California · Grantmakers

Foundations That Fund Public & Societal Benefit in California

Imperigo has identified 852 funders that made 4,581 grants totaling $653.3M to 577 public & societal benefit organizations in California, with a median grant of $25K. Every figure below is drawn from IRS Form 990 filings through 2025.

Public & Societal Benefit Funding in California

Total granted $653.3M
Funders 852
Grants 4,581
Organizations funded 577

Top Funders — page 1 of 4

1. Ares Charitable Foundation
4 grants to 1 organization · largest $4.5M · through 2024 · 37.1% of their giving
$12.0M
2. Specialty Equipment Market Association & Performance Racing Inc
5 grants to 1 organization · largest $3.1M · through 2023 · 77.1% of their giving
$8.5M
3. Bemc 4 Association
1 grant to 1 organization · largest $7.2M · through 2022 · 47.7% of their giving
$7.2M
4. Living Cities Inc the National Community Development Initiative
1 grant to 1 organization · largest $6.0M · through 2024 · 29.7% of their giving
$6.0M
5. Opencovidscreen Foundation
1 grant to 1 organization · largest $4.2M · through 2020 · 100.0% of their giving
$4.2M
6. The Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation C/O Gcbm
4 grants to 1 organization · largest $1.3M · through 2022 · 37.2% of their giving
$2.7M
7. Better Next Year Fund
1 grant to 1 organization · largest $2.2M · through 2024 · 39.0% of their giving
$2.2M
8. Milpitas Charity Bingo Inc
1 grant to 1 organization · largest $1.3M · through 2024 · 21.4% of their giving
$1.3M
9. San Diego Navy League Foundation Inc
12 grants to 1 organization · largest $349K · through 2025 · 100.0% of their giving
$1.3M
10. Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco the Peninsula Marin & Sonoma
26 grants to 11 organizations · largest $5.1M · through 2024 · 2.0% of their giving
$11.5M
11. Septuagenarian Fund
1 grant to 1 organization · largest $1.0M · through 2023 · 83.3% of their giving
$1.0M
12. The San Francisco Foundation
62 grants to 25 organizations · largest $2.7M · through 2024 · 1.1% of their giving
$13.8M
13. Unlikely Collaborators Inc
3 grants to 1 organization · largest $333K · through 2024 · 14.9% of their giving
$1.0M
14. National Board of Chiropractic Examiners
1 grant to 1 organization · largest $1.0M · through 2019 · 13.5% of their giving
$1.0M
15. California Citrus Quality Council
6 grants to 1 organization · largest $100K · through 2024 · 100.0% of their giving
$600K
16. National Restaurant Association
4 grants to 1 organization · largest $588K · through 2024 · 9.4% of their giving
$1.1M
17. Century Club of San Diego
6 grants to 1 organization · largest $188K · through 2024 · 11.4% of their giving
$913K
18. Silicon Valley Community Foundation
96 grants to 47 organizations · largest $8.0M · through 2024
$38.0M
19. Manifest Medex
1 grant to 1 organization · largest $500K · through 2024 · 100.0% of their giving
$500K
20. Tides Foundation
53 grants to 26 organizations · largest $2.6M · through 2024
$14.9M
21. Daf Your Way Inc
4 grants to 1 organization · largest $158K · through 2023 · 19.1% of their giving
$424K
22. Car Donation Foundation
6 grants to 1 organization · largest $582K · through 2024 · 2.5% of their giving
$2.6M
23. Cook Foundation
3 grants to 1 organization · largest $110K · through 2025 · 91.6% of their giving
$273K
24. Consumer Education Foundation
2 grants to 1 organization · largest $200K · through 2020 · 100.0% of their giving
$260K
25. Southwestern Medical Clinic Foundation
3 grants to 1 organization · largest $100K · through 2023 · 36.5% of their giving
$191K

Funders are ordered by how much of their overall giving goes to public & societal benefit 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. 15 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 public & societal benefit 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 public & societal benefit funding in California, not every dollar that reached the sector. Figures are a floor, not a ceiling.

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Research California funders in depth

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