The Placzek Family Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Lafayette, CA EIN: 68-0122138

The Placzek Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Lafayette, California. Its 2024 filing reports grants to organizations supporting healthcare, education and community activities, as well as organizations whose stated grant purposes relate to Czech causes.

Key facts about The Placzek Family Foundation

In short: The Placzek Family Foundation gave $87K across 29 grants in 2024 (avg $3K), mostly in California. 14% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
68-0122138
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2024
Annual giving (2024)
$86,500
Grants made (2024)
29
Average grant
$2,983
Median grant
$2,000
New grantees (estimate)
14% first-time grantees (4 of 28, 2024)
Total assets
$1,348,669
Primary geography
California (65% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to apply
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$1.3M

-0.4% YoY

Annual Giving

$87K

+16.0% YoY

Grant Count

29

-3.3% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$3K

+20.0% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Placzek Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $87K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Is The Placzek Family Foundation open to new grantees?

14%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 4 of 28 grantees (14%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $3K. How we count

Medians: $1K first-time, $2K repeat.

  • 79% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
  • Giving grew 180% from 2021 to 2024. Method
  • In 2024 it paid out 104% 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.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants include support for healthcare, education and community activities, and grants designated for Czech causes.

Among its grantees, Young Musicians Choral Orchestra says it uses musical training, academic support and personal guidance to improve the lives of talented, low-income young people ages 9–18. Berkeley Public Schools Fund describes its mission as championing equitable public education, and Lafayette Partners in Education says it works to enhance and expand educational opportunities in Lafayette’s public schools. World Central Kitchen says it provides meals in response to humanitarian, climate and community crises.

Grantmaking

In 2024, the foundation made 29 grants totaling $86,500. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $16,000, with a median of $2,000.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2024, 65% of grant dollars went to recipients in California. The filing also reports 5% for Washington, DC; 3% for Massachusetts; 2% for Louisiana; and 18% in the “?” category. Listed California recipients include organizations in San Francisco, Lafayette, Berkeley and Walnut Creek.

Grant Distribution by State

13states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 29 itemized grants.

Cities

LafayetteSan FranciscoBerkeleyOaklandArlingtonTheodoreBostonCastro ValleyChagrin FallsGreat FallsMontereyNew YorkSeattleWashingtonWatertownAlbanyBelvedere TiburonCarmelColorado SpringsFullerton

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$25K$50K$75K$100K47 grants2020 26 grants2021 20 grants2022 30 grants2023 29 grants2024

From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $31K (2021) to $87K (2024). In 2024 it made 29 grants totaling $87K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

UCSF - Hematology Pulmunology Palliative Care Departments: $16KUCSF - Hematology PulmunologyPalliative Care Departments$16KAcalanes High School Auto Shop: $15K across 2 grantsAcalanes High School Auto Shop$15K · 2 grantsOPU Organization for Aid to Refugees: $6KOPU Organization for Aid toRefugees$6KStetl Fest: $5KStetl Fest$5KGeorge Placzek Scholarship: $4KGeorge Placzek Scholarship$4KJewish Community of Brno: $3KJewish Community of Brno$3KALS Therapy Dev Institute: $3KALS Therapy Dev Institute$3KLindsay Wildlife Experience: $3KLindsay Wildlife Experience$3KOlympic Valley Fire Fighters Association: $3KOlympic Valley Fire FightersAssociation$3KYoung Musicians Choral Orchestra: $3KYoung Musicians ChoralOrchestra$3K

The largest 2024 recipient was UCSF - Hematology Pulmunology Palliative Care Departments ($16K). Together the top 10 received $61K.

Grant Size Distribution

152 grants across all recorded years

152<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 152 grants of 152 (100%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
UCSF - Hematology Pulmunology Palliative Care Departments San Francisco, CASupport Healthcare$16,000
Acalanes High School Auto Shop Lafayette, CASupport Various Activities$11,000
OPU Organization for Aid to Refugees Support CZ Causes$6,000
Stetl Fest Support CZ Causes$4,500
Acalanes High School Auto Shop Lafayette, CASupport Education / Community$4,000
George Placzek Scholarship Berkeley, CASupport CZ Causes$4,000
Jewish Community of Brno Support CZ Causes$3,300
ALS Therapy Dev Institute Watertown, MASupport Healthcare$3,000
Lindsay Wildlife Experience Walnut Creek, CASupport Education / Community$3,000
Olympic Valley Fire Fighters Association Valley Center, CASupport Various Activities$3,000

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grant total Grant count
2024 $1,348,669 $104,110 $110,254 $86,500 29
2023 $1,354,719 $280,058 $94,934 $74,600 30
2022 $1,129,712 $119,756 $106,757 $71,475 20
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$100K$200K$300K$400K2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets$1,348,669$1,354,719$1,129,712
Revenue$104,110$280,058$119,756
Expenses$110,254$94,934$106,757
Qualifying Distributions$90,854$78,425$78,775
Net Investment Income$86,710$265,049$107,135
Distributable Amount$87,498$71,184$78,825

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2024 filing lists Christopher Placzek as CEO and Mary Ann Placzek Scheuer as Vice President & Secretary.

The Placzek Family Foundation is led by Christopher Placzek, CEO on every filing since 2021; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • Christopher Placzek

    CEO

    On filings since 2021

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Mary Ann Placzek Scheuer

    Vice President & Secretary

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

Former officers (2)
  • Former: Maryann Placzek Scheuer (2020–2022) — Vice President & Secretary
  • Former: F. Anthony Placzek (2020–2021) — CEO - Former

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.

Contact

Mailing address: 3559 Mt Diablo Blvd Unit 193, Lafayette, CA 94549
Phone: (510) 540-6321

Frequently asked questions about The Placzek Family Foundation

How much does The Placzek Family Foundation give each year?

The Placzek Family Foundation gave $87K across 29 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $75K across 30 grants.

What is The Placzek Family Foundation's typical grant size?

The Placzek Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $2,000, and its average grant was $2,983, across 29 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Placzek Family Foundation that year got $1K on average.

Where does The Placzek Family Foundation give grants?

The Placzek Family Foundation gives mostly in California: 65% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Lafayette, CA (7 grants), Berkeley, CA (3 grants), Washington, DC (2 grants) and Oakland, CA (2 grants).

Does The Placzek Family Foundation give general operating support?

Not in 2024: none of the 29 grants with a stated purpose on The Placzek Family Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Support Education / Community" (11 grants), "Support Various Activities" (10 grants) and "Support CZ Causes" (6 grants).

Who are The Placzek Family Foundation's largest grantees?

The Placzek Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include UCSF - Hematology Pulmunology Palliative Care Departments ($16,000), Acalanes High School Auto Shop ($15,000 across 2 grants) and OPU Organization for Aid to Refugees ($6,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 43% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.

How large is The Placzek Family Foundation?

The Placzek Family Foundation reported $1.3M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $91K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $87K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does The Placzek Family Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants include support for healthcare, education and community activities, and grants designated for Czech causes. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The Placzek Family Foundation?

The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and 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 Placzek Family Foundation's EIN?

The Placzek Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 68-0122138. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

Does The Placzek Family Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?

No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑

Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

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