The Jolson Family Foundation
The Jolson Family Foundation is a private foundation based in San Rafael, California. Its 2024 filing reports grants to charitable organizations including education, community-service, food-assistance, and homelessness-service organizations.
The Jolson Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Jolson Family Foundation gave $838K across 26 grants in 2024 (avg $32K), mostly in California. 19% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $838,061
- +37.5% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 26
- -31.6% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $32,233
- +101.0% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $16,408,569
- +20.6% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 19% first-time grantees (5 of 26, 2024)
- Primary geography
- California (94% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Jolson Family Foundation
- 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.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1299 Fourth Street 200, San Rafael, CA 94901
Phone: (415) 617-9242
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Jolson Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Bridge the Gap ($226K). Together the top 10 received $782K.
Grant Size Distribution
154 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 143 grants of 154 (93%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 94% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 3% to Colorado, 2% to the District of Columbia, and 1% to Virginia; the reported share for Connecticut was 0%. The listed grants include recipients in the San Francisco Bay Area and elsewhere in California, as well as the University of Denver and The Change Program in Washington, DC.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 26 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Jolson Family Foundation open to new grantees?
19%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 5 of 26 grantees (19%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $12K; repeat grants $37K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 81% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 189% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 115% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $290K (2021) to $838K (2024). In 2024 it made 26 grants totaling $838K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Bridge the Gap Marin City, CA | General Support | $225,561 |
| 10000 Degrees San Rafael, CA | General Support | $185,500 |
| Next Generation Scholars San Rafael, CA | General Support | $173,000 |
| Nicasio Volunteer Fire Department Nicasio, CA | General Support | $50,000 |
| California College of the Arts San Francisco, CA | General Support | $48,000 |
| San Geronimo Valley Community Center San Geronimo, CA | General Support | $25,000 |
| University of Denver Denver, CO | General Support | $25,000 |
| Extra Food Marin San Rafael, CA | General Support | $20,000 |
| Marin Community Food Bank Novato, CA | General Support | $15,000 |
| St Vincent De Paul Society of Marin San Rafael, CA | General Support | $15,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Jolson Family 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $16,408,569 | $3,948,770 | $1,150,330 | $838,061 | 26 | $899,450 | $1,408,455 | $784,672 |
| 2023 | $13,610,129 | $718,914 | $1,010,164 | $609,500 | 38 | $674,342 | $890,547 | $847,339 |
| 2022 | $13,690,734 | $484,531 | $922,793 | $569,101 | 33 | $680,565 | $461,950 | $832,293 |
| 2021 | $14,141,126 | $8,448,719 | $547,766 | $290,000 | 27 | $302,046 | $1,146,786 | $472,112 |
| 2020 | $6,250,650 | $248,453 | $457,217 | $420,500 | 30 | — | $260,140 | $293,422 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Jolson Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $785K for 2024 — 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 foundation mission is stated in the available information. Its grants include support for organizations working in higher education and student success, community services, food assistance, and services for people experiencing homelessness. For example, 10,000 Degrees describes its work as helping students from low-income backgrounds access and complete higher education, while Next Generation Scholars says it supports first-generation, under-resourced Marin County students. Homeward Bound of Marin describes providing shelter, housing, and supportive services for people overcoming homelessness.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 26 grants totaling $838,061. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $225,561, with a median of $5,000. The largest reported grants included $225,561 to Bridge the Gap, $185,500 to 10,000 Degrees, and $173,000 to Next Generation Scholars. Other grants included $50,000 to Nic asio Volunteer Fire Department, $48,000 to California College of the Arts, $25,000 each to San Geronimo Valley Community Center and the University of Denver, and $20,000 to Extra Food Marin. The listed grants were for general support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Joseph A. Jolson as president and treasurer and Kathleen Jolson as secretary.
The Jolson Family Foundation is led by Joseph A. Jolson, President & Treasurer on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Joseph A. Jolson
President & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
20 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kathleen Jolson
Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Jolson Family Foundation
How much does The Jolson Family Foundation give each year?
The Jolson Family Foundation gave $838K across 26 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $610K across 38 grants.
What is The Jolson Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Jolson Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $5,000, and its average grant was $32,233, across 26 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Jolson Family Foundation that year got $12K on average.
Where does The Jolson Family Foundation give grants?
The Jolson Family Foundation gives mostly in California: 94% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were San Rafael, CA (4 grants), Nicasio, CA (3 grants), Washington, DC (3 grants) and Denver, CO (2 grants).
Does The Jolson Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Jolson Family Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (26 of 26) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Jolson Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Jolson Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Bridge the Gap ($225,561), 10000 Degrees ($185,500) and Next Generation Scholars ($173,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 70% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Jolson Family Foundation?
The Jolson Family Foundation reported $16.4M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $899K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $785K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Jolson Family Foundation fund?
No foundation mission is stated in the available information. Its grants include support for organizations working in higher education and student success, community services, food assistance, and services for people experiencing homelessness. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Jolson Family Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Jolson Family Foundation's EIN?
The Jolson Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-0391079. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Jolson 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Jolson Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-jolson-family-foundation-morg_4802b31b9db04835a8cb1ef9bd03d752
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_200391079_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Jolson Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-jolson-family-foundation-morg_4802b31b9db04835a8cb1ef9bd03d752},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Jolson 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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