California · Grantmakers

Foundations That Fund Community Improvement in California

Imperigo has identified 1,455 funders that made 11,946 grants totaling $1.8B to 1,266 community improvement organizations in California, with a median grant of $25K. Every figure below is drawn from IRS Form 990 filings through 2025.

Community Improvement Funding in California

Total granted $1.8B
Funders 1,455
Grants 11,946
Organizations funded 1,266

Top Funders — page 1 of 4

1. California Community Foundation
258 grants to 104 organizations · largest $14.0M · through 2024 · 4.8% of their giving
$96.3M
2. Rural Community Assistance Partnership Incorporated
6 grants to 1 organization · largest $5.6M · through 2024 · 17.0% of their giving
$22.6M
3. Philanthropic Ventures Foundation
13 grants to 7 organizations · largest $15.7M · through 2024 · 31.4% of their giving
$16.1M
4. East Bay Community Foundation
179 grants to 63 organizations · largest $12.5M · through 2024 · 5.7% of their giving
$43.8M
5. United Way Inc
67 grants to 33 organizations · largest $7.9M · through 2024 · 15.4% of their giving
$13.6M
6. The Nonprofit Partnership
23 grants to 5 organizations · largest $5.0M · through 2025 · 55.3% of their giving
$8.7M
7. The San Francisco Foundation
254 grants to 101 organizations · largest $2.5M · through 2024 · 3.5% of their giving
$42.3M
8. United States Energy Foundation
28 grants to 12 organizations · largest $20.0M · through 2024 · 4.8% of their giving
$26.0M
9. Sierra Health Foundation Center for Health Program Management
75 grants to 42 organizations · largest $1.1M · through 2024 · 8.6% of their giving
$13.4M
10. International Union of Operating Engineers National Training Fund
6 grants to 1 organization · largest $840K · through 2024 · 86.7% of their giving
$4.3M
11. Liberty Hill Foundation
328 grants to 40 organizations · largest $402K · through 2024 · 9.5% of their giving
$8.8M
12. Amalgamated Charitable Foundation Inc
110 grants to 65 organizations · largest $3.0M · through 2024 · 3.2% of their giving
$24.1M
13. Ecology Center
33 grants to 9 organizations · largest $916K · through 2024 · 14.7% of their giving
$4.9M
14. The Chicago Community Trust
33 grants to 16 organizations · largest $23.0M · through 2024
$79.7M
15. Silicon Valley Community Foundation
323 grants to 145 organizations · largest $6.4M · through 2024
$94.3M
16. Affordable Community Living Corporation FKA California Mobilehome Park Corp
4 grants to 4 organizations · largest $617K · through 2020 · 70.7% of their giving
$2.5M
17. Nellie Mae Education Foundation Inc
4 grants to 2 organizations · largest $3.0M · through 2024 · 7.0% of their giving
$6.2M
18. Trust for Energy Innovation
1 grant to 1 organization · largest $3.0M · through 2020 · 14.1% of their giving
$3.0M
19. Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees
12 grants to 10 organizations · largest $1.3M · through 2020 · 19.4% of their giving
$2.2M
20. The San Diego Foundation
122 grants to 45 organizations · largest $1.7M · through 2024 · 2.5% of their giving
$15.7M
21. United Way of the Bay Area
61 grants to 24 organizations · largest $538K · through 2024 · 9.1% of their giving
$4.2M
22. Impactassetsinc
134 grants to 45 organizations · largest $1.4M · through 2024 · 1.7% of their giving
$22.1M
23. Tides Foundation
148 grants to 58 organizations · largest $4.4M · through 2024 · 1.1% of their giving
$29.8M
24. The Mortgage Capital Development Corporation
6 grants to 1 organization · largest $675K · through 2024 · 98.5% of their giving
$1.6M
25. Affordable Housing Access Inc
7 grants to 2 organizations · largest $364K · through 2024 · 39.6% of their giving
$1.4M

Funders are ordered by how much of their overall giving goes to community improvement work in California, not by dollar totals alone — a foundation that concentrates its giving here is usually a better prospect than a larger one for which this is a rounding error. 17 of the funders counted here are donor-advised fund sponsors, which grant on behalf of individual donors and accept no applications; they are marked and ranked last.

Other Causes Funded in California

About This Data

A grant appears here when a funder reported it on its IRS Form 990 and the recipient organization is classified under the NTEE group covering community improvement work, with an address in California. Grants are counted from the 2025 filing year backward.

Some 990 grant schedules list a recipient by name and address without an EIN, and those grants cannot be matched to a classification — so the totals above represent identifiable community improvement funding in California, not every dollar that reached the sector. Figures are a floor, not a ceiling.

Looking for organizations rather than funders? Browse all nonprofits in California

Research California funders in depth

Full grant histories, recipient lists, officer compensation, multi-year financials, and exports for every foundation Imperigo tracks.