Small River Foundation
Small River Foundation is a private foundation based in Woodside, California. It reported making 12 grants totaling $266,000 in 2024 to charitable organizations.
Small River Foundation at a glance
In short: Small River Foundation gave $266K across 12 grants in 2024 (avg $22K), mostly in California. 33% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $266,000
- +52.4% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 12
- +33.3% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $22,167
- +14.3% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $15,000
- Total assets
- $2,767,110
- +9.7% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 33% first-time grantees (4 of 12, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (66% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Small River Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 2154 Stockbridge Ave, Woodside, CA 94062-1143
Phone: (415) 344-7098
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Small River Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Gladstone Foundation ($88K). Together the top 10 received $255K.
Grant Size Distribution
29 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 24 grants of 29 (83%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, California recipients received 66% of grant dollars. Recipients in the District of Columbia received 9%, Delaware 8%, Virginia 8%, and New York 6%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Small River Foundation open to new grantees?
33%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 4 of 12 grantees (33%) were first-time recipients. With only 12 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $37K; repeat grants $15K. How we count
Medians: $30K first-time, $15K repeat.
- 58% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 193% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2022–2024). 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 2022 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $175K (2023) to $300K (2022). In 2024 it made 12 grants totaling $266K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Gladstone Foundation San Francisco, CA | Charitable Contribution | $87,500 |
| Lisa & Marcus Ogawa Endowed Fund SHS Atherton, CA | Charitable Contribution | $50,000 |
| Nishimachi Foundation Wilmington, DE | Charitable Contribution | $20,000 |
| Institute for Justice Arlington, VA | Charitable Contribution | $20,000 |
| Second Harvest of Silicon Valley San Jose, CA | Charitable Contribution | $15,000 |
| World Central Kitchen Incorporated Washington, DC | Charitable Contribution | $15,000 |
| Doctors Without Borders USA New York, NY | Charitable Contribution | $15,000 |
| Electronic Frontier Foundation Inc San Francisco, CA | Charitable Contribution | $12,500 |
| US- Japan Council Washington, DC | Charitable Contribution | $10,000 |
| North Caroline Disaster Relief Rund Raleigh, NC | Charitable Contribution | $10,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,767,110 | $26,825 | $297,217 | $266,000 | 12 | $266,000 | $22,019 | $137,518 |
| 2023 | $2,522,337 | $60,295 | $176,106 | $174,500 | 9 | $174,500 | $80,862 | $121,900 |
| 2022 | $2,304,537 | $1,824 | $355,168 | $300,000 | 8 | $300,000 | — | $139,146 |
| 2021 | $3,002,606 | $3,002,756 | $150 | — | — | — | $3,002,113 | $18,518 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Small River Foundation reported a distributable amount of $138K for 2024 — 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 2024 grants went to organizations with varied missions. For example, Second Harvest of Silicon Valley says it works to provide more food, healthy food, and better access to food; World Central Kitchen says it provides meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises. The Institute for Justice describes its work as advancing individual liberties through litigation, training, communication, activism, and research.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation gave $266,000 through 12 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $87,500, with a median grant of $15,000. Its largest grants included $87,500 to Gladstone Foundation, $50,000 to Lisa & Marcus Ogawa Endowed Fund SHS, $20,000 each to Nishimachi Foundation and the Institute for Justice, and $15,000 each to Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, World Central Kitchen Incorporated, and Doctors Without Borders USA.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
MARCUS OGAWA was listed as president on the 2024 filing.
Small River Foundation is led by Marcus Ogawa, President on every filing since 2021 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Marcus Ogawa
President
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2024. "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 Small River Foundation
How much does Small River Foundation give each year?
Small River Foundation gave $266K across 12 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $175K across 9 grants.
What is Small River Foundation's typical grant size?
Small River Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $15,000, and its average grant was $22,167, across 12 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Small River Foundation that year got $37K on average.
Where does Small River Foundation give grants?
Small River Foundation gives mostly in California: 66% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were District of Columbia (9%) and Delaware (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (3 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Who are Small River Foundation's largest grantees?
Small River Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Gladstone Foundation ($87,500), Lisa & Marcus Ogawa Endowed Fund SHS ($50,000) and Nishimachi Foundation ($20,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 59% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Small River Foundation?
Small River Foundation reported $2.8M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $266K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $138K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Small River Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants went to organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Small River Foundation?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Small River Foundation's EIN?
Small River Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 87-3060133. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2024.
Does Small River 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Small River Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/small-river-foundation-morg_2c7cbd3c7ca640c687fa666d90997c9b
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_873060133_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Small River Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/small-river-foundation-morg_2c7cbd3c7ca640c687fa666d90997c9b},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Small River 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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