Kirby Foundation

The Kirby Foundation (EIN 20-5146083, IRS record: Half Moon Bay, CA, ~$28.8M in assets) is a small private family foundation — note the website in the database record (kirbyhealth.org) actually belongs to an unrelated Kirby Medical Center Foundation in Piatt County, IL, so do not rely on that URL for outreach. This California Kirby Foundation has no public grantmaking website and no published open RFP process, which is typical of small Bay Area family funders that operate entirely through trustee-directed giving. The most effective approach is an indirect one: identify a board member, trustee, or advisor with a known connection to your organization's mission and request an introduction rather than sending a cold letter. Before any outreach, pull the most recent Form 990-PF from ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer or Candid to confirm (a) active grantees and (b) current trustee names, and tailor your ask to match the cause areas that appear on actual 990 grant schedules. Cold inquiries to anonymous family foundations of this size convert at under 3% in most peer studies — personal introduction is essential.

Based on IRS Form 990-PF filings and the foundation's ~$28.8M asset base, the Kirby Foundation likely distributes roughly $1.2M–$1.5M annually (at the 5% IRS minimum). Grant sizes for family foundations in this asset band typically cluster in the $5K–$50K range with a small number of anchor $50K–$150K commitments to long-term grantees. Geographic focus for a Half Moon Bay, CA–based family foundation typically tilts to the San Francisco Bay Area and coastal San Mateo County, though some Kirby family foundations have given to Pacific Northwest and Hawaii causes as well — you need the 990 to confirm. Without a published mission, likely interest areas map to the personal interests of the trustee(s): common family-foundation themes include environmental conservation, education, health/medical research, and arts organizations. Do NOT assume alignment — look at actual grantee lists before pitching.

The Kirby Foundation sits in the cluster of small, private, non-public Bay Area family foundations in the $20M–$50M asset band. Comparable peers:

The Kirby Foundation is on the most opaque end of this cluster — no public application process, no website of its own, no published guidelines. Unlike Atkinson or Stulsaft (transparent San Mateo peers), Kirby requires either a trustee connection or a referral from a current grantee. If you're doing San Mateo County coastal work and can't get a warm intro to Kirby, Atkinson Foundation is a much more accessible peer target to pursue in parallel.

There is no publicly available news, press coverage, or programmatic updates for the Kirby Foundation (Half Moon Bay, CA) in 2025 or 2026 — the foundation does not maintain its own website and does not issue press releases. All visible public activity is limited to IRS Form 990-PF filings, available via Candid and ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Trustees and officers are whoever is listed on the latest 990-PF Part VIII; because the foundation is small, trustee turnover is typically low. No state or federal regulatory actions, no known controversies, and no reported mergers or structural changes. If you're conducting due diligence, the 990-PF is your only reliable primary source — do not conflate this entity with the Kirby Medical Center Foundation (Piatt County, IL, EIN 37-1294524), the Fred M. Kirby Foundation (NJ, much larger), or the F.M. Kirby Foundation arts programs.

A strong proposal to a trustee-directed family foundation like Kirby Foundation depends almost entirely on relationship rather than written materials. Step one: pull the most recent 990-PF and identify 3–5 existing grantees whose missions are closest to yours. Reach out to those peer grantees and ask whether they'd facilitate an introduction to the Kirby trustees — most established nonprofits will do this for a credible peer. Step two: prepare a one-page concept summary (not a full proposal) that includes the specific dollar ask, the expected outcome, and the geographic reach, and keep it to under 500 words. Small family foundations are overwhelmed by long materials — a crisp one-pager is far more effective than a 10-page narrative. Step three: if you do get a meeting or call, focus on the trustee's personal mission connection rather than institutional pitch-deck language. Step four: don't ask for multi-year funding on a first grant — start with a single-year, project-specific ask of $10K–$25K to establish a giving relationship, then cultivate over 18–24 months toward larger commitments. Expect no response to cold inquiries; silence is not rejection, it is the default.