Room to Breathe Project
Room to Breathe Project is a private foundation based in San Francisco, California. Its stated goal is to grow the mental health and well-being of young people in San Francisco by investing in and partnering with organizations and innovation projects.
Room to Breathe Project at a glance
In short: Room to Breathe Project gave $3.9M across 27 grants in 2024 (avg $144K), top state California. 58% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $3,890,572
- +88.2% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 27
- -10.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $144,095
- +109.1% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $50,000
- Total assets
- $113,578,452
- +96.3% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 58% first-time grantees (11 of 19, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (47% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Room to Breathe Project
- How to Apply
-
The filing says the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. It lists Seth Boro and Jennifer Hamilton as contacts and requests a letter. The foundation does not intend to make grants directly to individuals.
- Review Cycle
- None stated.
- Deadline
- None stated.
- Contact
Application contact: Seth Boro And Jennifer Hamilton
Mailing address: 135 Main Street Suite 850, San Francisco, CA 94105
Phone: (415) 361-5944
Website: https://r2bproject.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Room to Breathe Project funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Schwab Charitable ($1.1M across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $3.6M.
Grant Size Distribution
93 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 49 grants of 93 (53%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The project’s stated goal is to grow young people’s mental health and well-being in San Francisco. Its website describes work with San Francisco Unified School District schools and other San Francisco-based partnerships. In 2024, reported grant dollars went to recipients in California (47%), Colorado (28%), Washington, DC (19%), and New York (6%); 1% was listed with an unidentified recipient state.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 27 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Room to Breathe Project open to new grantees?
58%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 11 of 19 grantees (58%) were first-time recipients. With only 19 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $166K; repeat grants $257K. How we count
Medians: $29K first-time, $100K repeat.
- 32% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 320% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 123% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $927K (2021) to $3.9M (2024). In 2024 it made 27 grants totaling $3.9M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Schwab Charitable Lone Tree, CO | Hamilton/Boro Charitable Fund | $1,000,000 |
| US Foundation for Queens University of Kingston Washington, DC | Support Peer Health Education Programs | $732,000 |
| Illuminate the Arts San Francisco, CA | General Support | $500,000 |
| San Francisco University High School San Francisco, CA | Capital Fund | $250,000 |
| Stanford School of Business - GSB Stanford, CA | Mental Health Fund | $250,000 |
| San Francisco Education Fund San Francisco, CA | Well Being Program | $235,480 |
| Insead Management Education Foundation New York, NY | General Support | $200,000 |
| San Francisco Education Fund San Francisco, CA | Well Being Program | $101,810 |
| Tipping Point Community San Francisco, CA | General Support | $100,000 |
| Schwab Charitable Lone Tree, CO | Hamilton/Boro Charitable Fund | $75,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Room to Breathe Project?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $113,578,452 | $54,753,920 | $6,392,770 | $3,890,572 | 27 | $4,198,169 | $38,926,115 | $3,405,411 |
| 2023 | $57,863,386 | $26,939,652 | $2,682,706 | $2,067,121 | 30 | $2,245,672 | $19,692,992 | $2,036,163 |
| 2022 | $30,613,014 | $20,802,451 | $2,233,365 | $1,983,750 | 14 | $2,073,833 | $20,580,473 | $862,108 |
| 2021 | $13,185,138 | $278,695 | $1,656,657 | $926,879 | 10 | $1,015,847 | $109,844 | $659,787 |
| 2020 | $13,657,666 | $5,295,553 | $1,607,285 | $1,424,550 | 12 | — | $5,210,176 | $522,693 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Room to Breathe Project reported a distributable amount of $3.4M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The project envisions a world where all young people, and the adults who serve them, are well. It says it supports efforts to enable a strong start to life, provide culturally appropriate training for caregivers, meet young people where they are with mental health and well-being supports, and engage community partners on systemic issues.
Its 2024 grants included support for education, arts, health-career, and youth- and family-serving organizations. For example, the San Francisco Education Fund describes its mission as advancing equitable education through learning programs, community support, and financial resources for teachers, students, and schools. Health Career Connection says it inspires and empowers students and graduates, particularly those who are first in their family to attend college, to pursue health-career paths. Seneca Family of Agencies describes its work as helping children and families through difficult times.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the project reported 27 grants totaling $3,890,572. The median grant was $50,000, with grants ranging from $5,032 to $1,000,000.
Among the largest reported grants were $1,000,000 to Schwab Charitable for the Hamilton/Boro Charitable Fund; $732,000 to the US Foundation for Queens University of Kingston for peer health education programs; $500,000 to Illuminate the Arts for general support; and $250,000 each to San Francisco University High School for its capital fund and Stanford School of Business for its mental health fund. The project also gave the San Francisco Education Fund $235,480 for a well-being program and $101,810 for a well-being program, and Health Career Connection $72,000 to support programs.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Jennifer Hamilton as president and Seth Boro as secretary/treasurer.
Room to Breathe Project is led by Jennifer Hamilton, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Jennifer Hamilton
President
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Seth Boro
Secretary & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Room to Breathe Project
How much does Room to Breathe Project give each year?
Room to Breathe Project gave $3.9M across 27 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $2.1M across 30 grants.
What is Room to Breathe Project's typical grant size?
Room to Breathe Project's median grant in 2024 was $50,000, and its average grant was $144,095, across 27 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Room to Breathe Project that year got $166K on average.
Where does Room to Breathe Project give grants?
Room to Breathe Project's top state is California, with 47% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Colorado (28%) and District of Columbia (19%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (12 grants), Oakland, CA (3 grants), Lone Tree, CO (2 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does Room to Breathe Project give general operating support?
Yes: 37% of Room to Breathe Project's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (10 of 27) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Well Being Program" (4 grants).
Who are Room to Breathe Project's largest grantees?
Room to Breathe Project's largest 2024 grantees include Schwab Charitable ($1,075,000 across 2 grants), US Foundation for Queens University of Kingston ($732,000) and Illuminate the Arts ($500,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 59% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Room to Breathe Project?
Room to Breathe Project reported $113.6M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $4.2M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $3.4M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Room to Breathe Project fund?
The project envisions a world where all young people, and the adults who serve them, are well. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Room to Breathe Project?
The filing says the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Room to Breathe Project's EIN?
Room to Breathe Project's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 83-2600550. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Room to Breathe Project funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/room-to-breathe-project-morg_71d64c31cb1b4aaf8ff63e51b1e47541
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_832600550_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Room to Breathe Project funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/room-to-breathe-project-morg_71d64c31cb1b4aaf8ff63e51b1e47541},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Room to Breathe Project'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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