True North Foundation

GRASS VALLEY, CA EIN: 74-2421528 Website

True North Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private foundation based in Grass Valley, California. The organization was established in August 1986 and operates as a grantmaking foundation supporting multiple cause areas including support for adults, older adults, people with disabilities, and environmental and natural resource initiatives.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

—

-100.0% YoY

Annual Giving

$2.1M

-33.6% YoY

Grant Count

-69.2% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$266K

+115.7% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, True North Foundation reported a distributable amount of $37K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation focuses on four primary pillars of support:

Adaptive Sports — Providing veterans new missions and connections through athletics
Education — Providing need-based scholarships for military children
Employment — Helping veterans transition from military to civilian life and careers
Rehabilitation — Providing veterans with state-of-the-art recovery treatments

Beyond veteran-focused work, the foundation also supports adults, older adults, people with disabilities, and environmental and natural resource causes.

Grantmaking

The foundation is an active grantmaker with total giving of $3,200,000 reported in recent filings. The foundation generated revenue of $2,657,038 against expenses of $3,580,273 in its most recent reporting period.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation provides funding across multiple states and cities, with particular focus on:

States: Alaska, California, Colorado, Washington, and other regions
Cities: Anchorage, Baltimore, and San Francisco

Grant Distribution by State

Alaska $7.9M (44%)

California $5.0M (28%)

District of Columbia $1.8M (10%)

Montana $1.6M (9%)

Idaho $490K (3%)

Colorado $435K (2%)

Maryland $325K (2%)

Washington $273K (2%)

+2 more states

States

Alaska California Colorado District of Columbia Delaware Idaho Maryland Montana Oregon Washington

Cities

AnchorageBaltimoreBeavertonBerkeleyBillingsBoiseBozemanDavisFairbanksFairbannksHomerJuneauLos AngelesLyonsNevada CityNeveda CityNewarkOaklandSacramentoSan Francisco

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Total Assets: $1,836,040
Total Giving: $3,200,000
Revenue: $2,657,038
Expenses: $3,580,273
Tax-Exempt Status: 501(c)(3), tax-exempt since August 1986
EIN: 74-2421528

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	—	$1,836,040	$2,740,428
Revenue	$500,619	$2,657,038	$108,770
Expenses	$2,323,476	$3,580,273	$4,471,484
Qualifying Distributions	$2,233,216	$3,481,448	$4,377,002
Net Investment Income	$410,071	$1,558,213	$14,288
Distributable Amount	$37,215	$170,515	$394,499

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 8 recipients in 2024

Grant Size Distribution

149 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Alaska Conservation Foundation ($961,087), Western Organzation of Resource Councils Education Project ($360,000), Earthworks ($250,000).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
ALASKA COMMUNITY ACTION ON TOXICS ANCHORAGE, AK	GENERAL SUPPORT/ CLEAN WATER/ MINING POSITION	$133,000
ALASKA CONSERVATION FOUNDATION ANCHORAGE, AK	MINING NETWORK	$961,087
EARTHWORKS WASHINGTON, DC	GENERAL SUPPORT/ CIRCUIT RIDER PROGRAM/ ALASKA PROGRAM	$250,000
IDAHO CONSERVATION LEAGUE BOISE, ID	MINING PROGRAM/ COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAM	$90,000
NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY ANCHORAGE, AK	GENERAL SUPPORT/ TONGASS PROGRAM/ MINING PROGRAM	$100,000
THE NORTHERN CENTER FAIRBANKS, AK	GENERAL SUPPORT/MINING PROGRAM/ COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAMS	$150,000
THE SIERRA FUND NEVEDA CITY, CA	GENERAL SUPPORT/ MINING PROGRAM	$80,000
WESTERN ORGANZATION OF RESOURCE COUNCILS EDUCATION PROJECT BILLINGS, MT	WESTERN MINING ACTIVIST/ NETWORK MINI GRANTS/ GENERAL SUPPORT/ CONFERENCE	$360,000

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

Kerry Anderson — President (full-time, compensation of $284,300)
Kathy Fong Stephens — Trustee (part-time, compensation of $14,388)

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
KERRY ANDERSON	PRESIDENT	40	$103,967
KATHY FONG STEPHENS	TRUSTEE	0.5	$7,000

Frequently Asked Questions

What does True North Foundation fund?

The foundation focuses on four primary pillars of support: • **Adaptive Sports** — Providing veterans new missions and connections through athletics • **Education** — Providing need-based scholarships for military children • **Employment** — Helping veterans transition from military to civilian life and careers • **Rehabilitation** — Providing veterans with state-of-the-art recovery treatments Beyond veteran-focused work, the foundation also supports adults, older adults, people with disabiliti…

How do I apply for a grant from True North Foundation?

Where does True North Foundation make grants?

The foundation provides funding across multiple states and cities, with particular focus on: • **States:** Alaska, California, Colorado, Washington, and other regions • **Cities:** Anchorage, Baltimore, and San Francisco

What size grants does True North Foundation award?

In 2024, True North Foundation awarded 8 grants totaling $2.1M — an average of about $266K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is True North Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, True North Foundation reported a distributable amount of $37K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.