The Nicholson Family Foundation
The Nicholson Family Foundation is a private foundation established in 1996 and based in Petaluma, California. Operating as a family foundation with a multi-generational board, the organization focuses on supporting nonprofit organizations in Northern California through strategic grantmaking to small-budget organizations serving underserved youth.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$6.9M
+1.6% YoY
Annual Giving
$337K
+4.4% YoY
Grant Count
45
-6.3% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$7K
+11.4% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
Mission: The Nicholson Family Foundation's mission is to champion organizations that create opportunities for local underserved youth in Arts, Education, and Social Services.
Primary Focus Areas:
- Arts and culture
- Education
- Social services
- Youth development
Guiding Principles:
- Learning about and working with new small-budget organizations
- Proportional grants scaled to organizational budget size for strategic impact
- Providing operational support for nonprofit organizations
- Operating an invitation-only multi-year grant program with annual rotating concentration in one of the three focus areas
Grantmaking
The foundation accepts Letters of Inquiry and operates an invitation-only multi-year grant program. Specific application procedures are available through their website.
Grant Range
s:** $670–$70,000, with median grants around $5,000
Grant Types
How to Apply
**
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Nicholson Family Foundation funds organizations in five Bay Area counties:
- Alameda County
- San Francisco
- San Mateo County
- Santa Clara County
- Santa Cruz County
Grant Distribution by State
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Most Recent Financial Data (2025):
- Total Assets: $6,873,387
- Total Giving: $337,000
- Total Revenue: $566,360
- Total Expenses: $458,559
- Number of Employees: 1
Previous Year (2024):
- Total Assets: $6,765,169
- Total Giving: $368,194
- Total Revenue: $570,858
- Total Expenses: $431,201
Giving Rate: Approximately 5.5%
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $6,873,387 | $6,765,169 | $6,625,512 |
| Revenue | $566,360 | $570,858 | $500,366 |
| Expenses | $458,559 | $431,201 | $424,802 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $385,745 | $368,194 | $373,836 |
| Net Investment Income | $492,890 | $507,851 | $440,956 |
| Distributable Amount | $430,526 | $397,068 | $373,994 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
Grant Size Distribution
188 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from The Nicholson Family Foundation
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
- Kelsey Nicholson – President (20 hours/week)
- Martha McAlister – Secretary/Vice President
- John Nicholson – Director
- Brenda Nicholson – Director
- Linda Nicholson – Director
- Kathleen Hull – Director
- Kristin Hull – Director
- Chris Blanchard – Director
- Kallie Blanchard – Director
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
From 2025 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| MARTHA MCALIISTER | VICE PRESIDENT | 1 | — |
| KATHLEEN HULL | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| JOHN NICHOLSON | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| KELSEY NICHOLSON | PRESIDENT | 20 | $50,000 |
| BRENDA NICHOLSON | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| CHRIS BLANCHARD | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| KALLIE BLANCHARD | SECRETARY | 1 | — |
| BRUCE NICHOLSON | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
Contact Information
Address: 120 4th Street, PMB 2775, Petaluma, CA 94953-8800
Phone: 510-388-3574
Website: thenicholsonfamilyfoundation.org
EIN: 77-0444787
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
What could you do with The Nicholson Family Foundation on Grantable?
- Assess strategic fit with your organization
- Draft a tailored letter of inquiry
- Find open RFPs from this funder
- Monitor for new funding opportunities