Toan-O'Brien Foundation
The Toan-O'Brien Foundation is a private foundation based in Boulder, Colorado. Its 2024 filing describes a purpose centered on Robyn O’Brien’s food and health reform work, including addressing the economic impact of disease through speaking, writing, and advisory work.
Toan-O'Brien Foundation at a glance
- Total assets
- $34,049
- +0.5% vs 2023
- Revenue (2024)
- $7,070
- -93.6% vs 2023
- Expenses (2024)
- $6,900
- -98.2% vs 2023
- 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 Toan-O'Brien 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: 2529 Fourth Street, Boulder, CO 80304
Phone: (505) 982-0451
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Toan-O'Brien Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
74 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 57 grants of 74 (77%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The listed 2023 grantees were based in Santa Fe, Asheville, Chicago, Washington, New York, and Arlington.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Is Toan-O'Brien Foundation open to new grantees?
17%
first-time grantees, 2023
In 2023, 2 of 12 grantees (17%) were first-time recipients. With only 12 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $36K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $8K repeat.
- 25% of 2023 grantees were also funded in 2022. Method
- Giving fell 91% from 2020 to 2023. Method
- In 2023 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2023). 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 2020 to 2023, annual grant giving ranged from $363K (2023) to $4.0M (2020). In 2023 it made 12 grants totaling $363K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| American Civil Liberties Union Albuquerque, NM | Public Charitable Purposes | $187,500 |
| New Mexico School for the Arts Santa Fe, NM | Public Charitable Purposes | $80,000 |
| Asheville School Asheville, NC | Public Charitable Purposes | $50,000 |
| Feeding America Chicago, IL | Public Charitable Purposes | $10,000 |
| Cornell Lab of Ornithology Ithaca, NY | Public Charitable Purposes | $10,000 |
| Wildearth Guardians Santa Fe, NM | Public Charitable Purposes | $5,000 |
| College Bound St. Louis, MO | Education of Under-Resourced Children | $5,000 |
| Breakthrough Santa Fe Santa Fe, NM | Public Charitable Purposes | $5,000 |
| The Wilderness Society Washington, DC | Public Charitable Purposes | $3,000 |
| National Audubon Society New York, NY | Public Charitable Purposes | $3,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $34,049 | $7,070 | $6,900 | — | — | — | — | $1,674 |
| 2023 | $33,879 | $110,149 | $376,950 | $363,000 | 12 | $363,000 | $83,749 | $6,336 |
| 2022 | $300,680 | $242,098 | $808,350 | $796,550 | 10 | $796,550 | $218,498 | $37,932 |
| 2021 | $879,943 | $2,337,184 | $3,462,529 | $3,448,000 | 26 | $3,448,000 | $1,342,466 | $118,096 |
| 2020 | $2,929,948 | $149,400 | $4,022,749 | $4,016,600 | 26 | — | $137,881 | $224,110 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Toan-O'Brien Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2K 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 foundation’s filing describes O’Brien as a food expert, strategist, and bestselling author who has led food and health reform efforts for more than a decade. It states that she addresses the economic impact of disease on families, companies, and the country through speaking engagements, writing, and advisory work.
The foundation’s 2023 grants went to organizations with varied missions. New Mexico School for the Arts describes its mission as helping young artists develop their potential through arts and academic education. Asheville School says it prepares students for college and life in a small, diverse school community. Feeding America describes its mission as advancing change by ensuring equitable access to nutritious food. Other supported organizations describe work in wildlife and public-lands conservation, bird conservation, and protecting lands and waters.
Grantmaking
In 2023, the foundation reported $363,000 in grants across 12 grants. Notable recipients included New Mexico School for the Arts ($80,000), Asheville School Inc. ($50,000), Feeding America ($10,000), WildEarth Guardians ($5,000), The Wilderness Society ($3,000), National Audubon Society Inc. ($3,000), and The Nature Conservancy ($2,000). It reported no grants in 2024.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Barrett Toan and Paula O’Brien as trustees.
Toan-O'Brien Foundation's 2024 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Barrett Toan
Trustee
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Paula O'Brien
Trustee
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
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 Toan-O'Brien Foundation
How large is Toan-O'Brien Foundation?
Toan-O'Brien Foundation reported $34K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $7K.
What does Toan-O'Brien Foundation fund?
The foundation’s filing describes O’Brien as a food expert, strategist, and bestselling author who has led food and health reform efforts for more than a decade. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Toan-O'Brien 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 ↑
Where does Toan-O'Brien Foundation make grants?
The listed 2023 grantees were based in Santa Fe, Asheville, Chicago, Washington, New York, and Arlington.
How much is Toan-O'Brien Foundation required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Toan-O'Brien Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is Toan-O'Brien Foundation's EIN?
Toan-O'Brien Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-4464256. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Toan-O'Brien 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 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). Toan-O'Brien Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/toan-o-brien-foundation-morg_2ed9f898a8b64b37abf0485947192170
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_204464256_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Toan-O'Brien Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/toan-o-brien-foundation-morg_2ed9f898a8b64b37abf0485947192170},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Toan-O'Brien 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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