Trisons Foundation Inc.

Trisons Foundation Inc. is a tightly held family private foundation established in Fulton, Maryland in 2009 (IRS ruling date: August 2009, EIN: 26-0729957). With $49.6 million in assets and approximately $2.6 million in annual grantmaking as of FY2024, it operates as a high-conviction, relationship-driven funder making exactly one large grant per year — a disciplined single-check strategy that sets it apart from virtually all peer foundations.

The board is composed almost entirely of the Froom family (Eric Froom, Ryan Froom, Alexander Froom, and Maluhia Froom serve as Directors) under the leadership of President Roberta Bainum. Christine A. Shreve serves as Secretary/Treasurer and is the named administrative contact on IRS filings. Every board member serves without compensation, confirming this is a closely held family philanthropic vehicle rather than a professionally staffed institution.

There is no open application cycle. The foundation carries no published RFP, no grants portal, and no formal application instructions — the IRS record literally lists "__none__" under application instructions. Public databases classify it as a "preselected only" funder, meaning all grantees are identified by the board before any external outreach. Successful organizations have almost certainly come to the foundation through personal introductions or long-standing institutional relationships.

Known grantees are concentrated in California (84% of all documented giving, $8.1M total) and Virginia (16%, $1.5M), with specific documented recipients in Loma Linda, CA (FY2020, FY2022, FY2023), Klamath Falls, CA (FY2024), and Falls Church, VA (FY2021). The Loma Linda concentration is particularly significant — Loma Linda University and Loma Linda University Medical Center are the dominant nonprofits in that community and are central to the Seventh-day Adventist health and education system. Organizations with SDA institutional ties, or operating in the Loma Linda or Inland Empire corridor, have the strongest alignment with Trisons Foundation's demonstrated giving history.

First-time applicants should focus entirely on building a genuine relationship with Roberta Bainum or a Froom family director through mutual professional contexts — shared nonprofit board service, sector convenings, or peer introductions are the most viable pathways. Given the foundation's active asset growth trajectory, prospective grantees who establish relationships now may position themselves for consideration in the 2025–2027 period as grantmaking capacity increases.

Trisons Foundation has demonstrated consistent, accelerating grantmaking over the past decade, growing from $80,253 in total giving in FY2012 to an estimated $2.6 million in FY2024 — a 32-fold increase in twelve years. The trajectory is linear and sustained, with no single dramatic spike.

Grant size: Every documented year from FY2020 through FY2024 shows exactly one grant paid. The amounts have been: $1.5M (FY2020), $1.5M (FY2021), $1.9M (FY2022), $2.1M (FY2023), and $2.6M (FY2024). The average across all four tracked grants in the database is $1,700,541 (total: $6,802,163). There is no small-grants program. The foundation does not make multiple awards in a single year — it concentrates its full annual grantmaking into one transformational commitment.

Annual giving trajectory: - FY2024: ~$2.6M (assets: $49.6M; payout rate: 5.2%) - FY2023: $2.05M (assets: $41.3M; payout rate: 5.0%) - FY2022: $1.90M (assets: $39.0M; payout rate: 4.9%) - FY2021: $1.49M (assets: $50.4M; payout rate: 3.0%) - FY2020: $1.52M (assets: $37.1M; payout rate: 4.1%) - FY2019: $1.01M (assets: $36.4M; payout rate: 2.8%) - FY2015: $488K (assets: $7.7M) - FY2012: $80K (assets: $2.7M)

The payout rate has climbed from under 3% in FY2019 to 5.2% in FY2024, approaching the IRS 5% minimum distribution requirement and signaling maturing grantmaking practice.

Revenue composition (FY2024): Contributions received of $2,638,000 (60% of total revenue), investment income of $685,137 (15.6%), and asset sale gains of $1,029,544 (23.4%). Critically, contributions received have consistently exceeded $2 million per year since FY2021 — suggesting a living major donor is actively recapitalizing the foundation even as grants are paid out. This dynamic explains why assets grew from $36.4M in FY2019 to $49.6M in FY2024 despite $9+ million in total grants paid during that period.

Geography: California dominates at 84% of all documented giving ($8.1M); Virginia accounts for 16% ($1.5M). No grants to Maryland (the foundation's home state) have been documented.

