Robert and Dana Emery Family Foundation
The Robert and Dana Emery Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Wilmington, Delaware. Its 2025 filing reports 89 grants totaling $7,185,000, with awards supporting organizations and individual recipients in areas including scholarships, education, literacy and numeracy, research, and youth enrichment.
Robert and Dana Emery Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Robert and Dana Emery Family Foundation gave $7.2M across 89 grants in 2025 (avg $81K), mostly in California. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $7,185,000
- +26.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 89
- +9.9% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $80,730
- +15.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $185,539,975
- +19.3% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- California (71% 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 Robert and Dana Emery Family Foundation
- How to Apply
-
Submit a written request; the filing specifies no required format. Awards are restricted to IRC Section 501(c)(3) organizations.
- Review Cycle
- June 30.
- Deadline
- June 30.
- Contact
Application contact: Robert Dana Emery Family Foundation
Mailing address: 3711 Kennett Pike Suite 220, Wilmington, DE 19807
Phone: (302) 498-6008
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Robert and Dana Emery Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Stanford University ($1.0M). Together the top 10 received $3.3M.
Organizations only. It also paid 6 grants to individuals ($1,925,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
329 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 243 grants of 329 (74%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in California (71%), Massachusetts (19%), Colorado (5%), New York (3%), and Virginia (2%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 89 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Robert and Dana Emery Family Foundation gives
- 86% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 42% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 89% 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $2.8M (2019) to $7.2M (2025). In 2025 it made 89 grants totaling $7.2M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 4 individual scholarships Recipients not named | — | $1,900,000 |
| Stanford University Stanford, CA | Unrestricted Grant Related to Scholarships | $1,000,000 |
| Imagine Worldwide Mill Valley, CA | Unrestricted grant related to support the literacy & numeracy skills of children | $1,000,000 |
| UCSF Foundation San Francisco, CA | Unrestricted Grant Related to Breast Cancer Research | $350,000 |
| Deer Hill Foundation Mancos, CO | Unrestricted Grant Related to Educational Activities | $300,000 |
| Boys Girls Club of San Francisco San Franisco, CA | Unrestricted Grant Related to Youth Academics and Enrichment | $250,000 |
| Mission Dolores Academy San Francisco, CA | Unrestricted Grant Related to Educational Activities | $100,000 |
| One Love Foundation Huntington Beach, CA | Unrestricted Grant Related to Educational Activities | $100,000 |
| Champion Charities Palo Alto, CA | Unrestricted grant related to support to help fight brain cancer and brain disease | $100,000 |
| California Academy of Sciences San Francisco, CA | Unrestricted Grant Related to Youth Academics and Enrichment | $50,000 |
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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 | $185,539,975 | $24,113,720 | $7,392,091 | $7,185,000 | 89 | $7,199,600 | $13,921,229 | $8,082,342 |
| 2024 | $155,552,794 | $20,562,210 | $5,764,886 | $5,680,000 | 81 | $5,694,450 | $10,247,760 | $7,220,128 |
| 2023 | $135,716,734 | $14,335,430 | $5,348,562 | $5,250,000 | 80 | $5,261,800 | $4,323,630 | $5,698,435 |
| 2022 | $112,785,545 | $15,047,422 | $5,136,228 | $5,060,000 | 55 | $5,074,150 | $5,033,272 | $5,259,218 |
| 2021 | $116,821,552 | $30,462,505 | $3,341,189 | $3,250,000 | 24 | $3,264,050 | $3,448,022 | $5,056,908 |
| 2020 | $89,700,236 | $14,690,287 | $3,251,194 | $3,115,000 | 19 | — | $4,536,652 | $3,293,298 |
| 2019 | $78,261,143 | $22,725,162 | $2,827,244 | $2,772,000 | 30 | — | $5,802,323 | $3,078,746 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Robert and Dana Emery Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $8.1M 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 scholarships, educational activities, children’s literacy and numeracy, breast cancer research, and youth academics and enrichment.
Grantees describe a range of activities. Imagine Worldwide says it works to help children build literacy and numeracy skills. Deer Hill Foundation describes its work as including scholarships for wilderness expeditions and cross-cultural service projects, partnerships in Native communities in the Four Corners region, and staff education. An individual recipient says it helps low-income students access and flourish at college-preparatory Catholic high schools. Ten Strands describes work to advance environmental literacy for California students.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 89 grants totaling $7,185,000. Awards ranged from $5,000 to $1,300,000, with a median grant of $25,000.
Among the largest reported grants were $1,300,000 to an individual recipient in Massachusetts for scholarships; $1,000,000 each to Stanford University for scholarships and Imagine Worldwide for children’s literacy and numeracy; $400,000 to St. Ignatius College Prep for scholarships; and $350,000 to UCSF Foundation for breast cancer research. Other awards included $300,000 to Deer Hill Foundation for educational activities, $250,000 to Boys & Girls Club of San Francisco for youth academics and enrichment, and $100,000 each to Mission Dolores Academy and One Love Foundation for educational activities.
The foundation’s filing states that it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. It requests a written request, with no required format, and restricts awards to organizations described under IRC Section 501(c)(3).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists The Rockefeller Trust Company, Robert L Emery Co Rockefllr, and Dana M Emery Co Rockefeller as trustees.
Robert and Dana Emery Family Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; 1 of 3 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
The Rockefeller Trust Company
Trustee
On filings since 2019
$40K (2020) → $20K (2025)
Dana M. Emery Co Rockefeller
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Robert L. Emery Co Rockefller
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $20K, to The Rockefeller Trust Company (Trustee).
Frequently asked questions about Robert and Dana Emery Family Foundation
How much does Robert and Dana Emery Family Foundation give each year?
Robert and Dana Emery Family Foundation gave $7.2M across 89 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $5.7M across 81 grants.
What is Robert and Dana Emery Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Robert and Dana Emery Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $80,730, across 89 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Robert and Dana Emery Family Foundation give grants?
Robert and Dana Emery Family Foundation gives mostly in California: 71% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Massachusetts (19%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (39 grants), New York, NY (6 grants), Oakland, CA (4 grants) and Richmond, CA (3 grants).
Does Robert and Dana Emery Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 99% of Robert and Dana Emery Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (88 of 89) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Robert and Dana Emery Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Robert and Dana Emery Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Stanford University ($1,000,000), Imagine Worldwide ($1,000,000) and UCSF Foundation ($350,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 6 grants to individuals ($1,925,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 33% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Robert and Dana Emery Family Foundation?
Robert and Dana Emery Family Foundation reported $185.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $7.2M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $8.1M (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 Robert and Dana Emery Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for scholarships, educational activities, children’s literacy and numeracy, breast cancer research, and youth academics and enrichment. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Robert and Dana Emery Family Foundation?
Submit a written request; the filing specifies no required format. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Robert and Dana Emery Family Foundation's EIN?
Robert and Dana Emery Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 37-6537105. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 27, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 6, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Robert and Dana Emery Family Foundation funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Robert and Dana Emery Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/robert-and-dana-emery-family-foundation-morg_7a4e1e5a2b9949b5a03a0bacf96d94af
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_376537105_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Robert and Dana Emery Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/robert-and-dana-emery-family-foundation-morg_7a4e1e5a2b9949b5a03a0bacf96d94af},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-20. 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 Robert and Dana Emery 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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