The Yasme Foundation
The Yasme Foundation is a private foundation based in Indianola, Washington. It supports scientific and educational projects related to amateur radio, including long-distance communication and the introduction and promotion of amateur radio in developing countries.
The Yasme Foundation at a glance
In short: The Yasme Foundation gave $62K across 18 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), top state Kentucky. 72% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $61,675
- -14.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 18
- -25.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,426
- +13.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $898
- Total assets
- $1,846,955
- +14.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 72% first-time grantees (13 of 18, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Kentucky (26% 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 Yasme Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The 2024 filing says to submit a letter explaining the requested grant’s purpose and its relationship to the foundation’s amateur-radio-related scientific or educational purpose.
- Review Cycle
- None, according to the 2024 filing.
- Deadline
- None, according to the 2024 filing.
- Contact
Application contact: Charles K Epps
Mailing address: PO Box 592, Indianola, WA 98342
Phone: (650) 207-4454
Website: https://www.yasme.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Yasme Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Electronic Applications Radio Service ($16K). Together the top 10 received $57K.
Grant Size Distribution
88 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 88 grants of 88 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing reports recipient-state shares of grant dollars as Kentucky 26%, an unspecified state 21%, Texas 17%, Pennsylvania 8%, and Iowa 6%. Listed grant recipients were also located in other states and countries. These figures describe reported grant recipients and do not establish a geographic eligibility policy.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 18 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Yasme Foundation open to new grantees?
72%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 13 of 18 grantees (72%) were first-time recipients. With only 18 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $7K. How we count
Medians: $560 first-time, $5K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $49K (2022) to $88K (2020). In 2025 it made 18 grants totaling $62K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Electronic Applications Radio Service Union, KY | YOTA booth at Hamvention YOTA R2 Summer Camp | $15,775 |
| Radio Club de Provins | Region I YOTA Summer Camp | $11,500 |
| WWROF Inc Fredericksburg, TX | WRTC-26 | $10,500 |
| Contest University Inc West Middlesex, PA | Hamvention audio-visual support | $5,000 |
| Kees Van Oosbree W0AAE Ames, IA | Frying Pan Tower Project | $4,000 |
| Elayi M Banda 7Q7EB Long Island City, NY | Malawi Training Project | $4,000 |
| Andy Repetto ZD9BV Stafford, VA | ZD9BV Reverse Beacon Network Project | $2,873 |
| Roland Gafner HB9VQQ Wilmington, DE | RM Noise Project | $2,000 |
| Pacific Island DX Group Morganton, GA | Youth support for PJ6Y DXpedition | $1,000 |
| Dayton Hamvention Dayton, OH | HamSCI booth at Dayton Hamvention | $796 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,846,955 | $113,880 | $63,895 | $61,675 | 18 | $63,895 | $55,938 |
| 2024 | $1,615,358 | $86,681 | $74,770 | $72,474 | 24 | $74,770 | $52,769 |
| 2023 | $1,570,656 | $70,814 | $75,309 | $73,670 | 16 | $75,309 | — |
| 2022 | $1,439,387 | $4,173 | $51,294 | $48,606 | 19 | $51,294 | — |
| 2021 | $1,690,685 | $43,559 | $57,277 | $55,247 | 11 | $57,277 | $15,520 |
| 2020 | $1,538,381 | $42,360 | $90,620 | $88,255 | 21 | — | — |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
Yasme’s stated purpose is to support scientific and educational projects related to amateur radio. Its grants have supported youth activities, training, radio projects, and event-related costs. For example, 2025 grants included support for YOTA camps, the Malawi Training Project, amateur radio licensing exams in Malawi, the Reverse Beacon Network, and Hamvention-related activities.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, Yasme reported 18 grants totaling $61,675. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $15,775, with a median of $898.
Among its largest reported 2025 grants were $15,775 to Electronic Applications Radio Service for a YOTA booth at Hamvention and YOTA R2 Summer Camp; $11,500 to Radio Club de Provins for Region I YOTA Summer Camp; $10,500 to WWROF Inc for WRTC-26; and $5,000 to Contest University Inc for Hamvention audio-visual support. Other grants included $4,000 to Kees Van Oosbree W0AAE for the Frying Pan Tower Project and $4,000 to Elayi M Banda 7Q7EB for the Malawi Training Project.
The 2024 filing states that the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. It describes a request process in which applicants send a letter explaining the grant’s purpose and its relationship to the foundation’s amateur-radio-related scientific or educational purpose. The filing reports no award restrictions.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists H Ward Silver as director and president; Kenneth J Claerbout as director, vice president, and secretary; and Charles K Epps as director and treasurer. It also lists Robert B Vallio, Martti Laine, Hans Blondeel Timmerman, Martin A Woll, James A Brooks, David G Sumner, and Mark D Beckwith as directors.
The Yasme Foundation is led by H Ward Silver, Director & President on every filing since 2020; none of the 10 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
H Ward Silver
Director & President
On filings since 2020
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Charles K Epps
Director & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Hans Blondeel Timmerman
Director
On filings since 2020
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
James A Brooks
Director
On filings since 2020
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Martin A Woll
Director
On filings since 2020
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Martti Laine
Director
On filings since 2020
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Robert B Vallio
Director
On filings since 2020
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David G Sumner
Director
On filings since 2024
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mark D Beckwith
Director
New on the 2025 filing
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kenneth J Claerbout
Director Vice President & Secretary
On filings since 2020
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Alfred A Laun (2020–2021) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 Yasme Foundation
How much does The Yasme Foundation give each year?
The Yasme Foundation gave $62K across 18 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $72K across 24 grants.
What is The Yasme Foundation's typical grant size?
The Yasme Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $898, and its average grant was $3,426, across 18 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Yasme Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does The Yasme Foundation give grants?
The Yasme Foundation's top state is Kentucky, with 26% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Texas (17%) and Pennsylvania (8%).
Does The Yasme Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 18 grants with a stated purpose on The Yasme Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Yasme Excellence Award" (6 grants).
Who are The Yasme Foundation's largest grantees?
The Yasme Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Electronic Applications Radio Service ($15,775), Radio Club de Provins ($11,500) and WWROF Inc ($10,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 61% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Yasme Foundation?
The Yasme Foundation reported $1.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $114K.
What does The Yasme Foundation fund?
Yasme’s stated purpose is to support scientific and educational projects related to amateur radio. Its grants have supported youth activities, training, radio projects, and event-related costs. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Yasme Foundation?
The 2024 filing says to submit a letter explaining the requested grant’s purpose and its relationship to the foundation’s amateur-radio-related scientific or educational purpose. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Yasme Foundation's EIN?
The Yasme Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-1628934. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
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 2020 (received by the IRS March 4, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 7, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 18, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 17, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 7, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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