Funding search · EIN 010679337 · San Francisco, CA

The San Francisco Foundation

A grantmaking public charity (files IRS Form 990, Schedule I). Charities like this often run real grant programs with application cycles.

6,369
grants reported
$813.9M
total given
2021–2024
filing years
$26,000
median grant

Based on grants this organization reported to the IRS for tax years 20212024. This is what they filed, not a complete record of their giving, and recent years may be incomplete because filings lag.

What they fund

advisedareacommunityworkhousingcampaignfranciscoscholarships

Funder website ↗Full IRS filings ↗How this is builtReport an error

Funding pattern

What this funder pays for, at what size, and how to position adjacent work. Read from their filings, with every number checked against the record.

Where the money goes

  • Bay Area affordable housing, eviction defense, homeless services
  • Racial and economic justice organizing in Oakland and San Francisco
  • Major universities and academic medical centers, Bay Area and national
  • San Francisco arts institutions: opera, ballet, symphony, museums
  • K-12 and youth education, Oakland and San Francisco
  • Transfers to other community foundations and fiscal sponsors

Typical grant

Median grant is $26,000 and the middle half runs $12,000 to $86,500, so most of this record is mid-four to low-five figures. The seven-figure checks go to institutional recipients: a $21.1M transfer to East Bay Community Foundation, Harvard, UC Berkeley Foundation, UCSF, SF General Hospital Foundation, and a handful of anchor Bay Area nonprofits. With 6,369 grants to 3,175 recipients over four years, the average organization is funded about twice, and the housing, organizing, and arts names recur year after year.

Their words

Phrases from their own grant descriptions, worth speaking back to them.

  • FOR GENERAL AND PROJECT SUPPORT
  • FOR PROJECT SUPPORT
  • FOR GENERAL SUPPORT

Positioning adjacent work

  • Purpose lines are boilerplate. Mirroring their words wins nothing; the donor advisor behind the gift decides.
  • Anchor to a named Bay Area county. Alameda, San Francisco, Contra Costa, Solano and Sonoma all appear repeatedly.
  • Ask $25,000 to $85,000 first. Seven-figure asks go to universities, hospitals, and peer foundations.
  • Frame work as housing stability, racial equity, or youth education, their three densest funded clusters.

Worth knowing: This is a community foundation, and a large share of the record is donor-advised giving, which is why Harvard, Duke, Notre Dame, Cate School and a high school alumni association sit next to Oakland organizing groups. Roughly two-thirds of recipients are California, overwhelmingly the nine-county Bay Area, and fiscal sponsors like Tides Center, Community Initiatives and Social Good Fund move real money, so a sponsored project is a viable route in.

15 grants matching “napa · $1.7M

  • $60,134

    Napa Valley Community Foundation · Napa, CA · 2024

    For project support

  • $10,000

    Napa County Land Trust · Napa, CA · 2024

    For project support

  • $9,974

    Napa Valley Museum · Yountville, CA · 2024

    For general support

  • $35,000

    Solano Napa Habitat for Humanity · Fairfield, CA · 2023

    For the woolner 3-home build project.

  • $27,424

    Napa Valley Community Foundation · Napa, CA · 2023

    For the marston fund.

  • $20,000

    Napa Valley Vine Trail Coalition · Napa, CA · 2023

    To support construction of the napa valley vine trail.

  • $10,000

    Napa County Land Trust · Napa, CA · 2023

    To provide support to the land trust at the cornerstone society level.

  • $9,779

    Napa Valley Museum · Yountville, CA · 2023

    For general support.

  • $1.3M

    Napa Valley Community Foundation · Napa, CA · 2022

    Advised - to relaunch a homelessness prevention program to provide direct financial assistance and housing stabilization case management to households at risk of homelessness. Advised - for the marston fund.

  • $75,000

    Auction Napa Valley · St Helena, CA · 2022

    Advised - to support fire prevention activities. Advised - for the 2022 collective napa valley fund-a-need.

  • $30,600

    Napa Valley Festival Association · Napa, CA · 2022

    Advised - for general operating support of the 2022 festival season.

  • $20,000

    Napa Valley Vine Trail Coalition · Napa, CA · 2022

    Advised - to support the construction of the st. Helena to calistoga portion of the vine trail.

  • $10,000

    Napa County Land Trust · Napa, CA · 2022

    Advised - to provide support to the land trust at the cornerstone society level for the current fiscal year.

  • $9,476

    Napa Valley Museum · Yountville, CA · 2022

    Advised - for general support.

