The Hanson Family Foundation
The Hanson Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Bethesda, Maryland. Its 2025 filing reports 13 grants totaling $174,500 to charitable organizations, with listed recipients in Virginia, Missouri, Maryland, Colorado, and the District of Columbia.
The Hanson Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Hanson Family Foundation gave $175K across 13 grants in 2025 (avg $13K), top state Virginia. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $174,500
- +3.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 13
- +18.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $13,423
- -12.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $4,543,553
- +5.6% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Virginia (32% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to The Hanson Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 5119 Willet Bridge Rd, Bethesda, MD 20816
Phone: (301) 807-2844
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Hanson Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Colonial Williamsburg Foundation ($50K). Together the top 10 received $170K.
Grant Size Distribution
35 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 27 grants of 35 (77%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in Virginia (32%), Missouri (26%), Maryland (15%), Colorado (14%), and the District of Columbia (13%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.
Cities
How The Hanson Family Foundation gives
- 54% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+1%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 77% 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 (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 $155K (2023) to $454K (2020). In 2025 it made 13 grants totaling $175K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Williamsburg, VA | General Support | $50,000 |
| The Principia St. Louis, MO | General Support | $46,000 |
| Adventure Unlimited Greenwood Village, CO | General Support | $25,000 |
| Rotary Foundation of Washington DC Washington, DC | General Support | $20,000 |
| Primary Day School Inc Bethesda, MD | General Support | $10,000 |
| Weta Arlington, VA | General Support | $5,500 |
| Riverworks Art Center Inc Beallsville, MD | General Support | $5,000 |
| Landon School Bethesda, MD | General Support | $3,500 |
| Maryland 4H Foundation College Park, MD | General Support | $2,500 |
| Great and Small Inc Boyds, MD | General Support | $2,500 |
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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 | $4,543,553 | $454,303 | $208,406 | $174,500 | 13 | $183,290 | $429,187 | $237,080 |
| 2024 | $4,303,490 | $409,034 | $187,942 | $168,000 | 11 | $176,299 | $397,391 | $220,750 |
| 2023 | $4,076,515 | $146,372 | $171,355 | $155,000 | 3 | $162,490 | $137,507 | $200,652 |
| 2022 | $4,101,836 | $162,639 | $245,289 | $173,500 | 5 | $179,188 | $156,538 | $200,289 |
| 2021 | $4,184,486 | $4,035,640 | $262,843 | $259,500 | 3 | $261,171 | $3,996,777 | $171,986 |
| 2020 | $411,689 | $582 | $461,325 | $454,000 | 9 | — | — | $41,381 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Hanson Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $237K 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 for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for educational, cultural, recreational, community, and service organizations. For example, The Principia describes its purpose as serving Christian Science through pre-K–12 and college education; Adventure Unlimited describes its work as providing recreational, leadership, service, educational, and community activities fostering spiritual growth and healing in an environment where Christian Science is lived. Other supported organizations describe work in boys’ development and education (Landon School), equine-assisted activities and therapies for people with disabilities (Great and Small), and local arts, cultural programs, education, and community outreach (Kentlands Community Foundation).
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave $174,500 through 13 grants. Grants ranged from $500 to $50,000, with a median grant of $5,000. All listed grant purposes were general support.
The largest grants included $50,000 to Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, $46,000 to The Principia, $25,000 to Adventure Unlimited, $20,000 to Rotary Foundation of Washington DC, and $10,000 to Primary Day School Inc. Other listed grants included $5,500 to WETA; $5,000 to Riverworks Art Center Inc; $3,500 to Landon School; $2,500 each to Maryland 4H Foundation and Great and Small Inc; and $2,000 each to Kentlands Community Foundation Inc and Wilderness Leadership & Learning.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists John C Hanson, Charles D Hanson, and J Timothy Hanson as trustees.
The Hanson Family Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Charles D. Hanson
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
J. Timothy Hanson
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
John C. Hanson
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/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 Hanson Family Foundation
How much does The Hanson Family Foundation give each year?
The Hanson Family Foundation gave $175K across 13 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $168K across 11 grants.
What is The Hanson Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Hanson Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $13,423, across 13 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Hanson Family Foundation give grants?
The Hanson Family Foundation's top state is Virginia, with 32% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Missouri (26%) and Maryland (15%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (2 grants) and Bethesda, MD (2 grants).
Does The Hanson Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Hanson Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (13 of 13) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Hanson Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Hanson Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Colonial Williamsburg Foundation ($50,000), The Principia ($46,000) and Adventure Unlimited ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 69% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Hanson Family Foundation?
The Hanson Family Foundation reported $4.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $183K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $237K (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 Hanson Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for educational, cultural, recreational, community, and service organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Hanson Family Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that 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 Hanson Family Foundation's EIN?
The Hanson Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-1514350. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Hanson 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
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 17, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work The Hanson Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Hanson Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Hanson Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-hanson-family-foundation-morg_d4fdb10d526749ebabdb40a24b5c31c0
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_811514350_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Hanson Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-hanson-family-foundation-morg_d4fdb10d526749ebabdb40a24b5c31c0},
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 Hanson 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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