Private foundation
SAN DIEGO, CAEIN
The funder's latest Form 990-PF says it gives only to organizations it has already chosen and does not accept unsolicited requests. An introduction is usually the only route.
Application policy: Funds preselected organizations only, as stated on the FY2025 return.
These lines count this foundation's own Form 990-PF returns that the IRS has published as data. An amended return replaces its original. They describe past returns only.
This is a count from past returns. It does not say the foundation will consider a new request. How it is counted: names are compared as written on the returns, without "The" at the start, without endings such as "Inc" or "LLC", and without spaces and punctuation. A recipient also counts as already listed when our records link it to the same organization as an earlier recipient, or when its name is almost the same as an earlier name (a trigram similarity of 0.8 or more, where 1 means identical). The state on the grant row is not compared. Grants that the foundation marked as paid to an individual, such as a scholarship, are left out of both numbers, and no count is shown when most of its grants are marked that way. A person whom the foundation did not mark as an individual is still counted as a recipient. A recipient can still look new when its name is written very differently from year to year, and two different recipients with almost the same name can be counted as one.
Application guidance comes from the funder's own Form 990-PF, Part XV (the section where a private foundation says how to apply), shown as filed. It is the funder's words, not ours. These fields are free text and the IRS form cuts them short. Filers sometimes put whole sentences in the contact-name box. Shown exactly as filed.
Giving by year
Total assets by year
| Year | Form | Revenue | Expenses | Giving | Assets | Net assets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | 990-PF | $29,193 | $803,700 | $791,293 | $664,959 |
Figures are as reported on the e-filed return, with no restatement. Fiscal years are the funder's own tax year, labelled by the calendar year the period ends in. A blank line means the return does not carry that figure; a real zero shows as $0. When an amended return replaces an original, every figure here uses the amended return. The original is not shown. Giving is what the funder actually paid out toward its charitable purpose in the year (qualifying distributions on Form 990-PF, charitable disbursements otherwise). Assets are what it holds; giving is what moves.
Recipient focus areas
Where recipients are
Based on the 89% of grant rows we could match to an organization record. The rest stay as reported. The IRS assigns the NTEE category when it grants exemption. It often reflects the original filing, not today's giving.
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WORKING AMERICA EDUCATION FUNDWASHINGTON, DC | PROVIDE INFO AND A VOICE FOR THE ISSUES THAT MATTER MOST TO THE WORKING CLASS | $791,293 | 2025 | |
Recipients are shown as the funder wrote them on the return. A recipient with a link was matched to an organization record; the rest stay as reported and are never guessed. Some links come from other funders' returns: when three or more of them wrote the same name and state with one EIN, and the city on this row matches, we use that EIN. The name on this row is still shown as this funder wrote it.
| Name | Title | Hours / week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence Hess | President/Sec | 1.00 | $0 |
| Suzanne Hess | Treasurer | 1.00 | $0 |
| Elliot Hess | Director | 0.00 | $0 |
| Joanna Hess | Director |
From the officer list on the latest e-filed return. Compensation is as reported there; a blank means the return carries no figure.
| $664,959 |
| FY2024 | 990-PF | $550,146 | $1,416,239 | $1,401,739 | $1,095,171 | $1,095,171 |
| FY2023 | 990-PF | $122,421 | $313,590 | $300,000 | $1,943,992 | $1,943,992 |
| FY2022 | 990-PF | $13,736 | $114,189 | $95,000 | $2,135,161 | $2,135,161 |
| FY2021 | 990-PF | $1,084,488 | $30,838 | $20,000 | $2,251,769 | $2,251,769 |
| FY2020 | 990-PF | $1,401,278 | $0 | $0 | $1,414,381 | $1,414,381 |
| HEADCOUNTMatched to this organization because 9 grant-making charities wrote this name with its EIN. Source: Schedule I of their Form 990 returns, fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Counted Oct 9, 2026.New York, NY |
| stages nonpartisan voter registration at live events |
| $450,000 |
| 2024 |
| SOUTHERN VISION ALLIANCEDurham, NC | Supports work for social, racial, enviromental justice, gender equity, LGTBQ rights & education justice in the US South. | $450,000 | 2024 |
| ACCELERATE CHANGEBoston, MA | Catalyze digital media networks to increase civic engagement with BIPOC & low-income communities | $402,221 | 2024 |
| WORKING AMERICA EDUCATION FUNDWASHINGTON, DC | PROVIDE INFO AND A VOICE FOR THE ISSUES THAT MATTER MOST TO THE WORKING CLASS | $300,000 | 2023 |
| WORKING AMERICA EDUCATION FUNDWASHINGTON, DC | PROVIDE INFO AND A VOICE FOR THE ISSUES THAT MATTER MOST TO THE WORKING CLASS | $99,518 | 2024 |
| WORKING AMERICA EDUCATION FUNDWASHINGTON, DC | PROVIDE INFO AND A VOICE FOR THE ISSUES THAT MATTER MOST TO THE WORKING CLASS | $85,000 | 2022 |
| WORKING AMERICA EDUCATION FUNDWASHINGTON, DC | PROVIDE INFO AND A VOICE FOR THE ISSUES THAT MATTER MOST TO THE WORKING CLASS | $20,000 | 2021 |
| VOTER PARTICIPATION CENTERMatched to this organization because 27 grant-making charities wrote this name with its EIN. Source: Schedule I of their Form 990 returns, fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Counted Oct 9, 2026.WASHINGTON, DC | Increase voter registration among young people, people of color, & unmarried women | $10,000 | 2022 |
| 1.00 |
| $0 |
| Donald Cohen | Director | 1.00 | $0 |
| Sandy Newman | Director | 1.00 | $0 |
Nearest by size, location and giving pattern in the database. Geography weighs heavily. Treat it as a starting list, not a ranking of fit.