The following table compares Trisons Foundation to its five closest asset-size peers, all classified under the Philanthropy & Grantmaking NTEE category (T20):

Trions Foundation is distinctive within this peer group for two reasons. First, its documented annual giving of $2.6M in FY2024 makes it one of the more transparent and active deployers in the $49–50M asset tier — most peer foundations in this range do not publicly report annual giving figures. Second, its cross-state grantmaking pattern (Maryland base, California and Virginia grantees) sets it apart from the typical family foundation that concentrates giving locally. The Kulynych, Dearing, and Zell foundations are similarly structured family vehicles that likely operate without public application processes, consistent with the broader pattern among closely held private foundations in this asset range. Grant seekers should treat all six foundations in this peer set as relationship-dependent funders where personal connections to the founding family remain the primary entry point.

The most concrete recent activity for Trisons Foundation is the filing of its FY2024 Form 990-PF on November 5, 2025. That filing documents total assets of $49,567,030 (a 19.9% year-over-year increase from $41.3M in FY2023), charitable disbursements of $2,632,375, and total revenue of $4,394,740.

The FY2024 grantee marks a geographic shift: the sole grant of approximately $2.6M went to an organization in Klamath Falls, CA — breaking from three prior years of Loma Linda, CA grantees (FY2020, FY2022, FY2023) and one year of a Falls Church, VA grantee (FY2021). Whether this represents a new institutional relationship, a one-time divergence, or a permanent pivot to a new grantee is unknown without additional 990-PF detail.

Leadership has been stable across all available filings. Roberta Bainum has served as President/Director since at least FY2019, and the Froom family directors — Eric, Ryan, Alexander, and Maluhia Froom — have been consistent signatories. Christine A. Shreve replaced Mary C. Acker as Secretary/Treasurer in recent filings, representing the only documented leadership change.

The foundation maintains no active website (the domain trisons.org resolves to an unrelated commercial tire company in Saudi Arabia), no social media accounts, and no press presence. No grants, partnerships, or initiatives have been publicly announced. The absence of any public footprint is consistent with the foundation's operating character as an entirely private, family-controlled grantmaking vehicle.

The single most critical insight for grant seekers is that Trisons Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals — period. IRS records list no application portal, no deadline, no form, and no instructions. Every public database that tracks this foundation flags it as invitation-only or preselected. Proceeding under the assumption that a strong letter of inquiry will open doors here is a strategic mistake.

Build toward an introduction, not a proposal. The board consists of Roberta Bainum (President), Eric Froom, Ryan Froom, Alexander Froom, Rachel Everett, and Maluhia Froom. All serve without compensation. Your first task is identifying mutual connections between your organization's leadership and these individuals. LinkedIn, shared nonprofit board memberships, professional associations in the Maryland/DC metro area, and sector convenings are the practical tools. Rachel Everett is the one non-Froom family director and may be more accessible through professional networks.

Geographic alignment is non-negotiable. Documented grantees are in Loma Linda, CA (FY2020, 2022, 2023), Klamath Falls, CA (FY2024), and Falls Church, VA (FY2021). Organizations headquartered or operating significantly in these regions — particularly in the Loma Linda / Inland Empire corridor — have the strongest demonstrated fit. The Loma Linda focus over multiple years strongly suggests a relationship with a major Seventh-day Adventist institution (Loma Linda University Medical Center, Loma Linda University Health, or a related entity). If your organization operates within the SDA health, education, or community development ecosystem, this affiliation should be front and center in any introductory conversation.

Calibrate your ask to $1.5–2.5 million. With grant sizes ranging from $1.49M (FY2021) to $2.6M (FY2024), this foundation is not a fit for project grants under $500K. Proposals — when eventually invited — should frame multi-year institutional partnerships, capital projects, or transformational program expansions, not single-year discretionary asks.

Optimal timing: Aim to make your first introduction in spring or early summer. The foundation finalizes its annual grant in alignment with its fiscal year (calendar year), meaning grant decisions appear to occur in the fall. An introduction in April–June gives ample time to develop rapport before a September–November commitment window.

Administrative contact: Christine A. Shreve, Secretary/Treasurer, at (240) 295-1600, 8171 Maple Lawn Blvd, Fulton, MD 20759. A brief, respectful introductory phone call or letter is appropriate if no personal introduction pathway exists.