The Venables Foundation
The Venables Foundation is a private foundation based in Mill Valley, California. It made 15 grants totaling $430,600 in filing year 2025.
The Venables Foundation at a glance
In short: The Venables Foundation gave $431K across 15 grants in 2025 (avg $29K), mostly in California. 14% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $430,600
- +2.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 15
- +36.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $28,707
- -24.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $9,191,084
- +17.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 14% first-time grantees (2 of 14, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (57% 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 Venables Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The filing says to submit an application in writing stating the organization’s purpose, address, telephone number, and contact person. Include the prior-period operating statement and balance sheet, and state whether the organization is a 501(c)(3). The filing lists no restrictions on awards and names Antoinetta Venables as the application contact.
- Contact
Application contact: Antoinetta Venables
Mailing address: 227 Laverne Ave, Mill Valley, CA 94941
Phone: (415) 272-5187
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Venables Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Schwab Charitable ($155K). Together the top 10 received $425K.
Grant Size Distribution
52 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 42 grants of 52 (81%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 57% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 36% to Florida, 6% to New Jersey, 1% to Ohio, and less than 1% to Iowa. The filing lists grants to recipients in all five states.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Venables Foundation open to new grantees?
14%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 14 grantees (14%) 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 $1K; repeat grants $36K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $18K repeat.
- 71% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 56% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 108% 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
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $178K (2019) to $977K (2022). In 2025 it made 15 grants totaling $431K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Schwab Charitable Orlando, FL | General Support | $155,000 |
| The Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Al Los Altos, CA | General Support | $100,000 |
| Schools Rule Marin San Rafael, CA | General Support | $60,000 |
| Mary's Meals Bloomfield, NJ | General Support | $25,000 |
| St Vincent de Paul Society of Marin San Rafael, CA | General Support | $25,000 |
| Marin Foster Care Association San Rafael, CA | General Support | $25,000 |
| Haiti on the Rise San Rafael, CA | General Support | $10,000 |
| Canal Alliance San Rafael, CA | General Support | $10,000 |
| The Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Al Los Altos, CA | General Support | $7,600 |
| St Vincent de Paul Society of SF San Francisco, CA | General Support | $5,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $9,191,084 | $534,457 | $451,039 | $430,600 | 15 | $440,991 | $534,409 | $409,338 |
| 2024 | $7,855,091 | $461,606 | $448,882 | $420,500 | 11 | $429,799 | $461,429 | $378,647 |
| 2023 | $7,325,167 | $1,389,851 | $342,208 | $328,500 | 11 | $335,814 | $1,383,207 | $309,124 |
| 2022 | $6,261,227 | $628,897 | $990,162 | $976,500 | 5 | $981,175 | $463,654 | $313,863 |
| 2021 | $8,088,241 | $827,644 | $297,600 | $291,000 | 10 | $291,075 | $502,521 | $367,614 |
| 2020 | $6,814,476 | $346,927 | $236,290 | $235,000 | 10 | — | $99,125 | $284,830 |
| 2019 | $5,666,768 | $486,219 | $178,000 | $178,000 | 5 | — | $236,219 | $279,174 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Venables Foundation reported a distributable amount of $409K 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 foundation mission is stated in the available information. Its 2025 grantees include organizations with varied missions. Marin Foster Care Association describes its work as providing support services and advocacy to foster and adoptive families and caregivers to promote safe, quality care for foster children. Canal Alliance describes its work as serving Marin’s low-income immigrant community and working to break the cycle of poverty for Latino immigrants and their families.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation awarded 15 grants totaling $430,600. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $155,000, with a median of $10,000. The largest listed awards included $155,000 to Schwab Charitable for general support; $100,000 to The Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Al for general support; and $60,000 to Schools Rule Marin for general support. Other listed grants included $25,000 each to Mary’s Meals, St Vincent de Paul Society of Marin, and Marin Foster Care Association, all for general support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Paul Venables as president and Antoinetta Venables as secretary/treasurer.
The Venables Foundation is led by Paul Venables, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Paul Venables
President
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Antoinetta Venables
Sect'y & Treasurer
Secretary & Treasurer → Sect'y & Treasurer, 2020
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/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 Venables Foundation
How much does The Venables Foundation give each year?
The Venables Foundation gave $431K across 15 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $421K across 11 grants.
What is The Venables Foundation's typical grant size?
The Venables Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $28,707, across 15 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Venables Foundation that year got $1K on average.
Where does The Venables Foundation give grants?
The Venables Foundation gives mostly in California: 57% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Florida (36%) and New Jersey (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Rafael, CA (6 grants) and Los Altos, CA (2 grants).
Does The Venables Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Venables Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (15 of 15) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Venables Foundation's largest grantees?
The Venables Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Schwab Charitable ($155,000), The Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Al ($107,600 across 2 grants) and Schools Rule Marin ($60,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 75% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Venables Foundation?
The Venables Foundation reported $9.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $441K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $409K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Venables Foundation fund?
No foundation mission is stated in the available information. Its 2025 grantees include organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Venables Foundation?
The filing says to submit an application in writing stating the organization’s purpose, address, telephone number, and contact person. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Venables Foundation's EIN?
The Venables Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 27-1360916. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 5, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 26, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 11, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 15, 2024)
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Venables Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Venables Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-venables-foundation-morg_36f31048b85e49198a22dc4e7bc9bfaa
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_271360916_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Venables Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-venables-foundation-morg_36f31048b85e49198a22dc4e7bc9bfaa},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-05. 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 Venables 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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