The Futures Project
The Futures Project is a private foundation based in Occidental, California. Its 2025 filing reports 14 grants totaling $145,000 to charitable organizations in California, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.
The Futures Project at a glance
In short: The Futures Project gave $145K across 14 grants in 2025 (avg $10K), mostly in California. 43% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $145,000
- -6.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 14
- -22.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $10,357
- +20.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $1,772,986
- -0.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 43% first-time grantees (6 of 14, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (69% 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 Futures Project
- 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: 15645 Coleman Valley Road, Occidental, CA 95465
Phone: (707) 490-4462
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Futures Project funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was BuildOn ($15K). Together the top 10 received $105K.
Grant Size Distribution
74 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 74 grants of 74 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 69% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 17% to recipients in Connecticut, and 14% to recipients in Massachusetts.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 14 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Futures Project open to new grantees?
43%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 14 grantees (43%) were first-time recipients. With only 14 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $11K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 43% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+12%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $120K (2019) to $155K (2024). In 2025 it made 14 grants totaling $145K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| BuildOn Stamford, CT | Fufilling Foundations Mission | $15,000 |
| Huckelberry Youth San Francisco, CA | Fufilling Foundations Mission | $10,000 |
| Inside Circle Sacramento, CA | Fufilling Foundations Mission | $10,000 |
| 826 Valencia San Francisco, CA | Fufilling Foundations Mission | $10,000 |
| Ebclc Berkeley, CA | Fufilling Foundations Mission | $10,000 |
| St Francis Solano Sonoma, CA | Fufilling Foundations Mission | $10,000 |
| Cristo Rey Boston Dorchester, MA | Fufilling Foundations Mission | $10,000 |
| Play Marin Sausalito, CA | Fufilling Foundations Mission | $10,000 |
| FARMpreneurs Healdsburg, CA | Fufilling Foundations Mission | $10,000 |
| CYO Camp Occidental, CA | Fufilling Foundations Mission | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Futures Project?
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 | $1,772,986 | $136,872 | $148,081 | $145,000 | 14 | $146,581 | $135,372 | $693 |
| 2024 | $1,784,195 | $109,866 | $158,069 | $155,000 | 18 | $156,476 | $108,273 | $1,131 |
| 2023 | $1,832,398 | $104,577 | $124,656 | $120,827 | 13 | $120,852 | $100,773 | $1,262 |
| 2022 | $1,852,477 | $20,053 | $132,986 | $130,000 | 14 | $130,075 | $56,786 | $1,904 |
| 2021 | $1,965,410 | $139,902 | $132,476 | $130,000 | 15 | $130,025 | $137,451 | $1,040 |
| 2019 | $2,001,170 | $84,818 | $122,984 | $120,000 | 12 | — | $81,884 | — |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Futures Project 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 September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s filing describes its grant purposes as “Fufilling Foundations Mission.” Its 2025 grantees include organizations whose stated missions address education, youth development, and inclusion. For example, buildOn says it works to break cycles of poverty, illiteracy, and low expectations through service and education. 826 Valencia says it supports San Francisco students ages 6 to 18 with writing skills and helps teachers engage students in writing. Play Marin says it gives children from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds opportunities to learn, grow, and play together.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 14 grants totaling $145,000. Grants ranged from $10,000 to $15,000, with a median of $10,000. Notable grants included $15,000 to buildOn in Stamford, Connecticut, and $10,000 each to Play Marin, 826 Valencia, Inside Circle, EBCLC, and other listed organizations.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Michasel P Santo as president, Sam Tesconi as vice president, and Darren Harter as secretary-treasurer.
The Futures Project is led by Michasel P. Santo, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Michasel P. Santo
President
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Darren Harter
Secretarytreasurer
Secretary & Treasurer → Secretarytreasurer, 2021
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Sam Tesconi
Vice President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 Futures Project
How much does The Futures Project give each year?
The Futures Project gave $145K across 14 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $155K across 18 grants.
What is The Futures Project's typical grant size?
The Futures Project's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $10,357, across 14 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Futures Project that year got $10K on average.
Where does The Futures Project give grants?
The Futures Project gives mostly in California: 69% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Connecticut (17%) and Massachusetts (14%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (4 grants).
Does The Futures Project give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 14 grants with a stated purpose on The Futures Project's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Fufilling Foundations Mission" (14 grants).
Who are The Futures Project's largest grantees?
The Futures Project's largest 2025 grantees include BuildOn ($15,000), Huckelberry Youth ($10,000) and Inside Circle ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 24% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Futures Project?
The Futures Project reported $1.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $147K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $693 (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Futures Project fund?
The foundation’s filing describes its grant purposes as “Fufilling Foundations Mission.” Its 2025 grantees include organizations whose stated missions address education, youth development, and inclusion. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Futures Project?
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 Futures Project's EIN?
The Futures Project's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 77-0457717. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Futures Project 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 29, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS July 19, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 26, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 27, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 31, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 8, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Futures Project's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Futures Project funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-futures-project-morg_68163128e7c04ad79daf259f651dbdf3
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_770457717_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Futures Project funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-futures-project-morg_68163128e7c04ad79daf259f651dbdf3},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Futures Project'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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