Saw Island Foundation Inc
Saw Island Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Woodside, California. It supports organizations and projects in education, science and health, social change, faith-based work, and special grantmaking. Its website says new grants generally focus on the San Francisco Bay Area, while also describing support for extraordinary projects consistent with its mission and values.
Saw Island Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Saw Island Foundation Inc gave $1.6M across 22 grants in 2025 (avg $73K), mostly in California. 9% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,599,960
- +4.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 22
- +10.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $72,725
- -5.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $35,770,368
- +3.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 9% first-time grantees (2 of 22, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (82% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Saw Island Foundation Inc
- How to Apply
-
The foundation says it has limited resources to respond to unsolicited applications and discourages organizations from sending materials that do not meet its criteria. It invites organizations with new or innovative opportunities to use its short introductory form; the foundation may invite a formal submission, request more information, or indicate that the opportunity does not meet its criteria. The 2023 filing says to contact R. Bruce Mosbacher with a letter containing pertinent information. The foundation does not make grants to individuals, for political purposes, or for lobbying activities. The 2023 filing states that awards must go to tax-exempt organizations.
- Review Cycle
- None stated on the 2023 filing.
- Deadline
- None stated on the 2023 filing.
- Contact
Application contact: R Bruce Mosbacher
Mailing address: 524 Moore Road Suite A, Woodside, CA 94062
Phone: (650) 851-9990
Website: https://sawisland.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from Saw Island Foundation Inc
Who Saw Island Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Leland Stanford Junior University ($1.3M). Together the top 10 received $1.6M.
Grant Size Distribution
99 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 90 grants of 99 (91%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation says new grants generally focus on the San Francisco Bay Area and asks organizations outside that area to explain why the foundation would be an appropriate partner. In its 2025 grantmaking, 82% of grant dollars went to California recipients, 8% to Rhode Island, 6% to Ohio, 2% to New York, and 2% to Texas.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 22 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Saw Island Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
9%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 22 grantees (9%) were first-time recipients. With only 22 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $79K. How we count
Medians: $6K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 86% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+7%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 94% 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 (2021–2025). 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 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.3M (2021) to $1.6M (2025). In 2025 it made 22 grants totaling $1.6M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Leland Stanford Junior University Stanford, CA | To advance knowledge about the conditions for interactions among democracy, broad-based economic development, hr, and the law. | $1,250,960 |
| The Sailing Museum Newport, RI | Central hub for learnings, culture and community development and engagement. | $120,000 |
| Hoover Institution North Canton, OH | Seeking to improve the human condition by advancing ideas that promote economic opportunity and prosperity while securing and safeguarding peace for America and all mankind. | $100,000 |
| Ragazzi Boys Chorus Redwood City, CA | To Promote Excellence in Musical Performance and Education. | $25,000 |
| Sports Challenge Southlake, TX | Sports and Education | $25,000 |
| American Theatre Wing New York, NY | To inspire artists and audiences and nurture the entire theatre community. | $12,500 |
| Calmatters Sacramento, CA | Non Profit Journalism | $10,000 |
| Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center New York, NY | To Support Head and Neck Cancer Research Programs | $10,000 |
| The Hospital for Special Surgery New York, NY | Medical research for treatment of orthopedic and rheumatologic conditions. | $10,000 |
| Mangawhai Education Trust | To fund and deliver secondary education services to mangawhai | $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 | $35,770,368 | $2,364,280 | $1,745,853 | $1,599,960 | 22 | $1,600,710 | $1,581,074 | $1,697,142 |
| 2024 | $34,630,800 | $1,815,158 | $1,671,775 | $1,530,540 | 20 | $1,531,290 | $958,218 | $1,598,853 |
| 2023 | $32,155,341 | $2,573,494 | $1,557,281 | $1,435,000 | 21 | $1,435,920 | $1,106,896 | $1,533,949 |
| 2022 | $29,375,731 | $3,277,330 | $1,569,088 | $1,490,000 | 16 | $1,490,910 | $1,141,030 | $1,446,186 |
| 2021 | $29,556,986 | $2,950,304 | $1,401,710 | $1,322,150 | 20 | — | $894,116 | $1,476,735 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Saw Island Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $1.7M 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
The foundation’s mission is to empower innovative, high-impact institutions to improve existing programs and pioneer new approaches to problems and inefficiencies in health, education, and social-service delivery. Its stated values are integrity, discipline, and inclusiveness.
