The Thunderbird Community Sports Foundation
The Thunderbird Community Sports Foundation is a public charity based in Kent, Washington. It supports youth and amateur sports in the Puget Sound region through grants and scholarships, with an emphasis on youth participation and minor hockey.
The Thunderbird Community Sports Foundation at a glance
- Total assets
- $325,798
- +2.4% vs 2024
- Revenue (2025)
- $302,978
- +78.0% vs 2024
- Net investment income (2025)
- $27,736
- +66.8% vs 2024
- Expenses (2025)
- $381,939
- +193.3% vs 2024
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Thunderbird Community Sports Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The website directs applicants to use its grant application process. It does not specify application materials or restrictions in the supplied information.
- Review Cycle
- The website lists April 30 and October 31 as semi-annual deadlines. The April 30, 2026 deadline listed for the grant cycle has passed.
- Deadline
- The website lists April 30 and October 31 as semi-annual deadlines.
- Contact
Mailing address: 625 W James St, Kent, WA 98032
Phone: (206) 369-4872
Website: https://thunderbirdsfoundation.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 Thunderbird Community Sports Foundation
Who The Thunderbird Community Sports Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
23 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 22 grants of 23 (96%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation says its primary focus is the South Puget Sound region, while also encouraging applications from all communities. Its past-award-recipient list includes communities across Washington, including Kent, Tacoma, Seattle, Auburn, Renton, Federal Way, Maple Valley, Puyallup, Everett, and Bremerton.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Is The Thunderbird Community Sports Foundation open to new grantees?
36%
first-time grantees, 2023
In 2023, 4 of 11 grantees (36%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $15K; repeat grants $13K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $14K repeat.
- 55% of 2023 grantees were also funded in 2022. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2023). 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 2019 to 2023, annual grant giving ranged from $31K (2021) to $157K (2022). In 2023 it made 11 grants totaling $151K.
Hatched bars: grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Valor Soccer Covington, WA | General Funding | $35,325 |
| YMCA of Greater Seattle Seattle, WA | General Funding | $20,000 |
| Federal Way Knights Baseball Federal Way, WA | General Funding | $19,800 |
| SnoKing Amateur Hockey Associ Kirkland, WA | General Funding | $16,606 |
| Sequoia Therapeutic Recreatio Tacoma, WA | General Funding | $14,168 |
| Lakewood Winter Club Tacoma, WA | General Funding | $10,287 |
| Bonney Lake HS Parent Lake Tapps, WA | General Funding | $9,460 |
| Seattle Adaptive Sports Seattle, WA | General Funding | $7,335 |
| Bonney Lake HS PPP Baseball Lake Tapps, WA | General Funding | $6,740 |
| Valor Premier G09 Gold Renton, WA | General Funding | $5,930 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $325,798 | $302,978 | $381,939 | — | — | $27,736 |
| 2024 | $318,054 | $170,252 | $130,212 | — | — | $16,629 |
| 2023 | $277,794 | $289,653 | $243,716 | $151,041 | 11 | $21,349 |
| 2022 | $278,696 | $278,024 | $286,718 | $156,824 | 9 | $-23,830 |
| 2021 | $231,276 | $68,233 | $59,742 | $30,653 | 3 | $10,903 |
| 2020 | $213,107 | $91,277 | $52,855 | $34,951 | Total only | $14,748 |
| 2019 | $176,571 | $191,583 | $205,228 | $63,555 | 8 | $26,397 |
"Total only": grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is to promote good health, physical education, and academic achievement by providing scholarships and grants for amateur athletes in the Puget Sound region, as well as grants to local youth and amateur sports associations.
Its website describes grant support for youth hockey; school sports equipment, programs, and participation fees; parks and recreation; baseball; soccer; aquatics; track and running; football; basketball; riding and 4-H; and programs in boxing, cheer, gymnastics, golf, rugby, rowing, volleyball, and lacrosse. It also lists service clubs and other foundations supporting youth sports among past award recipients.
The foundation’s scholarship program is for graduating high school seniors and students already enrolled in post-secondary education who are pursuing sports-related fields of study. The website says students who graduated high school in the South Puget Sound region receive priority. Scholarship recipients may use awards at an accredited university, community college, vocational school, or technical school.
Among its 2023 grantees, Valor Soccer received $35,325; the grantee describes its mission as providing “quality and affordable soccer programming to the youth of our community.” Seattle Adaptive Sports received $7,335; it describes its mission as empowering people with physical disabilities through sports.
Grantmaking
The foundation’s website describes a semi-annual grant application process with April 30 and October 31 deadlines. Its listed grant areas include youth sports organizations and activities, and the website reports $1,890,978.05 awarded since 2009.
In 2023, the foundation reported giving $151,041 through 11 grants. The two named 2023 grantees and amounts are Valor Soccer ($35,325) and Seattle Adaptive Sports ($7,335). Its 2024 and 2025 filings each report zero grants.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Russ Farwell as president and Brenda Farwell as vice president. Other listed officers and directors are Rick Ronish, Colin Campbell, Jared Crooks, Ken Thomas, Kurt Hansen, Bill LaForge, Nella LaForge, and Dylan Lockert.
The Thunderbird Community Sports Foundation is led by Russ Farwell, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 17 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Russ Farwell
President
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Rick Ronish
Director
On filings since 2019
10 hrs/week
$14K (2019) → $0 (2025)
Ester Varney
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jason Thomsen
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ken Thomas
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kurt Hansen
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Matt O'Dette
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Phil Varney
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tim Higgins
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bill Laforge
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Dylan Lockert
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Erin Saunders
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jared Crooks
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nella Laforge
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Brenda Farwell
Vice President
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Colin Campbell
Secretary
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Dino W. Traverso
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (6)
- Former: Carol Paulsen (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Ian Henry (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Lew Sellers (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Lisa Vivian (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Phil Paulsen (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Sean Runnels (2019) — Director
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2023 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2023 filing was $17K, to Rick Ronish (Director).
Frequently asked questions about The Thunderbird Community Sports Foundation
How large is The Thunderbird Community Sports Foundation?
The Thunderbird Community Sports Foundation reported $326K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $303K.
What does The Thunderbird Community Sports Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to promote good health, physical education, and academic achievement by providing scholarships and grants for amateur athletes in the Puget Sound region, as well as grants to local youth and amateur sports associations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Thunderbird Community Sports Foundation?
The website directs applicants to use its grant application process. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
Where does The Thunderbird Community Sports Foundation make grants?
The foundation says its primary focus is the South Puget Sound region, while also encouraging applications from all communities. Its past-award-recipient list includes communities across Washington, including Kent, Tacoma, Seattle, Auburn, Renton, Federal Way, Maple Valley, Puyallup, Everett, and Bremerton.
What is The Thunderbird Community Sports Foundation's EIN?
The Thunderbird Community Sports Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-1712275. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(4)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 5, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 17, 2021)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 22, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work The Thunderbird Community Sports Foundation funds
Education Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Thunderbird Community Sports Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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