  • $8,695

    Napa Valley Museum · Yountville, CA · 2021

    Advised - for general support.

Top recipients

Repeat recipients are the strongest signal of whether a funder has an open door or quietly re-funds the same organizations.

  • Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund2 grants · $34.7M
  • Uc Berkeley Foundation4 grants · $31.7M
  • East Bay Community Foundation4 grants · $22.0M
  • Harvard University4 grants · $14.4M
  • Ucsf Foundation4 grants · $14.2M
  • Tomkat Ranch Educational Foundation3 grants · $14.1M
  • Fidelity Charitable3 grants · $12.6M
  • New Profit2 grants · $11.0M
  • Cate School4 grants · $9.7M
  • San Francisco Housing Accelerator Fund3 grants · $9.2M

Giving over time

$232.2M
2021
$174.2M
2022
$189.1M
2023
$218.4M
2024

Grant history

The 100 largest of 6,369 grants.

  • $34.7M

    Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund · Albany, NY · 2021

    Advised - for the pichai family fund

  • $21.1M

    East Bay Community Foundation · Oakland, CA · 2024

    For general and project support

  • $12.6M

    Uc Berkeley Foundation · Berkeley, CA · 2023

    For uc berkeley graduate school of journalism. To support the undocumented student program. To support the uc regents, cal performances shenson concerts. To support the dreamers (undocumented students program). To suppo read all
  • $12.5M

    Fidelity Charitable · Cincinnati, OH · 2023

    For the linden fund.

  • $10.0M

    New Profit · Boston, MA · 2021

    Advised - to invest dollars and technical assistance (ta) in diverse-led nonprofits working to create economic opportunities in communities of color in priority cities.

  • $9.1M

    Uc Berkeley Foundation · Berkeley, CA · 2022

    Advised - for the light the way" capital campaign for the haas scholars program. Advised - for the haas family fiat lux scholarship program. Advised - for general support of the haas scholars program. Advised - to suppo read all
  • $9.0M

    San Francisco Housing Accelerator Fund · San Francisco, CA · 2021

    Advised - for general support. Advised - for r&d and general operating support.

  • $7.9M

    Tomkat Ranch Educational Foundation · Pescadero, CA · 2021

    Advised - for general operating support. Advised - in support of growing the table, to fund the richmond second round pilot, advised - to support the annual operating budget needs of the tomkat ranch educational foundat read all
  • $5.8M

    Tomkat Ranch Educational Foundation · Pescadero, CA · 2022

    Advised - for general operating support.

  • $5.7M

    Harvard University · Boston, MA · 2024

    For general and project support

  • $5.6M

    New Venture Fund · Washington, DC · 2021

    Advised - for general operating support of all above all. Advised - for general operating support of power to the polls. Advised - for general operating support of voting rights lab. Advised - for general support of all read all
  • $5.2M

    Uc Berkeley Foundation · Berkeley, CA · 2021

    Advised - for berkeley art museum & pacific film archive (bampfa) fy21-22 trustee contribution. Advised - for berkeley art museum & pacific film archive (bampfa) spring 2022 gala. Advised - for berkeley art museum and p read all
  • $5.1M

    Cate School · Carpinteria, CA · 2021

    Advised - for annual needs. Advised - for discretionary capital projects and un-restricted operating uses for the school. Advised - for the cate annual fund. Advised - for un-restricted use, including the early pre-paym read all
  • $4.9M

    Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies · San Jose, CA · 2022

    Advised - restricted for phase 3 trials of mdma for ptsd. Advised - for general operating support of people of color psychedelic collective. Advised - for general operating support.

  • $4.8M

    Uc Berkeley Foundation · Berkeley, CA · 2024

    For general and project support

  • $4.8M

    Ucsf Foundation · San Francisco, CA · 2022

    Advised - for the shorenstein foundation fund in gastrointestinal oncology. Advised - for the department of psychiatry. Advised - for the ucsf school of medicine. Department of pediatrics. Division of adolescent and you read all
  • $4.7M

    Oakland Promise · Oakland, CA · 2022

    Advised - seed funding for k2c cohort 2016 - 2021 (2029 - 2034 hs grad cohort). Advised - to fund k2c cohort 2020 (2033 hs grad cohort) with initial csa accounts. Advised - for the oakland promise college completion pro read all
  • $4.6M

    Nextgen Climate America · San Francisco, CA · 2021

    Advised - for general operating support.

  • $4.4M

    Schwab Charitable Fund · Orlando, FL · 2021

    Advised - direct to maida lynn donor advised fund, advised - for the barger family fund at schwab charitable. Advised - for the peter and mary jacobi charitable fund. Account number.

