The Colburn Family Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Reston, VA EIN: 54-1923880

The Colburn Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Reston, Virginia. In 2024, it made 89 grants totaling $493,647 to charitable organizations, including organizations focused on youth, Jewish culture and education, and assistance to people in need.

The Colburn Family Foundation at a glance

In short: The Colburn Family Foundation gave $494K across 89 grants in 2024 (avg $6K), top state Florida. 16% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2024)
$493,647
-9.3% vs 2023
Grants made (2024)
89
+7.2% vs 2023
Average grant
$5,547
-15.4% vs 2023
Median grant
$1,500
Total assets
$3,171,678
-3.6% vs 2023
New grantees (estimate)
16% first-time grantees (14 of 89, 2024)
Primary geography
Florida (44% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).

How to apply to The Colburn Family Foundation

How to Apply

The foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Contact Sterling Foundation Management LLC; no particular form or materials are prescribed. Awards are restricted to recognized Section 501(c)(3) charitable organizations. No deadline is specified.

Contact

Application contact: Sterling Foundation Management Llc
Mailing address: 12030 Sunrise Valley Drive Ste 450, Reston, VA 20191
Phone: (703) 437-9720

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who The Colburn Family Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Kids Connect Charitable Fund: $105KKids Connect Charitable Fund$105KJewish Federation of South Palm Beach County: $70KJewish Federation of SouthPalm Beach County$70KAleph Institute: $26KAleph Institute$26KACLU of Florida: $25KACLU of Florida$25KYeshiva of Greater Washington: $20KYeshiva of Greater Washington$20KChabad of East Delray: $19KChabad of East Delray$19KUw Foundation: $17KUw Foundation$17KLechem Lasova: $15KLechem Lasova$15KMarine Education Initiative Inc: $15KMarine Education InitiativeInc$15KMaryland Hillel: $13KMaryland Hillel$13K

The largest 2024 recipient was Kids Connect Charitable Fund ($105K). Together the top 10 received $324K.

Grant Size Distribution

404 grants across all recorded years

395<$50K2$50–100K7$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 395 grants of 404 (98%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2024, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in Florida (44%), Virginia (21%), New York (10%), Maryland (10%), and California (5%). The listed grants also included recipients in Wisconsin and Washington, DC.

Grant Distribution by State

21states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 89 itemized grants.

Cities

Delray BeachBrooklynPasadenaBoca RatonLansingWashingtonRockvilleWest Palm BeachBoynton BeachPotomacLakewoodNew YorkMiamiMadisonMarina Del ReyChevy ChaseCleveland HeightsCollege ParkHoltReston

Is The Colburn Family Foundation open to new grantees?

16%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 14 of 89 grantees (16%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $6K. How we count

Medians: $1K first-time, $2K repeat.

  • 83% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+3%). Method
  • In 2024 it paid out 352% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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

$0$200K$400K$600K73 grants2020 73 grants2021 86 grants2022 83 grants2023 89 grants2024

From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $458K (2020) to $558K (2022). In 2024 it made 89 grants totaling $494K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Kids Connect Charitable Fund Reston, VAAssisting Youth$105,000
Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County Boca Raton, FLFostering Jewish Culture$70,000
Aleph Institute Miami, FLAssisting Those in Need$26,000
ACLU of Florida Miami, FLGeneral Support$25,000
Yeshiva of Greater Washington Silver Spring, MDFostering Jewish Education$20,000
Chabad of East Delray Delray Beach, FLFostering Jewish Culture$18,900
Uw Foundation Madison, WIFostering Jewish Culture$16,667
Lechem Lasova Brooklyn, NYAssisting Those in Need$15,000
Marine Education Initiative Inc Boca Raton, FLOTHER$15,000
Maryland Hillel College Park, MDHigher Education$12,610
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2024$3,171,678$605,766$714,768$493,64789$519,295$109,933$147,670
2023$3,290,468$775,652$738,335$544,22083$586,905$385,767$127,531
2022$3,203,184$1,196,624$781,638$558,22086$600,615$815,772$248,583
2021$2,705,153$420,601$850,434$477,35073$516,773—$260,605
2020$3,078,939$357,466$648,721$458,19073——$189,743

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Colburn Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $148K for 2024 — 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 foundation’s filing does not state a mission. Its 2024 grants included purposes such as assisting youth, fostering Jewish culture and education, assisting those in need, medical support, and higher education.

Grantees describe a range of activities. Kids Connect Charitable Fund says it supports medical research on epilepsy and metabolic disorders, as well as education. The Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County describes its work as strengthening Jewish identity, building community, and meeting human needs. The Aleph Institute says it provides family services, ethical education, rabbinical visitations, religious-freedom advocacy, and programs for people in prisons and the military. The Marine Education Initiative says it teaches children to fish and steward aquatic ecosystems and provides fish to soup kitchens.

Grantmaking

In 2024, the foundation made 89 grants totaling $493,647. Grants ranged from $180 to $105,000, with a median grant of $1,500. Its largest grants included $105,000 to Kids Connect Charitable Fund for assisting youth; $70,000 to Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County for fostering Jewish culture; $26,000 to Aleph Institute for assisting those in need; and $25,000 to ACLU of Florida for general support. Other grants included $20,000 to Yeshiva of Greater Washington for Jewish education and $15,000 to Marine Education Initiative for an unspecified purpose.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2024 filing lists David Colburn as president and secretary, and Kathleen Colburn as vice president and treasurer.

The Colburn Family Foundation is led by David Colburn, President & Secretary on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • David Colburn

    President & Secretary

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Kathleen Colburn

    Vice President & Treasurer

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Colburn Family Foundation

How much does The Colburn Family Foundation give each year?

The Colburn Family Foundation gave $494K across 89 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $544K across 83 grants.

What is The Colburn Family Foundation's typical grant size?

The Colburn Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $1,500, and its average grant was $5,547, across 89 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Colburn Family Foundation that year got $3K on average.

Where does The Colburn Family Foundation give grants?

The Colburn Family Foundation's top state is Florida, with 44% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Virginia (21%) and New York (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Delray Beach, FL (12 grants), Boca Raton, FL (7 grants), Brooklyn, NY (7 grants) and Pasadena, CA (7 grants).

Does The Colburn Family Foundation give general operating support?

Yes: 25% of The Colburn Family Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (22 of 89) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Fostering Jewish Culture" (13 grants), "Assisting Youth" (13 grants) and "Assisting Those in Need" (12 grants).

Who are The Colburn Family Foundation's largest grantees?

The Colburn Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Kids Connect Charitable Fund ($105,000), Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County ($70,000) and Aleph Institute ($26,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 41% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.

How large is The Colburn Family Foundation?

The Colburn Family Foundation reported $3.2M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $519K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $148K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does The Colburn Family Foundation fund?

The foundation’s filing does not state a mission. Its 2024 grants included purposes such as assisting youth, fostering Jewish culture and education, assisting those in need, medical support, and higher education. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The Colburn Family Foundation?

The foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is The Colburn Family Foundation's EIN?

The Colburn Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 54-1923880. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

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

  1. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). The Colburn Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-colburn-family-foundation-morg_2824bfc258af43bd856e73c05b51abcb

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_541923880_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{The Colburn Family Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-colburn-family-foundation-morg_2824bfc258af43bd856e73c05b51abcb},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-18. 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 Colburn 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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