The Sobrato Family Foundation
The Sobrato Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Mountain View, California. Its 2024 filing describes work in economic opportunity and education, alongside investments in areas including supportive housing, charter schools, and education technology.
The Sobrato Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Sobrato Family Foundation gave $69.3M across 526 grants in 2024 (avg $132K), mostly in California. 33% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $69,330,316
- +10.9% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 526
- +20.6% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $131,807
- -8.1% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $75,000
- Total assets
- $886,341,498
- +1.1% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 33% first-time grantees (130 of 394, 2024)
- Primary geography
- California (81% 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 Sobrato Family Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The filing says applications are sent out directly. It also directs nonprofits to an online form at the foundation’s website to receive information about funding opportunities. The filing states that giving is not restricted to preselected organizations and that investments target strong community-based organizations promoting self-reliance and economic independence and contributing to quality of life for people facing economic, physical, or emotional challenges throughout an individual recipient
- Contact
Application contact: 2A Applications Are Sent Out Direct
Mailing address: 599 Castro St 400, Mountain View, CA 94041
Phone: (650) 876-7010
Website: https://www.sobrato.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Sobrato Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Silicon Valley Community Foundation ($14.7M across 13 grants). Together the top 10 received $26.7M.
Organizations only. It also paid 7 grants to individuals ($1,037,500), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
2,103 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 900 grants of 2,103 (43%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The filing states that the foundation’s investments target community-based organizations throughout an individual recipient In 2024, 81% of grant dollars went to recipients in California; the next-largest shares went to Maryland (8%) and Washington, D.C. (3%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 526 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Sobrato Family Foundation open to new grantees?
33%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 130 of 394 grantees (33%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $66K; repeat grants $230K. How we count
Medians: $25K first-time, $125K repeat.
- 54% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 23% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 385% 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 $52.0M (2022) to $133.4M (2020). In 2024 it made 526 grants totaling $69.3M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Silicon Valley Community Foundation Mountain View, CA | General Support to the Resonance Philanthropies DAF #4176 | $5,000,000 |
| Impactassets Inc Bethesda, MD | To Support Impact Investments | $3,000,000 |
| Silicon Valley Community Foundation Mountain View, CA | $1,000,000.00 for general support to the john m. Sobrato and timi sobrato fund (daf #5360) and $1,000,000.00 for general support to the john m. Sobrato fund (daf #3764) | $2,000,000 |
| Silicon Valley Community Foundation Mountain View, CA | General support to the lisa and matthew sonsini family fund #4031 | $2,000,000 |
| Silicon Valley Community Foundation Mountain View, CA | $750,000 for general support to the john m. Sobrato and timi sobrato fund (svcf daf #5360); $750,000 for general support to the john m. Sobrato fund (svcf daf #3764) | $1,500,000 |
| Impactassets Inc Bethesda, MD | To Support the Resonance Impact Fund | $1,500,000 |
| Silicon Valley Community Foundation Mountain View, CA | General Support to the Resonance Philanthropies Fund #4176 | $1,000,000 |
| Silicon Valley Community Foundation Mountain View, CA | General support to the john matthew and andie sobrato fund, #4846 (from i53-8 to svcf daf #4846) | $1,000,000 |
| Silicon Valley Community Foundation Mountain View, CA | General Support to the Resonance Philanthropies Fund #4176 | $1,000,000 |
| County of San Mateo Redwood City, CA | To advance the production of 47 housing units focused on low-income farmworkers in half moon bay and support an innovative home-ownership model backed by public-private partnership. | $1,000,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Sobrato 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 | $886,341,498 | $72,233,422 | $103,563,577 | $69,330,316 | 526 | $209,126,560 | $69,113,907 | $54,339,504 |
| 2023 | $876,730,998 | $129,273,885 | $93,979,462 | $62,512,863 | 436 | $102,714,536 | $111,253,233 | $43,969,256 |
| 2022 | $843,704,124 | $101,138,114 | $73,261,971 | $51,962,236 | 440 | $100,129,484 | $94,330,017 | $33,590,829 |
| 2021 | $811,956,453 | $266,068,436 | $73,555,845 | $56,356,116 | 340 | $78,229,190 | $45,281,530 | $37,267,716 |
| 2020 | $612,629,106 | $160,283,919 | $144,244,979 | $133,403,741 | 361 | — | $218,150,561 | $28,913,099 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Sobrato Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $54.3M for 2024 — 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 filing describes direct charitable activity focused on an individual recipient economic opportunity, including access to small-business and entrepreneurship opportunities, middle-skill jobs, college completion, and career potential for low-income individuals, first-generation college students, and families. It also describes an English Learner Program intended to improve educational outcomes for low-income students and English learners in persistently underperforming schools.
