The Ethan James Foundation

Foundation · Grantmaker Wilmington, DE EIN: 84-1566640

The Ethan James Foundation is a private foundation focused on Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking, based in Wilmington, DE. IRS filing data is available from 2020 through 2024. As of 2024, the organization holds $1.7M in total assets. In 2024, it awarded 11 grants totaling $11K. Net investment income was $117K.

Key facts about The Ethan James Foundation

EIN
84-1566640
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2024
Annual giving (2024)
$10,975
Grants made (2024)
11
Average grant
$998
Median grant
$1,000
New grantees (estimate)
30% first-time grantees (3 of 10, 2024)
Total assets
$1,712,917
Primary geography
Colorado (46% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)

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

Who The Ethan James Foundation funds

By grant dollars, the top recipient states for The Ethan James Foundation's 11 itemized 2024 grants were Colorado (46%), Maryland (23%) and Massachusetts (18%). The most frequent recipient cities were Denver, CO (3 grants) and Boston, MA (2 grants). 100% of grants with a stated purpose were for general or operating support.

Is The Ethan James Foundation open to new grantees?

30%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 3 of 10 grantees (30%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $996. How we count

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

  • 60% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
  • Giving fell 69% from 2021 to 2024. Method
  • In 2024 it paid out 52% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method

Estimate from itemized IRS Form 990-PF grant lists (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.

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Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$1.7M

+1.7% YoY

Annual Giving

$11K

-58.6% YoY

Grant Count

11

+22.2% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$997.727

-66.1% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Ethan James Foundation reported a distributable amount of $108K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

About The Ethan James Foundation

Based on IRS filings

The Ethan James Foundation is a private foundation focused on Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking, based in Wilmington, DE. IRS filing data is available from 2020 through 2024. As of 2024, the organization holds $1.7M in total assets. In 2024, it awarded 11 grants totaling $11K. Net investment income was $117K.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

Grant Distribution by State

9states

Share of all 11 itemized 2024 grant dollars.

Cities

DenverColorado SpringsBostonCharlottesvilleClaremontSilverthorneCentennialEvanstonMariannaNew YorkSilver SpringWashington

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$386K$772K$1M$2M20202021202220232024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets$1,712,917$1,683,677$1,721,964
Revenue$92,311$31,748$40,264
Expenses$63,071$70,035$72,720
Qualifying Distributions$56,606$63,935$71,920
Net Investment Income$116,787$53,893$42,222
Distributable Amount$107,932$96,330$96,195

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

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

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$9K$18K$26K$35K7 grants202010 grants202111 grants20229 grants202311 grants2024

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Fairvote: $3KFairvote$3KTrustees of Tufts College: $2K across 2 grantsTrustees of Tufts College$2K · 2 grantsColorado College: $1KColorado College$1KDenver Dumb Friends League: $1KDenver Dumb Friends League$1KFriends of Chamber Music: $1KFriends of Chamber Music$1KPublic Broadcasting of Colorado Inc: $1KPublic Broadcasting ofColorado Inc$1KUniversity of Virginia Law School Foundation: $1KUniversity of Virginia LawSchool Foundation$1KDenver Tennis Park Inc: $500Denver Tennis Park Inc$500Friends of the Dillon Ranger District a Co Nonprof: $500Friends of the Dillon RangerDistrict a Co Nonprof$500Pomona College: $475Pomona College$475

Grant Size Distribution

48 grants across all recorded years

48<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest recipients include Fairvote ($2,500), Trustees of Tufts College ($2,000 across 2 grants), Colorado College ($1,000).

RecipientPurposeAmount
FAIRVOTE Silver Spring, MDGeneral & Unrestricted$2,500
COLORADO COLLEGE Colorado Springs, COGeneral & Unrestricted$1,000
DENVER DUMB FRIENDS LEAGUE Denver, COGeneral & Unrestricted$1,000
FRIENDS OF CHAMBER MUSIC Denver, COGeneral & Unrestricted$1,000
PUBLIC BROADCASTING OF COLORADO INC Centennial, COGeneral & Unrestricted$1,000
TRUSTEES OF TUFTS COLLEGE Boston, MAGeneral & Unrestricted$1,000
TRUSTEES OF TUFTS COLLEGE Boston, MAGeneral & Unrestricted$1,000
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA LAW SCHOOL FOUNDATION Charlottesville, VAGeneral & Unrestricted$1,000
DENVER TENNIS PARK INC Denver, COGeneral & Unrestricted$500
FRIENDS OF THE DILLON RANGER DISTRICT A CO NONPROF Silverthorne, COGeneral & Unrestricted$500

Leadership & Key People

Officers and directors from IRS filings

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

Brian K Thomson — Dir, Pres: $15KBrian K ThomsonDir, Pres$15K

From 2024 IRS filing

NameTitleHoursCompensation
Roger GeorgeDir1—
Janet MooreDir, VP1—
Brian K ThomsonDir, Pres20$15,000

Subject Areas

Focus areas based on grantmaking activity

Frequently Asked Questions

What is The Ethan James Foundation?

The Ethan James Foundation is a private foundation focused on Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking, based in Wilmington, DE. It holds $1.7M in total assets as of 2024.

How large is The Ethan James Foundation?

As of 2024, The Ethan James Foundation holds $1.7M in total assets with $92K in annual revenue. It awarded 11 grants totaling $11K in 2024.

Where does The Ethan James Foundation operate?

The Ethan James Foundation has awarded grants in California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, Virginia.

What size grants does The Ethan James Foundation award?

In 2024, The Ethan James Foundation awarded 11 grants totaling $11K — an average of about $997.727 per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is The Ethan James Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, The Ethan James Foundation reported a distributable amount of $108K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

What is The Ethan James Foundation's EIN?

The Ethan James Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 84-1566640. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

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Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings.

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