The Ernest Gallo Foundation concentrates its philanthropic capital in a very small number of large discretionary gifts, primarily funding higher education and children's health. Grants are sizable, often designated as general operations, and directed to national institutions rather than a broad portfolio of small local nonprofits. The foundation shows a pattern of repeat, multi-grant support to a handful of core organizations.
Ernest Gallo Foundation gives in large, discretionary blocks, with repeat support concentrated around University of Notre Dame and the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health. The pattern is not broad-based; it centers on a small set of institutions that receive substantial general operating support year after year. Across the recent grants list, the foundation also backs a cluster of California organizations working on youth services, rare-disease research, arts education, and nonprofit operations. General operating support is a defining feature of this funder’s approach. University of Notre Dame received multiple seven-figure awards over consecutive years, while the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health also drew repeated high-dollar gifts. Beyond those flagship institutions, the foundation’s giving reaches smaller but still recurring organizations such as John Burton Advocates for Youth, Jordan's Guardian Angels, and the Gallo Center for the Arts. The result is a profile shaped by a few large anchors and a smaller set of targeted grants rather than a wide portfolio of many grantees. The foundation’s recent record shows both institutional philanthropy and mission-linked support. Grants include funding for children’s health, rare-disease research, support for homeless youth and youth in foster care, and performing arts education and activities. Several awards are unrestricted, which suggests the foundation often prefers flexibility for established grantees. In practice, it funds a mix of major universities, health-focused intermediaries, and local nonprofits with specific service missions.
Children’s health is one of the clearest themes in the recent record. Ernest Gallo Foundation gave $1,400,000 to Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health in 2025 and also made prior general operating gifts of $667,000 in 2024 and $400,000 in 2023. Higher education is another major area. The foundation awarded $2,000,000 to University of Notre Dame in 2025 for general operations, following three earlier $1,000,000 general operating grants in 2024 and 2023. The foundation also funds youth-serving and research-oriented work. In 2024, it gave $100,000 to John Burton Advocates for Youth to improve quality of life for homeless youth or youth in foster care, and it made $100,000 grants to Jordan's Guardian Angels for research on rare diseases. Arts-related support appears in the same pattern of targeted giving. The Gallo Center for the Arts received $75,000 in 2024 and additional grants in 2023 and 2025 for performing arts education and activities, showing that the foundation extends beyond higher education and health into local cultural programming.
$2.5M
$44.9M
$5.1M
$2.9M
Most grants fall between $25K and $100K, with a median of $50K.
25th Percentile
$25K
Median
$50K
75th Percentile
$100K
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Highly concentrated giving: few (7) total grants with very large dollar amounts to two repeat grantees; emphasis on unrestricted/general operations support for established national institutions rather than many small or one-off grants.
Notable grantees: University of Notre Dame, Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health
Typical grants cluster at the middle of the six-figure range: p25 is $25,000, median is $50,000, and p75 is $100,000. At the same time, the recent list includes several much larger awards, including million-dollar and multi-million-dollar gifts. The foundation shows clear repeat support: University of Notre Dame, the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health, John Burton Advocates for Youth, Jordan's Guardian Angels, United Samaritans Foundation, and the Gallo Center for the Arts all appear in more than one year. Most recent grants are for general operations, and the foundation does not fund individuals or make program-related investments.
Grantmaking is heavily concentrated in California, which accounts for 81% of grants, even though the foundation is headquartered in Modesto. Recent recipients span Modesto, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Sacramento, Turlock, Stockton, and Stanford. The remaining grants go to institutions outside California, including Notre Dame, Indiana. All recent grants in the provided list were made to U.S. recipients.
The recent record centers on major institutions and targeted service nonprofits. University of Notre Dame and the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health received the largest repeated gifts, while other grants supported youth services, rare-disease research, performing arts education, and general nonprofit operations.
Yes. Several of the largest grants are labeled general operations, including $2,000,000 to University of Notre Dame in 2025 and $1,400,000 to Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health in 2025. General operating support also appears repeatedly across smaller awards.
University of Notre Dame, Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health, John Burton Advocates for Youth, Jordan's Guardian Angels, United Samaritans Foundation, and the Gallo Center for the Arts all appear in more than one grant year, showing a repeat-support pattern rather than one-off giving.
The distribution is centered on mid-sized awards: p25 is $25,000, median is $50,000, and p75 is $100,000. The recent list also includes several much larger grants, so the foundation uses a mix of mid-range and high-value gifts.
