The Nicholson Family Foundation
The Nicholson Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Petaluma, California. Founded in 1996, it supports nonprofit organizations creating opportunities for local underserved youth in arts, education, and social services, with a stated geographic focus on five Bay Area counties.
The Nicholson Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Nicholson Family Foundation gave $313K across 49 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), mostly in California. 45% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $313,000
- -3.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 49
- +2.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $6,388
- -5.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $6,915,487
- +2.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 45% first-time grantees (22 of 49, 2025)
- Primary geography
- California (97% 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 Nicholson Family Foundation
- Invitation Only
-
The foundation accepts Letters of Inquiry through an online form and asks applicants to follow the instructions for submitting a narrative proposal. Its website says it considers proposals from organizations meeting its guidelines and that the multi-year grant program is by invitation only. The website states that organizations must take a one-year break after receiving funding for three consecutive years; another FAQ page describes a two-year waiting period for additional grants. Its filing says giving is not restricted to preselected organizations.
- Review Cycle
- The application page lists June 1 for consideration in the following calendar year. The website’s FAQ pages give differing deadlines, including September 1; a separate grant listing gives August 1 for the following-year cycle. These stated dates are past as of October 2, 2026.
- Deadline
- The application page lists June 1 for consideration in the following calendar year.
- Contact
Application contact: Kelsey Nicholson
Mailing address: 6691 Moro Street, Petaluma, CA 94954
Phone: (510) 653-3117
Website: https://thenicholsonfamilyfoundation.org
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 Nicholson Family Foundation
Who The Nicholson Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was George Mark Children's House ($25K). Together the top 10 received $115K.
Grant Size Distribution
192 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 189 grants of 192 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s website names Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties as its funding area. In 2025, 97% of grant dollars went to California recipients, with 2% to Idaho and 2% to Arizona, as reported in the filing.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 49 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Nicholson Family Foundation open to new grantees?
45%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 22 of 49 grantees (45%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $7K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 47% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−10%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 130% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2022–2025). 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 2022 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $313K (2025) to $347K (2022). In 2025 it made 49 grants totaling $313K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| George Mark Children's House San Leandro, CA | General Operating Expenses. Pediatric Hospice. | $25,000 |
| Artogether Oakland, CA | General operating expenses. Multi-year grant. Arts & education programs. | $10,000 |
| Be a Mentor Inc Hayward, CA | General Operating Expenses. Multi-Year Grant. Education Programs. | $10,000 |
| Berkeley Art Center Berkeley, CA | General Operating Expenses. Arts & Educational Support. | $10,000 |
| Camping Unlimited Boulder Creek, CA | General operating expenses. Multi-year grant. Social enrichment for disabled youth. | $10,000 |
| First Graduate San Francisco, CA | General Operating Expenses. Multi-Year Grant. Education. | $10,000 |
| Hack the Hood Oakland, CA | General operating expenses. Multi-year grant. Arts & education programs. | $10,000 |
| Hospice of Santa Cruz Scotts Valley, CA | General Operating Expenses. Social & Educational Programs. | $10,000 |
| Performing Arts Workshop San Francisco, CA | General Operating Expenses. Multi-Year Grant. Performing Arts Programs. | $10,000 |
| San Francisco Mime Troupe San Francisco, CA | General operating expenses. Multi-year grant. Arts & education programs. | $10,000 |
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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 | $6,915,487 | $420,701 | $380,986 | $313,000 | 49 | $337,633 | $377,350 | $259,539 |
| 2024 | $6,765,169 | $570,858 | $431,201 | $322,670 | 48 | $368,194 | $507,851 | $397,068 |
| 2023 | $6,625,512 | $500,366 | $424,802 | $326,050 | 48 | $373,836 | $440,956 | $373,994 |
| 2022 | $6,550,176 | $723,374 | $453,177 | $346,550 | 47 | $396,628 | $666,825 | $398,012 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Nicholson Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $260K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s mission is to champion organizations that create opportunities for local underserved youth in arts, education, and social services. Its website says it funds youth-based programming and prioritizes nonprofits with smaller budgets.
