal welfare and conservation, performing arts, food assistance, and educational television programming. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Risser 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 Risser Family Foundation's EIN?
Risser Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 93-1764513. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2023–2025.
Does Risser 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 September 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 22, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2023–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Risser Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/risser-family-foundation-morg_74cb76cce1f0476e8d810bc5d2fe6086
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_931764513_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Risser Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/risser-family-foundation-morg_74cb76cce1f0476e8d810bc5d2fe6086},
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 Risser 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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