Schwemm Family Foundation
The Schwemm Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Bethesda, Maryland. Its 2025 filing describes grant support for charitable organizations and, as the foundation expands its focus, governmental institutions serving a public purpose.
Schwemm Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Schwemm Family Foundation gave $129K across 19 grants in 2025 (avg $7K), top state Oregon. 56% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $129,419
- -11.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 19
- -17.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $6,812
- +7.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $8,000
- Total assets
- $1,460,123
- +0.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 56% first-time grantees (10 of 18, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Oregon (42% 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 Schwemm Family Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation says it will consider grant proposals from charitable organizations. Proposals are reviewed by the trustees, with awards made annually and semi-annually. Its filing lists April 1 and November 1 deadlines.
- Contact
Application contact: Schwemm Family Foundation
Mailing address: PO Box 133, Tomales, CA 94971
Phone: (541) 778-0904
Email: kari@schwemmfoundation.org
Website: https://schwemmfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Schwemm Family Foundation
Who Schwemm Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Upwell Turtles ($10K). Together the top 10 received $96K.
Organizations only. It also paid 2 grants to individuals ($4,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
97 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 97 grants of 97 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In filing year 2025, 42% of grant dollars went to recipients in Oregon, 41% to California, 15% to Illinois, and 2% to New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Schwemm Family Foundation open to new grantees?
56%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 10 of 18 grantees (56%) were first-time recipients. With only 18 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $8K. How we count
Medians: $7K first-time, $9K repeat.
- 28% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+4%). 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 $82K (2020) to $146K (2024). In 2025 it made 19 grants totaling $129K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Upwell Turtles Monterey, CA | Upwell conducts aerial surveys and satellite tags and tracks West Pacific leatherback sea turtles. | $10,000 |
| Depave Portland, OR | Depave will advance green schoolyards at three Title 1 schools in Portland, Oregon. | $10,000 |
| Friends of Sausal Creek Oakland, CA | Native plant revegetation to create thriving, resilient greenspaces for Oakland communities. | $10,000 |
| Friends of the Owyhee Ontario, OR | Protecting Birch Creek Historic Ranch through volunteer-based stewardship planning and engagement. | $10,000 |
| High Desert Museum Bend, OR | The Museum will pioneer the study of Mazama newts in captivity, advancing species preservation. | $10,000 |
| Urban Rivers Chicago, IL | Expand native plantings at the Wild Mile park and strengthen our stewardship volunteer program | $10,000 |
| White Buffalo Land Trust Santa Barbara, CA | WRP restores riparian ecosystems, serving as a model for watershed resilience regionally and beyond. | $10,000 |
| The Beaver Coalition DBA Project Be Jacksonville, OR | Building ecological resiliency by relocating beavers that would otherwise be killed to public lands. | $9,900 |
| Museum of Ventura County Ventura, CA | Digitization of slides and negatives, reels, and microfilm of the 1928 St. Francis Dam disaster. | $8,000 |
| Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project Eugene, OR | Independent field surveying of USFS timber sales on national forests in E Oregon and SE Washington. | $8,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Schwemm Family Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,460,123 | $127,007 | $165,535 | $129,419 | 19 | $165,535 | $81,847 |
| 2024 | $1,456,740 | $227,010 | $179,698 | $145,730 | 23 | $179,698 | $151,836 |
| 2023 | $1,450,747 | $171,190 | $173,438 | $131,824 | 18 | $173,438 | $156,923 |
| 2022 | $1,427,236 | $113,652 | $153,471 | $124,870 | 17 | $153,471 | $35,320 |
| 2021 | $1,784,453 | $154,179 | $139,006 | $104,078 | 20 | $139,006 | $105,893 |
| 2020 | $1,661,302 | $188,136 | $107,912 | $81,600 | 12 | — | $71,411 |
| 2019 | $1,471,017 | $169,346 | $140,479 | $111,290 | 22 | — | $104,281 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants supported projects including sea turtle research and protection, habitat restoration, urban greening, land stewardship, species preservation, river restoration, and historical-material digitization.
The grantees describe their own missions in varied terms. For example, Upwell Turtles says it works to protect and recover endangered turtle populations by reducing threats at sea. Depave says it uses urban re-greening to address social and environmental injustice and climate adaptation. Friends of Sausal Creek says it works to conserve, restore, and enhance its watershed through education, community stewardship, and collaboration. These are descriptions of the grantees, not the foundation.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 19 grants totaling $129,419. Grants ranged from $2,000 to $10,000, with a median of $8,000. Recipients included Upwell Turtles, Depave, Friends of Sausal Creek, Friends of the Owyhee, High Desert Museum, Urban Rivers, and White Buffalo Land Trust, each receiving $10,000. The Museum of Ventura County received $8,000.
The foundation’s filing says it will consider proposals from charitable organizations, which trustees review, and that awards are made annually and semi-annually. It is expanding its focus to include grants to 170(c)(1) governmental institutions as well as 501(c)(3) organizations. Grants under $5,000 must be used within 12 months of the award; grants from $5,000 to $30,000 may be used over a period extending beyond 12 months. The foundation says it does not award grants for ongoing operating support, loans, endowments, or unrestricted purposes.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Kari Gies as president, Cathy Schwemm as vice president, Jan Rieke as treasurer, and Annie Swank, Joseph Tuck, and Bridget Coonan as trustees.
Schwemm Family Foundation is led by Kari Gies, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 6 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Kari Gies
President
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Annie Swank
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Joseph Tuck
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Bridget Coonan
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
No compensation reported
Cathy Schwemm
Vice President
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Jan Rieke
Treasurer
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 Schwemm Family Foundation
How much does Schwemm Family Foundation give each year?
Schwemm Family Foundation gave $129K across 19 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $146K across 23 grants.
What is Schwemm Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Schwemm Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $8,000, and its average grant was $6,812, across 19 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Schwemm Family Foundation that year got $6K on average.
Where does Schwemm Family Foundation give grants?
Schwemm Family Foundation's top state is Oregon, with 42% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were California (41%) and Illinois (15%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (2 grants) and Ashland, OR (2 grants).
Does Schwemm Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 19 grants with a stated purpose on Schwemm Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Duchess Award-Food Security" (5 grants).
Who are Schwemm Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Schwemm Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Upwell Turtles ($10,000), Depave ($10,000) and Friends of Sausal Creek ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 2 grants to individuals ($4,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 23% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Schwemm Family Foundation?
Schwemm Family Foundation reported $1.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $127K.
What does Schwemm Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants supported projects including sea turtle research and protection, habitat restoration, urban greening, land stewardship, species preservation, river restoration, and historical-material digitization. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Schwemm Family Foundation?
The foundation says it will consider grant proposals from charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Schwemm Family Foundation's EIN?
Schwemm Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 46-2945532. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS April 13, 2020)
- 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 April 5, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS June 10, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 21, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 20, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Schwemm Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Schwemm Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/schwemm-family-foundation-morg_aee2277678a14119bdbbb7caeaeae3cd
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_462945532_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Schwemm Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/schwemm-family-foundation-morg_aee2277678a14119bdbbb7caeaeae3cd},
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 Schwemm Family 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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