Vital Spark Foundation

Foundation · Grantmaker FORESTVILLE, CA EIN: 13-3537545
EducationEnvironmentHealth

Vital Spark Foundation is a private foundation focused on Education, based in FORESTVILLE, CA. IRS filing data is available from 2020 through 2025. In 2025, it awarded 4 grants totaling $724K. Net investment income was $25K.

Key facts about Vital Spark Foundation

EIN
13-3537545
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025
Annual giving (2025)
$723,934
Grants made (2025)
4
Average grant
$180,984
Median grant
$181,397
Primary geography
California (50% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated April 2026.

Who Vital Spark Foundation funds

By grant dollars, the top recipient states for Vital Spark Foundation's 4 itemized 2025 grants were California (50%) and Pennsylvania (49%). The most frequent recipient cities were Forestville, CA (2 grants). 100% of grants with a stated purpose were for general or operating support.

Financial Overview

From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

—

-100.0% YoY

Annual Giving

$724K

+2739.0% YoY

Grant Count

4

-66.7% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$181K

+8416.9% YoY

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.

About Vital Spark Foundation

Based on IRS filings

Vital Spark Foundation is a private foundation focused on Education, based in FORESTVILLE, CA. IRS filing data is available from 2020 through 2025. In 2025, it awarded 4 grants totaling $724K. Net investment income was $25K.

Focus Areas

EducationEnvironmentHealth
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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

Grant Distribution by State

15states
+7 more states

Cities

WashingtonTucsonCarmelFinlandForestvillePhiladelphiaSan DiegoVistaBerkeleyBristolEugeneFinlancKeithvilleMadisonMontereyNew York CityNovatoOaklandRaleighSalinas

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$200K$400K$600K$800K202020212022202320242025
Metric202520242023
Total Assets—$878,648$893,855
Revenue$-141,711$23,644$47,589
Expenses$727,702$38,850$57,314
Qualifying Distributions$723,934$33,959$49,574
Net Investment Income$25,298$41,317$39,974
Distributable Amount$11,682$34,460$32,524

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$181K$362K$543K$724K5 grants20203 grants20214 grants20228 grants202312 grants20244 grants2025

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 4 recipients in 2025

Harriet Arthur Memorial …$358KSMJ Spark Foundation$358KWhite Coat Waste Project$5KHarriet Arthur Memorial …$3K

Grant Size Distribution

31 grants across all recorded years

29<$50K$50–100K$100–250K2$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2025 grants, the largest recipients include Harriet Arthur Memorial Charitable ($357,793), SMJ Spark Foundation ($357,793), White Coat Waste Project ($5,000).

RecipientPurposeAmount
Harriet Arthur Memorial Charitable Forestville, CAGENERAL PURPOSE GRANT$357,793
SMJ Spark Foundation Philadelphia, PAGENERAL PURPOSE GRANT$357,793
White Coat Waste Project Washington, DCGENERAL PURPOSE GRANT$5,000
Harriet Arthur Memorial Ch Tr Forestville, CAGeneral Purpose Grant$3,348

Leadership & Key People

Officers and directors from IRS filings

Compensation Overview

From 2025 IRS filing

From 2025 filing

NameTitleHoursCompensation
Bruce MitteldorfPresident1—
Josh MitteldorfTreasurer1—

Subject Areas

Focus areas based on grantmaking activity

EducationEnvironmentHealth

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Vital Spark Foundation?

Vital Spark Foundation is a private foundation focused on Education, based in FORESTVILLE, CA. It holds — in total assets as of 2025.

Where does Vital Spark Foundation operate?

Vital Spark Foundation has awarded grants in Arizona, California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Vermont, Wisconsin.

What size grants does Vital Spark Foundation award?

In 2025, Vital Spark Foundation awarded 4 grants totaling $724K — an average of about $181K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

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 2020–2025.

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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings.

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