The Sanger Family Foundation
San Francisco, CA · EIN 46-3524352. Reported 133 grants totalling $982,859 to 82 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. The Sanger 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 $2,500. Half of everything it gave fell between $1,000 and $5,000; the smallest was $95 and the largest $200,000. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese American International School | San Francisco, CA | $250,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Sf Moma | San Francisco, CA | $72,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Grabhorn Institute | San Francisco, CA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Season of Sharing | San Francisco, CA | $40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| American Independent Foundation | Washington, DC | $36,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Uhs | Sf, CA | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Sf Parks Alliance | San Francisco, CA | $30,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Act Blue | Somerville, MA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Harvard | Cambridge, MA | $24,575 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Accelerate Change | Boston, MA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| San Francisco Conservatory of Music | San Francisco, CA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Season for Sharing | Sf, CA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Sf Jazz | San Francisco, CA | $20,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Ucsf | San Francisco, CA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Voter Registration Project | Washington, DC | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| 500 Capp Street Foundation | San Francisco, CA | $17,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Golden Gate National Parks Convervancy | Sf, CA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Park Conservancy | San Francisco, CA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| North Beach Citizens | San Francisco, CA | $13,250 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Sf Conservatory of Flowers | San Francisco, CA | $10,300 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Asian Art Museum | Sf, CA | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Gladstone Institute | San Francisco, CA | $10,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Mjdc | Sf, CA | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Sfuhs Summerbridge | San Francisco, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Oakland Genesis | Oakland, CA | $9,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Media Matters | Washington, DC | $7,500 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Sf Food Bank | San Francisco, CA | $7,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Sf Performances | San Francisco, CA | $7,500 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Larkin Street Youth Services | Sf, CA | $7,250 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Safe and Sound | San Francisco, CA | $7,155 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Tel Hi | Sf, CA | $7,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Dresher Foundation | Baltimore, MD | $6,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Sf Performance | San Francisco, CA | $6,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Enterprise for Youth | Sf, CA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Greenbelt | Sf, CA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Greenbelt Alliance | Sf, CA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Kcsm | San Mateo, CA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Mt Tamalpias College | San Quentin, CA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Paul Dresher Ensemble | Sf, CA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Save the Children | Fairfield, CT | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Sf Arts Alumni | Santa Monica, CA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Sf Arts Education | San Francisco, CA | $5,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Telegraph Hill Neighborhood Center | San Francisco, CA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Fuf | Sf, CA | $4,500 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Sf Girls Chorus | San Francisco, CA | $4,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Sfcm | San Francisco, CA | $4,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Friends of Notre Dame De Paris | Etna, NH | $3,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Doctors Without Borders | New York, NY | $3,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| John Burton Advocates for Youth | San Francisco, CA | $3,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| American Associates of the National Theatre | New York, NY | $2,582 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Chinatown Cdc | San Francisco, CA | $2,575 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Glide Foundation | Sf, CA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Sf Symphony | San Francisco, CA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Up on Top | San Francisco, CA | $2,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Voteriders | Santa Monica, CA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| For Site Foundation | Sf, CA | $2,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Fort Mason Center | Sf, CA | $2,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Friends of Mvy Radio | West Tisbury, MA | $2,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Friends of the Urban Forest | Sf, CA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Kronos Performing Arts Association | San Francisco, CA | $2,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| USC Radio | Los Angeles, CA | $2,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Arion Press | San Francisco, CA | $1,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Circus Bella | San Francisco, CA | $1,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Roxie | San Francisco, CA | $1,250 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Acro-Sports | San Francisco, CA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Children's Creativity Museum | Sf, CA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Chinese Historical Society | San Francisco, CA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Creativity Museum | San Francisco, CA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Efy | Sf, CA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Fort Mason Center for Arts | San Francisco, CA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Fractured Atlas | New York, NY | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Kdfc | Los Angeles, CA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Kqed | Sf, CA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Oxbow School | Napa, CA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Sf Artists Alliance | Santa Monica, CA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Sf Chamber Orchestra | San Francisco, CA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Spur | San Francisco, CA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| United States Fund for Unicef | Sf, CA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Sf Exploratorium | San Francisco, CA | $598 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Artseed | Sf, CA | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Fine Arts Museum Foundation | San Francisco, CA | $229 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Contemporary Jewish Museum | Sf, CA | $95 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
34 of 82 (41%) 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 44%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is less consistent than most. 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.
- Season for Sharing
PREVENT HOMELESSNESS AND HUNGER - San Francisco Conservatory of Music
SEEKING JUSTICE FOR COMMUNITIES IMPACTED BY DISCRIMINATION - Harvard
GRADUATE SCHOOL OF DESIGN, LAW SCHOOL - Sf Parks Alliance
SAFE AND BEAUTIFUL PUBLIC SPACES - Larkin Street Youth Services
CREATE A CONTINUUM OF SERVICES THAT INSPIRES YOUTH TO MOVE BEYOND THE STREET - Safe and Sound
CHAMPION FOR THE CHILDREN OF SAN FRANCISCO
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 63 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 | 31 | $155,480 | $2,575 |
| 2022 | 43 | $232,095 | $2,500 |
| 2023 | 38 | $276,360 | $2,500 |
| 2024 | 21 | $318,924 | $2,500 |
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.
Where its money goes
84% of its giving went to organizations in California. 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 $2,500. 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 California.
- 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.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from The Sanger 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: 3600 Washington Street, San Francisco, CA, 94118. 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 46-3524352 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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