SOS Foundation
SOS Foundation is a private foundation based in Seattle, Washington. Its 2025 filing reports charitable gifts to organizations including educational institutions, youth-serving organizations, and community organizations.
SOS Foundation at a glance
In short: SOS Foundation gave $333K across 56 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), mostly in Washington. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $333,307
- +57.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 56
- +51.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $5,952
- +4.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $1,437,738
- +7.6% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Washington (89% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to SOS Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 2900 Ne Blakeley St Suite B, Seattle, WA 98105
Phone: (206) 325-3537
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who SOS Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Seattle University ($111K). Together the top 10 received $275K.
Grant Size Distribution
138 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 134 grants of 138 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 89% of grant dollars went to recipients in Washington, 3% to New York, 2% to Texas, and 1% to Tennessee; the filing lists another 3% under “?”. Many of the listed grantees are based in Seattle.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 56 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How SOS Foundation gives
- 39% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 275% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 111% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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 $89K (2022) to $333K (2025). In 2025 it made 56 grants totaling $333K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle University Seattle, WA | Charitable Gift, Scholarships | $110,800 |
| University of Washington Seattle, WA | Charitable Gift, Scholarship | $47,000 |
| Teens in Public Service Seattle, WA | Charitable Gift | $38,000 |
| Seattle Preparatory School Seattle, WA | Charitable Gift, Scholarship | $25,000 |
| Fred Hutch Cancer Research Seattle, WA | Charitable Gift | $10,500 |
| Common Threads Project Brooklyn, NY | Charitable Gift | $10,000 |
| University of Washington Medicine Advancement Seattle, WA | Charitable Gift, Scholarship | $10,000 |
| We Heart Seattle Seattle, WA | Charitable Gift | $10,000 |
| Trust a Girl Africa | Charitable Gift | $9,028 |
| Rainier Scholars Seattle, WA | Charitable Gift | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with SOS 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 | $1,437,738 | $1,176,676 | $343,005 | $333,307 | 56 | $339,432 | $284,326 | $306,988 |
| 2024 | $1,336,048 | $187,248 | $237,627 | $211,524 | 37 | $216,256 | $34,816 | $256,026 |
| 2023 | $1,585,330 | $1,455,745 | $194,477 | $185,858 | 42 | $193,950 | $718,984 | $148,181 |
| 2022 | $917,856 | $50,354 | $97,398 | $88,772 | 1 | $94,540 | $47,496 | $146,307 |
| 2021 | $964,900 | $8,243 | $187,416 | $171,815 | 2 | $175,887 | $24,737 | $168,453 |
| 2020 | $1,178,516 | $771,380 | $132,875 | $125,975 | 1 | — | $512,901 | $120,509 |
| 2019 | $618,157 | $346,443 | $185,066 | $179,472 | 1 | — | $136,468 | $107,084 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, SOS Foundation reported a distributable amount of $307K 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 grants include gifts designated for scholarships and charitable gifts. Among its grantees, Seattle University describes its mission as educating the whole person and empowering leaders for a just and humane world. Teens in Public Service says it connects teens with nonprofit internships and opportunities to develop future community leaders. We Heart Seattle describes its work as organizing public-space cleanups and offering resources to people in need.
Other grantees describe work that includes psychological care for survivors of trauma (Common Threads Project), academic and leadership support for underrepresented students (Rainier Scholars), access to the arts on Orcas Island (Orcas Center), and community-based housing for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (Community Homes Inc.).
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, SOS Foundation reported 56 grants totaling $333,307. Grants ranged from $200 to $110,800, with a median of $1,000. Its largest reported grants were $110,800 to Seattle University, for a charitable gift and scholarships; $47,000 to the University of Washington, for a charitable gift and scholarship; $38,000 to Teens in Public Service; and $25,000 to Seattle Preparatory School, for a charitable gift and scholarship. Other notable gifts included $10,500 to Fred Hutch Cancer Research and $10,000 each to Common Threads Project, University of Washington Medicine Advancement, and We Heart Seattle.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Joseph L. Brotherton and Maureen Brotherton as directors.
SOS Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Joseph L. Brotherton
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Maureen Brotherton
Director
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 SOS Foundation
How much does SOS Foundation give each year?
SOS Foundation gave $333K across 56 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $212K across 37 grants.
What is SOS Foundation's typical grant size?
SOS Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $5,952, across 56 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does SOS Foundation give grants?
SOS Foundation gives mostly in Washington: 89% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Seattle, WA (17 grants), Eastsound, WA (6 grants), Washington, DC (3 grants) and Tacoma, WA (2 grants).
Does SOS Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 56 grants with a stated purpose on SOS Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable Gift" (51 grants) and "Charitable Gift, Scholarship" (4 grants).
Who are SOS Foundation's largest grantees?
SOS Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Seattle University ($110,800), University of Washington ($47,000) and Teens in Public Service ($38,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 59% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is SOS Foundation?
SOS Foundation reported $1.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $339K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $307K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does SOS Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include gifts designated for scholarships and charitable gifts. Among its grantees, Seattle University describes its mission as educating the whole person and empowering leaders for a just and humane world. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from SOS Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is SOS Foundation's EIN?
SOS Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 91-1774695. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does SOS 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
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 8, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 27, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in SOS Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). SOS Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/sos-foundation-morg_9150d42acead4f26ae2cc5adf57c7521
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_911774695_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{SOS Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/sos-foundation-morg_9150d42acead4f26ae2cc5adf57c7521},
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 SOS 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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