The K5 Foundation focuses its philanthropy on education across the K–16 pipeline, prioritizing major gifts to selective higher‑education institutions and targeted support for independent K–12 schools and college‑access programs. Grants include large endowments and discretionary funds at universities, scholarship and fellowship funds, and financial aid/capital support for private schools, with an emphasis on programs serving underrepresented students and Black community initiatives.
K5 Foundation co Pacific Foundation Services made its largest recent commitments to Stanford University and Northwestern University, pairing seven-figure support with named funds tied to education, equity, and student access. Two $4.2 million general operating grants to Stanford’s Graduate School of Education anchor the record, and the foundation also backed Northwestern with a $2 million grant to support creation of an integrated program for academic, social, and career support. Those gifts sit alongside scholarship, fellowship, and discretionary funding that points to a long-running interest in the K–16 pipeline. The foundation’s recent grants show repeated support for selective universities, independent schools, and college-access organizations, with additional attention to Black community programming and fellowships. Stanford appears in multiple forms, including the Karr Family Programming Fund, the Karr Family Provostial Fellow Fund, and a Graduate School of Education discretionary fund. Other education grants range from endowed and campaign support for schools to general support for access-oriented nonprofits, indicating a pattern that mixes institutional capacity with direct student support. The foundation also makes grants to individuals, reinforcing its role in funding education through both organizations and people.
Education is the core theme across the recent grant record, but the foundation backs several distinct parts of that pipeline. In college-access work, Sponsors For Educational Opportunities received $350,000 in 2025 for its Endowments & Foundations Fellowship program, after earlier general operating grants of $250,000 in 2024 and $212,750 in both 2023 and 2024. For second-year student support, Northwestern University received $300,000 in 2024 for the Future Possibilities for Second Years Fund and the Karr Scholarship Fund, after prior gifts of $246,000 in both 2023 and 2024 for the Schapiro Fund & Second Years Fund. The foundation also funded K–12 access and enrichment through Town School for Boys, with $350,000 in 2025 and $175,000 in 2024 for the Town School Tomorrow Begins Campaign. Smaller grants to Larkin Street Youth Services for Bridge Academy and to Aim High for High School reinforce the same education-through-transition pattern.
$5M
$47M
$761K
$5.4M
Most grants fall between $25K and $249K, with a median of $200K.
25th Percentile
$25K
Median
$200K
75th Percentile
$249K
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Highly concentrated giving: a small number of large, repeat grants dominate total dollars. Gifts skew toward multi‑grant, multi‑year relationships with elite institutions and a mix of unrestricted/general operating and endowed program funds rather than many small community grants.
Notable grantees: Stanford University, Northwestern University, Sponsors For Educational Opportunities, Town School for Boys, KIPP Area Schools
Typical grant size is $25,000 at the 25th percentile, $200,000 at the median, and $249,000 at the 75th percentile, showing a mix of smaller community grants and larger institutional awards. The pattern is recurring rather than one-off: Stanford University, Northwestern University, Sponsors For Educational Opportunities, Groton School, Town School for Boys, and Larkin Street Youth Services all appear in multiple years. K5 Foundation co Pacific Foundation Services is a regular funder with regional giving and a 2025 990 on file. It funds individuals and organizations, and the recent record includes both operating support and named-purpose gifts.
Grantmaking is heavily concentrated in California, which accounts for 77% of grants and is the top state by count. San Francisco is the most visible city in the recipient list, with grants to Sponsors For Educational Opportunities, Town School for Boys, Larkin Street Youth Services, Aim High for High School, SF Court Special Advocate, and others. Stanford in Stanford and KIPP Area Schools in Oakland also appear multiple times. Outside California, the foundation gave to Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and Groton School in Groton, Massachusetts; every recent grant in the dataset went to U.S. recipients.
The recent record centers on education across the K–16 pipeline: university discretionary and operating support, scholarship and fellowship funds, K–12 financial aid and campaign support, and college-access or transition programs. Named examples include Northwestern’s integrated academic, social, and career support program and Sponsors For Educational Opportunities’ fellowship program.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Stanford University in 2023 and 2024, Northwestern University in 2023, 2024, and 2025, Sponsors For Educational Opportunities in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and Groton School and Town School for Boys in consecutive years.
The 25th percentile grant is $25,000, the median is $200,000, and the 75th percentile is $249,000. The recent list also includes several seven-figure gifts, including $4.2 million grants to Stanford University and a $2 million grant to Northwestern University.
California receives 77% of the grants and is the top state by count. San Francisco appears frequently among recipients, with grants to Sponsors For Educational Opportunities, Town School for Boys, Larkin Street Youth Services, Aim High for High School, and SF Court Special Advocate.
