Tongs Charity Foundation
Tongs Charity Foundation is a private foundation focused on Public Safety, Disaster Preparedness & Relief, based in San Francisco, CA. IRS filing data is available from 2020 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $4.7M in total assets. In 2025, it awarded 2 grants totaling $317K. Net investment income was $343K.
Tongs Charity Foundation at a glance
In short: Tongs Charity Foundation gave $317K across 2 grants in 2025 (avg $159K). Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $317,208
- -46.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 2
- +100.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $158,604
- -73.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $158,604
- Total assets
- $4,702,069
- -3.0% vs 2024
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026.
Who Tongs Charity Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 2 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was China Voluntary Group ($307K). Together the top 2 received $317K.
Grant Size Distribution
9 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 4 grants of 9 (44%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
How Tongs Charity Foundation gives
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−14%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 98% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $4K (2020) to $660K (2023). In 2025 it made 2 grants totaling $317K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| China Voluntary Group | Donation of winter jackets to the china voluntary group to help distribute jackets to the children and elderly of china in need. | $306,934 |
| Buckwheat Blossom Branch Student Aid Association | Donation of school supplies to the buckwheat blossom branch student aid association to assist students with their academics. | $10,274 |
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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 | $4,702,069 | $376,811 | $483,440 | $317,208 | 2 | $317,208 | $343,256 | $323,543 |
| 2024 | $4,845,726 | $565,198 | $740,259 | $595,683 | 1 | $595,683 | $441,349 | $327,174 |
| 2023 | $5,068,280 | $264,332 | $772,252 | $660,075 | 2 | $660,075 | $174,654 | $326,472 |
| 2022 | $5,481,135 | $411,321 | $479,592 | $369,043 | 2 | $369,043 | $321,877 | $335,669 |
| 2021 | $5,563,837 | $437,701 | $442,554 | $297,050 | 2 | $297,050 | $305,863 | $353,750 |
| 2020 | $5,466,953 | $267,734 | $88,103 | $3,754 | 1 | — | $191,883 | $297,050 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Tongs Charity Foundation reported a distributable amount of $324K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Tongs Charity Foundation is led by Helen Tong Lam, CEO on every filing since 2020; none of the 6 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Helen Tong Lam
CEO
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Franklin Tong
President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Colina Tong
Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Janyu Tong
Officer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Tong
CFO
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Peter Tong
Officer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
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 Tongs Charity Foundation
How much does Tongs Charity Foundation give each year?
Tongs Charity Foundation gave $317K across 2 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $596K across 1 grant.
How large is Tongs Charity Foundation?
Tongs Charity Foundation reported $4.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $317K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $324K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What is Tongs Charity Foundation?
Tongs Charity Foundation is a private foundation focused on Public Safety, Disaster Preparedness & Relief, based in San Francisco, CA. It holds $4.7M in total assets as of 2025.
Where does Tongs Charity Foundation operate?
Tongs Charity Foundation has awarded grants in California, New York.
What is Tongs Charity Foundation's EIN?
Tongs Charity Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-5730270. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 19, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Tongs Charity Foundation funds
Public Safety, Disaster Preparedness & Relief Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Tongs Charity Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Tongs Charity Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved November 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/tongs-charity-foundation-morg_0631dba0f7394ec99aa51de508b65f18
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_205730270_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Tongs Charity Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/tongs-charity-foundation-morg_0631dba0f7394ec99aa51de508b65f18},
note = {Accessed 2026-11-13. 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 Tongs Charity 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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