Foundations that fund organizations in San Francisco, California
Worked out from where the grants went, not where the foundations sit.
Funding landscape for San Francisco nonprofits
5,547 private foundations gave $2.9B to San Francisco organizations in their latest filings; 22 of the 100 that say either way accept applications.
17,010 grants in total, with a typical foundation's median grant to San Francisco around $333K. 60 of these funders are based in California; the rest give here from elsewhere.
- Foundations giving here
- 5,547
- Accept applications
- 22
- of 100 that state a policy
- Dollars to San Francisco
- $2.9B
- latest filings
- Grants
- 17,010
- Typical median grant
- $333K
- Based in CA
- 60%
- of funders listed
Funders, by dollars given to San Francisco organizations
| Foundation | Based in | Grants here | Dollars here | Median | Accepts applications | Typical purposes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sergey Brin Family Foundation C/O Pacific Foundation Services | San Francisco, CA | 37 | $194M | $1.3M | Preselected only | General operating support; Energy initiatives; Research support |
| H&h Evergreen Foundation | Menlo Park, CA | 1 | $178M | $178M | Preselected only | Charity |
| Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Foundation | Palo Alto, CA | 9 | $141M | $12M | Preselected only | For general operating support; Housing: invest in innovation; Science: cz imaging institute core support |
| Gerson Bakar Foundation | San Francisco, CA | 11 | $111M | $300K | Preselected only | General support |
| Rippleworks Inc | San Francisco, CA | 5 | $94M | $100K | Preselected only | General support; To support tlcbds raising of capital to support tlcbds purc… |
| The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation | Menlo Park, CA | 199 | $87M | $90K | Yes | For general operating support; Matching gift of staff and board members; For loco bloco |
| Crankstart Foundation | San Jose, CA | 188 | $74M | $250K | Preselected only | Event sponsorship; General support; To participate in the sf youth justice initiative |
| Gates Foundation | Seattle, WA | 79 | $74M | $500K | Yes | K-12 education; U.s. economic mobility & opportunity; Postsecondary education |
| Waverley Street Foundation | Palo Alto, CA | 7 | $71M | $10M | Preselected only | General Operating Support; Poder Latinx Collective Fund; California ambitions program |
| The Benificus Foundation | San Carlos, CA | 9 | $51M | $100K | Preselected only | General purpose |
| Hellman Foundation | San Francisco, CA | 1 | $43M | $43M | Preselected only | Statement d |
| The Helen Diller Foundation | San Mateo, CA | 6 | $40M | $3.8M | Preselected only | Investing in the future campaign; Diller teen fellows program and general support; Helen diller medical center |
| Sequoia Climate Foundation | Irvine, CA | 12 | $38M | $2.5M | Preselected only | To provide general operating support; To support education and awareness to further climate finan…; To support education and convenings on matters related to c… |
| The David and Lucile Packard Foundation | Los Altos, CA | 58 | $38M | $175K | Yes | Environment and Science; Just Societies; Families and Communities |
| Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation | Palo Alto, CA | 76 | $37M | $49K | Preselected only | Employee or trustee recommended gift for general operationa…; To support developing new tools, methods, and resources for…; In support of the strategic planning for financial sustaina… |
| Doris & Donald Fisher Foundation | San Francisco, CA | 2 | $28M | $14M | Preselected only | charitable; To support operations. |
| The Ford Foundation | New York, NY | 133 | $27M | $100K | Yes | Matching gift; General support; General support and core support for institutional strength… |
| Sea Change Foundation | San Francisco, CA | 3 | $26M | $3.8M | Preselected only | Promote clean energy; General support |
| Freedom Together Foundation | New York, NY | 23 | $26M | $875K | Preselected only | General operating support; Labor and ai and digital technologies fellowship and lab; Don't ban equality and private sector engagement |
| The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation | Princeton, NJ | 77 | $25M | $167K | Yes | Matching gifts; 82082 supporting stop aapi hate in working to transform ind…; 82439 exploring how local resident voting can shape civic i… |
| The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation | Omaha, NE | 16 | $23M | $1.1M | Preselected only | Program support; General operating support |
| The Heising-Simons Foundation | Los Altos, CA | 65 | $21M | $150K | Preselected only | For general support; To advance climate and clean energy policies; For the abolition dream lab |
| Esb Charitable Foundation | San Francisco, CA | 20 | $20M | $250K | Preselected only | Foundation gift |