Yes. One of the largest recent gifts was $1,015,000 to the Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford University for the Karr Family Programming Fund for the Black Community, along with the Karr Family Provostial Fellow Fund and a Graduate School of Education discretionary fund. A later $1,000,000 grant supported the Karr Family Programming Fund.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern University | Evanston, IL | $2,000,000 | 2025 | to support creation of an integrated program to ensure enhanced academic, social, and career to support |
| Board of trts Leland Stanford Unive | Stanford, CA | $1,000,000 | 2025 | The Karr Family Programming Fund |
| Sponsors For Educ Opportunities | San Francisco, CA | $350,000 | 2025 | General Operating SupportEndowments & Foundations Fellowship program |
| Town School for Boys | San Francisco, CA | $350,000 | 2025 | Town School Tomorrow Begins Campaign |
| Larkin Street Youth Services | San Francisco, CA | $25,000 | 2025 | Bridge Academy |
| Stanford University | Stanford, CA | $4,200,000 | 2024 | General Operating Support GSE |
| Board of trts Leland Stanford Unive | Stanford, CA | $1,015,000 | 2024 | The Karr Family Programming Fund for the Black Community, The Karr Family Provostial Fellow Fund, Stanford Graduate School of Education Deans Discretionary Fund |
| Northwestern University | Evanston, IL | $300,000 | 2024 | Future Possibilities for Second Years Fund, Karr Scholarship Fund |
| Sponsors For Educ Opportunities | San Francisco, CA | $250,000 | 2024 | General Operating Support |
| KIPP Area Schools | Oakland, CA | $250,000 | 2024 | General Support |
| Northwestern University | Evanston, IL | $246,000 | 2024 | Schapiro Fund & Second Years Fund |
| Sponsors For Educ Opportunities | San Francisco, CA | $212,750 | 2024 | General Operating Support |
| Groton School | Groton, MA | $200,000 | 2024 | Financial Aid |
| Town School for Boys | San Francisco, CA | $175,000 | 2024 | Town School Tomorrow Begins Campaign |
| Larkin Street Youth Services | San Francisco, CA | $25,000 | 2024 | Bridge Academy |
| Lucile Packard Childrens Hospital | Palo Alto, CA | $25,000 | 2024 | General Operating Support |
| Aim High for High School | San Francisco, CA | $25,000 | 2024 | General Support |
| SF Court Special Advocate | San Francisco, CA | $20,000 | 2024 | Fostering Change Gala, Be Brave |
| Helix School | Mill Valley, CA | $15,000 | 2024 | To further the educational mission of the school. |
| CASA of Alameda County | San Leandro, CA | $5,000 | 2024 | General Operating Support |
| CASA of San Mateo County | Redwood City, CA | $5,000 | 2024 | General Operating Support |
| Stanford University | Stanford, CA | $4,200,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support GSE |
| Northwestern University | Evanston, IL | $246,000 | 2023 | Schapiro Fund & Second Years Fund |
| Sponsors For Educ Opportunities | San Francisco, CA | $212,750 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Groton School | Groton, MA | $200,000 | 2023 | Financial Aid |
| Lucile Packard Childrens Hospital | Palo Alto, CA | $25,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Helix School | Mill Valley, CA | $15,000 | 2023 | To further the educational mission of the school. |
to support creation of an integrated program to ensure enhanced academic, social, and career to support
Board of trts Leland Stanford Unive
$1,000,000The Karr Family Programming Fund
Sponsors For Educ Opportunities
$350,000General Operating SupportEndowments & Foundations Fellowship program
Larkin Street Youth Services
$25,000Bridge Academy
Stanford University
General Operating Support GSE
Board of trts Leland Stanford Unive
$1,015,000The Karr Family Programming Fund for the Black Community, The Karr Family Provostial Fellow Fund, Stanford Graduate School of Education Deans Discretionary Fund
Future Possibilities for Second Years Fund, Karr Scholarship Fund
Sponsors For Educ Opportunities
$250,000General Operating Support
KIPP Area Schools
$250,000General Support
Sponsors For Educ Opportunities
$212,750General Operating Support
Groton School
$200,000Financial Aid
Larkin Street Youth Services
$25,000Bridge Academy
Lucile Packard Childrens Hospital
$25,000General Operating Support
SF Court Special Advocate
$20,000Fostering Change Gala, Be Brave
Helix School
$15,000To further the educational mission of the school.
CASA of Alameda County
$5,000General Operating Support
CASA of San Mateo County
$5,000General Operating Support
Stanford University
$4,200,000General Operating Support GSE
Sponsors For Educ Opportunities
$212,750General Operating Support
Groton School
$200,000Financial Aid
Helix School
$15,000To further the educational mission of the school.