Schuster Foundation
The Schuster Foundation is a private foundation based in Seattle, Washington. Its 2025 grants supported organizations working in areas including community programs, hunger, the environment, and the arts.
Schuster Foundation at a glance
In short: Schuster Foundation gave $64K across 26 grants in 2025 (avg $2K), mostly in Washington. 27% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $64,342
- +45.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 26
- +30.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,475
- +11.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,000
- Total assets
- $807,133
- +373.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 27% first-time grantees (7 of 26, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Washington (55% 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 Schuster Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
- Contact
Mailing address: 2808 East Madison Street Suite 203, Seattle, WA 98112
Phone: (206) 529-3902
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Schuster Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Ibma Foundation ($10K). Together the top 10 received $41K.
Grant Size Distribution
101 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 101 grants of 101 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 55% of grant dollars went to recipients in Washington, 19% to North Carolina, 13% to Tennessee, 8% to California, and 5% to Washington, DC. Washington recipients included organizations on Whidbey Island and in Seattle.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 26 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Schuster Foundation open to new grantees?
27%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 7 of 26 grantees (27%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 73% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 96% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 352% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 $28K (2021) to $64K (2025). In 2025 it made 26 grants totaling $64K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Ibma Foundation Burlington, NC | Community Programs | $10,000 |
| Uplift Northwest Seattle, WA | Hunger/Community Programs | $6,717 |
| Songwritingwithsoldiers Nashville, TN | Community Programs | $5,000 |
| Whidbey Homeless Coalition Langley, WA | Community Program | $3,000 |
| Whidbey Camano Land Trust Greenbank, WA | Environmental | $3,000 |
| Whidbey Community Foundation Coupeville, WA | Community Programs | $3,000 |
| Mercy for Animals Los Angeles, CA | Community Program | $2,625 |
| Destination Cleveland County Inc Shelby, NC | Community Program | $2,500 |
| Island Senior Resources Freeland, WA | Community Programs | $2,500 |
| Whidbey Island Center for the Arts Langley, WA | ARTS | $2,500 |
Ready to take the next step with Schuster Foundation?
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 | $807,133 | $707,043 | $70,507 | $64,342 | 26 | $67,581 | $162,758 | $19,181 |
| 2024 | $170,537 | $80,539 | $48,992 | $44,250 | 20 | $46,387 | $51,304 | $6,182 |
| 2023 | $138,990 | $81,466 | $48,125 | $46,250 | 19 | $48,025 | $48,797 | $4,746 |
| 2022 | $105,649 | $35,364 | $34,547 | $32,768 | 20 | $34,227 | — | $5,125 |
| 2021 | $104,832 | $29,079 | $29,559 | $28,250 | 16 | $29,459 | — | $4,864 |
| 2020 | $105,312 | $30,025 | $36,859 | $35,250 | 18 | — | — | $4,912 |
| 2019 | $112,146 | $13,523 | $40,611 | $39,200 | 20 | — | — | $6,656 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Schuster Foundation reported a distributable amount of $19K 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 grant list includes awards designated for community programs, hunger/community programs, environmental work, and the arts. The grantees’ own descriptions show a range of activities: Uplift Northwest says it provides employment and job-readiness services for people facing poverty and homelessness; Whidbey Camano Land Trust describes protecting and restoring habitats; and Whidbey Island Center for the Arts says it aims to impact lives through shared arts experiences. Other supported organizations include the Whidbey Community Foundation, whose stated mission is to strengthen Whidbey Island communities, and Mercy for Animals, which describes its work as building a compassionate food system.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 26 grants totaling $64,342. Awards ranged from $250 to $10,000, with a median of $2,000. Among the largest were $10,000 to the IBMA Foundation for community programs; $6,717 to Uplift Northwest for hunger/community programs; and $5,000 to SongwritingWithSoldiers for community programs. Other awards included $3,000 each to Whidbey Homeless Coalition, Whidbey Camano Land Trust, and Whidbey Community Foundation; and $2,500 each to Destination Cleveland County, Island Senior Resources, Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, and Island Roots Housing.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Mark R Schuster as Director/President and Holly E Gardner as Secretary.
Schuster Foundation is led by Mark R Schuster, Director & President on every filing since 2019; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Mark R Schuster
Director & President
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Holly E Gardner
Secretary
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.
Frequently asked questions about Schuster Foundation
How much does Schuster Foundation give each year?
Schuster Foundation gave $64K across 26 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $44K across 20 grants.
What is Schuster Foundation's typical grant size?
Schuster Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $2,475, across 26 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Schuster Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does Schuster Foundation give grants?
Schuster Foundation gives mostly in Washington: 55% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were North Carolina (19%) and Tennessee (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were Seattle, WA (6 grants), Langley, WA (5 grants), Nashville, TN (2 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does Schuster Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 26 grants with a stated purpose on Schuster Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Community Program" (10 grants), "Community Programs" (8 grants) and "Environmental" (3 grants).
Who are Schuster Foundation's largest grantees?
Schuster Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Ibma Foundation ($10,000), Uplift Northwest ($6,717) and Songwritingwithsoldiers ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 34% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Schuster Foundation?
Schuster Foundation reported $807K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $68K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $19K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Schuster Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grant list includes awards designated for community programs, hunger/community programs, environmental work, and the arts. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Schuster Foundation?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Schuster Foundation's EIN?
Schuster Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-1435055. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Schuster Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 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 2024 (received by the IRS May 21, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 11, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 12, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 17, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 26, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 3, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 15, 2024)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Schuster Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/schuster-foundation-morg_6822b8cbc08d431791fbf8632bb2f92f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_261435055_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Schuster Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/schuster-foundation-morg_6822b8cbc08d431791fbf8632bb2f92f},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 Schuster 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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