| Gardner Grout Foundation | Reno, NV | 1 | $19M | $19M | Preselected only | General support |
| The Bloomberg Family Foundation Inc | New York, NY | 4 | $18M | $4.4M | Preselected only | To support clean energy; To provide technical support; To promote college advising and success |
| Charles Schwab Foundation | Lone Tree, CO | 1 | $17M | $17M | Yes | Various |
| The California Endowment | Los Angeles, CA | 87 | $16M | $100K | Preselected only | General operating support; Matching gift; 2024 annual membership |
| Novo Foundation | Hurley, NY | 16 | $16M | $200K | Preselected only | General support; The biofi project; Indigenous-led funds governance scan |
| Kataly Foundation | San Francisco, CA | 1 | $15M | $15M | Preselected only | Charitable activities |
| Valhalla Foundation | Woodside, CA | 10 | $14M | $333K | Preselected only | Improving government programs and policies; Homelessness prevention and interim shelter programs; Scaling international educational programs |
| Salesforce Foundation | San Francisco, CA | 5 | $14M | $1.0M | Preselected only | Support for education and career opportunities for young pe…; Support public education |
| Wellspring Philanthropic Fund Inc | New York, NY | 34 | $14M | $213K | Preselected only | General operating support; Advancing women's rights; Advancing lgbtqi rights |
| The Maxwellhanrahan Foundation | San Francisco, CA | 1 | $14M | $14M | Preselected only | See detail on attachment b |
| The James Irvine Foundation | San Francisco, CA | 110 | $14M | $5,000 | Preselected only | For general operating support; For support of California activities; To support Just Prosperity in California |
| Broad Reach Foundation | Boston, MA | 11 | $13M | $800K | Preselected only | To support nonprofit organizations working to promote healt… |
| Koret Foundation | San Francisco, CA | 76 | $13M | $28K | Yes | General operating support; Education programs; Community access and engagement programs |
| The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck Foundation Inc | New York, NY | 3 | $13M | $2.6M | Preselected only | General operating support; Teach ct ($680k) and teach ny ($350k) |
| Pisces Foundation | San Francisco, CA | 1 | $13M | $13M | Preselected only | See Attachment B |
| The Schmidt Family Foundation | Palo Alto, CA | 31 | $13M | $200K | Yes | Working towards a resilient and equitable food system; Encouraging a just transition away from fossil fuels; Strengthening civic engagement |
| Wenger Foundation | Wayzata, MN | 1 | $12M | $12M | Yes | Transfer of funds to newly created daf to finalize the diss… |
| William K Bowes Jr Foundation | San Francisco, CA | 20 | $12M | $138K | Preselected only | General operating support; Stanford university scholar; The william k. bowes, jr. foundation fund for education and… |
| John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation | Chicago, IL | 28 | $11M | $200K | Preselected only | In support of general operations; In support of el tecolote; In support of the coalition for independent technology rese… |
| Jpmorgan Chase Foundation | New York, NY | 147 | $11M | $810 | Preselected only | Matching contribution (general operating support); In support of underserved small business expansion; In support of neighborhood revitalization |
| Oberndorf Family Foundation | San Francisco, CA | 24 | $11M | $75K | Preselected only | General charity |
| Interlaken Foundation Inc C/O Christopher Wilmers | New York, NY | 1 | $11M | $11M | Preselected only | For organization's charitable use |
| Connie and Bob Lurie Foundation Inc | Redwood City, CA | 8 | $10M | $125K | Preselected only | Charity |
| The McKnight Foundation | Minneapolis, MN | 13 | $10M | $75K | Yes | for 2024 membership; to support environmental justice policy advocacy, education…; to support organizing efforts in Michigan that lead to poli… |
| Mimi and Peter Haas Fund | San Francisco, CA | 149 | $10M | $6,000 | Yes | General operating support; Pm&e; Infant toddler pm&e |
| The Wexner Family Charitable Fund | New Albany, OH | 1 | $10M | $10M | Preselected only | To build a network of public charter schools that prepare s… |
| Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation | San Francisco, CA | 28 | $9.9M | $250K | Preselected only | Housing & Homelessness; Executive Director Discretionary Grant; Employee Matching |
| The Weill Family Foundation | Albany, NY | 3 | $9.7M | $50K | Preselected only | General charitable needs; Satisfaction of Pledge |
| The Karsh Family Foundation | Beverly Hills, CA | 4 | $9.6M | $2.3M | Preselected only | Philanthropic activity; Education |
| The Arthur M Blank Family Foundation | Atlanta, GA | 11 | $9.4M | $120K | Preselected only | General operating support; Building state climate champions; Youth mental health landscape project |
| Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr Fund | San Francisco, CA | 36 | $8.7M | $17K | Preselected only | For general support.; For an annual contribution.; For general support in honor of melissa lopez. |
| Wk Kellogg Foundation | Battle Creek, MI | 46 | $8.3M | $150K | Yes | Promise of an Equitable Future; Jobs and Family Economic Security; Early Care and Education |
| The Walt and Lilly Disney Foundation | San Francisco, CA | 2 | $8.2M | $4.1M | Preselected only | Education - arts |
| The Leonard & Sophie Davis Fund | San Francisco, CA | 7 | $7.8M | $450K | Preselected only | Support for social service programs or educational programs; Support cofam's department of contemporary art and programm… |
| Sakana Foundation | San Francisco, CA | 1 | $7.8M | $7.8M | Preselected only | See Attachment B |
| Stupski Foundation | San Francisco, CA | 25 | $7.8M | $200K | Preselected only | To provide general operating support.; To support the Accelerating Capacity for Transformation for…; To support the Adult Day Health program. |
| John Pritzker Family Fund | Redwood City, CA | 44 | $7.7M | $38K | Preselected only | General Operating Support; 2024 General Operating Support; Bloom Ball Fundraising Gala |
| The Andrew W Mellon Foundation | New York, NY | 19 | $7.6M | $250K | Yes | To support general operations; To support a grant writing program for an expanded cohort o…; To support archiving and legacy planning |
| Fnz Foundation Inc | Pinecrest, FL | 3 | $7.6M | $461K | Preselected only | General support |
| The Patrick J McGovern Foundation Inc | Boston, MA | 19 | $7.4M | $400K | Preselected only | To increase accountability in the voluntary carbon market a…; To support ai-enabled product roadmap for clinic-patient co…; To create and expand access to datasets mapping fossil fuel… |
| Every Org | San Francisco, CA | 8 | $7.2M | $69K | Preselected only | General support |
| Kenneth Rainin Foundation | Oakland, CA | 92 | $7.2M | $22K | Preselected only | Rest & care; General operating support; Honorarium for completing a smudata survey. |
| The Germanacos Foundation | San Francisco, CA | 1 | $6.6M | $6.6M | Preselected only | Unrestricted gift |
| Fisher Art Investment Foundation | San Francisco, CA | 1 | $6.4M | $6.4M | Preselected only | To support ongoing operations |
| Skyline Foundation | San Francisco, CA | 13 | $6.3M | $400K | Preselected only | General support; Support to secure civic and economic rights for people with…; Carbon dioxide removal solutions program |
| Laura and John Arnold Foundation | Houston, TX | 18 | $6.3M | $200K | Preselected only | To develop grantee's legal options program, establishing a…; To enable the grantee to build a data infrastructure that w…; To support efforts to build and scale an initiative to add… |
| Penner Family Foundation Inc | Bentonville, AR | 9 | $6.3M | $10K | Preselected only | General Operating Support; to support KIPP Foundation's 2025 Campaign and Leadership P…; to support the strategic growth campaign of REDF |
| The Simons Foundation Inc | New York, NY | 16 | $6.2M | $189K | Preselected only | High-resolution proteome mapping in the developing human ce…; Asapbio gift; Donors meeting gift |
| Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation | Oakland, CA | 6 | $6.1M | $250K | Yes | 1st of 2 payments for ophthalmology center for vision resea…; Student scholarships (tuition assistance) for catholic high…; Support towards pediatric craniofacial center at children's… |
| Jeff and Marieke Rothschild Foundation | Palo Alto, CA | 2 | $6.0M | $3.0M | Preselected only | General support; Parnassus campus and operations |
| Kalmanovitz Charitable Foundation | Mill Valley, CA | 6 | $5.8M | $708K | Preselected only | To support student scholarships.; Primarily to provide funding for the dr. brotman g.i. fello…; To provide funding for health care services. |
| The Sobrato Family Foundation | Mountain View, CA | 67 | $5.8M | $75K | Yes | Employee matching gift; To provide general operating support; To provide project support. |
| Briger Foundation for Oncology Research Inc | Palo Alto, CA | 2 | $5.5M | $2.8M | Preselected only | Immunotherapy research initiative; Engineering a next-gen cell therapy for leiomyosarcoma |
| Dupkin Educational and Charitable Foundation Inc | Owings Mills, MD | 1 | $5.5M | $5.5M | Preselected only | Campaign |
| Lisa & Douglas Goldman Fund | San Francisco, CA | 111 | $5.4M | $5,000 | Yes | General operating support; General operating grant; The annual giving program |
| The Koum Family Foundation | Palo Alto, CA | 13 | $5.4M | $350K | Preselected only | General charity |
