The Jacques M Littlefield Foundation concentrates its giving on education initiatives in the Bay Area—particularly college-preparatory and innovative K–12 supports—and makes targeted contributions to civic engagement. Grants are large, program-agnostic operating support awards intended to sustain organizational capacity rather than project pilots. The foundation gives sparingly but meaningfully, with repeat support to core education partners and opportunistic funding for broader movement-level civic efforts.
Jacques M Littlefield Foundation’s recent giving shows a clear split between Bay Area education support and nationally oriented civic engagement work. On the education side, the foundation has returned to Eastside College Preparatory School with operating support across multiple years, while also backing Moonshot Edventures for operating support in 2024 and 2025. Those gifts point to a preference for sustaining organizations rather than financing one-off projects. The civic portfolio is equally concrete. In 2025, the foundation gave to Tides Foundation for the Movement Voter Fund, to Black Voters Matter for voter engagement, and to Sojourners for Faiths United to Save Democracy. It also supported Common Cause Education Fund, the Brennan Center for Justice, and Youth Service America, all through grants tied to democracy and voting-related work. That mix suggests a funder that moves between school-based capacity building and issue-based civic infrastructure. Across the recent grants, the foundation’s support appears program-agnostic at times and highly targeted at others, with large awards used to reinforce established organizations and named initiatives.
Education is one of the foundation’s most consistent themes. It awarded $332,400 in 2023, $229,800 in 2024, and $117,453 in 2025 to Eastside College Preparatory School for operating support, while Moonshot Edventures received $410,893 in 2025 and $100,000 in 2024, also for operating support. Those grants point to a focus on organizational strength in college-preparatory and education-innovation settings. The foundation also funds school-adjacent and youth learning efforts. Hadanou Collective received $150,000 in 2024 and $119,426 in 2025 for Montessori on Wheels, and Thorne Nature Experience was supported in 2023, 2024, and 2025 with operating support grants of $115,570, $115,000, and $116,731. Civic engagement is another distinct lane. Grants to Common Cause, Black Voters Matter, and the Brennan Center for Justice were tied to voter engagement, voter suppression, and operating support for democracy-related work.
Typical grant size is fairly consistent: the 25th percentile is $50,000, the median is $76,000, and the 75th percentile is $100,000. That pattern matches a portfolio built around substantial grants rather than small awards. The foundation also shows repeat support across multiple years, including several recipients that appear in 2023, 2024, and 2025, which signals ongoing relationships instead of isolated gifts. It is classified as a regular funder, does not fund individuals, and does not make program-related investments. The recent record also shows a mix of operating support and named initiatives, with many awards directed toward organizational capacity.
$2.6M
$28.8M
$1.6M
$3M
Most grants fall between $50K and $100K, with a median of $76K.
25th Percentile
$50K
Median
$76K
75th Percentile
$100K
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Concentrated, high-dollar grants with a small number of recipients; repeat funding to at least one core education partner and occasional large gifts to intermediary or movement-focused organizations.
Notable grantees: Eastside College Preparatory School, Moonshot EdVentures, Tides Foundation
Giving is regional, with 44% of grants going to recipients in California. Recent awards also cluster in Washington, DC, where multiple democracy-related grantees appear, and in Colorado, where several education and climate-oriented recipients are located. Other repeat recipient cities include Raleigh and Durham in North Carolina, Atlanta in Georgia, and Denver in Colorado. All recorded grants in the recent sample went to US recipients.
The recent grants center on education capacity building and civic engagement. Education gifts include operating support for school and education organizations, while civic grants support voter engagement, voter protection, movement voter work, and democracy-related organizations such as policy and legal advocacy groups.
Operating support appears frequently. The foundation gave operating support to Eastside College Preparatory School, Moonshot Edventures, Thorne Nature Experience, Common Cause Education Fund, Brennan Center for Justice, Earth Force, and Global Greengrants Fund, alongside a smaller set of named initiatives such as Montessori on Wheels and Faiths United to Save Democracy.
The typical grant size is substantial: the 25th percentile is $50,000, the median is $76,000, and the 75th percentile is $100,000. Several recent awards sit above that range, including a $410,893 grant and multiple six-figure gifts.
The top state by grant count is DC, while 44% of grants go to recipients in California. Recent DC recipients include organizations working on democracy, voter engagement, and faith-based civic mobilization, while California recipients include education-focused grantees in Palo Alto and Los Angeles.
