Vital Spark Foundation
Vital Spark Foundation is a private foundation focused on Education, based in Forestville, CA. IRS filing data is available from 2019 through 2025. In 2025, it awarded 4 grants totaling $724K. Net investment income was $25K.
Vital Spark Foundation at a glance
In short: Vital Spark Foundation gave $724K across 4 grants in 2025 (avg $181K), mostly in California. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $723,934
- +2739.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 4
- -66.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $180,984
- +8416.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $181,397
- Primary geography
- California (50% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026.
Who Vital Spark Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 4 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Harriet Arthur Memorial Charitable ($358K). Together the top 4 received $724K.
Grant Size Distribution
31 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 29 grants of 31 (94%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 4 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Vital Spark Foundation gives
- Giving grew 2029% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $26K (2024) to $724K (2025). In 2025 it made 4 grants totaling $724K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Harriet Arthur Memorial Charitable Forestville, CA | General Purpose Grant | $357,793 |
| SMJ Spark Foundation Philadelphia, PA | General Purpose Grant | $357,793 |
| White Coat Waste Project Washington, DC | General Purpose Grant | $5,000 |
| Harriet Arthur Memorial Ch Tr Forestville, CA | General Purpose Grant | $3,348 |
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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 | — | $-141,711 | $727,702 | $723,934 | 4 | $723,934 | $25,298 | $11,682 |
| 2024 | $878,648 | $23,644 | $38,850 | $25,500 | 12 | $33,959 | $41,317 | $34,460 |
| 2023 | $893,855 | $47,589 | $57,314 | $45,500 | 8 | $49,574 | $39,974 | $32,524 |
| 2022 | $903,580 | $49,072 | $30,624 | $34,000 | 4 | $28,350 | $47,523 | $36,661 |
| 2021 | $885,131 | $121,244 | $50,529 | $38,000 | 3 | — | $69,667 | $42,255 |
| 2020 | $814,416 | $52,984 | $40,588 | $37,000 | 5 | — | $50,094 | $36,711 |
| 2019 | $802,020 | $74,022 | $74,383 | $40,000 | 5 | — | $40,296 | $38,781 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Vital Spark Foundation reported a distributable amount of $12K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Vital Spark Foundation is led by Bruce Mitteldorf, President since 2025 (on filings since 2019); none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Bruce Mitteldorf
President
Secretary → President, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Josh Mitteldorf
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Harriet Mitteldorf (2019–2024) — President
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.
Frequently asked questions about Vital Spark Foundation
How much does Vital Spark Foundation give each year?
Vital Spark Foundation gave $724K across 4 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $26K across 12 grants.
What is Vital Spark Foundation's typical grant size?
Vital Spark Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $181,397, and its average grant was $180,984, across 4 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Vital Spark Foundation give grants?
Vital Spark Foundation gives mostly in California: 50% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Pennsylvania (49%). The most frequent recipient cities were Forestville, CA (2 grants).
Does Vital Spark Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Vital Spark Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (4 of 4) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
What is Vital Spark Foundation?
Vital Spark Foundation is a private foundation focused on Education, based in Forestville, CA.
How much is Vital Spark Foundation required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2025, Vital Spark Foundation reported a distributable amount of $12K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is Vital Spark Foundation's EIN?
Vital Spark Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-3537545. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings.
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 June 5, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS June 3, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Vital Spark Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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