  • $4.3M

    Marin Community Foundation · Novato, CA · 2021

    Advised - for general support of the presidio theater. Advised - for the barger family fund at the marin community foundation.

  • $4.2M

    Harvard University · Boston, MA · 2021

    Advised - for general operating support of harvard business school. Advised - for general operating support. Advised - for general support of harvard business school. Advised - for general support. Advised - for harvard read all
  • $4.2M

    George Washington High School Alumni Association · San Francisco, CA · 2024

    For general and project support

  • $4.2M

    Ucsf Foundation · San Francisco, CA · 2023

    To support the children's hospital & research center at oakland. For an endowed fund to purchase medical and scientific equipment at mount zion medical. To support the ucsf citywide case management's use of trauma trans read all
  • $4.0M

    Bay Area Community Services · Oakland, CA · 2021

    Program - to prevent homelessness for oakland residents at risk of, or experiencing, housing insecurity through services provided by keep oakland housed, and provide additional infrastructure support to keep oakland hou read all
  • $3.9M

    San Francisco General Hospital Foundation · San Francisco, CA · 2024

    For general support

  • $3.8M

    Harvard University · Boston, MA · 2022

    Advised - for the david and susan tunnell harvard quantum initiative growth fund. Advised - for general operating support. Advised - to support the shorenstein center on media. Politics and public policy at the john f k read all
  • $3.5M

    Center for the Art of Translation · San Francisco, CA · 2021

    Advised - for center for the art of translation. Advised - for center for the center building project. Advised - for general operating support. Advised - for general support in honor of jon lovelace jr. And the lovelace read all
  • $3.2M

    Duke University · Durham, NC · 2024

    For general and project support

  • $3.1M

    Ucsf Foundation · San Francisco, CA · 2024

    For general and project support

  • $3.0M

    Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence Foundation · Los Altos, CA · 2024

    For general support

  • $2.7M

    Coro Northern California · San Francisco, CA · 2021

    Program - in partnership with enterprise, train and support fellows in moving the needle on equity-focused affordable housing production and preservation solutions with local government agencies and community partners, read all
  • $2.6M

    Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco · San Francisco, CA · 2022

    Advised - for education and arts fund. For general operating support. Advised - for general support.

  • $2.6M

    Committee On the Shelterless · Petaluma, CA · 2024

    For general and project support

  • $2.5M

    The Tides Center · Los Angeles, CA · 2022

    Program - to establish a statewide black housing fund. Program - to support youth organizing. Program - to support lift up contra costa. Program - to support equity officers across the bay area. Program - to support com read all
  • $2.5M

    Cate School · Carpinteria, CA · 2024

    For general and project support

  • $2.5M

    Coro Northern California · San Francisco, CA · 2024

    For project support

  • $2.5M

    Main Street Launch · Oakland, CA · 2021

    Program - main street launch will use this grant to provide san francisco african american revolving loan fund loan recipients with full debt relief, and redeploy new and recaptured loan funds to support new borrowers.

  • $2.4M

    National Philanthropic Trust · Jenkintown, PA · 2021

    Advised - for the benefit of the emika fund, advised - for the benefit of the emika fund.

  • $2.3M

    Tides Center · Los Angeles, CA · 2023

    To support the poder project. To support the leaderspring center. To support the generation housing project. To support the bay area regional health inequities coalition. To support the arab resource and organizing cent read all
  • $2.2M

    Ucsf Foundation · San Francisco, CA · 2021

    Advised - fy22 annual donation to the ucsf chancellor's circle. Advised - for general operating support of institute for global health sciences. Advised - for general operating support of the ucsf hiv/aids program. Advi read all
  • $2.2M

    Bay Area Community Services · Oakland, CA · 2022

    Program - to support keep oakland housed. Advised - to relaunch keep oakland housed (koh). Providing emergency financial assistance. Housing stabilization services. And legal services as needed. To households at risk of read all
  • $2.1M

    Coro Northern California · San Francisco, CA · 2022

    Program - train and support a network of leaders to advance housing justice in the bay area.

  • $2.0M

    National Philanthropic Trust · Jenkintown, PA · 2023

    For the benefit of wolf family fund ii. For the wolf family fund ii

  • $2.0M

    Center for the Art of Translation · San Francisco, CA · 2024

    For general and project support

  • $2.0M

    Cate School · Carpinteria, CA · 2023

    For the final four sprint for general or capital use. For the cate annual fund. For the board of trustees special fund. For general support.

