The Aurora Foundation makes a small number of mid-sized to large grants across civic engagement, higher education, and food/ environmental advocacy. In the most recent year it concentrated a majority of funds on a single community‑mobilization group while also supporting a major research university and a national food‑safety advocacy organization. The portfolio suggests interest in civic participation, academic research, and sustainable food systems rather than a single sector specialization.
Aurora Foundation C/o Jeffrey Bronfman’s largest recent grant went to The Just One Project, a Las Vegas community mobilization group focused on getting people involved, giving back, and making a difference. That single award points to a funder that combines local community work with a broader set of public-interest grants. In the same recent portfolio, the foundation supported Johns Hopkins University for education and independent research, Center for Food Safety for safe food production advocacy, and US Right to Know for investigative reporting on corporate wrongdoing and government failures that affect health, the environment, or the food system. The pattern is not narrow. Their grants reach community engagement, higher education and research, food and environmental advocacy, Amazon-related conservation, arts and culture, and restorative practices. Several awards are modest, but the portfolio also includes mid-sized grants in the tens of thousands of dollars, suggesting selective support for organizations with clear program goals. The foundation also has a visible Nevada connection through grants to Las Vegas institutions and recurring support for local cultural organizations, while still funding work across the country. Across the recent record, the throughline is support for organized civic, educational, and advocacy work rather than individuals or project investment vehicles.
In community engagement, Aurora Foundation C/o Jeffrey Bronfman gave $109,000 to The Just One Project for community mobilization in Las Vegas. In food and environmental advocacy, it awarded $35,000 to Center for Food Safety to promote safe food production practices and alternatives to industrial agriculture, and another grant to Amazon Watch to protect the rainforest and peoples in the Amazon Basin. The foundation also backs research and education. Johns Hopkins University received $35,000 to educate students, foster independent and original research, and share the benefits discovered. Elsewhere in the portfolio, the foundation supported Fungi Foundation for research, knowledge-building, and conservation policy on fungi, and Emergence Benefactors for rigorous research on emergent experiences and practices. Arts and culture appear as a smaller but repeated theme through support for cultural and educational programming at the Huichol Center for Cultural Survival and the Traditional Arts and the Smith Center for Performing Arts.
$48K
$3.4M
$1M
$78K
Most grants fall between $4K and $15K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$4K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$15K
About 27% of grants go to recipients in CA.
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Concentrated giving with few grants per year: one larger, standout gift alongside two mid‑level grants to national institutions—indicates selective, impact‑oriented commitments rather than broad, dispersed micro‑granting.
Notable grantees: The Just One Project, Johns Hopkins University, Center for Food Safety
Typical grants cluster around a modest mid-grant range: p25 is $3,644, median is $5,000, and p75 is $15,038. That distribution sits alongside a few larger awards, including a six-figure grant and several grants in the $20,000 to $35,000 range. The record shows repeat support to some organizations across multiple years, including Amazon Conservation Team, Amazon Watch, Huichol Center for Cultural Survival and the Traditional Arts, Smith Center for Performing Arts, and Applied Mindfulness. The foundation funds organizations rather than individuals, and there is no indication of program-related investments. The recent grants list does not show an open application process.
Aurora Foundation C/o Jeffrey Bronfman gives nationally, with recipients in 24 U.S. grants in the recent dataset. California appears most often by grant count, and Nevada accounts for 12% of grants. Recent recipient cities include Las Vegas, Oakland, San Francisco, San Rafael, Falls Church, Baltimore, Washington, DC, and New York. The geographic pattern mixes local Nevada support with dispersed grants to advocacy, research, and cultural organizations in other states.
The recent grants point to community engagement, higher education and research, food and environmental advocacy, Amazon conservation, arts and culture, and restorative practices. Examples include The Just One Project, Johns Hopkins University, Center for Food Safety, Amazon Conservation Team, and the Smith Center for Performing Arts.
The foundation’s grant-size distribution is centered in the low thousands to mid-teens: p25 is $3,644, median is $5,000, and p75 is $15,038. Recent awards also include larger grants such as $109,000 and $35,000.
California is the top state by grant count in the recent data. Nevada is also notable because it receives 12% of grants, including support for Las Vegas-based organizations.
