The Benson Family Foundation concentrates giving on direct social services—particularly faith-based and Catholic-affiliated organizations—focused on homelessness, basic needs, and humanitarian relief both locally in San Diego and internationally. Their portfolio mixes one very large, multi-year style commitment to a single provider with smaller general operating gifts to emergency assistance, veterans, and faith-driven service groups. Grants indicate a preference for hands-on relief (shelter, housing, food, medical aid) and mission-driven nonprofits rather than program-restricted philanthropy.
A single $959,136 general fund grant to St Vincent De Paul anchors the Benson Family Foundation’s recent record and shows the scale of its support for homelessness and basic-needs services. The foundation’s giving is centered on Catholic and faith-based organizations, with a clear emphasis on shelter, food, housing assistance, and emergency relief. Its recent portfolio also includes sizable support for Casa De Los Pobres and Father Joe's Villages, both in San Diego County, alongside smaller grants to organizations serving related social-service needs. The pattern is practical rather than programmatic: general operating support appears frequently, and several awards are directed to groups that provide direct aid to people facing poverty, housing instability, or crisis. In addition to local service providers, the foundation extends some support to humanitarian and faith-driven nonprofits outside San Diego, including international relief and prisoner reentry organizations. The recent grants list also shows individual assistance, including a housing grant to Rita Naranjo and a medical-needs grant to Emily Daly, indicating that the foundation sometimes funds people as well as organizations, though its primary activity is nonprofit grantmaking.
Housing and homelessness services are a core theme. The foundation gave $959,136 to St Vincent De Paul for general fund support, and another $10,000 to Father Joe's Villages for general fund support. Basic-needs relief appears in grants such as $60,000 to Casa De Los Pobres for general fund support and $7,000 to Birthline of San Diego County for general fund support. Faith-based service organizations also appear repeatedly, including $5,000 to Catholic Charities for general fund support and $11,000 to Agnus Dei Foundation for general fund support. Beyond local service delivery, the foundation makes room for broader humanitarian work: it gave $7,000 to Doctors Without Borders, $5,000 to Heifer International, and $5,000 to International Relief Teams, all as general fund support.
Typical grants cluster at modest levels: p25 is $5,000, the median is $5,000, and p75 is $10,000. The distribution is highly skewed by one much larger award, with most listed grants at or below $10,000 and one exception above $900,000. The recent list is from 2023, so the pattern shown here is a single-year snapshot rather than a multi-year repeat for the same recipients. The foundation is a private family foundation, and the grants shown are primarily general support rather than tightly restricted project funding. No application process is provided in the data.
$1.1M
$0
$0
$0
Most grants fall between $5K and $10K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$10K
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Highly concentrated: one dominant, very large grant to a core social-service provider, supplemented by many smaller general operating gifts to local faith-based charities, emergency relief organizations, veterans and medical need recipients. Mix of repeat/core funding and one-off smaller donations.
Notable grantees: St. Vincent de Paul, Father Joe's Villages, Casa de los Pobres, Prison Fellowship, International Relief Teams
The Benson Family Foundation gives mainly in California, where 79% of grants go and where the top state by grant count is also CA. San Diego is the main city in the recent list, with grants to St Vincent De Paul, Father Joe's Villages, Birthline of San Diego County, Special Olympics, and Catholic Charities. Other California recipients include La Jolla, Escondido, El Cajon, Oceanside, Encinitas, and Camp Pendleton North. Outside California, the list includes Merrifield, Virginia; New York, New York; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Denver, Colorado.
The foundation centers its giving on faith-based and Catholic-affiliated social service organizations, especially groups working on homelessness, housing assistance, food, emergency relief, and other basic needs. The recent grants list includes large support for St Vincent De Paul and smaller general support grants to Father Joe's Villages, Catholic Charities, Birthline of San Diego County, and Casa De Los Pobres.
No. Most grants go to nonprofit organizations, but the recent list also includes individual support. Examples include a $20,198 housing grant to Rita Naranjo and a $5,000 medical-needs grant to Emily Daly.
The typical award is $5,000. The grant-size distribution shows p25 at $5,000, a median of $5,000, and p75 at $10,000, with one much larger award that stands apart from the rest.
California receives the overwhelming majority of grants: 79% of grants go to recipients in CA, and CA is also the top state by grant count. Recent California recipients are concentrated in San Diego County and nearby communities such as La Jolla, Escondido, El Cajon, and Encinitas.
General operating support is common. In the recent grants list, many awards are labeled general fund or general support, including grants to St Vincent De Paul, Casa De Los Pobres, Father Joe's Villages, Prison Fellowship, and International Relief Teams. There is also some support labeled for housing and medical needs.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST VINCENT DE PAUL | SAN DIEGO, CA | $959,136 | 2023 | GENERAL FUND |
| CASA DE LOS POBRES | LA JOLLA, CA | $60,000 | 2023 | GENERAL FUND |
| RITA NARANJO | OCEANSIDE, CA | $20,198 | 2023 | HOUSING |
| AGNUS DEI FOUNDATION | ESCONDIDO, CA | $11,000 | 2023 | GENERAL FUND |
| PRISON FELLOWSHIP | MERRIFIELD, VA | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL FUND |
| FATHER JOE'S VILLAGES | SAN DIEGO, CA | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL FUND |
| KRAEMER ENDOWMENT | EL CAJON, CA | $7,000 | 2023 | GENERAL FUND |
| BIRTHLINE OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY | SAN DIEGO, CA | $7,000 | 2023 | GENERAL FUND |
| DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS | NEW YORK, NY | $7,000 | 2023 | GENERAL FUND |
| INTERNATIONAL RELIEF TEAMS | SAN DIEGO, CA | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL FUND |
| SOCIAL SERVICE LEAGUE OF LA JOLLA | LA JOLLA, CA | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL FUND |
| SAN DIEGO FIRE RESCUE FOUNDATION | ENCINITAS, CA | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL FUND |
| EMILY DALY | SAN DIEGO, CA | $5,000 | 2023 | MEDICAL NEEDS |
| SPECIAL OLYMPICS | SAN DIEGO, CA | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL FUND |
| TIFFANY BINDER | DENVER, CO | $5,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION |
| HEIFER INTERNATIONAL | LITTLE ROCK, AR | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL FUND |
| SEMPER FI FOUNDATION | CAMP PENDLETON NORTH, CA | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL FUND |
| CATHOLIC CHARITIES | SAN DIEGO, CA | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL FUND |
| ST MADELEINE SOPHIE'S CENTER | EL CAJON, CA | $1,000 | 2023 | GENERAL FUND |
CASA DE LOS POBRES
$60,000GENERAL FUND
RITA NARANJO
$20,198HOUSING
AGNUS DEI FOUNDATION
$11,000GENERAL FUND
GENERAL FUND
KRAEMER ENDOWMENT
$7,000GENERAL FUND
BIRTHLINE OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY
$7,000GENERAL FUND
SOCIAL SERVICE LEAGUE OF LA JOLLA
$5,000GENERAL FUND
SAN DIEGO FIRE RESCUE FOUNDATION
$5,000GENERAL FUND
EMILY DALY
$5,000MEDICAL NEEDS
SPECIAL OLYMPICS
$5,000GENERAL FUND
TIFFANY BINDER
$5,000EDUCATION
HEIFER INTERNATIONAL
$5,000GENERAL FUND
SEMPER FI FOUNDATION
$5,000GENERAL FUND
ST MADELEINE SOPHIE'S CENTER
$1,000GENERAL FUND