Stella B Gross Charitable Trust

Private foundation · Grantmaker Chicago, IL EIN: 23-7142181

The Stella B Gross Charitable Trust is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. Its 2026 filing lists 17 grants totaling $300,000, all to recipients in California.

Stella B Gross Charitable Trust at a glance

In short: Stella B Gross Charitable Trust gave $300K across 17 grants in 2026 (avg $18K), mostly in California. 12% of 2026 grantees were new. Source: 2026 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2026)
$300,000
-37.5% vs 2025
Grants made (2026)
17
-43.3% vs 2025
Average grant
$17,647
+10.3% vs 2025
Median grant
$10,000
Total assets
$4,163,515
-1.1% vs 2025
New grantees (estimate)
12% first-time grantees (2 of 17, 2026; small sample)
Primary geography
California (100% of itemized 2026 grant dollars)
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2026 View filing

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2026; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).

How to apply to Stella B Gross Charitable Trust

How to Apply

The 2025 filing says the trust does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. It lists BMO Bank N A as the contact, specifies no set format for application materials, and states that applicants must be tax-exempt under IRC Section 501(c)(3) and located in Santa Clara County, California.

Review Cycle
None listed.
Deadline
None listed.
Contact

Application contact: Bmo Bank N A
Mailing address: 50 W Fernando St Ste 425, San Jose, CA 95113
Phone: (408) 790-2133

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Stella B Gross Charitable Trust funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2026

African Diaspora Network: $70KAfrican Diaspora Network$70KCatholic Charities Dioces of San Jose: $40KCatholic Charities Dioces ofSan Jose$40KSan Jose Sports Authority: $30KSan Jose Sports Authority$30KCristo Rey San Jose Jesuit High School: $25KCristo Rey San Jose JesuitHigh School$25KSanta Clara University: $20KSanta Clara University$20KNotre Dame High School: $15KNotre Dame High School$15KBellarmine College Prep: $15KBellarmine College Prep$15KChild Advocates: $15KChild Advocates$15KSan Jose Aux L Packard Chldrens Hosp: $10KSan Jose Aux L PackardChldrens Hosp$10KVia Services Rehab: $10KVia Services Rehab$10K

The largest 2026 recipient was African Diaspora Network ($70K). Together the top 10 received $250K.

Grant Size Distribution

116 grants across all recorded years

114<$50K2$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 114 grants of 116 (98%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

All 2026 grant dollars went to recipients in California. The trust’s 2025 filing states that eligible organizations must be located in Santa Clara County, California.

Grant Distribution by State

2states

Share of 2026 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.

Cities

San JoseSanta ClaraMilpitasMountain ViewPalo AltoHoustonLos GatosStanfordCampbellNovatoSan DiegoSan Francisco

Is Stella B Gross Charitable Trust open to new grantees?

12%

first-time grantees, 2026

In 2026, 2 of 17 grantees (12%) were first-time recipients. With only 17 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $50K; repeat grants $13K. How we count

Medians: $50K first-time, $10K repeat.

  • 88% of 2026 grantees were also funded in 2025. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2023 to 2026 (+0%). Method
  • In 2026 it paid out 84% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2021–2026). 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

$0$200K$400K$600K21 grants2021 26 grants2022 26 grants2023 17 grants2024 30 grants2025 17 grants2026

From 2021 to 2026, annual grant giving ranged from $150K (2024) to $480K (2025). In 2026 it made 17 grants totaling $300K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
African Diaspora Network Santa Clara, CAGeneral Support$70,000
Catholic Charities Dioces of San Jose San Jose, CAProgram Support$40,000
San Jose Sports Authority San Jose, CACharitable$30,000
Cristo Rey San Jose Jesuit High School San Jose, CAGeneral Support$25,000
Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CAGeneral Support$20,000
Notre Dame High School San Jose, CAGeneral Support$15,000
Bellarmine College Prep San Jose, CAGeneral Support$15,000
Child Advocates Milpitas, CAGeneral Support$15,000
San Jose Aux L Packard Chldrens Hosp San Jose, CAProgram Support$10,000
Via Services Rehab Santa Clara, CAProgram Support$10,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2026$4,163,515$372,896$417,792$300,00017$357,380$313,275$427,816
2025$4,208,980$68,793$596,477$480,00030$535,678$73,701$381,566
2024$4,735,348$141,100$257,428$150,00017$201,423$90,331$345,269
2023$4,854,568$81,020$418,984$300,00026$348,221$71,828$320,658
2022$5,191,003$588,961$437,197$300,00026$357,415$518,061$366,504
2021$5,040,406$482,202$474,516$330,00021—$408,013$357,712

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Stella B Gross Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $428K for 2026 — 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 trust is provided. Its 2026 grants went to organizations including schools, charities, a university, a sports authority, a hospital, and community-service organizations.