California is the top state by grant count, with 81% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. Recent California recipients include organizations in Modesto, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Sacramento, Turlock, Stockton, and Stanford.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME | NOTRE DAME, IN | $1,700,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| LUCILE PACKARD FOUNDATION FOR CHILDREN'S HEALTH | PALO ALTO, CA | $400,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| JORDAN'S GUARDIAN ANGELS | SACRAMENTO, CA | $100,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| CHURCH FOR TOMORROW | STOCKTON, CA | $100,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| STANISLAUS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | MODESTO, CA | $80,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| HOOVER HOUSE | STANFORD, CA | $50,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| JOHN BURTON ADVOCATES FOR YOUTH | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $50,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| UNITED SAMARITANS FOUNDATION | TURLOCK, CA | $30,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| GALLO CENTER FOR THE ARTS | MODESTO, CA | $25,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| DE MARILLAC ACADEMY | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $1,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME | NOTRE DAME, IN | $2,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| LUCILE PACKARD FOUNDATION FOR CHILDREN'S HEALTH | PALO ALTO, CA | $1,400,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| JORDAN'S GUARDIAN ANGELS | SACRAMENTO, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| JOHN BURTON ADVOCATES FOR YOUTH | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| MARK STEPHEN GALLO MEMORIAL FUND | MODESTO, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| UNITED SAMARITANS FOUNDATION | TURLOCK, CA | $30,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| GALLO CENTER FOR THE ARTS | MODESTO, CA | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| STANISLAUS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | MODESTO, CA | $2,500 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| AUTISM TRUST USA | AUSTIN, TX | $500 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME | NOTRE DAME, IN | $1,000,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME | NOTRE DAME, IN | $1,000,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| LUCILE PACKARD FOUNDATION FOR CHILDREN'S HEALTH | PALO ALTO, CA | $667,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| JOHN BURTON ADVOCATES FOR YOUTH | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $100,000 | 2024 | TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR HOMLESS YOUTH OR YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE |
| JORDAN'S GUARDIAN ANGELS | SACRAMENTO, CA | $100,000 | 2024 | TO FACILITATE RESEARCH ON RARE DISEASES |
| JORDAN'S GUARDIAN ANGELS | SACRAMENTO, CA | $100,000 | 2024 | TO FACILITATE RESEARCH ON RARE DISEASES |
| GALLO CENTER FOR THE ARTS | MODESTO, CA | $75,000 | 2024 | TO SUPPORT PERFORMING ARTS EDUCATION AND ACTIVITIES |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY | STANFORD, CA | $50,000 | 2024 | HOOVER HOUSE |
| GALLO CENTER FOR THE ARTS | MODESTO, CA | $35,000 | 2024 | TO SUPPORT PERFORMING ARTS EDUCATION AND ACTIVITIES |
| UNITED SAMARITANS FOUNDATION | TURLOCK, CA | $30,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| SISTERS OF THE HOLY CROSS | NORTE DAME, IN | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF CALIFORNIA UNITED | SACRAMENTO, CA | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| MODESTO GOSPEL MISSION | MODESTO, CA | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| STANISLAUS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | MODESTO, CA | $2,500 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME | NOTRE DAME, IN | $1,000,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| LUCILE PACKARD FOUNDATION FOR CHILDREN'S HEALTH | PALO ALTO, CA | $400,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| JORDAN'S GUARDIAN ANGELS | SACRAMENTO, CA | $100,000 | 2023 | TO FACILITATE RESEARCH ON RARE DISEASES |
| GALLO CENTER FOR THE ARTS | MODESTO, CA | $50,000 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT PERFORMING ARTS EDUCATION AND ACTIVITIES |
| JOHN BURTON ADVOCATES FOR YOUTH | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $50,000 | 2023 | TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR HOMLESS YOUTH OR YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE |
| 1984 GRUPE FAIR FUND | STOCKTON, CA | $25,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| MODESTO PARENT PARTICIPATION PRESCHOOL | MODESTO, CA | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| ST MARY'S DINING ROOM | STOCKTON, CA | $1,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME
$1,700,000GENERAL OPERATIONS
CHURCH FOR TOMORROW
$100,000GENERAL OPERATIONS
HOOVER HOUSE
GENERAL OPERATIONS
DE MARILLAC ACADEMY
$1,000GENERAL OPERATIONS
UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME
$2,000,000GENERAL OPERATIONS
MARK STEPHEN GALLO MEMORIAL FUND
$50,000GENERAL OPERATIONS
AUTISM TRUST USA
$500GENERAL OPERATIONS
UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME
$1,000,000GENERAL OPERATIONS
UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME
$1,000,000GENERAL OPERATIONS
JOHN BURTON ADVOCATES FOR YOUTH
$100,000TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR HOMLESS YOUTH OR YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE
STANFORD UNIVERSITY
$50,000HOOVER HOUSE
SISTERS OF THE HOLY CROSS
$25,000GENERAL OPERATIONS
CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF CALIFORNIA UNITED
$25,000GENERAL OPERATIONS
UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME
$1,000,000GENERAL OPERATIONS
TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR HOMLESS YOUTH OR YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE
1984 GRUPE FAIR FUND
$25,000GENERAL OPERATIONS
MODESTO PARENT PARTICIPATION PRESCHOOL
$5,000GENERAL OPERATIONS