  • $1.9M

    California Pacific Medical Center Foundation · San Francisco, CA · 2024

    For general and project support

  • $1.8M

    Tides Center · Los Angeles, CA · 2024

    For project support

  • $1.7M

    The Anti Police-Terror Project · Oakland, CA · 2024

    For general and project support

  • $1.7M

    Foodcorps · Portland, OR · 2022

    Advised - for general operating support.

  • $1.7M

    Oakland Unified School District · Oakland, CA · 2023

    To support oakland goes outdoors activities. For general support.

  • $1.6M

    Schwab Charitable Fund · Omaha, NE · 2024

    For project support

  • $1.6M

    Regents of the University of California at Berkeley · Berkeley, CA · 2023

    To support the uc berkeley labor center. To support the othering and belonging institute. To support the latinx research center. To support the black studies collaboratory. To support an equity assessment by the otherin read all
  • $1.6M

    Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies · San Jose, CA · 2021

    Advised - for equity access/scholarships for bipoc therapists and patients. Advised - for general operating support. Advised - for research.

  • $1.6M

    Compass Family Services · San Francisco, CA · 2024

    For general and project support

  • $1.6M

    Stanford University · Stanford, CA · 2024

    For general and project support

  • $1.6M

    Regents of the University of California at Berkeley · Berkeley, CA · 2021

    Program - to distribute the murphy award and arts awards. Program - to provide technical assistance, consultation, and research support for the building worker power through workforce training regional pilot project's d read all
  • $1.5M

    Stanford University · Stanford, CA · 2023

    To distribute the murphy and cadogan awards. To support the school of education. To support the medical center's research and studies in the fields of neurogastroenterology and motility. To support museums by moonlight. read all
  • $1.5M

    Center for Empowered Politics Education Fund · Oakland, CA · 2024

    For general and project support

  • $1.5M

    Chestnut Hill College · Philadelphia, PA · 2024

    For project support

  • $1.5M

    Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center · Seattle, WA · 2024

    For project support

  • $1.5M

    Education Reimagined · Washington, DC · 2023

    For the expansion of the leadership team and organizational capacity.

  • $1.5M

    Uptogether · Oakland, CA · 2023

    To support the hope sf guaranteed income / community investments pilot.

  • $1.5M

    Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence Foundation · Los Altos, CA · 2023

    For general support.

  • $1.5M

    Chestnut Hill College · Philadelphia, PA · 2021

    Advised - for the beyond resilience campaign. Advised - for the sugarloaf entrance project. Advised - to support the h.o.p.e. Scholarship.

  • $1.5M

    Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center · Seattle, WA · 2021

    Advised - for the fred hutch trainee ancillary support fund.

  • $1.5M

    Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence Foundation · Los Altos, CA · 2021

    Advised - for general operating support.

  • $1.5M

    Dish Sf · San Francisco, CA · 2024

    For general and project support

  • $1.4M

    Center for the Art of Translation · San Francisco, CA · 2023

    For general support. For the capital campaign. For general support.

  • $1.4M

    Hamlin School · San Francisco, CA · 2023

    For general support. For general support of the annual fund.

  • $1.4M

    Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California · San Francisco, CA · 2023

    To support statewide housing advocacy research priorities. To support organizational capacity. To mobilize member advocacy. To lead the shift the bay initiative. For general support. For general support.

  • $1.4M

    Corporation of the Fine Arts Museums · San Francisco, CA · 2023

    For achenbach foundation for graphic arts. Support for the ancient arts council. In support of the san francisco fall show. In support of the delson endowment. For the sarah k. Delson fellowship. For the irving penn exh read all
  • $1.3M

    Napa Valley Community Foundation · Napa, CA · 2022

    Advised - to relaunch a homelessness prevention program to provide direct financial assistance and housing stabilization case management to households at risk of homelessness. Advised - for the marston fund.

  • $1.3M

    Stanford University · Stanford, CA · 2022

    Program - for the murphy cadogan awards. Advised - for the director's opportunity gift fund of the hoover institution and for the annual overseer contribution to hoover institution. Advised - for stanford graduate schoo read all
  • $1.3M

    The Tides Center · Los Angeles, CA · 2021

    Program - a general operating grant to support all home's coordination of rent relief and eviction prevention efforts across the region; to advance a regional and state policy agenda to create a permanent revenue stream read all
  • $1.3M

    Education Reimagined · Washington, DC · 2021

    Advised - for general operating support. Advised - for the expansion of the leadership team and organizational capacity. Advised - for the initiative to advance learner-centered education.

