The Aerospike Foundation concentrates its giving on higher education and biomedical research—with a clear geographic tilt toward San Diego-area institutions—while also supporting local animal welfare and a handful of education/public policy groups. Grants are focused and programmatic (large gifts to universities, research institutes, and regional hospitals), with several repeat awards to the same organizations. The foundation appears to favor medical research (notably neuro-oncology), university program support, and community-level humane society services.
Aerospike Foundation Inc. has made repeated six-figure grants to UC San Diego Foundation, including $400,000 in 2024 and another $400,000 in 2025, which captures the scale and concentration of its recent giving. The foundation’s grantmaking is centered on higher education and biomedical research, with San Diego-area institutions appearing often across the recent grants list. University program support, medical research, and clinical care are recurring themes, especially at organizations tied to neuro-oncology and biological studies. Beyond the university relationship, the foundation has funded Scripps Health for medical support, including a $100,000 grant in 2025, and gave $75,000 in 2025 to Salk Institute for Biological Studies for medical research. It also supported Brain Cancer Research Institute and Scripps Health Neuro Oncology in earlier grants, showing a continued emphasis on research and treatment connected to cancer. Alongside those institutional gifts, the foundation has made smaller grants to local education and community groups, including animal welfare organizations and public-policy oriented recipients.
Biomedical research is one of the clearest themes in the foundation’s recent grantmaking. In 2025, Aerospike Foundation Inc. gave $75,000 to Salk Institute for Biological Studies for medical research, following an $85,000 grant in 2023 to the same organization for education. It also awarded $60,000 in 2023 to Brain Cancer Research Institute for education, linking its support to cancer-related research. Clinical and hospital support is another recurring area. The foundation made a $100,000 grant in 2025 to Scripps Health for medical purposes, and earlier gave $85,000 in 2023 to Scripps Health Neuro Oncology for education. Its education-related grants also extend beyond universities. Committee to Unleash Prosperity received $150,000 in 2025 and $50,000 in 2023, while The Comfort Club received $125,000 in 2025 and $70,000 in 2024.
Typical awards cluster at the lower end of the foundation’s grant spectrum, with a p25 of $5,000, a median of $12,500, and a p75 of $63,750. At the same time, the recent record includes several much larger institutional gifts, including repeated $400,000 grants. The pattern suggests a mix of small community grants and larger programmatic awards to universities, research institutes, and health providers. Several recipients appear more than once across the recent grants list, including UC San Diego Foundation, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, The Comfort Club, Committee to Unleash Prosperity, and Scripps Health-related organizations. The foundation is a private foundation and does not make grants to individuals or program-related investments.
$942K
$5.3M
$2.2M
$963K
Most grants fall between $5K and $64K, with a median of $13K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$13K
75th Percentile
$64K
About 17% of grants go to recipients in CA.
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Concentrated giving with a few large grants and repeat recipients; funding is regionally concentrated (San Diego area) and directed toward institutional program support and biomedical research rather than many small, diversified gifts.
Notable grantees: UC San Diego Foundation, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Scripps Health (including Neuro‑Oncology), Brain Cancer Research Institute, Rancho Coastal Humane Society
Grant recipients are entirely in the United States. California is the top state by grant count, and many awards go to La Jolla, San Diego, and Encinitas. Recent California recipients include UC San Diego Foundation in La Jolla, Scripps Health in San Diego, and Rancho Coastal Humane Society in Encinitas. Outside California, the foundation also gave to organizations in New York, New Mexico, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, and South Carolina.
Its recent grants lean toward higher education, biomedical research, and health-related institutions. UC San Diego Foundation received $400,000 in both 2024 and 2025, while Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Scripps Health, and Scripps Health Neuro Oncology also appear among the larger awards.
Yes. UC San Diego Foundation appears with $400,000 grants in both 2024 and 2025. Other repeat recipients include The Comfort Club, Committee to Unleash Prosperity, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, and Scripps Health-related organizations.
Its typical grant profile is $5,000 at the 25th percentile, $12,500 at the median, and $63,750 at the 75th percentile. The recent list also includes larger six-figure awards, showing a wide spread between small grants and major institutional support.
California is the top state by grant count. Recent California recipients include organizations in La Jolla, San Diego, Encinitas, and Rancho Santa Fe, showing a strong concentration in the San Diego area.