Yes. Eastside College Preparatory School appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Thorne Nature Experience appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025; and Sojourners appears in both 2023 and 2024. That pattern suggests multi-year relationships with selected organizations.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOONSHOT EDVENTURES | DENVER, CO | $765,576 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| COMMON CAUSE NORTH CAROLINA | RALEIGH, NC | $180,454 | 2026 | VOTER ENGAGEMENT |
| TIDES FOUNDATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $150,000 | 2026 | MOVEMENT VOTER FUND |
| HADANOU COLLECTIVE | DENVER, CO | $131,763 | 2026 | MONTESSORI ON WHEELS |
| CHILDREN NOW | OAKLAND, CA | $131,209 | 2026 | CHILDREN'S MOVEMENT OF CA |
| DEMOCRACY NORTH CAROLINA | MORRISVILLE, NC | $121,648 | 2026 | VOTER ENGAGEMENT |
| YOU CAN VOTE | DURHAM, NC | $100,464 | 2026 | VOTER PROTECTION |
| NORTH CAROLINA BLACK ALLIANCE | RALEIGH, NC | $100,000 | 2026 | VOTER ENGAGEMENT |
| EARTH FORCE | DENVER, CO | $85,125 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK | SAN JOSE, CA | $83,562 | 2026 | PRE K-12 FOOD DISTRIBUTION |
| SOJOURNERS | WASHINGTON, DC | $79,972 | 2026 | VOTER PROTECTION |
| STATE VOICES | WASHINGTON, DC | $75,000 | 2026 | VOTER ENGAGEMENT |
| RISING SUN | OAKLAND, CA | $75,000 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| VOTERIDERS | WASHINGTON, DC | $74,951 | 2026 | VOTER PROTECTION |
| NORTH CAROLINA VOTER PROJECT | RALEIGH, NC | $57,101 | 2026 | VOTER ENGAGEMENT |
| CHILDREN'S HEALTH COUNCIL | PALO ALTO, CA | $54,613 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| FOSSIL FREE MEDIA | CONCORD, NH | $50,000 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| BRIGHTLINE DEFENSE PROJECT | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $50,000 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| SOCIETY OF ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISTS | WASHINGTON, DC | $50,000 | 2026 | FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM |
| YES NATURE TO NEIGHBORHOODS | RICHMOND, CA | $50,000 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| PROTECT OUR WINTERS | BOULDER, CO | $48,826 | 2026 | CLIMATE ECOSYSTEM SUPPORT |
| NOURISH COLORADO | DENVER, CO | $25,000 | 2026 | FRESH & LOCAL SCHOOL FUND |
| BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| INNOVATE PUBLIC SCHOOLS | MENLO PARK, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| PARADOX COMMUNITY TRUST | TELLURIDE, CO | $690 | 2026 | RURAL HOMES |
| MOONSHOT EDVENTURES | DENVER, CO | $410,893 | 2025 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| TIDES FOUNDATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $200,000 | 2025 | MOVEMENT VOTER FUND |
| BLACK VOTERS MATTER | ATLANTA, GA | $151,263 | 2025 | VOTER ENGAGEMENT |
| SOJOURNERS | WASHINGTON, DC | $150,000 | 2025 | FAITHS UNITED TO SAVE DEMOCRACY |
| COMMON CAUSE EDUCATION FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $150,000 | 2025 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| ONE ARIZONA | PHOENIX, AZ | $125,000 | 2025 | VOTER ENGAGEMENT |
| HADANOU COLLECTIVE | DENVER, CO | $119,426 | 2025 | MONTESSORI ON WHEELS |
| EASTSIDE COLLEGE PREPARATORY SCHOOL | PALO ALTO, CA | $117,453 | 2025 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| THORNE NATURE EXPERIENCE | BOULDER, CO | $116,731 | 2025 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| YOUTH SERVICE AMERICA | WASHINGTON, DC | $100,842 | 2025 | GUIDES VOTE |
| COMMON CAUSE | WASHINGTON, DC | $100,842 | 2025 | VOTER ENGAGEMENT |
| WISDOM INC | MILWAUKEE, WI | $100,000 | 2025 | VOTER ENGAGEMENT |
| NORTH CAROLINA BLACK ALLIANCE | RALEIGH, NC | $100,000 | 2025 | VOTER ENGAGEMENT |
| BLACK MALE INITIATIVE GA | FAIRBURN, GA | $100,000 | 2025 | VOTER ENGAGEMENT |
| NEW GEORGIA PROJECT | ATLANTA, GA | $100,000 | 2025 | VOTER ENGAGEMENT |
| CENTER FOR EMPOWERED POLITICS EDUCATION FUND | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY FUND |
| BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| POWER INTERFAITH | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $100,000 | 2025 | VOTER ENGAGEMENT |
| STATE VOICES TABLE | WASHINGTON, DC | $99,292 | 2025 | VOTER ENGAGEMENT |
| YOU CAN VOTE | DURHAM, NC | $80,674 | 2025 | VOTER PROTECTION |
| PARADOX COMMUNITY TRUST | TELLURIDE, CO | $51,826 | 2025 | RURAL HOMES |
| CHILDREN NOW | OAKLAND, CA | $51,081 | 2025 | CHILDREN'S MOVEMENT OF CA |
| CHILDREN'S HEALTH COUNCIL | PALO ALTO, CA | $50,989 | 2025 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| DETROIT HISPANIC DEVELOPMENT COALITION | DETROIT, MI | $50,000 | 2025 | VOTER ENGAGEMENT |
| NOURISH COLORADO | DENVER, CO | $50,000 | 2025 | FRESH & LOCAL SCHOOL FUND |
COMMON CAUSE NORTH CAROLINA
$180,454VOTER ENGAGEMENT
VOTER ENGAGEMENT
RISING SUN
$75,000OPERATING SUPPORT
NORTH CAROLINA VOTER PROJECT
$57,101VOTER ENGAGEMENT
FOSSIL FREE MEDIA
$50,000OPERATING SUPPORT
PARADOX COMMUNITY TRUST
$690RURAL HOMES
BLACK VOTERS MATTER
$151,263VOTER ENGAGEMENT
WISDOM INC
$100,000VOTER ENGAGEMENT
BLACK MALE INITIATIVE GA
$100,000VOTER ENGAGEMENT
ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY FUND
BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE
$100,000OPERATING SUPPORT
PARADOX COMMUNITY TRUST
$51,826RURAL HOMES