Stratum is a public charity based in San Francisco, California, formed in 2020. It supports gospel-grounded leaders and institutions in the Bay Area, including new churches, through church-planting grants and programs for pastors and church planters.
Key facts about Stratum
In short: Stratum gave $1.6M across 32 grants in 2025 (avg $49K), mostly in California. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 35-2692988
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,577,653
- Grants made (2025)
- 32
- Average grant
- $49,302
- Median grant
- $44,283
- Total assets
- $696,401
- Primary geography
- California (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990 · View filing
Total Assets
$696K
-27.5% YoY
Annual Giving
$1.6M
+0.3% YoY
Grant Count
32
+14.3% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$49K
-12.2% YoY
How Stratum gives
- 66% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−1%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
Stratum states that its mission is to provide innovative solutions for gospel-grounded leaders and institutions in the Bay Area. Its programs include matching grants for church plants, a one-year training incubator for pastors establishing new churches, and monthly coaching cohorts for Bay Area pastors and church planters.
The organization says its church-plant startup grants support new churches and seek to foster a healthy gospel ecosystem in the Bay Area. The program provides matching grants and works in partnership with donors, networks, and organizations to bring financial resources to new churches.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, Stratum reported 32 grants totaling $1,577,653. Grants ranged from $19,890 to $142,491, with a median of $44,283. The largest listed grants included:
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Stratum describes its work as Bay Area-focused. All grant dollars reported for filing year 2025 went to recipients in California.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 32 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $15K (2021) to $1.6M (2023). In 2025 it made 32 grants totaling $1.6M.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Hue Church ($142K). Together the top 10 received $757K.
Grant Size Distribution
111 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 55 grants of 111 (50%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Hue Church San Francisco, CA | Matching Grant Campaign | $142,491 |
| Citizens Church San Francisco, CA | Matching Grant Campaign | $87,470 |
| Redeemer Lutheran Church and School (Bridge City Church) Redwood City, CA | Matching Grant Campaign | $83,153 |
| Sanctuary Church San Francisoc, CA | Matching Grant Campaign | $70,368 |
| Neuma Church San Francisco, CA | Matching Grant Campaign | $67,608 |
| Christ Church Napa Napa, CA | Matching Grant Campaign | $63,539 |
| Sonoma Collective Church Sonoma, CA | Matching Grant Campaign | $62,203 |
| The Fathers House Oakland Oakland, CA | Matching Grant Campaign | $60,858 |
| Heirs Church Brisbane, CA | Matching Grant Campaign | $60,100 |
| Fresh Start Church Vallejo, CA | Matching Grant Campaign | $59,260 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grant sum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $696,401 | $1,589,902 | $1,849,758 | $1,577,653 |
| 2024 | $960,863 | $1,765,618 | $1,839,648 | $1,572,207 |
| 2023 | $1,024,633 | $875,098 | $1,750,404 | $1,646,288 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $696,401 | $960,863 | $1,024,633 |
| Revenue | $1,589,902 | $1,765,618 | $875,098 |
| Expenses | $1,849,758 | $1,839,648 | $1,750,404 |
| Net Investment Income | $36,446 | $37,120 | $52 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS September 5, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS December 13, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS October 31, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS September 29, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists:
- Nicholas Parsons — President/Managing Director
- Bart Garett — Vice President
- Cindy Collister — Treasurer
- Joey Chen — Secretary
- Tania Wang-Pei — Director
Stratum is led by Nicholas Parsons, President & Managing Director on every filing since 2022; 2 of 5 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Nicholas Parsons
President & Managing Director
On filings since 2022
5 hrs/week
$40K (2022) → $45K (2025)
Tania Wang-Pei
Director
On filings since 2022
No compensation reported
Bart Garett
Vice President
On filings since 2022
5 hrs/week
$30K (2022) → $35K (2025)
Cindy Collister
Treasurer
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
$3K (2022) → $0 (2025)
Joey Chen
Secretary
On filings since 2022
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Bart Garret (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Brian Ng (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Nick Parsons (2020–2021) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $45K, to Nicholas Parsons (President/Managing Directo). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 29603, San Francisco, CA 94129-9603
Phone: (415) 209-5434
Frequently asked questions about Stratum
How much does Stratum give each year?
Stratum gave $1.6M across 32 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $1.6M across 28 grants.
What is Stratum's typical grant size?
Stratum's median grant in 2025 was $44,283, and its average grant was $49,302, across 32 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does Stratum give grants?
Stratum gives mostly in California: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (7 grants), Oakland, CA (3 grants), San Jose, CA (3 grants) and San Francisoc, CA (2 grants).
Does Stratum give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 32 grants with a stated purpose on Stratum's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Matching Grant Campaign" (32 grants).
Who are Stratum's largest grantees?
Stratum's largest 2025 grantees include Hue Church ($142,491), Citizens Church ($87,470) and Redeemer Lutheran Church and School (Bridge City Church) ($83,153), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 20% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Stratum?
Stratum reported $696K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $1.6M.
What does Stratum fund?
Stratum states that its mission is to provide innovative solutions for gospel-grounded leaders and institutions in the Bay Area. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Stratum?
Stratum has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Stratum's EIN?
Stratum's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 35-2692988. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Here's the math on researching Stratum by hand.
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