San Jose Mercury News Wish Book Fund Inc
San Jose, CA · EIN 77-0229665. Reported 231 grants totalling $5,824,192 to 154 organizations across tax years 2021-2024, on Form 990 Schedule I.
Does this grantmaker accept applications?
Its tax return does not say, and we will not guess. Private foundations file Form 990-PF, which asks outright whether they fund only organizations they select themselves -- 78% say yes, and that one answer is what lets the rest of this site tell you which foundations are worth approaching. Grantmaking charities like this one file a regular Form 990 instead, and the IRS never puts the question to them. Anyone claiming to know the answer from the filing is inventing it.
Three things in the filing do bear on it:
- What kind of organization it is. The IRS has no activity classification on file for this one, so we cannot tell you whether it is a community foundation or a single-institution support fund. The recipient list below is the better guide.
- How spread out its giving is. 154 distinct organizations, with 3% of the dollars going to the largest single recipient. That is genuinely spread out -- the mark of a funder making many independent decisions rather than underwriting one institution.
- How much its list changes. 22% of one year's grantees are funded again the next, across 3 year-to-year transitions. That is below the 57% median for grantmaking charities, and well below the 67% private foundations manage. A list that turns over this much is one a newcomer can realistically join.
How big are its grants?
The median reported grant is $20,000. Half of what it reported fell between $11,740 and $35,000; the smallest was $6,000 and the largest $86,188. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong organization.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by the EIN the filer reported, not by name, so an organization that was typed differently in two years appears once rather than twice.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Place for Youth | Oakland, CA | $152,722 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Loaves & Fishes Family Kitchen | San Jose, CA | $149,928 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Beyond Emancipation | Oakland, CA | $129,357 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Jewish Family Service of Silicon Valley | Los Gatos, CA | $109,188 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Swords to Plowshares Veterans Rights Organization | San Francisco, CA | $107,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Second Harvest of Silicon Valley | San Jose, CA | $96,961 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Shelter Inc | Concord, CA | $94,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Bay Area Community Health | Fremont, CA | $88,178 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Immigration Institute of the Bay Area | San Francisco, CA | $87,848 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Hearts & Minds Activity Center | San Jose, CA | $86,367 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Opportunity Junction Inc | Antioch, CA | $83,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Easter Seals Central Ca | Fresno, CA | $82,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Battle Tested Kids Inc | Oakland, CA | $69,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| District Council of Contra Costa Cty Society of St Vincent De Paul | Pittsburg, CA | $65,414 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Meals on Wheels Diablo Region | Walnut Creek, CA | $64,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Service Opportunity for Seniors | San Leandro, CA | $62,525 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Loaves and Fishes of Contra Costa | Martinez, CA | $62,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| California Community Opportunities Inc | San Jose, CA | $60,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Center for Employment Training | San Jose, CA | $60,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Cityteam Ministries | San Jose, CA | $60,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Coastal Kids Home Care | Salinas, CA | $60,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Live in Peace Inc | E Palo Alto, CA | $60,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Silicon Valley Independent Living Center | San Jose, CA | $58,700 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Ecumenical Hunger Program | E Palo Alto, CA | $57,821 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| African American Community Services Agency | San Jose, CA | $55,243 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Fostering Promise | San Jose, CA | $55,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Shine Together Inc | Milpitas, CA | $55,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Winter Nights Family Shelter | Pleasant Hill, CA | $50,084 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Food Bank Contra Costa and Solano | Concord, CA | $50,003 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Amigos De Guadalupe Center for Justice and Empowerment | San Jose, CA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| California Clubhouse | San Mateo, CA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County | San Jose, CA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Jacobs Heart Childrens Cancer Support Services | Watsonville, CA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Marthas Kitchen | San Jose, CA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Paralyzed Veterans of America | Palo Alto, CA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| San Jose Day Nursery | San Jose, CA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| San Jose State University Research Foundation | San Jose, CA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Shopmonkey Foundation | Campbell, CA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Tower Foundation of San Jose State University | San Jose, CA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Valley Health Foundation Vhf | San Jose, CA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Lions Center for the Visually Impaired Inc | Pittsburg, CA | $49,600 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Bay Area Crisis Nursery | Concord, CA | $49,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Lifemoves | Santa Clara, CA | $48,964 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Paws in Need | San Ramon, CA | $47,721 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Civicorps | Oakland, CA | $47,682 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Healthright 360 | San Francisco, CA | $47,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program | Berkeley, CA | $45,620 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Sourcewise | Santa Clara, CA | $45,539 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Showerhouse Ministries | Antioch, CA | $45,122 