The Fat Tire Foundation
The Fat Tire Foundation is a private foundation based in Los Altos, California. Its stated mission is to help cure T1D, eliminate inequality in the Bay Area, increase opportunity through education, and protect the natural world.
The Fat Tire Foundation at a glance
In short: The Fat Tire Foundation gave $3.1M across 43 grants in 2024 (avg $73K), mostly in California. 21% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $3,128,017
- +76.0% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 43
- -20.4% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $72,745
- +121.0% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $86,600,524
- +62.2% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 21% first-time grantees (9 of 43, 2024)
- Primary geography
- California (54% 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 Fat Tire 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 1707, Los Altos, CA 94023
Phone: (650) 845-8100
Website: https://fattirefoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Fat Tire Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was University of California San Francisco ($1.0M). Together the top 10 received $2.5M.
Grant Size Distribution
190 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 144 grants of 190 (76%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, California recipients received 54% of grant dollars, New York recipients 20%, and Washington, DC recipients 11%. Montana recipients received 6%, and Virginia recipients 3%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 43 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Fat Tire Foundation open to new grantees?
21%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 9 of 43 grantees (21%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $44K; repeat grants $80K. How we count
Medians: $25K first-time, $20K repeat.
- 79% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 130% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 77% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. 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
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $1.4M (2021) to $3.1M (2024). In 2024 it made 43 grants totaling $3.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| University of California San Francisco San Francisco, CA | Educational Resources | $1,000,000 |
| JDRF T1D Fund LLC New York, NY | Wellness | $250,000 |
| Abortion Care Network Washington, DC | Wellness | $200,000 |
| Adventure Scientists Bozeman, MT | Environmental Preservation | $200,000 |
| Boys and Girls Clubs of the Peninsula Menlo Park, CA | Community | $200,000 |
| Doctors Without Borders New York, NY | Wellness | $200,000 |
| Center for Disaster Philanthropy Washington, DC | Environmental Preservation | $100,000 |
| Second Harvest Food Bank San Jose, CA | Poverty Relief | $100,000 |
| American Civil Liberties Union New York, NY | Community | $100,000 |
| Conservation International Arlington, VA | Community | $100,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Fat Tire 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $86,600,524 | $32,574,341 | $4,289,575 | $3,128,017 | 43 | $3,161,857 | $25,847,499 | $4,094,422 |
| 2023 | $53,382,035 | $13,924,116 | $2,572,689 | $1,777,715 | 54 | $1,823,271 | $1,511,498 | $2,762,456 |
| 2022 | $47,733,421 | $453,658 | $2,339,682 | $1,758,154 | 40 | $1,793,518 | $650,079 | $2,802,246 |
| 2021 | $64,115,653 | $32,898,291 | $1,519,522 | $1,362,258 | 26 | $1,362,258 | $3,388,401 | $1,934,182 |
| 2020 | $29,342,187 | $3,793,107 | $1,629,180 | $1,375,917 | 27 | — | $3,463,241 | $1,128,557 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Fat Tire Foundation reported a distributable amount of $4.1M 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 stated mission is to help cure T1D, eliminate inequality in the Bay Area, provide increased opportunity through education, and protect the natural world.
Its grantees include organizations with a range of missions. For example, Abortion Care Network says it supports independent abortion-care providers and their patients, while Second Harvest Food Bank describes its work as providing access to nutritious food. The Center for Disaster Philanthropy says it works to strengthen communities’ ability to withstand disasters and recover equitably. Amazon Frontlines says it works with Indigenous peoples to defend rights to land, life, and cultural survival in the Amazon rainforest.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 43 grants totaling $3,128,017. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $1,000,000, with a median of $25,000. Among the largest grants were $1,000,000 to the University of California San Francisco for educational resources; $250,000 to JDRF T1D Fund LLC for wellness; and $200,000 each to Abortion Care Network for wellness, Adventure Scientists for environmental preservation, Boys and Girls Clubs of the Peninsula for community, and Doctors Without Borders for wellness.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Jeff Jordan as director, Karen Shishino Jordan as CEO, Alison Jordan as secretary, and Connor Jordan as treasurer.
The Fat Tire Foundation is led by Karen Shishino Jordan, CEO since 2022 (on filings since 2020); none of the 4 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Karen Shishino Jordan
CEO
Director → CEO, 2022
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jeff Jordan
Director
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Alison Jordan
Secretary
On filings since 2022
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Connor Jordan
Treasurer
On filings since 2022
0.3 hrs/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 Fat Tire Foundation
How much does The Fat Tire Foundation give each year?
The Fat Tire Foundation gave $3.1M across 43 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $1.8M across 54 grants.
What is The Fat Tire Foundation's typical grant size?
The Fat Tire Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $25,000, and its average grant was $72,745, across 43 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Fat Tire Foundation that year got $44K on average.
Where does The Fat Tire Foundation give grants?
The Fat Tire Foundation gives mostly in California: 54% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (20%) and District of Columbia (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (12 grants), New York, NY (6 grants), Oakland, CA (4 grants) and Washington, DC (3 grants).
Does The Fat Tire Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 43 grants with a stated purpose on The Fat Tire Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Environmental Preservation" (14 grants), "Wellness" (10 grants) and "Community" (8 grants).
Who are The Fat Tire Foundation's largest grantees?
The Fat Tire Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include University of California San Francisco ($1,000,000), JDRF T1D Fund LLC ($250,000) and Abortion Care Network ($200,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 46% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Fat Tire Foundation?
The Fat Tire Foundation reported $86.6M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $3.2M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $4.1M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does The Fat Tire Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to help cure T1D, eliminate inequality in the Bay Area, provide increased opportunity through education, and protect the natural world. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Fat Tire 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 Fat Tire Foundation's EIN?
The Fat Tire Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-8066058. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Fat Tire 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 September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work The Fat Tire Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Browse active grant opportunities in The Fat Tire Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Fat Tire Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-fat-tire-foundation-morg_fbdb1e20cbbe464281429dc5fc06fbf7
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_208066058_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Fat Tire Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-fat-tire-foundation-morg_fbdb1e20cbbe464281429dc5fc06fbf7},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 Fat Tire 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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