Susan Michaels Compassion Trust
The Susan Michaels Compassion Trust is a private foundation based in Seattle, Washington, that makes grants to increase awareness about and alleviate the suffering of animals raised for food production. Its stated priorities include advocacy, rescue, promoting veganism, exposing cruelty, and supporting cruelty investigations.
Susan Michaels Compassion Trust at a glance
In short: Susan Michaels Compassion Trust gave $159K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $14K), top state California. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $158,500
- +42.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 11
- +57.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $14,409
- -9.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $15,000
- Total assets
- $2,233,918
- +7.6% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- California (25% 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 Susan Michaels Compassion Trust
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- Invitation Only
-
The trust states that it does not accept unsolicited requests and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Its application page says grants are for U.S.-based 501(c)(3) charitable organizations and describes the application process as simple. That page also said online submissions were suspended for the upcoming round, with applications handled by invitation only, and directed applicants to check back at the start of the next fiscal year, October 2025. That date has passed; the page provides no later application-cycle update in the available information.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1201 3Rd Ave Ste 3200, Seattle, WA 98101
Phone: (206) 898-1050
Website: https://www.compassiontrust.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Susan Michaels Compassion Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Project Animal Freedom ($24K). Together the top 10 received $152K.
Grant Size Distribution
34 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 32 grants of 34 (94%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grants went to recipients in multiple states. The largest reported shares of grant dollars by recipient state were California (25%), Washington, D.C. (22%), Missouri (15%), Colorado (13%), and Virginia (9%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
Cities
How Susan Michaels Compassion Trust gives
- 27% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 57% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 156% 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $10K (2020) to $160K (2021). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $159K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Project Animal Freedom Eureka, MO | Grant | $24,000 |
| Open Sanctuary Project Niwot, CO | Grant | $20,000 |
| Center for Humane Economy Washington, DC | Grant | $17,500 |
| Animal Partisan Richmond, VA | Grant | $15,000 |
| Direct Action Everywhere Berkeley, CA | Grant | $15,000 |
| Pasados Safe Haven Sultan, WA | Grant | $15,000 |
| Switch for Good Irvine, CA | Grant | $15,000 |
| Animal Vegan Advocacy Intl Washington, DC | Grant | $10,000 |
| Animal Recovery Mission Port Saint Lucie, FL | Grant | $10,000 |
| Leap Colfax, CA | Grant | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Susan Michaels Compassion Trust?
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 | $2,233,918 | $94,333 | $174,856 | $158,500 | 11 | $158,500 | $94,333 | $101,901 |
| 2024 | $2,075,895 | $79,579 | $123,536 | $111,000 | 7 | $111,000 | $79,579 | $92,961 |
| 2023 | $1,647,265 | $99,803 | $122,374 | $110,000 | 5 | $110,000 | $92,963 | $78,951 |
| 2022 | $1,474,763 | $93,723 | $109,725 | $101,000 | 7 | $101,000 | $85,301 | $85,154 |
| 2021 | $1,961,449 | $66,291 | $173,087 | $160,000 | 4 | — | $5,987 | $91,188 |
| 2020 | $1,689,664 | $786,103 | $16,282 | $10,000 | 1 | — | $28,801 | $72,930 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Susan Michaels Compassion Trust reported a distributable amount of $102K 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
The trust’s website says it supports individuals and organizations that speak for animals used in food production—especially turkeys, farm hens, dairy cows, and beef cattle; promote veganism; expose cruelty in living conditions, transportation, and slaughter; promote cruelty investigations; or rescue factory-farmed animals.
Examples of grantees’ work include the Open Sanctuary Project’s freely accessible resources for creating and managing animal sanctuaries; Direct Action Everywhere’s public education on environmentalism and animal welfare; and Pasado’s Safe Haven’s work to end animal cruelty. These descriptions are the organizations’ own.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the trust gave $158,500 through 11 grants. The grants ranged from $7,000 to $24,000, with a median of $15,000. The website describes its typical annual activity as about a dozen grants of $5,000 to $50,000.
Notable 2025 grants included Project Animal Freedom ($24,000), Open Sanctuary Project ($20,000), Center for Humane Economy ($17,500), and Animal Partisan, Direct Action Everywhere, Pasado’s Safe Haven, and Switch for Good ($15,000 each).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Mitchell Fox and Bill Rus as co-trustees.
Susan Michaels Compassion Trust's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Mitchell Fox
Co-Trustee
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
$2K (2020) → $0 (2025)
Bill Rus
Co-Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
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 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $3K, to Mitchell Fox (Co-Trustee).
Frequently asked questions about Susan Michaels Compassion Trust
How much does Susan Michaels Compassion Trust give each year?
Susan Michaels Compassion Trust gave $159K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $111K across 7 grants.
What is Susan Michaels Compassion Trust's typical grant size?
Susan Michaels Compassion Trust's median grant in 2025 was $15,000, and its average grant was $14,409, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Susan Michaels Compassion Trust give grants?
Susan Michaels Compassion Trust's top state is California, with 25% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were District of Columbia (22%) and Missouri (15%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (3 grants).
Does Susan Michaels Compassion Trust give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 11 grants with a stated purpose on Susan Michaels Compassion Trust's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Grant" (11 grants).
Who are Susan Michaels Compassion Trust's largest grantees?
Susan Michaels Compassion Trust's largest 2025 grantees include Project Animal Freedom ($24,000), Open Sanctuary Project ($20,000) and Center for Humane Economy ($17,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 39% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Susan Michaels Compassion Trust?
Susan Michaels Compassion Trust reported $2.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $159K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $102K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Susan Michaels Compassion Trust fund?
The trust’s website says it supports individuals and organizations that speak for animals used in food production—especially turkeys, farm hens, dairy cows, and beef cattle; promote veganism; expose cruelty in living conditions, transportation, and slaughter; promote cruelty investigations; or rescue factory-farmed animals. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Susan Michaels Compassion Trust?
The trust states that it does not accept unsolicited requests 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 Susan Michaels Compassion Trust's EIN?
Susan Michaels Compassion Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 84-6570595. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Susan Michaels Compassion Trust 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 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Susan Michaels Compassion Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/susan-michaels-compassion-trust-morg_99efbca378094e60a23de91db5fa0f47
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_846570595_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Susan Michaels Compassion Trust funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/susan-michaels-compassion-trust-morg_99efbca378094e60a23de91db5fa0f47},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Susan Michaels Compassion 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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