Underwood Family Charitable Foundation
The Underwood Family Charitable Foundation is a private foundation based in Santa Barbara, California. It supports charitable organizations through grants; its 2024 recipients included organizations working in food assistance, education, homelessness services, arts, and environmental conservation.
Underwood Family Charitable Foundation at a glance
In short: Underwood Family Charitable Foundation gave $46K across 26 grants in 2024 (avg $2K), mostly in California. 12% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $46,430
- +0.0% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 26
- +4.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $1,786
- -3.8% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $273,658
- -14.6% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 12% first-time grantees (3 of 26, 2024)
- Primary geography
- California (87% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- 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 Underwood Family Charitable Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 1670, Santa Barbara, CA 93111
Phone: (408) 529-4316
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Underwood Family Charitable Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was SF Marin Food Bank ($10K). Together the top 10 received $35K.
Grant Size Distribution
107 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 107 grants of 107 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 87% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 10% to recipients in the District of Columbia, 2% to recipients in Arkansas, and 1% to recipients in Oregon.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 26 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Underwood Family Charitable Foundation open to new grantees?
12%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 3 of 26 grantees (12%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $967; repeat grants $2K. How we count
Medians: $200 first-time, $1K repeat.
- 77% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 97% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 296% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $23K (2020) to $46K (2024). In 2024 it made 26 grants totaling $46K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| SF Marin Food Bank San Francisco, CA | General Operating Support | $10,000 |
| 10000 Degrees San Rafael, CA | General Operating Support | $5,000 |
| Transition House Santa Barbara, CA | General Operating Support | $5,000 |
| Chronicle Season of Sharing San Francisco, CA | General Operating Support | $4,000 |
| Santa Barbara Botanic Garden Santa Barbara, CA | General Operating Support | $2,500 |
| SB Museum of Natural History Santa Barbara, CA | General Operating Support | $2,500 |
| No Kid Hungry Washington, DC | General Operating Support | $2,500 |
| LotusLand Santa Barbara, CA | General Operating Support | $1,030 |
| Santa Barbara Audobon Society Santa Barbara, CA | General Operating Support | $1,000 |
| Heifer International Little Rock, AR | General Operating Support | $1,000 |
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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 | $273,658 | $225 | $46,855 | $46,430 | 26 | $46,430 | $225 | $15,669 |
| 2023 | $320,288 | $-26,961 | $50,731 | $46,419 | 25 | $46,419 | $20,725 | $17,272 |
| 2022 | $397,980 | $13,006 | $36,565 | $30,751 | 19 | $30,751 | $20,594 | $18,674 |
| 2021 | $421,539 | $13,939 | $26,265 | $23,590 | 19 | $23,590 | $14,569 | $21,260 |
| 2020 | $433,865 | $7 | $24,593 | $23,414 | 18 | — | $7 | $23,248 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Underwood Family Charitable Foundation reported a distributable amount of $16K for 2024 — 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 mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations with varied missions. Transition House says it works to address family homelessness in the Santa Barbara community. 10,000 Degrees describes itself as a college-success nonprofit helping students from low-income backgrounds access and complete higher education. Santa Barbara Botanic Garden says it conserves native plants and habitats, while Santa Barbara Channelkeeper says it works to protect and restore the Santa Barbara Channel and its watersheds.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation gave $46,430 through 26 grants. Awards ranged from $200 to $10,000, with a median of $1,000. The largest listed grants were $10,000 to SF Marin Food Bank for general operating support; $5,000 each to 10000 Degrees and Transition House for general operating support; and $4,000 to Chronicle Season of Sharing for general operating support.
Other listed grants included $2,500 each to Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, SB Museum of Natural History, and No Kid Hungry. The filing also lists $1,030 to LotusLand and $1,000 each to Santa Barbara Audobon Society, Heifer International, Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, and Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, all for general operating support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Janet Underwood as Executive Dir. and William J Underwood III as President.
Underwood Family Charitable Foundation is led by Janet Underwood, Executive Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Janet Underwood
Executive Director
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
$500 (2020) → $0 (2024)
William J Underwood III
President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/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.
Compensation Overview
From 2023 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2023 filing was $500, to Janet Underwood (Executive Dir.).
Frequently asked questions about Underwood Family Charitable Foundation
How much does Underwood Family Charitable Foundation give each year?
Underwood Family Charitable Foundation gave $46K across 26 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $46K across 25 grants.
What is Underwood Family Charitable Foundation's typical grant size?
Underwood Family Charitable Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $1,000, and its average grant was $1,786, across 26 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Underwood Family Charitable Foundation that year got $967 on average.
Where does Underwood Family Charitable Foundation give grants?
Underwood Family Charitable Foundation gives mostly in California: 87% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was District of Columbia (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Santa Barbara, CA (10 grants), San Francisco, CA (4 grants), San Rafael, CA (3 grants) and Washington, DC (3 grants).
Does Underwood Family Charitable Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Underwood Family Charitable Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (26 of 26) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Underwood Family Charitable Foundation's largest grantees?
Underwood Family Charitable Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include SF Marin Food Bank ($10,000), 10000 Degrees ($5,000) and Transition House ($5,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 43% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Underwood Family Charitable Foundation?
Underwood Family Charitable Foundation reported $274K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $46K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $16K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Underwood Family Charitable Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations with varied missions. Transition House says it works to address family homelessness in the Santa Barbara community. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Underwood Family Charitable Foundation?
The foundation 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 ↑
What is Underwood Family Charitable Foundation's EIN?
Underwood Family Charitable Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 77-0456013. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Underwood Family Charitable 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 September 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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