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Foundations that fund nonprofits in California
In the IRS filings in CivicVane's data (tax years 2021–2025), 26,017 grantmakers listed 334,927 grants totaling $40.1 billion to 85,133 organizations in California. 24,624 of them are private foundations reporting on Form 990-PF and 1,393 are grantmaking public charities, such as community foundations, reporting on Form 990 Schedule I. 6,419 are based in California; the rest give in from other states.
The median grant to a California organization was $10,000. Los Angeles County received the most grants (99,748, from 13,263 funders), followed by San Francisco County (35,048) and Alameda County (25,811). Matching grant purposes and recipient names to cause areas, the most common were education & literacy (48,645 grants), children & youth (27,083 grants) and health & mental health (27,012 grants).
California Community Foundation (Los Angeles, CA) funded the most different California organizations: 2,058, through 2,922 grants with a typical size of $50,000.
The 15 grantmakers that funded the most California organizations
Ranked by the number of different California organizations each funded in its filings for tax years 2021–2025. Typical grant = median of those grants. Donor-advised fund sponsors, workplace-giving and matching-gift programs are left out.
| # | Funder | Grants to CA organizations | Organizations funded | Typical grant | Most recent tax year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Community Foundation Los Angeles, CA · EIN 95-3510055 | 2,922 | 2,058 | $50,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 2 | The San Francisco Foundation San Francisco, CA · EIN 01-0679337 | 2,179 | 1,496 | $34,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 3 | Chamberlin Education Foundation Richmond, CA · EIN 84-4690334 Gives only to preselected organizations, per its 990-PF | 1,517 | 1,473 | $300 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 4 | Marin Community Foundation Novato, CA · EIN 94-3007979 | 1,774 | 1,141 | $26,009 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 5 | Enterprise Holdings Foundation Saint Louis, MO · EIN 43-1262762 | 2,033 | 1,137 | $2,500 | 2023 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 6 | The San Diego Foundation San Diego, CA · EIN 95-2942582 | 1,623 | 1,093 | $30,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 7 | East Bay Community Foundation Oakland, CA · EIN 94-6070996 | 1,215 | 879 | $23,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 8 | Orange County Community Foundation Irvine, CA · EIN 33-0378778 | 1,315 | 868 | $26,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 9 | The California Endowment Los Angeles, CA · EIN 95-4523232 Gives only to preselected organizations, per its 990-PF | 2,657 | 847 | $100,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 10 | Los Angeles Regional Food Bank Los Angeles, CA · EIN 95-3135649 | 1,234 | 736 | $128,376 | 2025 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 11 | The California Wellness Foundation Los Angeles, CA · EIN 95-4292101 | 1,176 | 731 | $6,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 12 | The James Irvine Foundation San Francisco, CA · EIN 94-1236937 Gives only to preselected organizations, per its 990-PF | 1,199 | 686 | $8,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 13 | The Ahmanson Foundation Beverly Hills, CA · EIN 95-6089998 | 1,241 | 672 | $51,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 14 | Weingart Foundation Los Angeles, CA · EIN 95-6054814 | 1,434 | 670 | $10,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 15 | Central California Food Bank Fresno, CA · EIN 77-0320851 | 1,045 | 625 | $85,692 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
Counties with the most grants
| County | Grants | Funders | Total listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles County | 99,748 | 13,263 | $9.3 billion | Top 5 funders |
| San Francisco County | 35,048 | 6,557 | $6.8 billion | Top 5 funders |
| Alameda County | 25,811 | 5,221 | $3.4 billion | Top 5 funders |
| San Diego County | 23,155 | 4,352 | $1.8 billion | Top 5 funders |
| Orange County | 18,451 | 3,914 | $1.2 billion | Top 5 funders |
| Santa Clara County | 16,378 | 3,883 | $2.2 billion | Top 5 funders |
| Santa Barbara County | 10,800 | 1,711 | $469.9 million | Top 5 funders |
| Contra Costa County | 7,480 | 1,672 | $345.9 million | Top 5 funders |
| San Mateo County | 6,884 | 1,781 | $8.0 billion | Top 5 funders |
| Marin County | 6,817 | 1,839 | $535.5 million | Top 5 funders |
County = where the recipient's ZIP code is.
Cause areas
Grants whose purpose or recipient name, as filed, contains keywords for each cause area. A grant can match more than one, and many grants (such as "general support") match none.
| Cause area | Grants matched | |
|---|---|---|
| Education & literacy | 48,645 | Top 5 funders |
| Children & youth | 27,083 | Top 5 funders |
| Health & mental health | 27,012 | Top 5 funders |
| Arts & culture | 21,268 | Top 5 funders |
| Environment & conservation | 13,279 | Top 5 funders |
| Food & hunger | 11,245 | Top 5 funders |
| Animal welfare | 8,716 | Top 5 funders |
| Housing & homelessness | 6,580 | Top 5 funders |
| Basic needs & anti-poverty | 4,483 | Top 5 funders |
| Older adults | 3,373 | Top 5 funders |
| Disability | 2,418 | Top 5 funders |
| Jobs & workforce | 1,910 | Top 5 funders |
| Immigrants & refugees | 1,471 | Top 5 funders |
Want the funders that fit your organization? Grant Prospect Report, $149
Tell us your mission, county and budget. You get at least 20 ranked funders that give in your service area, ranked by fit with your mission and budget, with each one's contact, deadlines and application rules as filed with the IRS, plus matching federal opportunities from Grants.gov. PDF by email within 2 business days of payment and a complete order form.
Order a Prospect Report for California ($149) See a full sampleSource: grant lists on IRS Form 990-PF (private foundations) and Form 990 Schedule I (grantmaking public charities) from the IRS e-file releases of 2024 to 2026, tax years 2021–2025, one filing per funder and tax year. Filings are often one to two years old, and a past grant doesn't mean a funder will accept your application or fund you. CivicVane is not affiliated with any funder listed.