The Taking Flight Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Wilmington, DE EIN: 46-3706325

The Taking Flight Foundation is a private foundation based in Wilmington, Delaware. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations working in areas including wildlife care, child and family services, conservation, and medical missions.

The Taking Flight Foundation at a glance

In short: The Taking Flight Foundation gave $104K across 14 grants in 2025 (avg $7K), mostly in Colorado. 43% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$104,000
+16.5% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
14
+75.0% vs 2024
Average grant
$7,429
-33.4% vs 2024
Median grant
$7,500
Total assets
$2,189,356
+7.4% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
43% first-time grantees (6 of 14, 2025; small sample)
Primary geography
Colorado (50% 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 Taking Flight Foundation

Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to Apply

The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.

Contact

Mailing address: Foundation Source 501 Silverside Rd, Wilmington, DE 19809-1377
Phone: (800) 839-1754

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who The Taking Flight Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Birds of Prey Foundation: $20KBirds of Prey Foundation$20KFriends of the Great Commission: $15KFriends of the GreatCommission$15KChild and Family Advocacy Program: $10KChild and Family AdvocacyProgram$10KCircle of Hope Health Care Services: $10KCircle of Hope Health CareServices$10KFriends of the Bridger-Teton: $10KFriends of the Bridger-Teton$10KMercy Air Helicopter Inc: $10KMercy Air Helicopter Inc$10KThe Wild Animal Sanctuary a Colorado Non-Profit CO: $10KThe Wild Animal Sanctuary aColorado Non-Profit CO$10KChild Safe Michigan: $5KChild Safe Michigan$5KLonghopes Donkey Shelter Inc: $5KLonghopes Donkey Shelter Inc$5KWestern Resource Advocates: $3KWestern Resource Advocates$3K

The largest 2025 recipient was Birds of Prey Foundation ($20K). Together the top 10 received $98K.

Grant Size Distribution

71 grants across all recorded years

71<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 71 grants of 71 (100%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation’s 2025 grants went to organizations in Colorado, Washington, Wyoming, Washington, D.C., Florida, and Michigan. Colorado accounted for 50% of grant dollars; Washington, 14%; Wyoming, 11%; Washington, D.C., 10%; and Florida, 10%.

Grant Distribution by State

16states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 14 itemized grants.

Cities

BoulderDenverAftonJacksonAnn ArborBroomfieldDarienLas VegasWashingtonAlpineDallasGreenwood VLGKeenesburgPhoenixSanta MonicaYorktown HTSAlamosaBennettChicagoEagle

Is The Taking Flight Foundation open to new grantees?

43%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 6 of 14 grantees (43%) were first-time recipients. With only 14 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $8K. How we count

Medians: $5K first-time, $10K repeat.

  • 29% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−6%). Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 107% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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

$0$50K$100K$150K14 grants2019 17 grants2020 19 grants2021 15 grants2022 15 grants2023 8 grants2024 14 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $51K (2020) to $111K (2022). In 2025 it made 14 grants totaling $104K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Birds of Prey Foundation Broomfield, COGeneral & Unrestricted$20,000
Friends of the Great Commission Dallas, WAMedical Mission Eswatini - Mercy Air Sight Flight$15,000
Child and Family Advocacy Program Boulder, COGeneral & Unrestricted$10,000
Circle of Hope Health Care Services Washington, DCGeneral & Unrestricted$10,000
Friends of the Bridger-Teton Jackson, WYGeneral & Unrestricted$10,000
Mercy Air Helicopter Inc Ft Lauderdale, FLHelicopter Operations in Eswatini$10,000
The Wild Animal Sanctuary a Colorado Non-Profit CO Keenesburg, COWild Animal Refuge Land Purchase$10,000
Child Safe Michigan Farmington Hills, MIGeneral & Unrestricted$5,000
Longhopes Donkey Shelter Inc Bennett, COGeneral & Unrestricted$5,000
Western Resource Advocates Boulder, COGeneral & Unrestricted$3,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$2,189,356$291,405$141,468$104,00014$120,414$274,551$112,187
2024$2,039,419$192,967$122,851$89,2708$105,114$175,830$110,205
2023$1,969,303$64,851$125,676$90,90015$110,039$49,214$103,529
2022$2,030,128$63,395$141,287$110,50015$122,283$46,289$108,558
2021$2,108,020$119,660$127,372$94,75019$110,618$102,906$124,185
2020$2,115,732$-63,704$82,685$50,70017—$19,274$108,964
2019$2,262,121$97,588$105,100$72,50014—$82,657$111,026

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Taking Flight Foundation reported a distributable amount of $112K for 2025 — 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 2025 grants included support for organizations whose stated work includes treating and rehabilitating injured wildlife, helping children affected by abuse, supporting a national forest, and providing medical mission services.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 14 grants totaling $104,000. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $20,000, with a median grant of $7,500. Larger grants included $20,000 to Birds of Prey Foundation, $15,000 to Friends of the Great Commission, and $10,000 each to Child and Family Advocacy Program, Circle of Hope Health Care Services, Friends of the Bridger-Teton, Mercy Air Helicopter Inc, and The Wild Animal Sanctuary.

Birds of Prey Foundation says it treats injured and orphaned wildlife, primarily raptors, and works to return healthy birds to their natural habitat. Child and Family Advocacy Program describes Blue Sky Bridge as a child advocacy center serving children affected by abuse. Friends of the Bridger-Teton says it brings the community together to support the Bridger-Teton National Forest. The filing lists the $15,000 grant to Friends of the Great Commission for “Medical Mission Eswatini - Mercy Air Sight Flight” and the $10,000 grant to Mercy Air Helicopter Inc for “Helicopter Operations in Eswatini.”

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Jonathan Berman as president, director, secretary, and treasurer.

The Taking Flight Foundation is led by Jonathan Berman, President, Director, Secretary & Treasurer on every filing since 2019 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Jonathan Berman

    President, Director, Secretary & Treasurer

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 Taking Flight Foundation

How much does The Taking Flight Foundation give each year?

The Taking Flight Foundation gave $104K across 14 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $89K across 8 grants.

What is The Taking Flight Foundation's typical grant size?

The Taking Flight Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $7,500, and its average grant was $7,429, across 14 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Taking Flight Foundation that year got $6K on average.

Where does The Taking Flight Foundation give grants?

The Taking Flight Foundation gives mostly in Colorado: 50% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Washington (14%) and Wyoming (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were Boulder, CO (2 grants) and Denver, CO (2 grants).

Does The Taking Flight Foundation give general operating support?

Yes: 79% of The Taking Flight Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (11 of 14) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are The Taking Flight Foundation's largest grantees?

The Taking Flight Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Birds of Prey Foundation ($20,000), Friends of the Great Commission ($15,000) and Child and Family Advocacy Program ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 43% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is The Taking Flight Foundation?

The Taking Flight Foundation reported $2.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $120K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $112K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does The Taking Flight Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations whose stated work includes treating and rehabilitating injured wildlife, helping children affected by abuse, supporting a national forest, and providing medical mission services. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The Taking Flight Foundation?

The foundation states that it 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 Taking Flight Foundation's EIN?

The Taking Flight Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 46-3706325. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Does The Taking Flight 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

(3)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS April 30, 2020)
  2. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 24, 2026)
  3. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). The Taking Flight Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-taking-flight-foundation-morg_b42c7e262bd946c491adc96b4f99ee06

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_463706325_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{The Taking Flight Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-taking-flight-foundation-morg_b42c7e262bd946c491adc96b4f99ee06},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 Taking Flight 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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