The Foss Family Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Seattle, WA EIN: 91-1967549

The Foss Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Seattle, Washington. In its 2025 filing, it reported 17 grants totaling $295,000, with listed awards supporting charitable organizations including Seattle-area organizations.

The Foss Family Foundation at a glance

In short: The Foss Family Foundation gave $295K across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $17K), mostly in Washington. 0% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$295,000
+21.4% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
17
-22.7% vs 2024
Average grant
$17,353
+57.2% vs 2024
Median grant
$5,000
Total assets
$1,555,872
+0.8% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
0% first-time grantees (0 of 17, 2025; small sample)
Primary geography
Washington (98% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).

How to apply to The Foss Family 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: 3945 Ne Surber Dr, Seattle, WA 98105-5406
Phone: (206) 795-7097

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

Who The Foss Family Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Amara: $50KAmara$50KAmerican Heart Association: $50KAmerican Heart Association$50KInstitute for System Biology: $50KInstitute for System Biology$50KMarys Place: $40KMarys Place$40KMedic One Foundation: $30KMedic One Foundation$30KRyther Child Center: $30KRyther Child Center$30KSalvation Army - Seattle: $10KSalvation Army - Seattle$10KTeens in Public Service: $10KTeens in Public Service$10KNorthwest Childrens Foundation: $5KNorthwest Childrens Foundation$5KParkview Services: $5KParkview Services$5K

The largest 2025 recipient was Amara ($50K). Together the top 10 received $280K.

Grant Size Distribution

100 grants across all recorded years

95<$50K5$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 95 grants of 100 (95%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The 2025 filing reports that 98% of grant dollars went to recipients in Washington. It also lists shares for New York, New Mexico, and South Dakota at 1% each, and Nebraska at 0%. The listed 2025 grants include recipients in Seattle and Shoreline, Washington.

Grant Distribution by State

12states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.

Cities

SeattleNew YorkChamberlainShorelineThoreauWashingtonBellevueBoys TownVancouverAtlantaMemphisAlexandriaAnchorageAnnandaleLittle RockNorthbrookSeatac

Is The Foss Family Foundation open to new grantees?

0%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 0 of 17 grantees (0%) were first-time recipients. With only 17 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. How we count

  • 100% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving grew 57% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 515% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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

$0$100K$200K$300K18 grants2020 15 grants2021 23 grants2022 23 grants2023 22 grants2024 17 grants2025

From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $152K (2021) to $295K (2025). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $295K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Amara Seattle, WATo provide general support to the continued mission of the charity.$50,000
American Heart Association Seattle, WATo provide general support to the continued mission of the charity.$50,000
Institute for System Biology Seattle, WATo provide general support to the continued mission of the charity.$50,000
Marys Place Seattle, WATo provide general support to the continued mission of the charity.$40,000
Medic One Foundation Seattle, WATo provide general support to the continued mission of the charity.$30,000
Ryther Child Center Seattle, WATo provide general support to the continued mission of the charity.$30,000
Salvation Army - Seattle Seattle, WATo provide general support to the continued mission of the charity.$10,000
Teens in Public Service Seattle, WATo provide general support to the continued mission of the charity.$10,000
Northwest Childrens Foundation Seattle, WATo provide general support to the continued mission of the charity.$5,000
Parkview Services Shoreline, WATo provide general support to the continued mission of the charity.$5,000
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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
2025$1,555,872$323,673$311,236$295,00017$295,000$315,554$57,289
2024$1,543,435$271,139$256,615$242,90022$242,900$257,424$72,103
2023$1,528,911$263,081$210,633$199,14523$199,145$251,617—
2022$1,476,463$272,801$198,988$187,67523$187,675$261,488—
2021$1,402,650$287,445$163,539$152,36015$152,360$276,266—
2020$1,278,744$259,081$173,582$163,75818—$249,257—

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Foss Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $57K 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

The foundation’s filing describes its grants as general support. Its 2025 grantees include organizations working in different areas: Amara says its mission is to help ensure children in foster care have the love and support of a committed family; Teens in Public Service says it connects teens with internships at nonprofit organizations to help develop future community leaders; Parkview Services says it creates inclusive housing solutions; and the Seattle Police Foundation says it raises support and awareness for the Seattle Police Department. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not a stated mission of the foundation.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation made 17 grants totaling $295,000. Awards ranged from $1,000 to $50,000, with a median grant of $5,000. Among its largest grants were $50,000 each to Amara, the American Heart Association, and the Institute for Systems Biology; $40,000 to Mary’s Place; and $30,000 each to Medic One Foundation and Ryther Child Center. Other listed grants included $10,000 each to Salvation Army - Seattle and Teens in Public Service, $5,000 each to Northwest Children’s Foundation and Parkview Services, $4,000 to Seattle Police Foundation, and $2,000 to Bread of Life.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Judy T Foss as president. Directors listed are James Foss, Lachlan Foss, Michelle Foss, Susan Gaston, and Charlotte Gaston.

The Foss Family Foundation is led by Judy T. Foss, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 6 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Judy T. Foss

    President

    On filings since 2020

    No compensation reported

  • Charlotte Gaston

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    No compensation reported

  • James Foss

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    No compensation reported

  • Lachlan Foss

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    No compensation reported

  • Michelle Foss

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    No compensation reported

  • Susan Gaston

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    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 Foss Family Foundation

How much does The Foss Family Foundation give each year?

The Foss Family Foundation gave $295K across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $243K across 22 grants.

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

The Foss Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $17,353, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Where does The Foss Family Foundation give grants?

The Foss Family Foundation gives mostly in Washington: 98% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Seattle, WA (11 grants).

Does The Foss Family Foundation give general operating support?

Yes: 100% of The Foss Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (17 of 17) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are The Foss Family Foundation's largest grantees?

The Foss Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Amara ($50,000), American Heart Association ($50,000) and Institute for System Biology ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 51% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is The Foss Family Foundation?

The Foss Family Foundation reported $1.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $295K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $57K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does The Foss Family Foundation fund?

The foundation’s filing describes its grants as general support. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The Foss Family 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 Foss Family Foundation's EIN?

The Foss Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 91-1967549. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.

Does The Foss Family 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

(2)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 13, 2026)
  2. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Live grants for the work The Foss Family Foundation funds

Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.

Explore Open Grants

Browse active grant opportunities in The Foss Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). The Foss Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-foss-family-foundation-morg_ea6df2f188444930b2378ba2e3091c12

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_911967549_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{The Foss Family Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-foss-family-foundation-morg_ea6df2f188444930b2378ba2e3091c12},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-20. 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 Foss 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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