The Franklin and Catherine Johnson
The Franklin and Catherine Johnson is a private foundation located in an individual recipient Alto, California. Its 2025 filing lists no grants for that year; filings for 2024 and 2023 also report zero grants.
The Franklin and Catherine Johnson at a glance
- Total assets
- $14,416
- +1.4% vs 2024
- Revenue (2025)
- $1,487
- +1.5% vs 2024
- Expenses (2025)
- $1,287
- +6.7% vs 2024
- 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 Franklin and Catherine Johnson
- How to Apply
-
The 2025 filing says the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. It lists the foundation as the contact and refers applicants to Attachment 8 for application materials, deadlines, and award restrictions; those details are not provided here.
- Contact
Application contact: The Franklin And Catherine Johnson
Mailing address: 1950 University Ave Suite 230, East Palo Alto, CA 94303
Phone: (650) 494-3180
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Franklin and Catherine Johnson funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
49 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 47 grants of 49 (96%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The listed 2022 grantees are located in California and Texas, including several in the an individual recipient Alto area. These are grantee locations and do not establish a geographic restriction for the foundation.
Grant Distribution by State
Cities
Is The Franklin and Catherine Johnson open to new grantees?
13%
first-time grantees, 2022
In 2022, 3 of 24 grantees (13%) were first-time recipients. With only 24 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $28K; repeat grants $29K. How we count
Medians: $25K first-time, $30K repeat.
- 88% of 2022 grantees were also funded in 2021. Method
- In 2023 it paid out 10% 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 (2020–2022). 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 2022, annual grant giving ranged from $689K (2022) to $1.3M (2020). In 2022 it made 24 grants totaling $689K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh Lifelines for Youth Milpitas, CA | Support for San Mateo County Programs | $50,000 |
| College Track Oakland, CA | General Operating Support for EPA Site | $40,000 |
| East Palo Alto Charter School East Palo Alto, CA | Support for Garden Program | $40,000 |
| Ravenswood Education Foundation Menlo Park, CA | Support Reading Intervention Program | $40,000 |
| San Francisco 49ERS Academy East Palo Alto, CA | Support High School Success Program | $40,000 |
| Shine Together Cleburne, TX | Supports for Public Affairs | $40,000 |
| Acknowledge Alliance Mountain View, CA | Support Resilience Consultation Program | $30,000 |
| All Five Menlo Park, CA | Support for Teachers' Benefits | $30,000 |
| Art of Yoga San Mateo, CA | Support Programming in San Mateo County | $30,000 |
| Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula Menlo Park, CA | Support CNG Program | $30,000 |
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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 | $14,416 | $1,487 | $1,287 | — | — | — | — | $693 |
| 2024 | $14,216 | $1,465 | $1,206 | — | — | — | — | $668 |
| 2023 | $13,957 | $737 | $11,309 | — | — | $100 | $4,615 | $1,027 |
| 2022 | $24,529 | $709,825 | $716,684 | $689,000 | 24 | $695,899 | $681,630 | — |
| 2021 | $31,388 | $619,016 | $746,868 | $719,000 | 25 | $725,465 | $727,331 | — |
| 2020 | $159,240 | $1,185,365 | $1,333,136 | $1,314,000 | 46 | — | $1,281,267 | — |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Franklin and Catherine Johnson reported a distributable amount of $693 for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its listed 2022 grantees describe a range of activities. For example, Fresh Lifelines for Youth says it partners with young people to unlock their potential and advance justice; College Track describes its work supporting first-generation students from high school through college graduation; and the Ravenswood Education Foundation says it works to ensure equitable, high-quality educational opportunities for Ravenswood students.
Other listed grantees describe services including weekend food and health services for high school students, as reported by Shine Together, and early childhood education for children ages 0–5, as described by All Five.
Grantmaking
The IRS filing data reports zero grants in each of 2023, 2024, and 2025. Separately, the listed 2022 grants total $290,000 across eight organizations. Awards ranged from $30,000 to $50,000 among those eight grantees; this is the range of the listed awards, not a stated typical grant size.
The 2022 grantees and amounts were Fresh Lifelines for Youth Inc. ($50,000); College Track, Ravenswood Education Foundation, and Shine Together ($40,000 each); and Acknowledge Alliance, Foundation for a College Education, an individual recipient Alto Academy Foundation, and All Five ($30,000 each).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Franklin P Johnson Jr. as chairman; Michael J Messemer as president; Tarah Smith Evans as CEO; and Franklin Lee Johnson, Leslie Johnson Evers, Reid P Johnson, and Martin R Johnson as directors.
The Franklin and Catherine Johnson is led by Tarah Smith Evans, CEO since 2025 (on filings since 2020); none of the 7 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Tarah Smith Evans
CEO
Executive Director → CEO, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michael J. Messemer
President
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Franklin P. Johnson Jr.
Chairman
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Franklin Lee Johnson
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Leslie Johnson Evers
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Martin R. Johnson
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Reid P. Johnson
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Catherine H. Johnson (2020–2024) — President & CEO
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 Franklin and Catherine Johnson
How large is The Franklin and Catherine Johnson?
The Franklin and Catherine Johnson reported $14K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $1K.
What does The Franklin and Catherine Johnson fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its listed 2022 grantees describe a range of activities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Franklin and Catherine Johnson?
The 2025 filing says 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 ↑
Where does The Franklin and Catherine Johnson make grants?
The listed 2022 grantees are located in California and Texas, including several in the an individual recipient Alto area. These are grantee locations and do not establish a geographic restriction for the foundation.
How much is The Franklin and Catherine Johnson required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2025, The Franklin and Catherine Johnson reported a distributable amount of $693 on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is The Franklin and Catherine Johnson's EIN?
The Franklin and Catherine Johnson's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 77-0573195. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 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 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS September 28, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 15, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
Live grants for the work The Franklin and Catherine Johnson funds
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The filing figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0. About GrantGraph Open
Figures come from The Franklin and Catherine Johnson'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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