The Barlow Family Foundation focuses its giving on environmental and wildlife conservation—particularly freshwater and marine conservation—while also supporting a handful of place-based civic and educational institutions in the Bay Area and philanthropic intermediaries. Grants are typically large, unrestricted contributions that support general operating budgets, and the foundation mixes international conservation causes (WildAid, Wild Africa Fund) with local community investments (Lafayette Library, Sonoma County Vintners Foundation).
Barlow Family Foundation co Kelly & Carrie Barow centers its giving on freshwater and marine conservation, with California Trout receiving the largest recent grant at $190,000 in 2025. That environmental emphasis runs alongside support for wildlife protection efforts such as WildAid and Wild Africa Fund, both funded at $100,000 in recent years. The foundation also makes place-based gifts in the Bay Area, including support for the Lafayette Library Learning Center and the Park Theatre Trust, and it backs selected nonprofit intermediaries such as Northern Trust Charitable Giving and Pledge to Humanity. Its recent grants show a pattern of generally substantial awards that are often framed as mission support or general operating support rather than restricted project funding. The mix of conservation, animal welfare, education, and civic institutions suggests a funder that combines regional interests with a broader conservation agenda. Across the recent grant list, the foundation supports both California organizations and a smaller number of out-of-state and international recipients, with grantees ranging from environmental nonprofits to schools, libraries, and charitable intermediaries.
Environmental conservation is the clearest throughline. California Trout received $190,000 in 2025 to further the organization’s mission, and earlier grants of $125,000 and $50,000 also went to the group in support of general operating budgets. Wildlife protection is another visible area: WildAid received $150,000 in 2024 for general operating support and $50,000 in 2023 for the same purpose, while Wild Africa Fund received $100,000 in 2025 to further its mission. The foundation also supports animal welfare and habitat-related work, including $50,000 to Animal Rescue Foundation in 2023 and $25,000 to Joybound People & Pets in 2025. Beyond conservation, it funds community and education institutions such as Gateway Public Schools, which received grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Typical grants are substantial: the 25th percentile is $10,025, the median is $50,000, and the 75th percentile is $100,000. The foundation also shows repeat support over multiple years, with California Trout, WildAid, Pledge to Humanity, Gateway Public Schools, Animal Rescue Foundation, and Conservation Society of CA all appearing more than once in the recent list. Most awards are described as general operating support or mission support, which points to flexible funding rather than tightly restricted project grants. The foundation is a family foundation and does not make program-related investments. No application process is indicated in the provided data.
$500K
$8.1M
$1.2M
$683K
Most grants fall between $10K and $100K, with a median of $50K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$50K
75th Percentile
$100K
Top 2 recipient countries by grant volume for Barlow Family Foundation Co Kelly & Carrie Barow.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 25 | $1.5M | 96.2% |
| 2 |
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Relatively concentrated portfolio of large, often unrestricted grants; a mix of repeat funding to environmental NGOs and single large gifts to local institutions and philanthropic intermediaries.
Notable grantees: California Trout, WildAid, Wild Africa Fund, Lafayette Library Learning Center Foundation, Sonoma County Vintners Foundation
California is the main destination for the foundation’s grants, accounting for 83% of awards. Recent recipients are concentrated in Bay Area communities, including San Francisco, Lafayette, Oakland, Walnut Creek, Alamo, Sonoma, Napa, and Santa Rosa. The list also includes a smaller set of non-California recipients, such as Princeton, New Jersey; Chantilly, Virginia; New York, New York; and Nairobi. The grant record is overwhelmingly U.S.-based, with one international grant to Kenya.
The recent grants show support for environmental and wildlife conservation, Bay Area civic and educational institutions, animal welfare groups, and charitable intermediaries. Examples include California Trout, WildAid, Lafayette Library Learning Center, Gateway Public Schools, and Animal Rescue Foundation.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including California Trout in 2023, 2024, and 2025; WildAid in 2023 and 2024; Pledge to Humanity in 2023, 2024, and 2025; and Gateway Public Schools in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
The grant-size distribution is fairly large: the 25th percentile is $10,025, the median grant is $50,000, and the 75th percentile is $100,000. Recent awards also include larger gifts such as $190,000 and $150,000.
