150 private foundations reported research & science 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, 150 private foundations reported 251 grants for research & science totaling $78,540,590 to 195 organizations in California. The most-funded California communities were Los Angeles, San Francisco, La Jolla. Gates Foundation reported the most research & science giving — $38,775,129 across 26 grants. The median grant was $50,000.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Gates Foundation | 26 | $38,775,129 |
| Munger Charitable Trust Number Five C/0 William H Borthwick | 1 | $7,901,830 |
| Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation | 1 | $5,000,000 |
| Torrey Coast Foundation | 6 | $4,384,122 |
| Target ALS Foundation Inc | 9 | $3,219,843 |
| The G Harold & Leila Y Mathers Charitable Foundation | 14 | $2,994,704 |
| Freedom Together Foundation | 2 | $1,090,000 |
| Capital ONE Foundation Inc | 2 | $1,057,711 |
| Carnegie Corporation of NEW York | 2 | $1,019,900 |
| The Patrick J Mcgovern Foundation Inc | 2 | $850,000 |
| Edwards-yeckel Research Foundation | 1 | $713,000 |
| Tiny Blue DOT Inc | 3 | $641,666 |
| Recipient | Grants | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Scripps Research Institute the | 5 | $17,492,254 |
| Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University the | 8 | $14,894,565 |
| Kitp House Project | 1 | $7,901,830 |
| CAL State East BAY Educational Foundation | 1 | $5,000,000 |
| The Entertainment Industry Foundation ( Stand UP for Cancer) | 1 | $2,550,000 |
| AN2 Therapeutics Inc | 2 | $1,867,321 |
| Stanford University | 7 | $1,332,151 |
| SU2C Convergence - Project 2 | 1 | $1,150,000 |
| University of California SAN Diego | 2 | $1,023,632 |
| University of California SAN Francisco Foundation | 5 | $936,472 |
| University of California Berkeley | 5 | $912,176 |
| Latino Business Action Network Inc | 1 | $880,000 |
| California Institute of Technology | 6 | $834,673 |
| Curia BIO Inc | 1 | $800,051 |
| WestEd | 1 | $769,900 |
150 private foundations reported research & science grants in California on their IRS Form 990-PF filings, totaling $78,540,590. The largest by reported dollars were Gates Foundation, Munger Charitable Trust Number Five C/0 William H Borthwick, Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation. These are historical filings, not open application portals — check each foundation's own guidelines before approaching them.
195 distinct organizations appear as recipients in California, led by Scripps Research Institute the, Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University the, Kitp House Project. Grants paid directly to named individuals are excluded from these figures.
The median reported research & science grant in California was $50,000, and the largest single reported grant was $10,817,057. 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.