Examples of supported organizations illustrate this range. ARTogether says its mission is to provide art programs for refugees and immigrants. Hack the Hood says it provides youth and communities of color with technology skills and career navigation support. First Graduate says it helps students become the first in their families to graduate from college. Performing Arts Workshop says it helps young people develop critical thinking, creative expression, and learning skills through the arts. These are the grantees’ own descriptions of their missions.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 49 grants totaling $313,000. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $25,000, with a median of $5,000. The foundation’s website describes its small grants as awards of up to $5,000, while its 2025 filing records some awards above that amount.
The largest reported 2025 grant was $25,000 to George Mark Children’s House for general operating expenses and pediatric hospice. Other notable grants included $10,000 each to ARTogether, Be A Mentor, Berkeley Art Center, Camping Unlimited, First Graduate, Hack the Hood, Hospice of Santa Cruz, Performing Arts Workshop, San Francisco Mime Troupe, San Francisco Youth Theatre, and Survivors Healing Center. Several were identified in the filing as multi-year grants.
The foundation’s website says its multi-year grant program is by invitation only and provides operational support to nonprofit partners, with an annual concentration in arts, education, or social services. Its 2024 filing describes a $70,000 operational-support grant to George Mark Children’s House, a first installment of a multi-year grant to Tides Center: Oasis for Girls, and a third installment of an education-focused multi-year grant to Digital NEST.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Kelsey Nicholson as president; Martha McAliister as vice president; Kallie Blanchard as secretary; and Kathleen Hull, John Nicholson, Brenda Nicholson, Chris Blanchard, and Bruce Nicholson as directors.
The Nicholson Family Foundation is led by Kelsey Nicholson, President since 2024 (on filings since 2022); 1 of 8 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Kelsey Nicholson
President
Director → President, 2024
On filings since 2022
20 hrs/week
$29K (2025)
Brenda Nicholson
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bruce Nicholson
Director
President → Director, 2025
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Chris Blanchard
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Nicholson
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kathleen Hull
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kallie Blanchard
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Martha McAliister
Vice President
Secretary & Vice President → Vice President, 2025
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Kristin Hull (2022–2024) — Director
- Former: Linda Nicholson (2022–2024) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2022–2025. "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 $29K, to Kelsey Nicholson (President).
Frequently asked questions about The Nicholson Family Foundation
How much does The Nicholson Family Foundation give each year?
The Nicholson Family Foundation gave $313K across 49 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $323K across 48 grants.
What is The Nicholson Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Nicholson Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $6,388, across 49 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Nicholson Family Foundation that year got $5K on average.
Where does The Nicholson Family Foundation give grants?
The Nicholson Family Foundation gives mostly in California: 97% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (12 grants), Oakland, CA (8 grants), Santa Cruz, CA (6 grants) and Berkeley, CA (3 grants).
Does The Nicholson Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 96% of The Nicholson Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (47 of 49) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Nicholson Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Nicholson Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include George Mark Children's House ($25,000), Artogether ($10,000) and Be a Mentor Inc ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 14% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Nicholson Family Foundation?
The Nicholson Family Foundation reported $6.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $338K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $260K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Nicholson Family Foundation fund?
The foundation’s mission is to champion organizations that create opportunities for local underserved youth in arts, education, and social services. Its website says it funds youth-based programming and prioritizes nonprofits with smaller budgets. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Nicholson Family Foundation?
The foundation accepts Letters of Inquiry through an online form and asks applicants to follow the instructions for submitting a narrative proposal. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Nicholson Family Foundation's EIN?
The Nicholson Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 77-0444787. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2022–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(5)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 28, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS October 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS January 21, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 13, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2022–2025
Live grants for the work The Nicholson Family Foundation funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Nicholson Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-nicholson-family-foundation-morg_7f420cef60ed4f84885a7b902afe09ea
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_770444787_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Nicholson Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-nicholson-family-foundation-morg_7f420cef60ed4f84885a7b902afe09ea},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-22. 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 Nicholson 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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