Strauss Family Foundation
The Strauss Family Foundation is a private foundation based in La Jolla, California. Its 2025 filing lists grants for purposes including public education, animal care, cultural education, and education.
Key facts about Strauss Family Foundation
In short: Strauss Family Foundation gave $274K across 21 grants in 2025 (avg $13K), mostly in California. 19% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 33-0757653
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $274,000
- Grants made (2025)
- 21
- Average grant
- $13,048
- Median grant
- $5,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 19% first-time grantees (4 of 21, 2025; small sample)
- Total assets
- $6,153,746
- Primary geography
- California (84% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to apply
- The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$6.2M
+39.5% YoY
Annual Giving
$274K
+19.1% YoY
Grant Count
21
+5.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$13K
+13.4% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Strauss Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $270K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is Strauss Family Foundation open to new grantees?
19%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 21 grantees (19%) were first-time recipients. With only 21 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $12K; repeat grants $13K. How we count
Medians: $7K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 81% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+14%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 101% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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
No mission statement is provided. The 2025 filing describes grant purposes including public education, animal care, cultural education, and education, as well as assistance without a more specific purpose stated.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 21 grants totaling $274,000. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $100,000, with a median of $5,000. Notable grants included Planned Parenthood in San Diego ($100,000, for public education), the SD Zoological Society ($40,000, for animal care), the ACLU Foundation of San Diego and Imperial Counties ($35,000, for public education), the Center for Reproductive Rights ($15,000), and KPBS Radio Producers Club ($10,000, for public education).
How to Apply
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
Ready to take the next step with Strauss Family Foundation?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 84% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 8% to New York, 4% to Massachusetts, and 4% to Washington, DC. The filing also lists Montana at 0%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 21 itemized grants.
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $185K (2021) to $274K (2025). In 2025 it made 21 grants totaling $274K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Planned Parenthood ($100K). Together the top 10 received $244K.
Grant Size Distribution
103 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 98 grants of 103 (95%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Planned Parenthood San Diego, CA | Provide Assistance with Public Education | $100,000 |
| SD Zoological Society San Diego, CA | Provide Assistancewith Animal Care | $40,000 |
| ACLU Foundation of SD Imp Cnty San Diego, CA | Provide Assistance with Public Education | $35,000 |
| Center for Reproductive Rights New York, NY | Provide Assistance | $15,000 |
| KPBS Radio Producers Club San Diego, CA | Provide Assistance with Public Education | $10,000 |
| Union of Concerned Scientists Cambridge, MA | Provide Assistance | $10,000 |
| Project Aware Rancho Santa Margari, CA | Provide Assistance | $10,000 |
| Environmental Defense Fund Washington, DC | Provide Assistance | $10,000 |
| Friends of Mexican Develpment New York, NY | Provide Assistance | $7,500 |
| SD Natural History Museum San Diego, CA | Rovide Assistance for Cultural Education | $6,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $6,153,746 | $2,076,744 | $331,034 | $274,000 (21 grants) |
| 2024 | $4,411,975 | $457,138 | $306,095 | $230,100 (20 grants) |
| 2023 | $4,274,185 | $519,615 | $264,388 | $230,100 (20 grants) |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $6,153,746 | $4,411,975 | $4,274,185 |
| Revenue | $2,076,744 | $457,138 | $519,615 |
| Expenses | $331,034 | $306,095 | $264,388 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $274,000 | $230,100 | $230,100 |
| Net Investment Income | $1,997,150 | $337,413 | $448,723 |
| Distributable Amount | $270,100 | $268,823 | $211,696 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 26, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Brian P Strauss as Treasurer, Kathleen L Strauss as President, Diana L Strauss as Secretary/Director, and Randall U Strauss as Vice President.
Strauss Family Foundation is led by Kathleen L. Strauss, President since 2021 (on filings since 2020); none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Kathleen L. Strauss
President
Vice President → President, 2021
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Diana L. Strauss
Secretary & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Brian P. Strauss
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Randall U. Strauss
Vice President
Director → Vice President, 2021
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Anita L. Strauss (2020) — President
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.
Contact
Mailing address: 7887 Revelle Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037
Phone: (858) 453-1998
Frequently asked questions about Strauss Family Foundation
How much does Strauss Family Foundation give each year?
Strauss Family Foundation gave $274K across 21 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $230K across 20 grants.
What is Strauss Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Strauss Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $13,048, across 21 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Strauss Family Foundation that year got $12K on average.
Where does Strauss Family Foundation give grants?
Strauss Family Foundation gives mostly in California: 84% 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 San Diego, CA (12 grants) and New York, NY (2 grants).
Does Strauss Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 21 grants with a stated purpose on Strauss Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Provide Assistance" (12 grants) and "Provide Assistance with Public Education" (3 grants).
Who are Strauss Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Strauss Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Planned Parenthood ($100,000), SD Zoological Society ($40,000) and ACLU Foundation of SD Imp Cnty ($35,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 64% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Strauss Family Foundation?
Strauss Family Foundation reported $6.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $274K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $270K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Strauss Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement is provided. The 2025 filing describes grant purposes including public education, animal care, cultural education, and education, as well as assistance without a more specific purpose stated. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Strauss Family Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it 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 Strauss Family Foundation's EIN?
Strauss Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 33-0757653. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Strauss 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.
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