The filing lists other investments in the development of permanent supportive housing, expansion of charter schools into underserved communities, education technology, and related projects aligned with education and economic opportunity. It also identifies Accion Opportunity Fund community development as a direct charitable activity.
Among the organizations receiving large 2024 grants, an individual recipient Community Foundation describes its mission as connecting people, ideas, and resources to support equity and opportunity for all. ImpactAssets describes its mission as serving as a partner for impact investing and charitable giving.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 526 grants totaling $69,330,316. Grants ranged from $100 to $5 million, with a median grant of $75,000. Large grants included $5 million to an individual recipient Community Foundation for general support to the Resonance Philanthropies DAF; $3 million to ImpactAssets Inc. to support impact investments; and $1 million to the County of San Mateo to advance 47 housing units for low-income farmworkers in Half Moon Bay and support a public-private home-ownership model. Other listed awards included $875,000 to Global Impact to support the an individual recipient
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Lisa Sonsini as board chair, John A. Sobrato as chair emeritus, and John M. Sobrato as secretary. Other listed directors are Bryan Polster, Greg Avis, Carol Larson, Jeff Sobrato, and Jose Quinonez. D. Valentine is listed as chief financial officer and Christy Richardson as chief investment officer.
The Sobrato Family Foundation is led by Tony Mestres, Chief Executive Officer on every filing since 2023; none of the 12 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Tony Mestres
Chief Executive Officer
On filings since 2023
13 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Alexa Cortes Cullwell
Chief Impact Officer & President
Interim President → Chief Impact Officer & President, 2024
On filings since 2023
20 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lisa Sonsini
Board Chair
Board Chariman → Board Secretary, 2021
Board Secretary → Board Chair, 2023
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Bryan Polster
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Carol Larson
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Greg Avis
Director
Director → Board Treasurer, 2021
Board Treasurer → Director, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jeff Sobrato
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jose Quinonez
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
D. Valentine
Chief Financial Officer
CFO → Chief Financial Officer, 2024
On filings since 2020
13 hrs/week
No compensation reported
John M. Sobrato
Chair Emeritus & Secretary
Chair Emeritus, Secretary & Director → Chair Emeritus, Director & Board Vice Chair, 2021
Chair Emeritus, Director & Board Vice Chair → Chair Emeritus & Secretary, 2023
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Christy Richardson
Chief Investment Officer
On filings since 2022
6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tamara Lewis
Chief People Officer
On filings since 2023
13 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (5)
- Former: Sheri Brisson (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Sue Sobrato (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Susan Hurlimann Herz (2020–2022) — President
- Former: Matt Sonsini (2021–2022) — Board Chair
- Former: Bj Cassin (2020) — Director
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 Sobrato Family Foundation
How much does The Sobrato Family Foundation give each year?
The Sobrato Family Foundation gave $69.3M across 526 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $62.5M across 436 grants.
What is The Sobrato Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Sobrato Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $75,000, and its average grant was $131,807, across 526 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Sobrato Family Foundation that year got $66K on average.
Where does The Sobrato Family Foundation give grants?
The Sobrato Family Foundation gives mostly in California: 81% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Maryland (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Jose, CA (104 grants), San Francisco, CA (66 grants), Oakland, CA (35 grants) and Milpitas, CA (31 grants).
Does The Sobrato Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 37% of The Sobrato Family Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (194 of 526) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Employee Matching Gift" (130 grants), "To Provide Project Support." (7 grants) and "24-50104 - to Provide Project Support." (4 grants).
Who are The Sobrato Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Sobrato Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Silicon Valley Community Foundation ($14,704,500 across 13 grants), Impactassets Inc ($5,500,000 across 3 grants) and New Venture Fund ($1,039,000 across 4 grants), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 7 grants to individuals ($1,037,500), which are not listed by name. Together they received 31% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Sobrato Family Foundation?
The Sobrato Family Foundation reported $886.3M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $209.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $54.3M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Sobrato Family Foundation fund?
The filing describes direct charitable activity focused on an individual recipient economic opportunity, including access to small-business and entrepreneurship opportunities, middle-skill jobs, college completion, and career potential for low-income individuals, first-generation college students, and families. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Sobrato Family Foundation?
The filing says applications are sent out directly. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Sobrato Family Foundation's EIN?
The Sobrato Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 77-0348912. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 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 Sobrato Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-sobrato-family-foundation-morg_43ecab6d210b42f59448e4c6d60daa70
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_770348912_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Sobrato Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-sobrato-family-foundation-morg_43ecab6d210b42f59448e4c6d60daa70},
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 Sobrato 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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