The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation
The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation is a private foundation based in Palm Springs, California. It provides funds to organizations and individuals to improve the lives of people in need and has an emphasis on education, medical research, cultural arts, and assistance for impoverished and disabled people.
The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation at a glance
In short: The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation gave $956K across 89 grants in 2025 (avg $11K), mostly in California. 22% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $955,500
- +9.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 89
- -1.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $10,736
- +10.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $14,052,076
- +2.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 22% first-time grantees (20 of 89, 2025)
- Primary geography
- California (93% 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 Grace Helen Spearman Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- Contact
Mailing address: 4283 Arcada Street, Palm Springs, CA 92262-0534
Phone: (818) 970-0286
Website: https://gracehelenspearman.foundation
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation
Who The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Eisenhower Health (Medical Center) ($64K). Together the top 10 received $384K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($5,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
504 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 500 grants of 504 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation is based in Palm Springs, and California recipients received 93% of its 2025 grant dollars. The remaining shares went to recipients in Washington, DC (2%), Georgia (1%), Indiana (1%), and Virginia (1%). The program description states that submissions are accepted only from organizations based in California.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 89 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation open to new grantees?
22%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 20 of 89 grantees (22%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $11K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 49% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+3%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 119% of 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 $726K (2023) to $956K (2025). In 2025 it made 89 grants totaling $956K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Eisenhower Health (Medical Center) Rancho Mirage, CA | To Support Healthcare Needs in the Region | $64,000 |
| Dap Health Palm Springs, CA | To advocate for healthcare for all, especially those affected by hiv and aids | $45,000 |
| Do the Right Thing Greater Palm Springs Palm Springs, CA | To Support Community Services | $45,000 |
| The Joslyn Center Palm Desert, CA | To enhance the well-being of all adults 50+ through innovative programs and services | $35,100 |
| Cathedral City Senior Center Cathedral City, CA | To Provide Social Services to Seniors | $35,000 |
| Palm Springs Cultural Center Palm Springs, CA | To Promote Arts and Cultural Programs | $35,000 |
| The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens Palm Desert, CA | To Support Community Services | $35,000 |
| The Desert Symphony Palm Desert, CA | To bring professional orchestral concerts to the desert cities | $30,100 |
| AAP-Food Samaritans Palm Springs, CA | To Support Community Services | $30,000 |
| The LGBTQ Community Center Palm Springs, CA | To Support Community Services | $30,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Grace Helen Spearman 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 | $14,052,076 | $1,892,861 | $1,560,557 | $955,500 | 89 | $1,107,612 | $1,457,188 | $932,042 |
| 2024 | $13,702,878 | $1,516,365 | $1,482,302 | $872,200 | 90 | $1,018,287 | $1,064,350 | $927,631 |
| 2023 | $13,671,616 | $1,109,893 | $1,241,144 | $725,900 | 82 | $854,150 | $723,089 | $903,154 |
| 2022 | $13,800,120 | $1,038,483 | $1,513,075 | $925,200 | 117 | $1,056,500 | $613,475 | $959,730 |
| 2021 | $14,268,822 | $1,786,730 | $1,372,362 | $834,400 | 126 | — | $1,373,620 | $1,021,376 |
| 2020 | $13,852,109 | $528,014 | $1,328,051 | $792,348 | 98 | — | $105,901 | $935,761 |
| 2019 | $14,647,261 | $752,384 | $1,356,746 | $850,400 | 127 | — | $405,487 | $935,818 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation reported a distributable amount of $932K 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 says it honors Ms. Spearman’s legacy and kind and loving vision by helping improve the lives of the needy and less fortunate. Its stated areas of special emphasis are education, medical research, cultural arts, and assisting the impoverished and disabled.
Its grants include organizations with varied missions. For example, Do the Right Thing Greater Palm Springs says it recognizes and rewards school-age youth from at-risk families in conjunction with law enforcement. The Palm Springs Cultural Center describes its work as encouraging cultural arts in the Coachella Valley, including film, fine art, live performance, dance, music, and community festivals. The Desert Symphony says it provides a professional orchestra to enrich the cultural life of people in the desert cities. Other 2025 grantees include organizations whose stated missions involve support for children with disabilities, dance programming, and transitional housing and services for families facing homelessness.
Grantmaking
The foundation awarded 89 grants totaling $955,500 in 2025. Individual grants ranged from $2,400 to $64,000, with a median grant of $5,000.
Among its largest 2025 grants were $64,000 to Eisenhower Health for regional healthcare needs; $45,000 each to DAP Health for healthcare advocacy, especially for people affected by HIV and AIDS, and to Do the Right Thing Greater Palm Springs for community services; and $35,100 to The Joslyn Center to support programs and services for adults age 50 and older. Other notable awards included $35,000 to Cathedral City Senior Center for senior social services, $35,000 to Palm Springs Cultural Center for arts and cultural programs, and $30,100 to The Desert Symphony for professional orchestral concerts in the desert cities.
The foundation’s website provides a grant application in Word and fillable PDF formats. Its 2023 filing states that it does not accept unsolicited requests and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. A separate program description says submissions are accepted only from organizations based in California.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Steven Tobin as president and director, Alma Banuelos as director and secretary, and Dirk Etchison and Ken Randman as directors.
The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation is led by Steven Tobin, President & Director on every filing since 2019; 3 of 4 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Steven Tobin
President & Director
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$166K (2019) → $180K (2025)
Dirk Etchison
Director
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
$2K (2019) → $2K (2025)
Ken Randman
Director
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
$2K (2019) → $2K (2025)
Alma Banuelos
Director & Secretary
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $180K, to Steven Tobin (President & Director). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation
How much does The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation give each year?
The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation gave $956K across 89 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $872K across 90 grants.
What is The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation's typical grant size?
The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $10,736, across 89 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation that year got $10K on average.
Where does The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation give grants?
The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation gives mostly in California: 93% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Palm Springs, CA (26 grants), Los Angeles, CA (13 grants), Palm Desert, CA (9 grants) and Rancho Mirage, CA (6 grants).
Does The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation give general operating support?
Occasionally: 1% of The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 89) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "To Support Community Services" (30 grants), "To Promote Arts and Cultural Programs" (21 grants) and "To Promote Improved Health and Wellness" (4 grants).
Who are The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation's largest grantees?
The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Eisenhower Health (Medical Center) ($64,000), Dap Health ($45,000) and Do the Right Thing Greater Palm Springs ($45,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($5,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 16% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation?
The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation reported $14.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $932K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation fund?
The foundation says it honors Ms. Spearman’s legacy and kind and loving vision by helping improve the lives of the needy and less fortunate. Its stated areas of special emphasis are education, medical research, cultural arts, and assisting the impoverished and disabled. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation?
The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals, according to Grantable's research on its published guidelines. Check gracehelenspearman.foundation for any change to that policy.
What is The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation's EIN?
The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 76-0721677. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Grace Helen Spearman 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
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS January 23, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 8, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 1, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 13, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 29, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 20, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS January 27, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-grace-helen-spearman-foundation-morg_2e7f0a9df8644944a4ec467c07a76702
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_760721677_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Grace Helen Spearman Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-grace-helen-spearman-foundation-morg_2e7f0a9df8644944a4ec467c07a76702},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 Grace Helen Spearman 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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