Ruth Asawa Fund

Public charity · Grantmaker San Francisco, CA EIN: 94-3231120

Mission statement: to support education in the performing and visual arts in non-profit private and public elementary and secondary schools in san francisco, California

Ruth Asawa Fund at a glance

In short: Ruth Asawa Fund gave $117K across 5 grants in 2025 (avg $23K), mostly in California. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.

Annual giving (2025)
$116,633
+51.5% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
5
+0.0% vs 2024
Average grant
$23,327
+51.5% vs 2024
Median grant
$20,000
Total assets
$789,468
-0.8% vs 2024
Primary geography
California (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Latest 990 filing
Form 990, 2025 View filing

Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.

Who Ruth Asawa Fund funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 5 recipients in 2025

Ruth Asawa School of the Arts: $56KRuth Asawa School of the Arts$56KFriends of Scrap Inc: $25KFriends of Scrap Inc$25KCantor Arts Center at Stanford: $20KCantor Arts Center at Stanford$20KSan Jose Museum of Art: $10KSan Jose Museum of Art$10KJames Lick Middle School - PTSA: $6KJames Lick Middle School -PTSA$6K

The largest 2025 recipient was Ruth Asawa School of the Arts ($56K). Together the top 5 received $117K.

Grant Size Distribution

22 grants across all recorded years

21<$50K1$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 21 grants of 22 (95%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

Grant Distribution by State

3states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 5 itemized grants.

Cities

San FranciscoHoustonIslip TerraceNew YorkOaklandSan JoseStanford

How Ruth Asawa Fund gives

  • Giving grew 483% from 2022 to 2025. Method

From the foundation's IRS Form 990 filings. Methodology.

Giving History

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$50K$100K$150K7 grants2019 8 grants2021 1 grant2022 3 grants2023 5 grants2024 5 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $20K (2022) to $117K (2025). In 2025 it made 5 grants totaling $117K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Ruth Asawa School of the Arts San Francisco, CATo support education in the performing and visual arts in non-profit private and public elementary and secondary schools.$56,133
Friends of Scrap Inc San Francisco, CATo promote performing and visual arts in san francisco$25,000
Cantor Arts Center at Stanford Stanford, CATo support educational programming in the performing and visual arts in schools of higher learning$20,000
San Jose Museum of Art San Jose, CATo promote educational programming in the performing and visual arts$10,000
James Lick Middle School - PTSA San Francisco, CATo support education in the performing and visual arts in non-profit private and public elementary and secondary schools.$5,500
Your AI grants department

Ready to take the next step with Ruth Asawa Fund?

Fully replaces Grant database subscriptions Instrumentl · Foundation Directory · GrantStation & similar

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsNet Investment Income
2025$789,468$117,200$123,429$116,6335$115,950
2024$795,697$153,382$84,825$77,0005$152,382
2023$736,073$52,489$66,968$43,0003$50,989
2022$741,619$42,610$30,070$20,0001$41,610
2021$729,079$119,113$61,842$55,0008$118,113
2019$649,450$23,250$39,783$38,5007$22,900

About Ruth Asawa Fund

Based on IRS filings

Ruth Asawa Fund is a public charity, based in San Francisco, CA. IRS filing data is available from 2019 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $789K in total assets. In 2025, it awarded 5 grants totaling $117K. Net investment income was $116K.

Leadership & Key People

Officers and directors from IRS filings

Ruth Asawa Fund is led by Paul Lanier, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Paul Lanier

    President

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Addie Lanier

    Treasurer & CFO

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Aiko Cuneo

    Secretary

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

Former officers (2)
  • Former: Susan Stauter (2019–2024) — Vice President
  • Former: Dan Kelly MD (2019–2021) — Board Member

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 Ruth Asawa Fund

How much does Ruth Asawa Fund give each year?

Ruth Asawa Fund gave $117K across 5 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $77K across 5 grants.

What is Ruth Asawa Fund's typical grant size?

