The Silk Family Foundation
The Silk Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Ketchum, Idaho. Its 2024 filing reports grants to charitable organizations including a homelessness-services provider, a military-support organization, educational institutions, and health-related organizations.
The Silk Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Silk Family Foundation gave $812K across 44 grants in 2024 (avg $18K), mostly in California. 45% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $811,880
- +1.8% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 44
- +4.8% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $18,452
- -2.8% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $7,000
- Total assets
- $5,223,668
- -8.9% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 45% first-time grantees (20 of 44, 2024)
- Primary geography
- California (67% 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 Silk Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 3479, Ketchum, ID 83340
Phone: (310) 562-9100
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Silk Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Union Rescue Mission ($289K). Together the top 10 received $612K.
Grant Size Distribution
187 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 163 grants of 187 (87%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 67% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 16% to Pennsylvania, 8% to New York, 3% to Washington, D.C., and 1% to Colorado.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 44 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Silk Family Foundation open to new grantees?
45%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 20 of 44 grantees (45%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $13K; repeat grants $23K. How we count
Medians: $9K first-time, $6K repeat.
- 45% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−16%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 139% 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 $599K (2020) to $967K (2021). In 2024 it made 44 grants totaling $812K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Union Rescue Mission Los Angeles, CA | General | $288,500 |
| Basser Center for BRCA Philadelphia, PA | General | $127,000 |
| Land of the Free Foundation Industry, CA | General | $50,000 |
| UCLA Foundation Los Angeles, CA | General | $25,500 |
| Childrens Hospital of LA Los Angeles, CA | General | $25,000 |
| Swim with Mike Foundation Pasadena, CA | General | $25,000 |
| University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA | General | $25,000 |
| ULI Foundation Washington, DC | General | $15,530 |
| March to the Top - Africa Woodland Hills, CA | General | $15,000 |
| The Bowery Mission New York, NY | General | $15,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $5,223,668 | $465,498 | $930,782 | $811,880 | 44 | $811,880 | $356,596 | $584,165 |
| 2023 | $5,732,658 | $755,323 | $877,492 | $797,142 | 42 | $797,142 | $421,679 | $483,743 |
| 2022 | $6,110,182 | $188,833 | $789,322 | $705,982 | 36 | $705,982 | $120,493 | $507,295 |
| 2021 | $6,356,357 | $1,289,521 | $1,035,579 | $966,788 | 30 | $966,788 | $1,120,730 | $563,545 |
| 2020 | $6,101,667 | $385,530 | $671,484 | $598,633 | 35 | — | $319,679 | $461,054 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Silk Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $584K 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 mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for organizations working in several areas. Union Rescue Mission says it provides emergency and long-term services to people experiencing homelessness, including food, shelter, medical care, recovery programs, and job training. Land of the Free Foundation says it supports programs for U.S. armed services personnel and their families. UCLA Foundation describes its role as enabling private donors to support UCLA’s academic and research work. Swim with Mike Foundation says it provides financial resources for advanced education for physically challenged athletes. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 44 grants totaling $811,880. Grant amounts ranged from $100 to $288,500, with a median grant of $7,000. Among the largest awards were $288,500 to Union Rescue Mission, $127,000 to Basser Center for BRCA, $50,000 to Land of the Free Foundation, $25,500 to UCLA Foundation, and $25,000 each to Children’s Hospital of LA, Swim with Mike Foundation, and the University of Southern California. The filing lists each of these grants’ purpose as “GENERAL.”
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Stephen Silk as president and trustee, and Susan Silk as trustee.
The Silk Family Foundation is led by Stephen Silk, President & Trustee on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Stephen Silk
President & Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Susan Silk
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/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 Silk Family Foundation
How much does The Silk Family Foundation give each year?
The Silk Family Foundation gave $812K across 44 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $797K across 42 grants.
What is The Silk Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Silk Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $7,000, and its average grant was $18,452, across 44 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Silk Family Foundation that year got $13K on average.
Where does The Silk Family Foundation give grants?
The Silk Family Foundation gives mostly in California: 67% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Pennsylvania (16%) and New York (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (8 grants), New York, NY (7 grants), Pasadena, CA (3 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does The Silk Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Silk Family Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (44 of 44) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Silk Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Silk Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Union Rescue Mission ($288,500), Basser Center for BRCA ($127,000) and Land of the Free Foundation ($50,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 57% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Silk Family Foundation?
The Silk Family Foundation reported $5.2M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $812K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $584K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Silk Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for organizations working in several areas. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Silk Family Foundation?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Silk Family Foundation's EIN?
The Silk Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-3997071. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Silk 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 Silk Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-silk-family-foundation-morg_7a89b60f209a4503baa6502ac0e9e64f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_203997071_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Silk Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-silk-family-foundation-morg_7a89b60f209a4503baa6502ac0e9e64f},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Silk 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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