Severns Family Foundation
The Severns Family Foundation is a private foundation based in San Francisco, California. It supports Northern California community needs in education and environmental awareness, with its stated current focus on early literacy and reducing dependence on non-renewable resources.
Severns Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Severns Family Foundation gave $720K across 24 grants in 2025 (avg $30K), mostly in California. 30% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $720,000
- -1.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 24
- +9.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $30,000
- -9.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $15,000
- Total assets
- $11,573,570
- +7.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 30% first-time grantees (7 of 23, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (90% 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 Severns Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- Invitation Only
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. Its website says LOIs are accepted by invitation only, and its filing states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Applicants invited to proceed submit an LOI before a full proposal. If invited to submit a full proposal, applicants are asked for a project description, goals, population served, measurable objectives, timeline, and evaluation plan, along with organizational financial statements, information on other funding for the project, key personnel qualifications, IRS tax-exempt status documentation, board information, and evidence of board approval. The foundation generally prefers not to fund ongoing operating expenses or fundraising activities; it does not fund political or religious activities, individuals, or organizations employing a board member in a paid role. Grant approval requires a unanimous board vote.
- Review Cycle
- The website states that there are currently no submission deadlines. Previously approved grantees may submit a full proposal at any time.
- Deadline
- The website states that there are currently no submission deadlines.
- Contact
Mailing address: 915 Diamond St, San Francisco, CA 94114
Phone: (415) 608-7413
Website: https://www.severnsfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Severns Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Benetech ($85K). Together the top 10 received $565K.
Grant Size Distribution
105 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 64 grants of 105 (61%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s giving policy names Alameda, San Benito, Santa Clara, San Mateo, and San Francisco counties as its intended geographic focus, while allowing other locations to be considered individually by the board. In 2025, 90% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 8% to New York, 1% to Alabama, and 1% to Washington, D.C.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 24 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Severns Family Foundation open to new grantees?
30%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 7 of 23 grantees (30%) were first-time recipients. With only 23 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $29K; repeat grants $32K. How we count
Medians: $25K first-time, $15K repeat.
- 65% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+6%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 117% 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 $680K (2022) to $850K (2020). In 2025 it made 24 grants totaling $720K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Benetech Palo Alto, CA | Education | $85,000 |
| Reading Partners Oakland, CA | Education | $80,000 |
| Second Harvest San Jose, CA | Food Bank | $75,000 |
| Tipping Point Community San Francisco, CA | Poverty Prevention | $55,000 |
| 826 Valencia San Francisco, CA | Education | $50,000 |
| Humane Society Silicon Valley Milpitas, CA | Animal Welfare | $50,000 |
| Teach For America - Bay Area San Francisco, CA | Education | $50,000 |
| Pangea Legal Services San Francisco, CA | Social Justice | $50,000 |
| NorCal Resist Sacramento, CA | Social Justice | $40,000 |
| Sunnyvale Community Services Sunnyvale, CA | Community Programs | $30,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Severns Family 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 | $11,573,570 | $1,557,629 | $740,281 | $720,000 | 24 | $726,846 | $1,454,065 | $620,431 |
| 2024 | $10,746,221 | $933,092 | $743,406 | $730,000 | 22 | $730,658 | $933,092 | $593,506 |
| 2023 | $10,751,300 | $917,215 | $816,419 | $794,900 | 24 | $798,655 | $917,154 | $549,260 |
| 2022 | $10,650,504 | $1,202,437 | $699,852 | $680,000 | 15 | $683,052 | $1,201,637 | $686,470 |
| 2021 | $10,147,919 | $1,109,411 | $828,771 | $815,000 | 20 | — | $1,108,756 | $672,931 |
| 2020 | $9,867,279 | $936,005 | $864,808 | $850,000 | 21 | — | $935,338 | $570,566 |
| 2019 | $9,796,082 | $1,186,985 | $854,223 | $840,000 | 25 | — | $1,186,246 | $570,277 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Severns Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $620K 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 stated mission is to support Northern California community needs in education and environmental awareness. It says its current focus is early literacy and environmental awareness, particularly reducing dependence on non-renewable resources. Its listed project categories include school, library, summer-program, public-policy, renewable-energy, and science-museum projects; it says it may make grants outside these areas on an exception basis.
Recent recipients illustrate the range of organizations supported. Reading Partners, which received $80,000 in 2025, says it partners with schools and communities to provide literacy support and individualized instruction, particularly for K–4 students. 826 Valencia, which received $50,000, says it supports students ages 6 to 18 with writing skills and helps teachers engage students in writing. Other 2025 recipients include Tipping Point Community ($55,000), which says it advances poverty-fighting solutions; Humane Society Silicon Valley ($50,000), which says it works to save animal lives and keep families together; and Pangea Legal Services ($50,000), which says it provides deportation defense, policy advocacy, and education and legal empowerment for immigrant communities.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 24 grants totaling $720,000. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $85,000, with a median of $15,000. The foundation’s website describes $15,000 as its target grant, with a stated range of $2,000–$30,000; it says larger grants are considered by exception.
Among the largest 2025 grants were $85,000 to Benetech for education, $80,000 to Reading Partners for education, $75,000 to Second Harvest for a food bank, and $55,000 to Tipping Point Community for poverty prevention. Other grants included $50,000 each to 826 Valencia for education, Humane Society Silicon Valley for animal welfare, Teach For America – Bay Area for education, and Pangea Legal Services for social justice.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Nancy E. Severns as President and CEO and Sharon L. Severns as Treasurer.
Severns Family Foundation is led by Nancy E Severns, President & CEO on every filing since 2019; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Nancy E Severns
President & CEO
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sharon L Severns
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
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 Severns Family Foundation
How much does Severns Family Foundation give each year?
Severns Family Foundation gave $720K across 24 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $730K across 22 grants.
What is Severns Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Severns Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $15,000, and its average grant was $30,000, across 24 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Severns Family Foundation that year got $29K on average.
Where does Severns Family Foundation give grants?
Severns Family Foundation gives mostly in California: 90% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (6 grants) and San Francisco, CA (5 grants).
Does Severns Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 24 grants with a stated purpose on Severns Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Education" (5 grants), "Social Justice" (5 grants) and "Human Rights" (3 grants).
Who are Severns Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Severns Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Benetech ($85,000), Reading Partners ($80,000) and Second Harvest ($75,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 33% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Severns Family Foundation?
Severns Family Foundation reported $11.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $727K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $620K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Severns Family Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to support Northern California community needs in education and environmental awareness. It says its current focus is early literacy and environmental awareness, particularly reducing dependence on non-renewable resources. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Severns Family Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Severns Family Foundation's EIN?
Severns Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 77-0235139. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Severns Family Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 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 February 7, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 6, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 9, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 14, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 17, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Explore Open Grants
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Severns Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/severns-family-foundation-morg_dbe94185c84648999ddb347387225dd0
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_770235139_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Severns Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/severns-family-foundation-morg_dbe94185c84648999ddb347387225dd0},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Severns 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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