We transform lives and communities by identifying underserved needs and taking action to empower people with the building blocks for a happy, fulfilling, and productive life of their choosing.
Oakland Rotary Endowment’s recent giving shows a strong pattern of direct support for Oakland’s youngest students and for local organizations working on basic quality of life. The largest grants in the record went to Oakland Unified School District for transitional kindergarten supplies, including $34,000 in 2023 and $31,750 in 2025. Those awards sit alongside smaller, repeated grants to Oakland-based nonprofits, showing a mix of program-specific support and steady community funding. The foundation also supports youth enrichment beyond the classroom. Children’s Fairyland received $16,940 in 2025 for a transitional kindergarten field trip, linking early learning with local cultural access. Another thread is practical community aid: Oakland Catholic Worker, St. Vincent De Paul Society, Harbor House Ministries, Operation Dignity, Meals on Wheels, Alameda County Community Food Bank, and St. Mary’s Center all appear in the recent grants list for quality-of-life support. Environmental and international service are also present, with grants to Oakland Zoo for wildlife work and to Rotary District 5170 Foundation for international relief initiatives. Across these categories, the foundation’s giving reflects a local service orientation with multiple program areas rather than a single issue focus.
Education appears in both school support and enrichment. Oakland Unified School District received $34,000 in 2023 and $31,750 in 2025 to provide school supplies for transitional kindergarteners, while Children’s Fairyland received $16,940 in 2025 for a field trip for transitional kindergarteners. Community services are another major thread. The recent grants list includes $8,603 awards in 2025 to Operation Dignity, Alameda County Community Food Bank, St. Mary’s Center, Oakland Catholic Worker, St. Vincent De Paul Society, and Harbor House Ministries, all described as support for local organizations promoting a better quality of life. The foundation also funds environmental and global service work. Oakland Zoo received $8,000 in 2025 for wildlife around the globe, Trees for Oakland received $8,000 in 2025 for tree planting and a water tank and trailer system, and Rotary District 5170 Foundation received $19,500 in 2025 for international relief initiatives.
Typical grant size is tightly clustered: p25 is $7,329, median is $8,412, and p75 is $8,603. The recent record shows repeated awards to the same Oakland organizations across 2023 and 2025, including school supply support and local quality-of-life grants, which suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-time gifts. Oakland Rotary Endowment is a regular funder rather than a donor-advised fund, and it makes no program-related investments. It also funds individuals through structured scholarship programs such as Oakland Rotary Scholarship and HOPE.
$229K
$5.2M
$494K
$495K
Most grants fall between $7K and $9K, with a median of $8K.
25th Percentile
$7K
Median
$8K
75th Percentile
$9K
About 100% of grants go to recipients in CA.
PAMELA CLAASSEN
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Grantmaking is concentrated in California, with 100% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. Oakland is the dominant recipient city, including awards to Oakland Unified School District, Children’s Fairyland, Oakland Zoo, Trees for Oakland, and several local service organizations. Outside Oakland, the recent grants list includes Livermore, CA through Rotary District 5170 Foundation. The recipient-country distribution is entirely U.S.-based in the data provided.
The foundation supports education, youth development, food security and hunger relief, community development, environment, and global health and clean water. Recent grants show those themes in school supplies for transitional kindergarteners, local quality-of-life support, wildlife work, tree planting, and international relief initiatives.
The grant-size distribution is narrow. The 25th percentile is $7,329, the median is $8,412, and the 75th percentile is $8,603. Many recent grants fall in that band, with a few larger project awards above it.
Yes. The foundation has scholarship programs that support individuals, including Oakland Rotary Scholarship for Oakland high school seniors and HOPE, which can provide post-secondary scholarship funding of up to $10,000 for mentees who meet program criteria.
The scope of giving is local, and the recent grants list is entirely in the U.S. Every grant in the provided recipient distribution goes to California, with Oakland as the central recipient city and one grant to Livermore for international relief work through Rotary District 5170 Foundation.
Recent recipients include Oakland Unified School District, Children’s Fairyland, Rotary District 5170 Foundation, Oakland Zoo, Trees for Oakland, Operation Dignity, Alameda County Community Food Bank, St. Mary’s Center, Oakland Catholic Worker, St. Vincent De Paul Society, Harbor House Ministries, Meals on Wheels, and Bike East Bay.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Oakland Rotary Endowment that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Organizations must provide direct services that improve the quality of life of those who live in the Oakland community and must follow the grant guidelines.