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Healthier Kids Foundation Inc | San Jose, CA | $45,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Helping Hands Silicon Valley | Sunnyvale, CA | $45,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Meals on Wheels of Contra Costa Inc | Martinez, CA | $45,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Sunnyvale Community Services | Sunnyvale, CA | $42,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Trinity Center Walnut Creek | Walnut Creek, CA | $42,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Child Abuse Prevention Council of Contra Costa County Inc | Concord, CA | $42,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Friends for Youth Inc | Palo Alto, CA | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Peninsula Food Runners Inc | San Francisco, CA | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| The Berkeley Friends Church | Berkeley, CA | $39,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| The Youth Science Institute | Los Gatos, CA | $39,178 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| White Pony Express | Concord, CA | $39,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Homeless Garden Project | Santa Cruz, CA | $38,955 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center | San Francisco, CA | $38,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Lucile Salter Packard Childrens Hospital at Stanford | Palo Alto, CA | $37,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Goodness Village | Livermore, CA | $37,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Open Heart Kitchen of Livermore Incorporated | Livermore, CA | $37,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Lita of Contra Costa | Port Costa, CA | $36,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Asian Americans for Community Involvement of Santa Clara Co Inc | San Jose, CA | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Horizon Services Inc | Hayward, CA | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley | San Jose, CA | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Rubicon Programs Inc | Richmond, CA | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Alliance for Community Wellness | Hayward, CA | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| West Valley Community Services of Santa Clara County Inc | Cupertino, CA | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Portuguese Organization for Social Services and Opportunities | San Jose, CA | $34,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Dreampower Foundation Inc | Gilroy, CA | $33,600 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Abode Services | Fremont, CA | $32,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Pink Ribbon Good Inc | Troy, OH | $32,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Resource Area for Teaching | San Jose, CA | $32,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Trust for Hidden Villa | Los Altos Hls, CA | $32,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| East Bay Innovations Inc | San Leandro, CA | $32,410 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Senior Coastsiders Inc | Half Moon Bay, CA | $31,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Early Alert Canines | Concord, CA | $31,325 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Insight Housing | Berkeley, CA | $30,604 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| St Vincents Day Home | Oakland, CA | $30,399 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Bay Area Womens Sports Initiative Inc | San Jose, CA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Heal Project | Half Moon Bay, CA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Lincoln | Oakland, CA | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Live Oak Adult Day Services | San Jose, CA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Down Syndrome Connection of the Bay Area | Danville, CA | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Hopes Corner Inc | Mountain View, CA | $29,944 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Reading Partners | Oakland, CA | $29,239 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Bay Area Rescue Mission | Richmond, CA | $29,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| East Bay Childrens Law Offices Incorporated | Oakland, CA | $28,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| The Network of Care | Concord, CA | $28,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Good Karma Bikes | San Jose, CA | $27,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| National Ambucs Inc | San Jose, CA | $27,315 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Loved Twice | Oakland, CA | $26,986 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Grateful Gatherings | Berkeley, CA | $26,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Life Services Alternative Inc | Campbell, CA | $26,320 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Pacific Hearing Connection | Los Altos, CA | $26,222 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Legal Assistance for Seniors Inc | Oakland, CA | $26,021 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Abilitypath | Redwood City, CA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Avenidas | Palo Alto, CA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Camp Kaleidoscope | Stanford, CA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Hunger at Home | San Jose, CA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| People Assisting the Homeless | Los Angeles, CA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| The Berkeley Baby Book Project | Berkeley, CA | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| United Effort Organization Inc | Mountain View, CA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Brighter Beginnings | Richmond, CA | $24,500 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Peninsula College Fund | San Jose, CA | $24,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Housing Choices Coalition for Persons With Developmental Disabil | San Jose, CA | $23,121 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Pitstop Outreach | Gilroy, CA | $22,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| St Francis Center of Redwood City | Redwood City, CA | $20,611 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Empowered Aging | Pleasant Hill, CA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Pacific Autism Center of Education | Santa Clara, CA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Sacred Heart Nativity School | San Jose, CA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Sunday Friends Foundation | San Jose, CA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Animal Assisted Happiness Inc | Sunnyvale, CA | $19,440 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Tri-Valley Haven for Women | Livermore, CA | $19,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Recovery Cafe San Jose Inc | San Jose, CA | $18,475 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Las Trampas School Inc | Lafayette, CA | $17,900 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| College of Adaptive Arts | Saratoga, CA | $17,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Sunflower Hill | Livermore, CA | $17,449 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Monument Impact | Concord, CA | $17,244 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Rising Sun Center for Opportunity | Oakland, CA | $16,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Futures Explored Inc | Concord, CA | $15,568 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Easy Does It Emergency Services Program | Berkeley, CA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Foothill-De Anza Community Colleges Foundation | Los Altos Hls, CA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Front Porch Communities Foundation | Glendale, CA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Girls on the Run of the Bay Area Inc | San Francisco, CA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Hijas Del Campo | Brentwood, CA | $14,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Richmond Community Foundation | Richmond, CA | $14,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| We Care Services for Children | Concord, CA | $14,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Low-Income Self-Help Center | San Jose, CA | $13,580 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Live Earth Farm Discovery Program | Watsonville, CA | $12,959 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Lupus Foundation of Northern California | San Jose, CA | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Berkeley Food Network | Berkeley, CA | $12,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Contra Costa Crisis Center | Walnut Creek, CA | $12,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Centro Legal De La Raza Inc | Oakland, CA | $11,740 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Richmond Public Library - Literacy for Every Adult Program | Richmond, CA | $11,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Veterans Accession House | Concord, CA | $11,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Community Services Agency | Mountain View, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Options Recovery Services | Berkeley, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Parents Helping Parents Inc | San Jose, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Eden I & R Inc | Hayward, CA | $9,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Rainbow Community Center of Contra Costa County | Concord, CA | $9,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Diablo Valley Giving Partners | Walnut Creek, CA | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| First Baptist Head Start | Pittsburg, CA | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Hayward Police Department | Hayward, CA | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Hively | Pleasanton, CA | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Mental Health Association of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Monumental Toy Drive | Concord, CA | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Womens Cancer Resource Center | Berkeley, CA | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Acts of Grace Bay Area Foundation | Oakland, CA | $7,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Downs Memorial United Methodist Church (36-216773X) | Oakland, CA | $7,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
49 of 154 (32%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold. Remember the $5,000 floor: an organization funded every year at $3,000 shows up here as never funded at all.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose column of its filings, largest first. This is the closest thing to a statement of what it funds, in its own words.
- Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley
SPECIFIC PROGRAM OR PROJECT SUPPORT - Cco - California Community Opportunities
PURCHASED 2 VANS TO HELP PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES GET TO APPOINTMENTS - Loaves and Fishes Family Kitchen
PROVIDED 14,000 HEALTHY MEALS TO LOW INCOME PEOPLE - Ecumenical Hunger Program
PERSONAL SUPPLIES OR SERVICES (FOR A SPECIFIC INDIVIDUAL OR FAMILY) - Fostering Promise
FUNDED 2 NEW STAFF MEMBERS WHO ARE STRATEGIC ADVISORS - California Clubhouse
FUNDS YOUNG ADULTS RECOVERING FROM MENTAL ILLNESS
What kind of organizations it funds
By each recipient's own IRS classification, for the 130 of 154 recipients we could match to a registered organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses -- Schedule I reports the recipient's EIN, so this is a lookup rather than a name match.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants reported | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 85 | $1,457,742 | $13,000 |
| 2022 | 59 | $1,877,216 | $26,986 |
| 2023 | 46 | $1,261,640 | $25,260 |
| 2024 | 41 | $1,227,594 | $25,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- Form 990 arrives about a year after the year it covers, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a grantmaker winding down.
Where its money goes
99% of its giving went to organizations in California. Community foundations and federated funds are usually the most geographically bounded funders there are -- being outside the footprint is normally disqualifying in a way that a weak programme fit is not.
Down to the city
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Funders that support the same organizations
These grantmakers and private foundations gave to organizations this one also funded. Shared grantees are the strongest signal available that two funders have overlapping priorities -- and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.
How to approach this grantmaker
- Look for a published programme first. Unlike most private foundations, organizations of this kind often do run open, deadlined grant cycles with written guidelines. Its own website is the authority on that; this page is the authority on who it has actually paid.
- Check you are its size. The median reported grant is $20,000 -- and because grants under $5,000 need not be reported, it very likely writes smaller cheques than this page can see.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving concentrates in California.
- Read the recipient list for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer and a cheap one to get.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from San Jose Mercury News Wish Book Fund Inc's own Form 990 Schedule I filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Nothing here is scraped, inferred or estimated.
Address of record on the latest return: 75 E Santa Clara St 1100, San Jose, CA, 95113.
EIN 77-0229665 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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