  • $1.3M

    Stanford University · Stanford, CA · 2021

    Program - to distribute the cadogan awards. Advised - an unrestricted gift to the stanford graduate school of business for the dean's discretionary fund. Advised - for fy 2022 general operating support of hoover institu read all
  • $1.3M

    Oakland Public Education Fund · Oakland, CA · 2024

    For general and project support

  • $1.3M

    Corporation of the Fine Arts Museums · San Francisco, CA · 2024

    For general and project support

  • $1.2M

    San Francisco Symphony · San Francisco, CA · 2023

    For general support. To support the symphony's radio broadcast. To support the shenson spotlight series for the san francisco symphony. For the fiscal year 2023-24 annual fund. For the fiscal year 2022-23 annual fund. F read all
  • $1.2M

    First 5 Solano · Vallejo, CA · 2024

    For project support

  • $1.2M

    Regents of the University of California at Berkeley · Berkeley, CA · 2024

    For project support

  • $1.2M

    Friends of McGill University · New York, NY · 2024

    For project support

  • $1.2M

    Justice Outside · Oakland, CA · 2022

    Program - to support youth access to nature fund grantees. Advised - for regranting and general operating support of the youth access to nature program. Advised - for the youth access to nature program.

  • $1.2M

    Community Foundation Sonoma County · Santa Rosa, CA · 2023

    For general support. To support the sonoma environmental education collaborative (seec) environmental education pathways school project. For the sonoma county resilience fund.

  • $1.1M

    The Regents of the University of California · Berkeley, CA · 2022

    Program - to support the terner center for housing innovation. Program - to support capacity-building of faith-based organizations. Program - for general support. Program - to distribute for the murphy award. Advised - read all
  • $1.1M

    Foodcorps · Portland, OR · 2021

    Advised - for general operating support.

  • $1.1M

    Independent Arts & Media · San Francisco, CA · 2021

    Advised - for general operating support for code tenderloin. Advised - for general operating support of code tenderloin. Advised - for grand arts consortium. Advised - for the grand arts consortium - grand feature film read all
  • $1.1M

    Center for Empowered Politics · Oakland, CA · 2024

    For project support

  • $1.1M

    Anti Police-Terror Project · Oakland, CA · 2023

    To support grassroots organizing. To support the peace out loud project.

  • $1.1M

    Local Initiatives Support Corporation · New York, NY · 2022

    Program - to support the faith & housing program. Program - for general support. Advised - to support educational opportunities for children and & families in miami. And for small business efforts.

  • $1.1M

    Justice Outside · Oakland, CA · 2021

    Program - to support youth access to nature grantees with technical assistance so that they can work towards increased sustainability and overall organizational health. Advised - for the 2021 explore-a-thon. Advised - f read all
  • $1.1M

    University of Notre Dame · Notre Dame, IN · 2023

    For the graduate fellowship program. For the excellence fund. For archives of new traditional architecture (anta).

  • $1.1M

    Compass Family Services · San Francisco, CA · 2022

    Advised - to support the compass family stability fund. Advised - for general operating support. Advised - for the annual fund. Advised - in support of the annual fund. Advised - for sponsorship of the 2023 spring benef read all
  • $1.0M

    Jewish Family and Children'S Services · San Francisco, CA · 2024

    For general and project support

  • $1.0M

    Education Reimagined · Washington, DC · 2024

    For general and project support

  • $1.0M

    Education Reimagined · Washington, DC · 2022

    Advised - for the expansion of the leadership team and organizational capacity. Advised - for general operating support.

  • $1.0M

    Summer Search · San Francisco, CA · 2022

    Advised - for the no ceilings comprehensive campaign. Advised - for general operating support.

  • $1.0M

    Jewish Family and Children'S Services · San Francisco, CA · 2023

    To support delivery of social services by jewish family and children's services in san francisco. For scholarship support, as specified. For the holocaust center's never forget capital campaign. For general support. For read all
  • $1.0M

    Tides Foundation · Los Angeles, CA · 2023

    To support the orange county civic engagement table (oc action). To support the movement voter fund (2106f). To support the arab resource and organizing center. To support sister district education fund (2385f). To prov read all
  • $1.0M

    Justice Outside · Oakland, CA · 2023

    For the youth access to nature program. For regranting and general support of the youth access to nature program. For general support. For general support of youth access to nature.

View all 6,369 grants →

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Source: IRS Form 990, Schedule I, as filed by this organization. These are grants already paid. Grants paid directly to individuals are reported to the IRS only as totals, so they do not appear as named lines here.