Grantee missions illustrate the range of organizations supported. African Diaspora Network describes its mission as engaging the capacity of African and friends of Africa communities to support economic and social development across Africa and the communities in which they live. Our City Forest says it works to cultivate a greener, healthier urban environment and a renewed sense of community through residents’ involvement in the urban forest. Humane Society Silicon Valley describes its mission as saving lives, keeping families together, and creating a better future for pets and their people.

Grantmaking

In 2026, the trust reported 17 grants totaling $300,000. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $70,000, with a median of $10,000. Among the largest awards were $70,000 to African Diaspora Network for general support; $40,000 to Catholic Charities for program support; $30,000 to San Jose Sports Authority for charitable purposes; and $25,000 to Cristo Rey San Jose Jesuit High School for general support. Other listed awards included $20,000 to Santa Clara University and $15,000 each to Notre Dame High School, Bellarmine College Prep, and Child Advocates.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

BMO Bank N A is listed as trustee on the 2026 filing.

Stella B Gross Charitable Trust's only listed officer is BMO Bank N A, Trustee on every filing since 2024 (compensated).

Officers on the 2026 filing

  • BMO Bank N A

    Trustee

    On filings since 2024

    4 hrs/week

    $65K (2024) → $82K (2026)

Former officers (2)
  • Former: BOW Bank N A (2023) — Trustee
  • Former: Bank Of The West (2021–2022) — Trustee

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2026. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.

Compensation Overview

From 2026 IRS filing

BMO Bank N a — Trustee: $82KBMO Bank N aTrustee$82K

The highest reported compensation on the 2026 filing was $82K, to BMO Bank N a (Trustee).

Frequently asked questions about Stella B Gross Charitable Trust

How much does Stella B Gross Charitable Trust give each year?

Stella B Gross Charitable Trust gave $300K across 17 grants in 2026, according to its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2025 it gave $480K across 30 grants.

What is Stella B Gross Charitable Trust's typical grant size?

Stella B Gross Charitable Trust's median grant in 2026 was $10,000, and its average grant was $17,647, across 17 grants on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Stella B Gross Charitable Trust that year got $50K on average.

Where does Stella B Gross Charitable Trust give grants?

Stella B Gross Charitable Trust gives mostly in California: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were San Jose, CA (9 grants), Santa Clara, CA (3 grants) and Milpitas, CA (3 grants).

Does Stella B Gross Charitable Trust give general operating support?

Yes: 71% of Stella B Gross Charitable Trust's 2026 grants with a stated purpose (12 of 17) were for general or operating support, per its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Program Support" (4 grants).

Who are Stella B Gross Charitable Trust's largest grantees?

Stella B Gross Charitable Trust's largest 2026 grantees include African Diaspora Network ($70,000), Catholic Charities Dioces of San Jose ($40,000) and San Jose Sports Authority ($30,000), according to its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 47% of its itemized 2026 grant dollars.

How large is Stella B Gross Charitable Trust?

Stella B Gross Charitable Trust reported $4.2M in total assets on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $357K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $428K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.

What does Stella B Gross Charitable Trust fund?

No mission statement for the trust is provided. Its 2026 grants went to organizations including schools, charities, a university, a sports authority, a hospital, and community-service organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Stella B Gross Charitable Trust?

The 2025 filing says the trust does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is Stella B Gross Charitable Trust's EIN?

Stella B Gross Charitable Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 23-7142181. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2026.

Data last updated October 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

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS September 9, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 8, 2022)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS August 8, 2023)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS August 22, 2024)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 20, 2025)
  6. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2026 (received by the IRS August 11, 2026)
  7. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Stella B Gross Charitable Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/stella-b-gross-charitable-trust-morg_ed686aeb8895414eb8a0cc251c27ed2c

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_237142181_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Stella B Gross Charitable Trust funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/stella-b-gross-charitable-trust-morg_ed686aeb8895414eb8a0cc251c27ed2c},
  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 Stella B Gross Charitable Trust'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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