The Microsoft Charitable Trust concentrates its giving on expanding K–12 computer science education and related STEM access, as shown by a very large grant to Code.org, while also supporting local community services in the Seattle/King County area. Its grants reflect a tech-sector philanthropic strategy: national investments in digital learning infrastructure coupled with targeted community support where the company has local presence.
Highly concentrated: a single very large national grant to a flagship education nonprofit paired with smaller, targeted community grants; tends toward a few high-value gifts rather than many small awards.
Microsoft Charitable Trust’s latest reported grantmaking is defined by one outsized commitment: $2,500,000 to Code Org for general support. That grant sits alongside a smaller but still substantial $300,936 general-support award to United Way of King County, showing a pattern that combines national-scale education philanthropy with place-based community support in Seattle-area organizations. The trust’s giving is closely tied to K–12 computer science education, STEM access, and digital learning capacity, with Code.org serving as the clearest example of that strategy. Across the grant record provided, the funder’s work is not broad-based or opportunistic; it is concentrated in a few high-value awards that support education infrastructure and local service organizations. The trust is structured as a pure donor-advised fund provider, and its recent grants reflect that model through large, targeted distributions rather than a wide spread of small awards. The result is a grantmaking profile centered on high-impact support for curriculum expansion, educator resources, and community resilience in King County.
In K–12 computer science education, Microsoft Charitable Trust gave $2,500,000 to Code Org for general support, underscoring its emphasis on national digital curriculum expansion. The education side of its giving also includes support for STEM access and classroom resources, framed around helping more students and teachers engage with coding. On the community side, the trust awarded $300,936 to United Way of King County for general support, linking its portfolio to local social services and community resilience in the Seattle area. These two grants show a split between large-scale education infrastructure and nearby community support. The cause areas are narrow and clearly defined in the grant record, with technology education carrying the largest share of attention.
Typical grant size is large: the 25th percentile is $850,702, the median is $1,400,468, and the 75th percentile is $1,950,234. The two recent grants shown are both from 2023 and both went to Seattle-based recipients, which suggests a tightly concentrated pattern rather than many smaller awards. Microsoft Charitable Trust is classified as a pure DAF provider, so its giving reflects donor-advised fund distributions rather than an operating grantmaker or program-related investor. The available record shows general-support grants, and one recipient appears in the latest-year snapshot only, so repeated multi-year recipient relationships cannot be inferred from the provided data.
$2.8M
$0
$28K
$2.8M
Most grants fall between $851K and $2M, with a median of $1.4M.
25th Percentile
$851K
Median
$1.4M
75th Percentile
$2M
About 0% of grants go to recipients in WA.
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Notable grantees: Code.org, United Way of King County
Grant recipients in the provided record are entirely in the US, and the top state by grant count is Washington. Both recent grants went to Seattle organizations: Code Org and United Way of King County. The trust gives 0% of its grants to recipients in its headquarters state of Nevada, so its giving geography differs from its HQ location. The visible pattern is regional, with a strong Washington concentration and no non-US recipient countries shown.
The grant record centers on K–12 computer science education, national digital curriculum expansion, STEM teacher training, classroom resources to increase coding access, and community resilience and social services in King County.
Typical grants are substantial: the 25th percentile is $850,702, the median is $1,400,468, and the 75th percentile is $1,950,234. The recent grants shown are both general-support awards at that scale.
Washington is the top state by grant count. The recent grants shown both went to Seattle recipients, which fits the trust’s regional pattern of giving in Washington.
It is classified as a pure DAF provider. The available record also shows that it does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments.
The latest grants shown went to Code Org for $2,500,000 in general support and to United Way of King County for $300,936 in general support. Both recipients are based in Seattle, Washington.
2023
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2023.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CODE ORG | SEATTLE, WA | $2,500,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| UNITED WAY OF KING COUNTY | SEATTLE, WA | $300,936 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |