Robert S Starr Foundation
The Robert S Starr Foundation is a private foundation based in Bloomington, Minnesota. Its 2025 filing reports 16 grants totaling $41,500 to charitable organizations, including organizations working in education, health, hunger relief, support for seniors, and other areas.
Robert S Starr Foundation at a glance
In short: Robert S Starr Foundation gave $42K across 16 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in Minnesota. 6% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $41,500
- +9.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 16
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,594
- +9.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,000
- Total assets
- $658,618
- -3.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 6% first-time grantees (1 of 16, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Minnesota (76% 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 Robert S Starr Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 3800 American Blvd 1550, Bloomington, MN 55431
Phone: (952) 857-2446
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Robert S Starr Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Kindering - Sibling Support Project ($4K). Together the top 10 received $32K.
Grant Size Distribution
86 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 86 grants of 86 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing reports that 76% of grant dollars went to Minnesota recipients, 10% to Washington, 7% to Ohio, and 7% to New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Robert S Starr Foundation open to new grantees?
6%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 16 grantees (6%) were first-time recipients. With only 16 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $3K repeat.
- 94% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+4%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 92% 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 (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $35K (2020) to $42K (2025). In 2025 it made 16 grants totaling $42K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Kindering - Sibling Support Project Bellevue, WA | General | $4,000 |
| Trinity First Lutheran School Minneapolis, MN | General | $4,000 |
| Books for Africa St. Paul, MN | General | $3,000 |
| Camp Odayin Stillwater, MN | General | $3,000 |
| Chair-ITY Inc Cleveland, OH | General | $3,000 |
| Doctors Without Borders New York, NY | General | $3,000 |
| Feed My Starving Children Brooklyn Park, MN | General | $3,000 |
| Start Senior Solutions Eden Prairie, MN | General | $3,000 |
| Union Gospel Mission St. Paul, MN | General | $3,000 |
| Can Do Canines New Hope, MN | General | $2,500 |
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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 | $658,618 | $27,872 | $49,005 | $41,500 | 16 | $49,005 | $27,872 | $53,064 |
| 2024 | $679,751 | $30,410 | $45,405 | $38,000 | 16 | $45,405 | $30,410 | $50,200 |
| 2023 | $694,746 | $26,766 | $44,775 | $40,000 | 17 | $47,300 | $26,766 | $45,334 |
| 2022 | $712,755 | $16,051 | $53,228 | $40,000 | 19 | $47,100 | $16,051 | $46,613 |
| 2021 | $749,932 | $218,947 | $47,245 | $40,000 | 18 | $47,021 | $218,947 | $47,002 |
| 2020 | $578,230 | $16,109 | $41,118 | $35,000 | 15 | — | $16,109 | $45,638 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Robert S Starr Foundation reported a distributable amount of $53K 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 including schools, a book-distribution nonprofit, hunger-relief organizations, a camp serving young people with heart disease and their families, and organizations supporting seniors and caregivers.
The grantees describe their own missions in varied terms. Books for Africa says it collects, sorts, ships, and distributes books to children in Africa, with the goal of ending the book famine there. Camp Odayin describes providing camp experiences and community-building opportunities for young people with heart disease and their families. Start Senior Solutions describes renewing hope for seniors and caregivers and strengthening families. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 16 grants totaling $41,500. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $4,000, with a median of $3,000. All listed grant purposes were “GENERAL.”
Among the largest grants were $4,000 each to Kindering – Sibling Support Project and Trinity First Lutheran School. The foundation also gave $3,000 each to Books for Africa, Camp Odayin, Chair-ity, Doctors Without Borders, Feed My Starving Children, Start Senior Solutions, and Union Gospel Mission. Can Do Canines received $2,500, and Cross View Lutheran Church and Global Health Ministries each received $2,000.
Grantees’ descriptions indicate a range of charitable work. Feed My Starving Children says it seeks to eliminate starvation in children throughout the world. Chair-ity describes its goal as easing the transition for foster-care recipients and improving their chances of success. Can Do Canines says it creates partnerships between specially trained dogs and people. These descriptions are the organizations’ own statements.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Bradley R Starr as president and treasurer. It lists Erica Erickson, Theresa Sawyer, and Jennifer Manning as directors.
Robert S Starr Foundation is led by Bradley R. Starr, President & Treasurer on every filing since 2020; all 4 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Bradley R. Starr
President & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
$2K (2020) → $2K (2025)
Erica Erickson
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$1K (2020) → $1K (2025)
Theresa Sawyer
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$1K (2020) → $1K (2025)
Jennifer Manning
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
$1K (2021) → $1K (2025)
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 $2K, to Bradley R Starr (President, Treasurer). 4 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Robert S Starr Foundation
How much does Robert S Starr Foundation give each year?
Robert S Starr Foundation gave $42K across 16 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $38K across 16 grants.
What is Robert S Starr Foundation's typical grant size?
Robert S Starr Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $3,000, and its average grant was $2,594, across 16 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Robert S Starr Foundation that year got $1K on average.
Where does Robert S Starr Foundation give grants?
Robert S Starr Foundation gives mostly in Minnesota: 76% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Washington (10%) and Ohio (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Minneapolis, MN (4 grants) and St. Paul, MN (2 grants).
Does Robert S Starr Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Robert S Starr Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (16 of 16) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Robert S Starr Foundation's largest grantees?
Robert S Starr Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Kindering - Sibling Support Project ($4,000), Trinity First Lutheran School ($4,000) and Books for Africa ($3,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 27% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Robert S Starr Foundation?
Robert S Starr Foundation reported $659K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $49K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $53K (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 S Starr Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations including schools, a book-distribution nonprofit, hunger-relief organizations, a camp serving young people with heart disease and their families, and organizations supporting seniors and caregivers. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Robert S Starr Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and 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 Robert S Starr Foundation's EIN?
Robert S Starr Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 41-1974767. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Robert S Starr 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 13, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 10, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 9, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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