95 private foundations reported public & society benefit grants in California on their IRS Form 990-PF filings for tax years 2023–2025. Historical giving records — not an open application portal.
Themes are derived from the free-text purpose each foundation wrote on its own Part XV filing, so a grant is classified by what the funder said it was for. Grants paid directly to named individuals are excluded from recipient counts and tables.
Across tax years 2023–2025, 95 private foundations reported 164 grants for public & society benefit totaling $17,586,023 to 129 organizations in California. The most-funded California communities were Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland. Freedom Together Foundation reported the most public & society benefit giving — $4,450,000 across 6 grants. The median grant was $30,000.
Foundation filings are a record of past giving. The UseGrants eligibility check matches you to federal and state opportunities accepting applications today.
| Foundation | Grants | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Freedom Together Foundation | 6 | $4,450,000 |
| The Arthur M Blank Family Foundation | 1 | $2,000,000 |
| The Sobrato Family Foundation | 7 | $1,010,000 |
| Wal-mart Foundation | 1 | $1,000,000 |
| Marguerite Casey Foundation | 8 | $940,000 |
| Annie E Casey Foundation Inc | 7 | $895,000 |
| Surgo Foundation US | 1 | $500,000 |
| The Hearthland Foundation | 1 | $500,000 |
| Visa Foundation | 2 | $350,000 |
| John S and James L Knight Foundation | 1 | $341,235 |
| The Colorado Health Foundation | 2 | $305,000 |
| Firedoll Foundation | 9 | $268,000 |
| Recipient | Grants | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Contina Impact | 2 | $2,055,000 |
| National Immigration LAW Center | 2 | $1,600,000 |
| California Community Foundation | 3 | $1,400,000 |
| Tides Foundation | 5 | $1,076,289 |
| University of Southern California | 2 | $1,050,000 |
| Groundswell Fund | 2 | $1,045,000 |
| Liberation Ventures Inc | 1 | $500,000 |
| Women Donors Network | 1 | $500,000 |
| American National RED Cross | 2 | $350,000 |
| Transformca | 1 | $341,235 |
| Tenant Union Federation | 2 | $335,000 |
| Policylink | 1 | $325,000 |
| Possibility Labs | 2 | $300,000 |
| Tides Center | 2 | $300,000 |
| Animal Legal Defense Fund | 3 | $278,000 |
95 private foundations reported public & society benefit grants in California on their IRS Form 990-PF filings, totaling $17,586,023. The largest by reported dollars were Freedom Together Foundation, The Arthur M Blank Family Foundation, The Sobrato Family Foundation. These are historical filings, not open application portals — check each foundation's own guidelines before approaching them.
129 distinct organizations appear as recipients in California, led by Contina Impact, National Immigration LAW Center, California Community Foundation. Grants paid directly to named individuals are excluded from these figures.
The median reported public & society benefit grant in California was $30,000, and the largest single reported grant was $2,000,000. Amounts are as reported by the filing foundation for a historical tax year.
The UseGrants feed tracks federal and state opportunities that are open today, each with the eligibility explained in plain English.
Source: public IRS Form 990-PF Part XV filings (tax years 2023–2025). Theme classification is derived from the funder’s own purpose text and is a summary, not a legal categorization. UseGrants is an independent aggregator, not affiliated with any foundation listed.