| Good Ventures Foundation | Palo Alto, CA | 13 | $5.3M | $333K | Preselected only | Research on ai alignment; Hire an ai safety expert and provide support for ai safety…; Farm animal welfare research |
| Conrad N Hilton Foundation | Westlake Village, CA | 21 | $5.3M | $15K | Yes | For general operating support; To better integrate employment within efforts to end homele…; To reform key systems that directly impact post-secondary e… |
| The Horace W Goldsmith Foundation | New York, NY | 30 | $5.2M | $100K | Preselected only | General operations; Special purpose |
| Simpson Psb Fund | Orinda, CA | 7 | $5.1M | $10K | Yes | To support the maker/meet/future capital campaign for the e…; To support the mission of ccc, which is dedicated to elevat…; Donation made in honor of buz kanter, to support the missio… |
| Edward Fein Charitable Trust Xxxxx3004 | Chicago, IL | 1 | $5.0M | $5.0M | Preselected only | General |
| The Blue Horizons Foundation | Gorham, ME | 1 | $5.0M | $5.0M | Preselected only | General operating |
| C D Spangler Foundation Inc | Charlotte, NC | 1 | $5.0M | $5.0M | Preselected only | To assist in health and human services |
| Enlight Foundation | Palo Alto, CA | 6 | $4.9M | $228K | Preselected only | Child trauma research program.; Charity (statement 5); Arts, Culture |
| The Timothy and Judith Smith Foundation | Calabasas, CA | 2 | $4.7M | $2.4M | Preselected only | Timothy & Judith Smith Family Foundation (IN-KIND GRANTS -…; General & Unrestricted |
| P J and K a Dougherty Foundation | San Jose, CA | 1 | $4.4M | $4.4M | Preselected only | Education support, support for cancer prevention and cure r… |
| The Henri & Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation | San Francisco, CA | 2 | $4.4M | $2.2M | Yes | For tax exempt purposes of this organization |
| Carnegie Corporation of New York | New York, NY | 10 | $4.3M | $292K | Yes | For project support to scale Career Village's AI Career Coa…; As a final project grant to complete the development of two…; As a one-time only grant for a project to develop science p… |
| Foundation to Promote Open Society | New York, NY | 17 | $4.3M | $250K | Preselected only | To provide general support; To support outreach to faith communities; To support addition, a project of the grantee, in its work… |
| Nora Eccles Treadwell Charitable Trust | Salt Lake City, UT | 1 | $4.2M | $4.2M | Preselected only | primarily in support of medical research and organizations… |
| Mary Jane and Carl Panattoni Charitable | Wilmington, DE | 1 | $4.2M | $4.2M | Preselected only | Program support |
| The Baker Street Foundation | San Francisco, CA | 37 | $4.2M | $50K | Preselected only | Operating expenses; Reimagining san francisco; Moving expenses |
| The Nancy P and Richard K Robbins Family Foundation | San Rafael, CA | 5 | $4.1M | $535K | Preselected only | Animal welfare; Religion; Support education |
| Marine Ventures Foundation Inc % J Thomas McMurray | Boulder, CO | 1 | $4.1M | $4.1M | Preselected only | General services |
| The Klarman Family Foundation | Boston, MA | 1 | $4.0M | $4.0M | Yes | Support for the FPC collaborative |
| Wells Fargo Foundation | Minneapolis, MN | 28 | $4.0M | $50K | Preselected only | FutureProfits: Financial Education for Bay Area High School…; Leading Coordination as SCALE Network Manager - General Ope…; Roadmap Home 2.0 Amplification |
| John S and James L Knight Foundation | Miami, FL | 10 | $4.0M | $175K | Yes | To secure the national expansion of catchlight local, a new…; To continue support for and to expand codepaths programs at…; To support codepath expanding its program to johnson c. smi… |
Source: IRS Form 990-PF Part XV, latest electronic return per foundation (2026-10-28). "Accepts applications" reflects the foundation's own checkbox on Part XV line 2. Grants to individuals excluded.
Common questions
Which foundations give to nonprofits in San Francisco, California?
Sergey Brin Family Foundation C/O Pacific Foundation Services, H&h Evergreen Foundation, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Foundation, Gerson Bakar Foundation, Rippleworks Inc and 95 others reported grants to San Francisco organizations on their latest Form 990-PF.
How do I approach a foundation that doesn't accept applications?
A foundation that checks "contributes only to preselected organizations" on its 990-PF won't review a cold proposal. Look at who it funds, find a shared board member, grantee or advisor, and ask for an introduction. Foundations that accept applications usually list a contact and deadlines in Part XV; we show that text on each foundation's page.
Is this list complete?
No. It covers private foundations (Form 990-PF filers) whose latest electronic return lists at least one grant to an organization in San Francisco. Community foundations and corporate giving programs file different forms and are not included yet.