Its education grantmaking includes scholarships, targeted programs, and general operating support for institutions where support can demonstrate measurable impact. Science and health grants focus on research and programs intended to improve health outcomes. Social-change and faith-based grants support small institutions with strong leadership; the foundation describes social-change support as helping organizations provide services paired with programs to build and maintain economic security, and faith-based support as supporting Christian education and mentoring. It also makes a small number of special grants for extraordinary, legacy, or crisis-based projects consistent with its mission and values.
Examples of grantees’ work include Ragazzi Boys Chorus, whose stated mission includes musical training and performance; Vida Verde Nature Education, which says it promotes educational equity through free overnight environmental learning experiences; and CalMatters, which says it informs Californians about issues affecting their lives. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own missions.
Grantmaking
The foundation reported 22 grants totaling $1,599,960 in 2025. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $1,250,960, with a median of $5,000.
Notable 2025 grants included $1,250,960 to Leland Stanford Junior University for work to advance knowledge about conditions for interactions among democracy, broad-based economic development, human rights, and the law; $120,000 to The Sailing Museum for a hub for learning, culture, community development, and engagement; and $100,000 to Hoover Institution for work to improve the human condition through ideas promoting economic opportunity and prosperity while safeguarding peace. Other grants included $25,000 to Ragazzi Boys Chorus, $25,000 to Sports Challenge, $12,500 to American Theatre Wing, and $10,000 each to CalMatters, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and The Hospital for Special Surgery.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists R. Bruce Mosbacher as president, Nancy Ditz Mosbacher as vice president, John Ryan Mosbacher as secretary and director, and Emily Adams Mosbacher as treasurer and director.
Saw Island Foundation Inc is led by R. Bruce Mosbacher, President on every filing since 2021; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
R. Bruce Mosbacher
President
On filings since 2021
20 hrs/week
No compensation reported
John Ryan Mosbacher
Secretary & Director
Treasurer & Director → Secretary & Director, 2022
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Emily Adams Mosbacher
Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nancy Ditz Mosbacher
Vice President
On filings since 2021
20 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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 Saw Island Foundation Inc
How much does Saw Island Foundation Inc give each year?
Saw Island Foundation Inc gave $1.6M across 22 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.5M across 20 grants.
What is Saw Island Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Saw Island Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $72,725, across 22 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Saw Island Foundation Inc that year got $6K on average.
Where does Saw Island Foundation Inc give grants?
Saw Island Foundation Inc gives mostly in California: 82% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Rhode Island (8%) and Ohio (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (4 grants) and Palo Alto, CA (2 grants).
Does Saw Island Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 22 grants with a stated purpose on Saw Island Foundation Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Saw Island Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Saw Island Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Leland Stanford Junior University ($1,250,960), The Sailing Museum ($120,000) and Hoover Institution ($100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 92% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Saw Island Foundation Inc?
Saw Island Foundation Inc reported $35.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.6M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.7M (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 Saw Island Foundation Inc fund?
The foundation’s mission is to empower innovative, high-impact institutions to improve existing programs and pioneer new approaches to problems and inefficiencies in health, education, and social-service delivery. Its stated values are integrity, discipline, and inclusiveness. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Saw Island Foundation Inc?
The foundation says it has limited resources to respond to unsolicited applications and discourages organizations from sending materials that do not meet its criteria. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Saw Island Foundation Inc's EIN?
Saw Island Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 23-7454106. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 17, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 20, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 11, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 16, 2026)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 31, 2022)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Saw Island Foundation Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Saw Island Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/saw-island-foundation-inc-morg_5ee809ef579a4d398d5aaf41b452635e
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_237454106_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Saw Island Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/saw-island-foundation-inc-morg_5ee809ef579a4d398d5aaf41b452635e},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-05. 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 Saw Island Foundation Inc'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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