Ruth Asawa Fund's median grant in 2025 was $20,000, and its average grant was $23,327, across 5 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.

Where does Ruth Asawa Fund give grants?

Ruth Asawa Fund gives mostly in California: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (3 grants).

Does Ruth Asawa Fund give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 5 grants with a stated purpose on Ruth Asawa Fund's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support.

Who are Ruth Asawa Fund's largest grantees?

Ruth Asawa Fund's largest 2025 grantees include Ruth Asawa School of the Arts ($56,133), Friends of Scrap Inc ($25,000) and Cantor Arts Center at Stanford ($20,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 87% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Ruth Asawa Fund?

Ruth Asawa Fund reported $789K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $117K.

What is Ruth Asawa Fund's EIN?

Ruth Asawa Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-3231120. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings.

Data update history

(7)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS January 23, 2020)
  2. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 15, 2022)
  3. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS January 19, 2023)
  4. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 16, 2024)
  5. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 15, 2025)
  6. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 13, 2026)
  7. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025

Explore Open Grants

Browse active grant opportunities in Ruth Asawa Fund's focus areas in our free grants database

Similar Funders

Funders that support many of the same organizations

McNabb Foundation

Wilmington, DE

The McNabb Foundation’s website describes support for behavioral health and social services in East Tennessee, while its 2024 grants went to organizations with varied missions, mostly in California. Grants ranged from $500 to $5,000, with a median of $1,000. It does not accept unsolicited requests and gives only to preselected charitable organizations.

Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking

Assets

$4.8M

Grants

328

Total Given

$358K

The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation

Menlo Park, CA

The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation funds education, climate and conservation, the arts, democracy, gender equity, racial justice, and efforts to strengthen nonprofits and philanthropy, with work spanning the San Francisco Bay Area, the U.S. West, and locations including East and West Africa and Mexico. Its 2024 grants had a median award of $150,000, though amounts varied widely. It generally does not accept unsolicited requests, but sometimes invites proposals through open processes.

Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking

Assets

$14.2B

Grants

2,001

Total Given

$625.0M

Walter and Elise Haas Fund

San Francisco, CA

The Walter and Elise Haas Fund supports economic stability and social cohesion, especially efforts to advance economic and social well-being in Oakland, San Francisco, and the broader Bay Area. Its 2024 grants ranged from $100 to $500,000, with a median of $30,000; the filing says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations and lists an application contact.

Assets

$262.0M

Grants

242

Total Given

$11.6M

Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Mountain View, CA

Silicon Valley Community Foundation funds work in areas such as housing, economic security, education, health, the environment, arts and culture, and civic engagement, with Community Action Grants supporting local, community-led organizations in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. Its 2024 grants had a median of $51,716, though amounts varied widely; applications depend on the program, and SVCF states that it does not accept unsolicited proposals for advised funds.

Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking

Assets

$12.3B

Grants

3,576

Total Given

$3.2B

The Nicholson Family Foundation

Petaluma, CA

The Nicholson Family Foundation funds nonprofit youth programs in arts, education, and social services, especially organizations serving underserved young people and operating on smaller budgets. Its grants are typically around $5,000, with 2025 awards ranging from $1,000 to $25,000, focused on Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties. It accepts Letters of Inquiry through an online form; multi-year grants are by invitation only.

Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking

Assets

$6.9M

Grants

49

Total Given

$313K

Swig Foundation

San Francisco, CA

The Swig Foundation supports preselected charitable organizations across education, arts and culture, health, media, and community change, with the largest share of 2024 giving going to California, followed by New York, Idaho, Washington, DC, and Virginia. Its 2024 grants ranged from $150 to $31,415, with a median of $2,500. It does not accept unsolicited funding requests.

Assets

$11.2M

Grants

127

Total Given

$750K

More similar funders

More Funders in California

The filing figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0. About GrantGraph Open

Figures come from Ruth Asawa Fund'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.

Ruth Asawa Fund down — hundreds of funders to go?

Want AI to do this for you?