Vesper Society
Vesper Society is a private foundation based in San Francisco, California. It describes its mission as promoting social justice locally and globally by addressing critical social issues, and says it works with communities to uphold human dignity and enhance human potential.
Vesper Society at a glance
In short: Vesper Society gave $34K across 15 grants in 2025 (avg $2K), mostly in California. 67% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $33,878
- +14.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 15
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,259
- +14.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $31,960,536
- +2.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 67% first-time grantees (10 of 15, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (85% 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 Vesper Society
- 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: 220 Montgomery Street 496, San Francisco, CA 94104
Phone: (415) 291-0901
Website: https://www.vesper.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Vesper Society funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Humboldt Area Foundation ($10K). Together the top 10 received $29K.
Grant Size Distribution
95 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 94 grants of 95 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Vesper Society says its office is in the San Francisco Bay Area and that it supports organizations in underserved urban communities as well as rural areas. Its 2025 filing identifies direct health service partners in the San Francisco Bay Area, Humboldt County, and the Central Valley. Of its 2025 grant dollars, 85% went to recipients in California and 15% to recipients in Washington, DC.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Vesper Society open to new grantees?
67%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 10 of 15 grantees (67%) were first-time recipients. With only 15 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $4K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $2K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $24K (2019) to $134K (2022). In 2025 it made 15 grants totaling $34K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Humboldt Area Foundation Bayside, CA | Aunties on the River | $10,000 |
| Native Americans in Philanthropy Washington, DC | Sponsorship for 2026 Annual Conference | $5,000 |
| The Ink People Eureka, CA | Norcan 2026 Funding | $5,000 |
| Alameda County Community Food Bank Oakland, CA | General Support | $2,000 |
| Marin City Health San Rafael, CA | Table Sponsorship for Winter Gala Benefit | $1,750 |
| The Los Angeles United Methodist Urban Foundation Los Angeles, CA | Sponsorship for oct 2025 kid city community care luncheon | $1,128 |
| Beloved Everybody Church Wildomar, CA | General Support | $1,000 |
| Community Partners Los Angeles, CA | General Support | $1,000 |
| ERV Community Center Fortuna, CA | Norcan Survey | $1,000 |
| Napa Valley College Napa, CA | In memory of rich gelber, machine tool technology program | $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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $31,960,536 | $2,531,797 | $3,582,259 | $33,878 | 15 | $5,515,182 | $2,369,198 |
| 2024 | $31,304,759 | $2,026,179 | $3,197,013 | $29,546 | 15 | $3,022,930 | $1,842,253 |
| 2023 | $31,577,160 | $1,136,707 | $2,863,291 | $36,000 | 21 | $2,944,573 | $947,676 |
| 2022 | $30,335,855 | $2,442,774 | $2,858,994 | $134,090 | 24 | $2,352,909 | $2,139,801 |
| 2021 | $38,991,933 | $2,847,249 | $2,233,558 | $40,705 | 20 | $2,538,778 | $2,676,029 |
| 2020 | $36,141,352 | $3,001,144 | $2,422,973 | $86,105 | 20 | — | $2,823,102 |
| 2019 | $34,877,741 | $2,550,096 | $2,149,844 | $24,000 | 23 | — | $2,368,527 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
Vesper Society says it has no prescribed formula for addressing complex social issues: it listens, adapts, and supports communities in exploring options and finding solutions. Its 2025 filing names direct health service partners in the San Francisco Bay Area, Humboldt County, and the Central Valley, as well as partners working on social determinants of health.
Its 2025 grants include a range of organizations. For example, Humboldt Area Foundation describes its vision as a “thriving, just, healthy and equitable region”; Alameda County Community Food Bank says it pursues a “hunger-free community”; and Taulama For Tongans says it provides health education to Tongan immigrants. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own work.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, Vesper Society reported 15 grants totaling $33,878. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $10,000, with a median grant of $1,000.
Among the largest 2025 grants were $10,000 to Humboldt Area Foundation for “Aunties on the River,” $5,000 to Native Americans in Philanthropy for sponsorship of its 2026 annual conference, and $5,000 to The Ink People for NORCAN 2026 funding. Other grants included $2,000 to Alameda County Community Food Bank for general support and $1,750 to Marin City Health for winter gala benefit table sponsorship.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Miyoko Oshima as president; Lyell Sakaue as chair; Lindsay Nako as vice chair; Michael Ward as secretary; and Hydeh Ghaffari as chief financial officer. It also lists Joe Prado, Kevin Martinez, Yammilette Rodriguez, Michael Mata, and Sara Farooqi as members. Vesper Society’s website identifies Oshima as president and chief executive officer.
Vesper Society is led by Miyoko Oshima, President on every filing since 2019; 1 of 10 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Miyoko Oshima
President
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$179K (2019) → $223K (2025)
Lyell Sakaue
Chair
Member → Chair, 2023
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Ward
Secretary
Secretary → Chair, 2024
Chair → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Yammilette Rodriguez
Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kevin Martinez
Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Hydeh Ghaffari
Chief Financial Officer
Member → Chief Financial Officer, 2024
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lindsay Nako
Vice Chair
Member → Vice Chair, 2025
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Joe Prado
Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michael Mata
Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sara Farooqi
Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (13)
- Former: Kate Lawler (2019–2024) — Vice Chair
- Former: Erika Carlsen (2020–2024) — Secretary
- Former: Jerry Brown (2022–2024) — Member
- Former: Adina Safer (2019–2023) — Member
- Former: Cynthia So-Armah (2019–2023) — Vice Chair
- Former: Sidney Stolz (2020–2022) — Chair
- Former: Joann Conroy (2022) — Member
- Former: Irene Heinemeier (2019–2021) — Vice Chair
- Former: John Larson (2019–2021) — Member
- Former: Katherine Kidd (2019–2021) — Chair
- Former: Randall Schieber (2019–2020) — Chair
- Former: Melissa Anderson (2019) — Chair
- Former: Rodric Lorimer (2019) — Member
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $223K, to Miyoko Oshima (President).
Frequently asked questions about Vesper Society
How much does Vesper Society give each year?
Vesper Society gave $34K across 15 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $30K across 15 grants.
What is Vesper Society's typical grant size?
Vesper Society's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $2,259, across 15 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Vesper Society that year got $2K on average.
Where does Vesper Society give grants?
Vesper Society gives mostly in California: 85% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was District of Columbia (15%). The most frequent recipient cities were Oakland, CA (3 grants) and Los Angeles, CA (2 grants).
Does Vesper Society give general operating support?
Yes: 53% of Vesper Society's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (8 of 15) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Vesper Society's largest grantees?
Vesper Society's largest 2025 grantees include Humboldt Area Foundation ($10,000), Native Americans in Philanthropy ($5,000) and The Ink People ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 59% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Vesper Society?
Vesper Society reported $32.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $2.5M.
What does Vesper Society fund?
Vesper Society says it has no prescribed formula for addressing complex social issues: it listens, adapts, and supports communities in exploring options and finding solutions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Vesper Society?
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 ↑
What is Vesper Society's EIN?
Vesper Society's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-6122250. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Vesper Society 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
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 8, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 13, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Vesper Society funds
Education Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Vesper Society's focus areas in our free grants database
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Vesper Society down — hundreds of funders to go?