Most grants go to California recipients, which account for 83% of the foundation’s awards. The recent list includes multiple grantees in San Francisco, Lafayette, Oakland, Walnut Creek, Alamo, Sonoma, Napa, and Santa Rosa.
The recent grants are usually described as general operating support or support to further the organization’s mission. That pattern appears across conservation, education, and civic grants, including awards to California Trout, WildAid, Pledge to Humanity, and Gateway Public Schools.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
| 1 |
| $1K |
3.9% |
Recipient country reflects the grantee's headquarters per IRS 990-PF and Schedule F filings, not the program's implementation country.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CALIFORNIA TROUT | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $190,000 | 2025 | TO FURTHER THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION |
| WILD AFRICA FUND | LAFAYETTE, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | TO FURTHER THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION |
| SONOMA COUNTY VINTNERS FOUNDATION | SANTA ROSA, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | TO FURTHER THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION |
| PLEDGE TO HUMANITY | ALAMO, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | TO FURTHER THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION |
| GATEWAY PUBLIC SCHOOLS | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $30,000 | 2025 | TO FURTHER THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION |
| JOYBOUND PEOPLE & PETS - FKA TONY LA RUSSA'S ANIMAL RESCUE FOUNDATION | WALNUT CREEK, CA | $25,000 | 2025 | TO FURTHER THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION |
| CONSERVATION SOCIETY OF CA - AKA OAKLAND ZOO | OAKLAND, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | TO FURTHER THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION |
| WildAid | LAFAYETT, CA | $150,000 | 2024 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget. |
| California Trout | San Francisco, CA | $125,000 | 2024 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget. |
| Pledge to Humanity | Alamo, CA | $100,000 | 2024 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget. |
| Lafayette Library Learning Center F | Lafayette, CA | $100,000 | 2024 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget. |
| Park Theatre Trust | Lafayette, CA | $50,000 | 2024 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget. |
| Animal Rescue Foundation | Walnut Creek, CA | $25,000 | 2024 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget. |
| Gateway Public Schools | San Francisco, CA | $15,000 | 2024 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget. |
| Come to Believe Foundation | New York, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget. |
| Las Trampas Success Beyond Disabili | Lafayette, CA | $5,000 | 2024 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget. |
| Greater Washington Educational | Chantilly, VA | $100,000 | 2023 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget. |
| The Northern Trust Charitable Givin | Princeton, NJ | $100,000 | 2023 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget. |
| Animal Rescue Foundation | Walnut Creek, CA | $50,000 | 2023 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget. |
| WildAid | San Francisco, CA | $50,000 | 2023 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget. |
| California Trout | San Francisco, CA | $50,000 | 2023 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget. |
| Gateway Public Schools | San Francisco, CA | $15,000 | 2023 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget. |
| Pledge to Humanity | Alamo, CA | $10,050 | 2023 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget. |
| Conservation Society Of CA - Oaklan | Oakland, CA | $10,000 | 2023 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget. |
| Jameson Humane | Napa, CA | $2,500 | 2023 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget. |
| Sheldrick Wildlife Trust | Nairobi, Mb | $1,400 | 2023 | Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget. |
WILD AFRICA FUND
$100,000TO FURTHER THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION
TO FURTHER THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION
PLEDGE TO HUMANITY
$50,000TO FURTHER THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION
TO FURTHER THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION
CONSERVATION SOCIETY OF CA - AKA OAKLAND ZOO
$5,000TO FURTHER THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION
WildAid
$150,000Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget.
Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget.
Pledge to Humanity
$100,000Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget.
Lafayette Library Learning Center F
$100,000Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget.
Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget.
Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget.
Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget.
Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget.
Las Trampas Success Beyond Disabili
$5,000Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget.
Greater Washington Educational
$100,000Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget.
The Northern Trust Charitable Givin
$100,000Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget.
Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget.
Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget.
Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget.
Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget.
Pledge to Humanity
$10,050Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget.
Conservation Society Of CA - Oaklan
$10,000Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget.
Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget.
Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
$1,400Contribution supporting charitable organization's general operating budget.