Silver Family Foundation
Darien, CT · EIN 06-1532898. Reported 196 grants totalling $34.4M to 79 recipients across tax years 2021-2024. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. Silver Family Foundation did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $30,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $25,000 and $50,000; the smallest was $4,987 and the largest $17.5M. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by name and state as they were written on the returns, so an organization entered under two different names appears twice. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which that name received money.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon Health and Science University Foundation | Portland, OR | $19.5M | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Catlin Gabel School | Portland, OR | $2,172,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Younglife | Colorado Springs, CO | $2,125,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Portland Art Museum | Portland, OR | $1,730,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Friends of the Children of the Klamath Falls | Klamath Falls, OR | $735,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Friends of the Children Seattle | Seattle, WA | $715,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| De La Salle North Catholic High School | Portland, OR | $703,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Friends of the Children Portland | Portland, OR | $630,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| College Possible | Gresham, OR | $400,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Rainier Scholars | Seattle, WA | $325,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| St Andrew Navity School | Portland, OR | $300,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Children's Institute | Portland, OR | $233,332 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Far and Wise | Hailey, ID | $200,100 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters Columbia Northwest | Portland, OR | $200,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Ecosystem Sciences Foundation | Boise, ID | $200,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Mind Matters of Portland | Portland, OR | $200,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Reading Results | Portland, OR | $200,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Together We Are Greater Than | Portland, OR | $200,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Year Up Pugent Sound | Seattle, WA | $200,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Seattle Nativity School | Seattle, WA | $180,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Idaho Basecamp | Ketchem, ID | $145,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The Space | Hailey, ID | $145,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Lee Pesky Learning Center | Boise, ID | $140,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Rainier Athletes | Bellevue, WA | $135,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Camp Tamarack | Bend, OR | $130,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Metropolitan Family Services | Portland, OR | $130,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| College Dreams Inc | Grants Pass, OR | $120,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Elevate Oregon | Portland, OR | $120,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Rmerle Palmer Minority Scholarship Foundation Dba Palmer Scholars | Tacoma, WA | $110,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Treehouse Fund | Seattle, WA | $110,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Willamette Academy | Salem, OR | $109,420 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Rogue Valley Mentoring | Medford, OR | $105,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Kairospdx | Portland, OR | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Oregon Bravo Youth Orchestras | Portland, OR | $100,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Rainier Prep | Seattle, WA | $100,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Summer Search Seattle | Seattle, WA | $90,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Reading Partners | Oakland, CA | $80,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Portland Community Football Club | Portland, OR | $65,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Youth Villages | Marylhurst, OR | $65,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Communities in School in Peninsula | Vaughn, WA | $60,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Friends of Saturday Academy | Portland, OR | $60,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Holla | Portland, OR | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Portland Leadership Foundation Dba the Contingent | Portland, OR | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Summer Search | San Francisco, CA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Friends of the Mentor | Lakeview, OR | $45,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Central Catholic High School | Portland, OR | $43,985 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Family Treehouse Cooperative Preschool | Portland, OR | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| I Have a Dream Foundation-Oregon | Portland, OR | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Mind Matters of Seattle | Seattle, WA | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Wood River Community YMCA | Ketchem, ID | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| A Village for One | Oregon City, OR | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Blaine County Charitable Fund | Hailey, ID | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Mentoring Network Inc | Nampa, ID | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Nature Conservancy | Arlington, VA | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Arcs Foundation | Portland, OR | $34,987 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Friends of Explorer Post 58 | Portland, OR | $32,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Cristo Rey Jesuit Seattle High School | Seattle, WA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Kids Club of Harney County | Burns, OR | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Blaine County Education Foundation | Hailey, ID | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Camp Ten Trees | Seattle, WA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Citizens for Safe Schools | Klamath Falls, OR | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Silver Creek Alliance | Picabo, ID | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Mayfly Project | Benton, AR | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Women's and Children's Crisis Shelter | Whittier, CA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Above and Beyond the Classroom | Driggs, ID | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Community Youth Services | Olympia, WA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Portland Leadership Foundation | Portland, OR | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Reading and Math Inc Dba Ampact | Minneapolis, MN | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Fishtrap Inc | Enterprise, OR | $12,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Harper's Playground | Portland, OR | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Invest in Youth | Seattle, WA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Oregon High School Lacross | Portland, OR | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Refugee Women's Alliance | Seattle, WA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Children's Course | Gladstone, OR | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Hunger Coalition - Blaine County | Bellevue, ID | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Portland Workforce Alliance | Portland, OR | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Portland Backpack | Portland, OR | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Toy and Joy Makers | Portland, OR | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Water First | Seattle, WA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
50 of 79 (63%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 73%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is about typical. This measures how often it paid the same organizations again. It says nothing about whether it would consider a new one.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- Younglife
INTRODUCING ADOLESCENTS TO JESUS CHRIST AND HELPING THEM GROW IN THEIR FAITH - Portland Art Museum
YOUTH ENRICHMENT THROUGH ART EDUCATION - Friends of the Children Seattle
MENTORING PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN - St Andrew Navity School
EDUCATION IN THE JESUIT TRADITION TO SERVE YOUTH OF ALL FAITHS FROM LOW INCOME BACKGROUNDS - College Possible
MENTORING LOW INCOME STUDENTS TO GET INTO COLLEGEMENTORING LOW INCOME STUDENTS TO GET INTO COLLEGE - Rainier Scholars
YOUTH ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT, COLLEGE PREP, LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 132 grants where we could match the recipient to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's. The match, made from the name and address on the return, is ours.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 51 | $22.0M | $30,000 |
| 2022 | 46 | $6,701,997 | $35,000 |
| 2023 | 49 | $2,451,877 | $30,000 |
| 2024 | 50 | $3,182,693 | $37,500 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Already committed for future years
Form 990-PF has a separate schedule for grants approved but not yet paid. Silver Family Foundation has 51 of them, worth $4,144,166. This is the one part of the filing that looks forward rather than back.
| Organization | Location | Approved |
|---|---|---|
| Friends of the Children Portland | Portland, OR | $250,000 |
| Rainier Scholars | Seattle, WA | $200,000 |
| De La Salle North Catholic High School | Portland, OR | $200,000 |
| College Possible - Or | Portland, OR | $120,000 |
| Friends of the Children Portland | Portland, OR | $120,000 |
| College Possible Wa (formerly College Access Now) | Seattle, WA | $100,000 |
| Friends of Children - Central Oregon | Bend, OR | $100,000 |
| Friends of Children - Tacoma | Tacoma, WA | $100,000 |
| Friends of the Children - Lane County | Eugene, OR | $100,000 |
| Friends of the Children Seattle | Seattle, WA | $100,000 |
| Reading Results | Portland, OR | $100,000 |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters Columbia Northwest | Portland, OR | $100,000 |
| Friends of the Children - Eastern Idaho | Pocatello, ID | $100,000 |
| Friends of the Children - Sw Washington | Vancouver, WA | $100,000 |
| Friends of the Children National Office | Portland, OR | $100,000 |
Where its money goes
84% of its giving went to organizations in Oregon. If your organization is based elsewhere, look in the recipient list for grants to your area before writing.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more: they do not show that any of these funders would consider a new organization. Each page says what its filings show.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $30,000. A request many times that size asks for something it has rarely or never given.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in Oregon.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Silver Family Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Grant figures are from its returns. Matching recipients to registered organizations, their IRS classifications, the retention rate and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations, described in how we build this.
Address of record on the latest return: 280 Tokeneke Road, Darien, CT, 06820. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 06-1532898 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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