Zari and Gregory Semerdjian

Private foundation · Grantmaker Tacoma, WA EIN: 46-1422171

ZARI AND GREGORY SEMERDJIAN is a private foundation based in Tacoma, Washington. Its 2025 filing lists grants to organizations supporting youth choral arts, nature access, Armenian religious communities, arts, health care, and domestic violence survivors.

Key facts about Zari and Gregory Semerdjian

In short: Zari and Gregory Semerdjian gave $43K across 15 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in Washington. 7% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
46-1422171
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025
Annual giving (2025)
$43,475
Grants made (2025)
15
Average grant
$2,898
Median grant
$1,000
New grantees (estimate)
7% first-time grantees (1 of 15, 2025)
Total assets
$637,620
Primary geography
Washington (84% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
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. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Financial Overview

From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$638K

+8.8% YoY

Annual Giving

$43K

-16.0% YoY

Grant Count

15

-16.7% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$3K

+0.8% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Zari and Gregory Semerdjian reported a distributable amount of $32K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Is Zari and Gregory Semerdjian open to new grantees?

7%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 1 of 15 grantees (7%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $3K. How we count

Medians: $4K first-time, $1K repeat.

  • 87% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving grew 39% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 141% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

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.

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

Mission & Focus Areas

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of charitable organizations. For example, Tacoma Youth Chorus describes its mission as “Transforming the lives of youth through choral artistry and the ensemble experience.” Friends of Lakewood says Lakewold Gardens seeks to provide equitable access to nature and foster peace, creativity, and healing. YWCA Pierce County describes its mission as “Transforming lives through safety, healing and empowerment.” St. Nersess Armenian Seminary describes itself as a religious educational institution supporting the education and training of people dedicated to service and ministry in the Armenian Church. Community Health Care says it provides accessible medical, dental, and behavioral health care.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation reported 15 grants totaling $43,475. Grants ranged from $250 to $20,000, with a median grant of $1,000.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, 84% of grant dollars went to recipients in Washington, 8% to New York, and 8% to California. The listed recipients show grants to organizations in Tacoma and elsewhere in Washington, as well as organizations in New York and California.

Grant Distribution by State

4states

Share of all 15 itemized 2025 grant dollars.

Cities

TacomaSeattleArmonkSan DiegoNew YorkStaten IslandAmericusLakewoodAliso ViejoFresnoMission HillsPasadena

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$20K$40K$60K12 grants201910 grants202012 grants202115 grants202220 grants202318 grants202415 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $21K (2020) to $52K (2024). In 2025 it made 15 grants totaling $43K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Tacoma Youth Chorus: $20KTacoma Youth Chorus$20KFriends of Lakewood: $4KFriends of Lakewood$4KSt Sarkis Armenian Church of San Diego: $4KSt Sarkis Armenian Church ofSan Diego$4KTacoma Symphony Orchestra: $4KTacoma Symphony Orchestra$4KYWCA Pierce County: $4KYWCA Pierce County$4KDiocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern): $2KDiocese of the Armenian Churchof America (Eastern)$2KGreentike (Children's Museum of Tacoma): $2KGreentike (Children's Museumof Tacoma)$2KMary Bridge Children's Hospital: $1KMary Bridge Children'sHospital$1KSt Nersess Armenian Seminary Inc: $1KSt Nersess Armenian SeminaryInc$1KTacoma Opera: $1KTacoma Opera$1K

The largest 2025 recipient was Tacoma Youth Chorus ($20K). Together the top 10 received $41K.

Grant Size Distribution

80 grants across all recorded years

80<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 80 grants of 80 (100%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Tacoma Youth Chorus Tacoma, WASupport Youth Choir$20,000
Friends of Lakewood Lakewood, WASupport Expanding Access to Nature$4,325
St Sarkis Armenian Church of San Diego San Diego, CASupport Armenian Religious Community$3,500
Tacoma Symphony Orchestra Tacoma, WASupport Tacoma Musical Arts$3,500
YWCA Pierce County Tacoma, WASupport Domestic Violence Survivors$3,500
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern) New York, NYSupport the Armenian Religious Community$2,000
Greentike (Children's Museum of Tacoma) Tacoma, WASupport programming and advocacy for children and youth in Pierce county$1,500
Mary Bridge Children's Hospital Tacoma, WASupport for healing and a healthy future through philanthropy$1,000
St Nersess Armenian Seminary Inc Armonk, NYSupport Education of Future Armenian Church Leaders$1,000
Tacoma Opera Tacoma, WASupport Community Opera$1,000

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grants Grant count
2025 $637,620 $102,400 $50,765 $43,475 15
2024 $585,985 $53,986 $59,058 $51,750 18
2023 $591,057 $51,134 $39,897 $33,275 20
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$50K$100K$150K2019202020212022202320242025
Metric202520242023
Total Assets$637,620$585,985$591,057
Revenue$102,400$53,986$51,134
Expenses$50,765$59,058$39,897
Qualifying Distributions$45,475$53,650$35,150
Net Investment Income$57,110$32,828$16,387
Distributable Amount$32,328$31,499$28,357

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 9, 2020)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 22, 2021)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 31, 2022)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 5, 2023)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 13, 2024)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 28, 2025)
  7. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 24, 2026)
  8. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Zari Semerdjian as president/director and Gregory Semerdjian as secretary/treasurer/director.

Zari and Gregory Semerdjian is led by Zari Semerdjian, President & Director on every filing since 2019; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Zari Semerdjian

    President & Director

    On filings since 2019

    8 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Gregory Semerdjian

    Secretary, Treasurer & Director

    On filings since 2019

    8 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

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.

Contact

Mailing address: 2902 N Vista View Drive, Tacoma, WA 98407
Phone: (253) 761-1663

Frequently asked questions about Zari and Gregory Semerdjian

How much does Zari and Gregory Semerdjian give each year?

Zari and Gregory Semerdjian gave $43K across 15 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $52K across 18 grants.

What is Zari and Gregory Semerdjian's typical grant size?

Zari and Gregory Semerdjian's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $2,898, across 15 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Zari and Gregory Semerdjian that year got $4K on average.

Where does Zari and Gregory Semerdjian give grants?

Zari and Gregory Semerdjian gives mostly in Washington: 84% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (8%) and California (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Tacoma, WA (9 grants).

Does Zari and Gregory Semerdjian give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 15 grants with a stated purpose on Zari and Gregory Semerdjian's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.

Who are Zari and Gregory Semerdjian's largest grantees?

Zari and Gregory Semerdjian's largest 2025 grantees include Tacoma Youth Chorus ($20,000), Friends of Lakewood ($4,325) and St Sarkis Armenian Church of San Diego ($3,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 64% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Zari and Gregory Semerdjian?

Zari and Gregory Semerdjian reported $638K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $45K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $32K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Zari and Gregory Semerdjian fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of charitable organizations. For example, Tacoma Youth Chorus describes its mission as “Transforming the lives of youth through choral artistry and the ensemble experience.” See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Zari and Gregory Semerdjian?

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 Zari and Gregory Semerdjian's EIN?

Zari and Gregory Semerdjian's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 46-1422171. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Does Zari and Gregory Semerdjian accept unsolicited proposals?

No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑

Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

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