Yes. Several organizations appear in multiple years, including Amazon Conservation Team, Amazon Watch, Huichol Center for Cultural Survival and the Traditional Arts, Smith Center for Performing Arts, and Applied Mindfulness.
No. The provided data says it does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CONTINUING THE LEGACY DANCE | LAS VEGAS, NV | $20,000 | 2026 | TO SUPPORT THE MISSION OF CONTINUING THE AMERICAN LEGACY OF EXCELLENCE IN DANCE. |
| SMITH CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS | LAS VEGAS, NV | $10,000 | 2026 | SUPPORT FOR ART & CULTURE AND EDUCATIONAL |
| THE JUST ONE PROJECT | LAS VEGAS, NV | $10,000 | 2026 | SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY BY INSPIRING PEOPLE TO GET INVOLVED, GIVE BACK, AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE. |
| CENTER FOR FOOD SAFETY | WASHINGTON, DC | $5,000 | 2026 | TO PROTECT HUMAN HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT BY ADVOCATING FOR SAFE FOOD PRODUCTION PRACTICES AND PROMOTING ALTERNATIVES TO INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURE |
| DESERT ROOTS RISING STARS | HENDERSON, NV | $3,000 | 2026 | TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION |
| THE JUST ONE PROJECT | LAS VEGAS, NV | $109,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY BY INSPIRING PEOPLE TO GET INVOLVED, GIVE BACK, AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE. |
| JOHN HOPKINS UNIVERSITY | BALTIMORE, MD | $35,000 | 2025 | TO EDUCATE STUDENTS, TO FOSTER INDEPENDENT AND ORIGINAL RESEARCH, AND TO SHARE THE BENEFITS DISCOVERED. |
| CENTER FOR FOOD SAFETY | WASHINGTON, DC | $35,000 | 2025 | TO PROTECT HUMAN HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT BY ADVOCATING FOR SAFE FOOD PRODUCTION PRACTICES AND PROMOTING ALTERNATIVES TO INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURE |
| US RIGHT TO KNOW | OAKLAND, CA | $22,000 | 2025 | TO INVESTIGATE AND REPORT ON CORPORATE WRONGDOING AND GOVERNMENT FAILURES THAT THREATEN OUR HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT, OR FOOD SYSTEM. |
| AMAZON CONSERVATION TEAM | FALLS CHURCH, VA | $20,060 | 2025 | SUPPORT LOCAL COMMUNITIES OF TROPICAL SOUTH AMERICA |
| AMAZON WATCH | OAKLAND, CA | $15,150 | 2025 | SUPPORT FOR PROTECTNG THE RAINFOREST AND PEOPLES IN THE AMAZON BASIN |
| MCKENNA ACADEMY OF NATURAL PHILOSOPHY INC | SAN RAFAEL, CA | $15,000 | 2025 | TOCATALYZING A GLOBAL TRANSFORMATION OF CONSCIOUSNESS THROUGH EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES. |
| FUNGI FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $10,297 | 2025 | TO EXPLORE FUNGI, INCREASE KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR DIVERSITY, PROMOTE SOLUTIONS, EDUCATE ABOUT THEIR APPLICATIONS, AND RECOMMEND POLICIES FOR THEIR CONSERVATION. |
| EMERGENCE BENEFACTORS | HUNTSVILLE, AL | $9,500 | 2025 | SUPPORT HEALTHY OUTCOMES AND FUND RIGOROUS, OBJECTIVE RESEARCH ON EMERGENT EXPERIENCES AND PRACTICES. |
| SMITH CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS | LAS VEGAS, NV | $5,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT FOR ART & CULTURE AND EDUCATIONAL |
| RESTORATIVE PRACTICE ALLIANCES | NICASIO, CA | $1,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF RESTORATIVE PRACTICES |
| THE WIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $520 | 2025 | SUPPORT FOR THE WORLD SHARE IN FREE KNOWLEDGE |
| Choate Rosemary Hall Foundation | Wallingford, CT | $5,000 | 2024 | Support for Education |
| Smith Center for Performing Arts | Las Vegas, NV | $5,000 | 2024 | Support for Art & Culture and Educational |
| Huichol Center for Cultural Survival and the Traditional Arts | San Pablo, CA | $5,000 | 2024 | Support for Art & Culture and Educational |
| Amazon Conservation Team | Falls Church, VA | $4,000 | 2024 | Support Local Communities of Tropical South America |
| Amazon Watch | Oakland, CA | $2,575 | 2024 | Support for protectng the rainforest and peoples in the Amazon Basin |
| Applied Mindfulness | Barnet, VT | $399 | 2024 | Support for Education |
| Huichol Center for Cultural Survival and the Traditional Arts | San Pablo, CA | $12,000 | 2023 | Support for Art & Culture and Educational |
| Chaple of Sacred Mirrors | Wappinger, NY | $4,175 | 2023 | Support for Art & Culture and Educational |
| Applied Mindfulness | Barnet, VT | $1,000 | 2023 | Support for Education |
CONTINUING THE LEGACY DANCE
$20,000TO SUPPORT THE MISSION OF CONTINUING THE AMERICAN LEGACY OF EXCELLENCE IN DANCE.
