The Binkley Foundation
The Binkley Foundation is a private foundation based in Mill Valley, California. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations and individual scholarship recipients, including support for a cancer center, a vascular-cure organization, and an animal-welfare organization.
The Binkley Foundation at a glance
In short: The Binkley Foundation gave $257K across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $15K), mostly in California. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $257,216
- +76.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- -15.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $15,130
- +107.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $8,500
- Total assets
- $2,908,891
- +7.4% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- California (96% 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 The Binkley Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 2128, Mill Valley, CA 94942
Phone: (415) 350-9904
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Binkley Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 4 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was UCSF Foundation Cancer Center ($150K). Together the top 4 received $180K.
Organizations only. It also paid 13 individual scholarships ($77,116), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
50 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 44 grants of 50 (88%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 96% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 2% to Connecticut, 1% to Louisiana, and 1% to Massachusetts.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How The Binkley Foundation gives
- Giving fell 97% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 195% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $22K (2020) to $7.9M (2022). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $257K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| UCSF Foundation Cancer Center San Francisco, CA | Donation | $150,000 |
| Foundation to Advance Vascular Cure Redwood City, CA | Donation | $19,000 |
| Compassion Without Borders Santa Rosa, CA | Donation | $10,000 |
| 13 individual scholarships Recipients not named | — | $77,116 |
| Vern Glenn Invitational Mill Valley, CA | Donation | $1,100 |
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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 | $2,908,891 | $124,535 | $300,392 | $257,216 | 17 | $269,576 | $103,128 | $138,039 |
| 2024 | $2,708,571 | $550,796 | $167,282 | $146,065 | 20 | $158,132 | $535,394 | $125,504 |
| 2023 | $2,708,748 | $31,811 | $75,159 | $42,100 | 7 | $66,553 | $31,811 | $128,177 |
| 2022 | $2,569,943 | $11,055 | $7,884,025 | $7,873,709 | 4 | $7,873,709 | $11,055 | $291,844 |
| 2021 | $11,135,758 | $220,118 | $785 | $500,000 | 2 | $500,000 | $220,118 | $504,471 |
| 2020 | $9,240,258 | $104,017 | $770 | $22,000 | 3 | — | $81,393 | $171,343 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Binkley Foundation reported a distributable amount of $138K 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 donations to organizations and scholarships to individual recipients. Compassion Without Borders, which received $10,000, describes its mission as helping animals in need on both sides of the border, particularly those facing geographic, cultural, or socioeconomic barriers to help.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 17 grants totaling $257,216. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $150,000, with a median of $8,500. The largest grants included $150,000 to UCSF Foundation Cancer Center, $19,000 to Foundation to Advance Vascular Cure, and $10,000 to Compassion Without Borders. The filing also lists scholarships to individual recipients.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Sharon Binkley Straus as president and Lauren Howard as secretary/treasurer.
The Binkley Foundation is led by Sharon Binkley Straus, President on every filing since 2022; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Sharon Binkley Straus
President
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lauren Howard
Secretary
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Charles Mitchell (2020–2021) — Treasurer CFO
- Former: Terry Anne Binkley (2020–2021) — CEO
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.
Frequently asked questions about The Binkley Foundation
How much does The Binkley Foundation give each year?
The Binkley Foundation gave $257K across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $146K across 20 grants.
What is The Binkley Foundation's typical grant size?
The Binkley Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $8,500, and its average grant was $15,130, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Binkley Foundation give grants?
The Binkley Foundation gives mostly in California: 96% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there.
Does The Binkley Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 17 grants with a stated purpose on The Binkley Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Scholarship" (13 grants) and "Donation" (4 grants).
Who are The Binkley Foundation's largest grantees?
The Binkley Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include UCSF Foundation Cancer Center ($150,000), Foundation to Advance Vascular Cure ($19,000) and Compassion Without Borders ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 13 individual scholarships ($77,116), which are not listed by name. Together they received 70% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Binkley Foundation?
The Binkley Foundation reported $2.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $270K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $138K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Binkley Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include donations to organizations and scholarships to individual recipients. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Binkley Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Binkley Foundation's EIN?
The Binkley Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 68-0233907. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Binkley 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 20, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Binkley Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-binkley-foundation-morg_81d6a759ba9145eeac7014f93b47ca03
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_680233907_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Binkley Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-binkley-foundation-morg_81d6a759ba9145eeac7014f93b47ca03},
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 The Binkley 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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