The Gretler Foundation
The Gretler Foundation is a private foundation based in Santa Barbara, California. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, with most grant dollars going to California recipients.
The Gretler Foundation at a glance
In short: The Gretler Foundation gave $773K across 20 grants in 2025 (avg $39K), mostly in California. 20% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $772,500
- +3.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 20
- -9.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $38,625
- +14.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $14,931,963
- +5.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 20% first-time grantees (2 of 10, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (94% 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 Gretler Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests; it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 317 East Carrillo St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Phone: (805) 963-8611
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Gretler Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Ucsb Foundation ($608K across 10 grants). Together the top 10 received $773K.
Grant Size Distribution
101 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 78 grants of 101 (77%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 94% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 3% to recipients in Louisiana, and 3% to recipients in Arizona. The listed California grants include support for organizations in Santa Barbara and Goleta.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 20 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Gretler Foundation open to new grantees?
20%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 10 grantees (20%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $94K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $23K repeat.
- 80% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−10%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 98% 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 $720K (2021) to $862K (2022). In 2025 it made 20 grants totaling $773K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Ucsb Foundation Santa Barbara, CA | 500K Ad Funds & 150K Men's Basketb | $130,000 |
| The Ucsb Foundation Santa Barbara, CA | Fund in Econ & Economic Forecast PR | $130,000 |
| The Ucsb Foundation Santa Barbara, CA | Women's Basketball | $125,000 |
| The Ucsb Foundation Santa Barbara, CA | Economic Forecast Project | $50,000 |
| The Ucsb Foundation Santa Barbara, CA | Social Sciences Deans Fund | $50,000 |
| The Ucsb Foundation Santa Barbara, CA | Women's Athletics Excellence Fund | $30,000 |
| The Ucsb Foundation Santa Barbara, CA | Ucsb Propel Scholars-Studnt Schlrshp | $30,000 |
| The Ucsb Foundation Santa Barbara, CA | Ucsb Propel Scholars-Studnt Schlrshp | $30,000 |
| Family Service Agency Santa Barbara, CA | Counseling Services | $25,000 |
| Good News in Action Inc Albany, LA | New Life Christian School | $25,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Gretler 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 | $14,931,963 | $1,803,897 | $546,286 | $772,500 | 20 | $821,604 | $1,634,462 | $834,412 |
| 2024 | $14,135,959 | $921,666 | $761,879 | $745,000 | 22 | $780,459 | $756,652 | $823,414 |
| 2023 | $14,168,863 | $493,129 | $703,413 | $768,500 | 18 | $799,970 | $337,356 | $778,616 |
| 2022 | $14,638,384 | $850,163 | $642,306 | $862,000 | 23 | $892,101 | $682,017 | $799,493 |
| 2021 | $14,841,000 | $1,531,096 | $2,137,454 | $720,000 | 18 | $754,995 | $1,375,484 | $894,477 |
| 2020 | $14,254,666 | $1,127,824 | $938,241 | $730,000 | 19 | — | $973,848 | $763,646 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Gretler Foundation reported a distributable amount of $834K 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 mission statement is available in the provided information. The 2025 grants show support for a range of activities, including UCSB programs in economics, social sciences, athletics, and student scholarships; counseling services; and diabetes research.
Among the supported organizations, Santa Barbara Education Foundation describes its work as enriching the academic, artistic, and personal development of students in the Santa Barbara Unified School District. Goleta Education Foundation says it engages the community to invest in and enhance education for students in Goleta Valley schools. Good News in Action describes its mission as evangelism and church planting.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 20 grants totaling $772,500. Grant amounts ranged from $7,500 to $130,000, with a median of $25,000.
The largest reported awards included $130,000 to The UCSB Foundation for purposes described as “500K AD FUNDS & 150K MEN'S BASKETB” and $130,000 for a fund in economics and an economic forecast project. Other UCSB awards included $125,000 for women’s basketball, $50,000 for the Economic Forecast Project, and $50,000 for the Social Sciences Deans Fund. Other reported grants included $25,000 to Family Service Agency for counseling services, $25,000 to Good News in Action for New Life Christian School, and $20,000 to Sansum Diabetes Research Institute for a capital campaign.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Paul A Graziano as president, Harrison Croff as treasurer, and Lindsay Leonard as secretary.
The Gretler Foundation is led by Paul A. Graziano, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Paul A. Graziano
President
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Harrison Croff
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lindsay Leonard
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 Gretler Foundation
How much does The Gretler Foundation give each year?
The Gretler Foundation gave $773K across 20 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $745K across 22 grants.
What is The Gretler Foundation's typical grant size?
The Gretler Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $38,625, across 20 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Gretler Foundation that year got $10K on average.
Where does The Gretler Foundation give grants?
The Gretler Foundation gives mostly in California: 94% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Santa Barbara, CA (16 grants).
Does The Gretler Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 15% of The Gretler Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (3 of 20) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Gretler Foundation's largest grantees?
The Gretler Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include The Ucsb Foundation ($607,500 across 10 grants), Sansum Diabetes Research Inst ($30,000 across 2 grants) and Family Service Agency ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 86% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Gretler Foundation?
The Gretler Foundation reported $14.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $822K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $834K (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 Gretler Foundation fund?
No mission statement is available in the provided information. The 2025 grants show support for a range of activities, including UCSB programs in economics, social sciences, athletics, and student scholarships; counseling services; and diabetes research. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Gretler Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests; it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Gretler Foundation's EIN?
The Gretler Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 77-0529605. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Gretler 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
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS September 7, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS June 28, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS August 7, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS August 9, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 9, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 11, 2026)
Live grants for the work The Gretler Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
- Nixa Affiliate Grantmaking Program Up to US $10,000 · Due October 19, 2026
- Community and School Grants $28,000 total pool; 10-15 grants expected · Due October 19, 2026
- Mary Pinola/Crescenta Valley Chamber Education Fund $500 - $5,000 for ongoing programs; up to $15,000 for Strategic Initiative Grants · Due October 19, 2026
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Gretler Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Gretler Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-gretler-foundation-morg_66553a281b304d57a2c07c44ccf498c4
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_770529605_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Gretler Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-gretler-foundation-morg_66553a281b304d57a2c07c44ccf498c4},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-18. 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 Gretler 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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