Deadline: Applications are considered in the order received; no fixed deadline is stated.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OAKLAND UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT | OAKLAND, CA | $31,750 | 2025 | TO PROVIDE SCHOOL SUPPLIES FOR TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTENERS |
| ROTARY DISTRICT 5170 FOUNDATION | LIVERMORE, CA | $19,500 | 2025 | TO PROVIDE FUNDS FOR INTERNATIONAL RELIEF INITIATIVES |
| CHILDREN'S FAIRYLAND | OAKLAND, CA | $16,940 | 2025 | FIELD TRIP FOR TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTENERS |
| OPERATION DIGNITY | OAKLAND, CA | $8,603 | 2025 | SUPPORT FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS PROMOTING A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE. |
| ALAMEDA COUNTY COMMUNITY FOOD BANK | OAKLAND, CA | $8,603 | 2025 | SUPPORT FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS PROMOTING A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE. |
| ST MARY'S CENTER | OAKLAND, CA | $8,603 | 2025 | SUPPORT FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS PROMOTING A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE. |
| OAKLAND CATHOLIC WORKER | OAKLAND, CA | $8,603 | 2025 | SUPPORT FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS PROMOTING A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE. |
| ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY | OAKLAND, CA | $8,603 | 2025 | SUPPORT FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS PROMOTING A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE. |
| HARBOR HOUSE MINISTRIES | OAKLAND, CA | $8,603 | 2025 | SUPPORT FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS PROMOTING A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE. |
| TREES FOR OAKLAND | OAKLAND, CA | $8,000 | 2025 | AID TREE PLANTING AND SUPPORT FOR WATER TANK AND TRAILER SYSTEM |
| OAKLAND ZOO | OAKLAND, CA | $8,000 | 2025 | HELP WILDLIFE AROUND THE GLOBE |
| OAKLAND UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT | OAKLAND, CA | $34,000 | 2023 | TO PROVIDE SCHOOL SUPPLIES FOR TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTENERS. |
| CHILDREN'S FAIRYLAND | OAKLAND, CA | $8,220 | 2023 | FIELD TRIP FOR TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTENERS. |
| ALAMEDA COUNTY COMMUNITY FOOD BANK | OAKLAND, CA | $7,329 | 2023 | SUPPORT FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS PROMOTING A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE. |
| ST MARY'S CENTER | OAKLAND, CA | $7,329 | 2023 | SUPPORT FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS PROMOTING A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE. |
| OPERATION DIGNITY | OAKLAND, CA | $7,329 | 2023 | SUPPORT FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS PROMOTING A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE. |
| OAKLAND CATHOLIC WORKER | OAKLAND, CA | $7,329 | 2023 | SUPPORT FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS PROMOTING A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE. |
| HARBOR HOUSE MINISTRIES | OAKLAND, CA | $7,329 | 2023 | SUPPORT FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS PROMOTING A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE. |
| MEALS ON WHEELS | OAKLAND, CA | $7,329 | 2023 | SUPPORT FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS PROMOTING A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE. |
| BIKE EAST BAY | OAKLAND, CA | $7,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS PROMOTING A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE. |
OAKLAND UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
$31,750TO PROVIDE SCHOOL SUPPLIES FOR TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTENERS
ROTARY DISTRICT 5170 FOUNDATION
$19,500TO PROVIDE FUNDS FOR INTERNATIONAL RELIEF INITIATIVES
CHILDREN'S FAIRYLAND
$16,940FIELD TRIP FOR TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTENERS
OPERATION DIGNITY
$8,603SUPPORT FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS PROMOTING A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE.
ALAMEDA COUNTY COMMUNITY FOOD BANK
$8,603SUPPORT FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS PROMOTING A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE.
ST MARY'S CENTER
$8,603SUPPORT FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS PROMOTING A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE.
OAKLAND CATHOLIC WORKER
$8,603SUPPORT FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS PROMOTING A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE.
ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY
$8,603SUPPORT FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS PROMOTING A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE.
HARBOR HOUSE MINISTRIES
$8,603SUPPORT FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS PROMOTING A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE.
TREES FOR OAKLAND
$8,000AID TREE PLANTING AND SUPPORT FOR WATER TANK AND TRAILER SYSTEM
OAKLAND ZOO
$8,000HELP WILDLIFE AROUND THE GLOBE
OAKLAND UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
$34,000TO PROVIDE SCHOOL SUPPLIES FOR TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTENERS.
CHILDREN'S FAIRYLAND
$8,220FIELD TRIP FOR TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTENERS.
ALAMEDA COUNTY COMMUNITY FOOD BANK
$7,329SUPPORT FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS PROMOTING A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE.
ST MARY'S CENTER
$7,329SUPPORT FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS PROMOTING A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE.
OPERATION DIGNITY
$7,329SUPPORT FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS PROMOTING A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE.
OAKLAND CATHOLIC WORKER
$7,329SUPPORT FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS PROMOTING A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE.
HARBOR HOUSE MINISTRIES
$7,329SUPPORT FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS PROMOTING A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE.
MEALS ON WHEELS
$7,329SUPPORT FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS PROMOTING A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE.
BIKE EAST BAY
$7,000SUPPORT FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS PROMOTING A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE.