The Banks Family Foundation
The Banks Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Oakland, California. It supports charitable organizations, including organizations working with children and youth through arts, education, after-school, and other programs, as reflected in its 2025 grants.
The Banks Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Banks Family Foundation gave $165K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $17K), mostly in California. 0% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $165,000
- +6.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- -16.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $16,500
- +27.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $15,000
- Total assets
- $978,450
- -10.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 0% first-time grantees (0 of 10, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (94% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Banks Family Foundation
- 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.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 10287, Oakland, CA 94610
Phone: (510) 272-9002
Website: https://banksfamilyfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from The Banks Family Foundation
Who The Banks Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Destiny Arts Center ($25K). Together the top 10 received $165K.
Grant Size Distribution
69 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 69 grants of 69 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 94% of grant dollars went to organizations in California and 6% went to an organization in New York. The listed grants included organizations in Oakland and Berkeley, California, and New York, New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Banks Family Foundation open to new grantees?
0%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 0 of 10 grantees (0%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. How we count
- 50% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−18%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 320% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 $155K (2023) to $534K (2020). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $165K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Destiny Arts Center Oakland, CA | Support after school programs in three west oakland schools | $25,000 |
| Luna Dance & Creativity Berkeley, CA | Support and Expand Children's Programs at Childhood Centers | $20,000 |
| Oakland Museum of California Oakland, CA | To Support California School Programs | $20,000 |
| St Vincents Day Home Oakland, CA | Support for Comprehensive Learning | $20,000 |
| Creative Growth Art Center Oakland, CA | Support year round saturday art program for youth with disabilities | $15,000 |
| Cycles of Change Oakland, CA | To support the bike club program at four east oakland schools | $15,000 |
| Oakland Lacrosse Club Oakland, CA | Support Professional Development | $15,000 |
| St Mary's Center Preschool Oakland, CA | To Support a New Literacy Program | $15,000 |
| Maps Arts New York, NY | To be used to acquire an art mobile to be able to offer classes around New York city | $10,000 |
| Oakland Leaf Foundation Oakland, CA | To Support General Operation of Intership Program | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Banks Family 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 | $978,450 | $57,118 | $168,411 | $165,000 | 10 | $166,175 | $52,104 | $51,895 |
| 2024 | $1,089,743 | $22,641 | $157,965 | $155,000 | 12 | $156,272 | $57,236 | $48,648 |
| 2023 | $1,225,067 | $-77,286 | $167,256 | $155,000 | 14 | $155,000 | $38,518 | $50,473 |
| 2022 | $1,471,787 | $-21,721 | $208,939 | $201,000 | 17 | $201,000 | $41,739 | $65,718 |
| 2021 | $1,700,269 | $93,795 | $165,936 | $162,000 | 16 | $162,000 | $91,220 | $73,962 |
| 2020 | $1,801,920 | $146,547 | $537,431 | $533,500 | 30 | — | $143,967 | $89,153 |
| 2019 | $2,198,505 | $270,321 | $231,681 | $227,000 | 20 | — | $267,074 | $99,776 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Banks Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $52K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for children’s programs, school programs, youth arts and sports, literacy, and an internship program. Grantees describe their own work in a range of ways: Destiny Arts Center says it uses the arts to inspire social change and support young people; Oakland Museum of California says it aims to inspire Californians through collections, exhibitions, education, and public dialogue; and Cycles of Change says it broadens access to cycling through education and free resources. Oakland Lacrosse Club describes supporting Oakland public school students through lacrosse, while Creative Growth Art Center describes advancing the inclusion of artists with developmental disabilities. Oakland Leaf Foundation says it provides creative and educational programs for Oakland youth.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation gave $165,000 through 10 grants. Grants ranged from $10,000 to $25,000, with a median grant of $15,000. Among the grantees were Destiny Arts Center ($25,000), Luna Dance & Creativity ($20,000), Oakland Museum of California ($20,000), St Vincents Day Home ($20,000), Creative Growth Art Center ($15,000), Cycles of Change ($15,000), Oakland Lacrosse Club ($15,000), St Mary’s Center Preschool ($15,000), MAPS Arts ($10,000), and Oakland Leaf Foundation ($10,000).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Karen Banks was listed as president on the 2025 filing.
The Banks Family Foundation is led by Karen Banks, President on every filing since 2019 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Karen Banks
President
On filings since 2019
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 The Banks Family Foundation
How much does The Banks Family Foundation give each year?
The Banks Family Foundation gave $165K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $155K across 12 grants.
What is The Banks Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Banks Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $15,000, and its average grant was $16,500, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Banks Family Foundation give grants?
The Banks Family Foundation gives mostly in California: 94% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Oakland, CA (8 grants).
Does The Banks Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 10% of The Banks Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 10) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Banks Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Banks Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Destiny Arts Center ($25,000), Luna Dance & Creativity ($20,000) and Oakland Museum of California ($20,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 39% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Banks Family Foundation?
The Banks Family Foundation reported $978K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $166K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $52K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Banks Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for children’s programs, school programs, youth arts and sports, literacy, and an internship program. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Banks 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 The Banks Family Foundation's EIN?
The Banks Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-3301944. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Banks 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 October 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 July 13, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 11, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Banks Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Banks Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-banks-family-foundation-morg_8fe8ee92aa234215b656608d2dd1783b
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_943301944_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Banks Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-banks-family-foundation-morg_8fe8ee92aa234215b656608d2dd1783b},
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 The Banks Family 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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