The Fenton Family Foundation
The Fenton Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Palo Alto, California. In 2025, it made grants to charitable organizations including groups working in environmental education and stewardship, youth physical activity, small-business support, medical research, and community services.
The Fenton Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Fenton Family Foundation gave $625K across 29 grants in 2025 (avg $22K), mostly in California. 31% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $624,800
- +20.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 29
- +7.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $21,545
- +11.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $7,805,263
- +1.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 31% first-time grantees (9 of 29, 2025)
- Primary geography
- California (73% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Fenton Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 3075 B Hansen Way, Palo Alto, CA 94304
Phone: (650) 849-2220
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Fenton Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Audubon Society California ($135K). Together the top 10 received $578K.
Grant Size Distribution
131 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 114 grants of 131 (87%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, California organizations received 73% of grant dollars, followed by organizations in New York (16%), the District of Columbia (4%), Washington (3%), and Georgia (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 29 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Fenton Family Foundation open to new grantees?
31%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 9 of 29 grantees (31%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $20K; repeat grants $22K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 59% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−18%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 95% 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 (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $288K (2021) to $761K (2022). In 2025 it made 29 grants totaling $625K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Audubon Society California Van Nuys, CA | General Purpose | $135,000 |
| Standford University Stanford, CA | General Purpose | $132,000 |
| San Francisco Opera San Francisco, CA | General Purpose | $125,300 |
| The Acceleration Project Scarsdale, NY | General Purpose | $100,000 |
| Humane Society Washington, DC | General Purpose | $25,000 |
| Post Seattle, WA | General Purpose | $20,000 |
| Christ Church Portola Valley Portola Valley, CA | General Purpose | $15,000 |
| Eastside College Prep East Palo Alto, CA | General Purpose | $10,000 |
| The Fit Kids Foundation Redwood City, CA | General Purpose | $10,000 |
| Environmental Volunteers Palo Alto, CA | General Purpose | $6,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Fenton 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 | $7,805,263 | $817,854 | $728,332 | $624,800 | 29 | $637,151 | $418,876 | $672,572 |
| 2024 | $7,715,741 | $1,343,683 | $613,766 | $520,500 | 27 | $530,161 | $912,339 | $630,796 |
| 2023 | $6,985,824 | $551,954 | $624,222 | $511,000 | 28 | $528,133 | $496,608 | $547,104 |
| 2022 | $7,058,092 | $1,556,925 | $853,400 | $760,500 | 25 | $771,792 | $1,475,674 | $538,557 |
| 2021 | $6,354,567 | $1,586,990 | $370,870 | $288,000 | 22 | $293,942 | $1,057,062 | $575,189 |
| 2020 | $5,590,405 | $480,734 | $541,808 | $456,000 | 26 | — | $412,601 | $470,662 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Fenton Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $673K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No formal mission statement is provided. The foundation’s 2025 grants include organizations with varied missions. For example, The Acceleration Project says it supports under-resourced small businesses through customized strategy, operations, finance, and marketing services. Environmental Volunteers says it promotes environmental understanding and responsibility through hands-on science education, while Grassroots Ecology describes its work as restoring native plants, stewarding creeks and watersheds, and providing nature education. The Fit Kids Foundation says it provides physical activity, movement, and mindfulness programs for children.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 29 grants totaling $624,800. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $135,000, with a median of $5,000. Among the largest grants were $135,000 to Audubon Society California, $132,000 to Standford University, $125,300 to San Francisco Opera, and $100,000 to The Acceleration Project. Each was listed for general purpose.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Noel Fenton as president, Sarah Fenton as CFO, Wendy Fenton as secretary, and Devon Fenton, Peter Fenton, and Lance Fenton as directors.
The Fenton Family Foundation is led by Noel Fenton, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 6 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Noel Fenton
President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Devon Fenton
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lance Fenton
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Peter Fenton
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sarah Fenton
CFO
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Wendy Fenton
Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
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 Fenton Family Foundation
How much does The Fenton Family Foundation give each year?
The Fenton Family Foundation gave $625K across 29 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $521K across 27 grants.
What is The Fenton Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Fenton Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $21,545, across 29 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Fenton Family Foundation that year got $20K on average.
Where does The Fenton Family Foundation give grants?
The Fenton Family Foundation gives mostly in California: 73% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (16%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (3 grants), Palo Alto, CA (3 grants), Stanford, CA (2 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does The Fenton Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Fenton Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (29 of 29) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Fenton Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Fenton Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Audubon Society California ($135,000), Standford University ($132,000) and San Francisco Opera ($125,300), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 63% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Fenton Family Foundation?
The Fenton Family Foundation reported $7.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $637K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $673K (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 Fenton Family Foundation fund?
No formal mission statement is provided. The foundation’s 2025 grants include organizations with varied missions. For example, The Acceleration Project says it supports under-resourced small businesses through customized strategy, operations, finance, and marketing services. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Fenton Family Foundation?
The foundation 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 Fenton Family Foundation's EIN?
The Fenton Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-3380876. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Fenton Family Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 8, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 12, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS October 13, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 7, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 30, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 28, 2026)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Fenton Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-fenton-family-foundation-morg_1f8c6a25cfe84f40b0ae0c4208bfdb27
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_943380876_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Fenton Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-fenton-family-foundation-morg_1f8c6a25cfe84f40b0ae0c4208bfdb27},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-05. 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 Fenton 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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