No. The foundation’s profile indicates that it does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC SAN DIEGO FOUNDATION | LA JOLLA, CA | $400,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| COMMITTEE TO UNLEASH PROSPERITY | POTOMAC, MD | $150,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| THE COMFORT CLUB | ENCHINITAS, CA | $125,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| SCRIPPS HEALTH | SAN DIEGO, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL |
| SALK INSTITUTE FOR BIOLOGICAL STUDIES | LA JOLLA, CA | $75,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| RANCHO COASTAL HUMANE SOCIETY | ENCINITAS, CA | $55,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL |
| SES TENNIS CENTER BENEFIT | RANCHO SANTA FE, CA | $17,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| CITY OF VISION | CHERRY VALLEY, MA | $5,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL |
| THE VISION OF CHILDREN FOUNDATION | SAN DIEGO, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL |
| ST FELIX PANTRY | RIO RANCHO, NM | $5,000 | 2025 | WELLNESS |
| FACE FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $2,850 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| NEW YORK ROAD RUNNERS TEAM FOR KIDS | NEW YORK, NY | $2,500 | 2025 | WELLNESS |
| UC SAN DIEGO FOUNDATION | LA JOLLA, CA | $400,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| THE COMFORT CLUB | ENCHINITAS, CA | $70,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| SAN DIEGO AIR AND SPACE | SAN DIEGO, CA | $50,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| SES TENNIS CENTER BENEFIT | RANCHO SANTA FE, CA | $15,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| SPIRIT OF LIBERTY FOUNDATION | RANCHO SANTA FE, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| SCRIPPS HEALTH NEURO ONCOLOGY | SAN DIEGO, CA | $85,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION |
| SALK INSTITUTE FOR BIOLOGICAL STUDIES | LA JOLLA, CA | $85,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION |
| RANCHO COASTAL HUMAN SOCIETY | ENCINITAS, CA | $65,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION |
| BRAIN CANCER RESEARCH INSTITUTE | SAN DIEGO, CA | $60,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION |
| COMMITTEE TO UNLEASH PROSPERITY | WASHINGTON, DC | $50,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION |
| THE COMFORT CLUB | ENCINITAS, CA | $10,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION |
| DEL RAY CITIZENS FOR DELRAY POLICE | DELRAY BEACH, FL | $5,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION |
| YORKIE 911 RESCUE | NORTH BABYLON, NY | $5,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION |
| NYS TROOPERS SIGNAL 30 FUND | ALBANY, NY | $5,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION |
| CODY JULIETTE RP VISION FOUNDATION | RIO RANCHO, NM | $5,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION |
| HAMPTON COUNTY ANIMAL CENTER | VARNVILLE, SC | $2,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION |
| PINKBALL INC | BOCA RATON, FL | $2,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION |
| NOT 4 GOTTEN NY | WOODSTOCK, NY | $1,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION |
COMMITTEE TO UNLEASH PROSPERITY
$150,000EDUCATION
THE COMFORT CLUB
$125,000EDUCATION
SALK INSTITUTE FOR BIOLOGICAL STUDIES
$75,000MEDICAL RESEARCH
MEDICAL
SES TENNIS CENTER BENEFIT
$17,000EDUCATION
CITY OF VISION
$5,000MEDICAL
THE VISION OF CHILDREN FOUNDATION
$5,000MEDICAL
ST FELIX PANTRY
$5,000WELLNESS
THE COMFORT CLUB
$70,000EDUCATION
SAN DIEGO AIR AND SPACE
$50,000EDUCATION
SES TENNIS CENTER BENEFIT
$15,000EDUCATION
SPIRIT OF LIBERTY FOUNDATION
$10,000EDUCATION
SCRIPPS HEALTH NEURO ONCOLOGY
$85,000EDUCATION
SALK INSTITUTE FOR BIOLOGICAL STUDIES
$85,000EDUCATION
BRAIN CANCER RESEARCH INSTITUTE
$60,000EDUCATION
THE COMFORT CLUB
$10,000EDUCATION
DEL RAY CITIZENS FOR DELRAY POLICE
$5,000EDUCATION
YORKIE 911 RESCUE
$5,000EDUCATION
NYS TROOPERS SIGNAL 30 FUND
$5,000EDUCATION
CODY JULIETTE RP VISION FOUNDATION
$5,000EDUCATION
HAMPTON COUNTY ANIMAL CENTER
$2,000EDUCATION
PINKBALL INC
$2,000EDUCATION
NOT 4 GOTTEN NY
$1,000EDUCATION