SMITH CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS
$10,000SUPPORT FOR ART & CULTURE AND EDUCATIONAL
SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY BY INSPIRING PEOPLE TO GET INVOLVED, GIVE BACK, AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
TO PROTECT HUMAN HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT BY ADVOCATING FOR SAFE FOOD PRODUCTION PRACTICES AND PROMOTING ALTERNATIVES TO INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURE
DESERT ROOTS RISING STARS
$3,000TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION
SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY BY INSPIRING PEOPLE TO GET INVOLVED, GIVE BACK, AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
JOHN HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
$35,000TO EDUCATE STUDENTS, TO FOSTER INDEPENDENT AND ORIGINAL RESEARCH, AND TO SHARE THE BENEFITS DISCOVERED.
CENTER FOR FOOD SAFETY
$35,000TO PROTECT HUMAN HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT BY ADVOCATING FOR SAFE FOOD PRODUCTION PRACTICES AND PROMOTING ALTERNATIVES TO INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURE
TO INVESTIGATE AND REPORT ON CORPORATE WRONGDOING AND GOVERNMENT FAILURES THAT THREATEN OUR HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT, OR FOOD SYSTEM.
SUPPORT LOCAL COMMUNITIES OF TROPICAL SOUTH AMERICA
SUPPORT FOR PROTECTNG THE RAINFOREST AND PEOPLES IN THE AMAZON BASIN
MCKENNA ACADEMY OF NATURAL PHILOSOPHY INC
$15,000TOCATALYZING A GLOBAL TRANSFORMATION OF CONSCIOUSNESS THROUGH EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES.
FUNGI FOUNDATION
$10,297TO EXPLORE FUNGI, INCREASE KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR DIVERSITY, PROMOTE SOLUTIONS, EDUCATE ABOUT THEIR APPLICATIONS, AND RECOMMEND POLICIES FOR THEIR CONSERVATION.
EMERGENCE BENEFACTORS
$9,500SUPPORT HEALTHY OUTCOMES AND FUND RIGOROUS, OBJECTIVE RESEARCH ON EMERGENT EXPERIENCES AND PRACTICES.
SMITH CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS
$5,000SUPPORT FOR ART & CULTURE AND EDUCATIONAL
RESTORATIVE PRACTICE ALLIANCES
$1,000SUPPORT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF RESTORATIVE PRACTICES
THE WIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION
$520SUPPORT FOR THE WORLD SHARE IN FREE KNOWLEDGE
Choate Rosemary Hall Foundation
$5,000Support for Education
Smith Center for Performing Arts
$5,000Support for Art & Culture and Educational
Huichol Center for Cultural Survival and the Traditional Arts
$5,000Support for Art & Culture and Educational
Support Local Communities of Tropical South America
Support for protectng the rainforest and peoples in the Amazon Basin
Applied Mindfulness
$399Support for Education
Huichol Center for Cultural Survival and the Traditional Arts
$12,000Support for Art & Culture and Educational
Chaple of Sacred Mirrors
$4,175Support for Art & Culture and Educational
Applied Mindfulness
$1,000Support for Education