The Panonica Foundation concentrates on strengthening an informed, accountable democracy through heavy support for investigative journalism, press freedom, voter/party infrastructure, and legal advocacy that defends civil liberties and advances criminal-justice reform. Grants skew toward well-known national watchdogs and advocacy organizations, with repeat funding for investigative outlets, civil-rights legal centers, and consumer protection groups; occasional smaller grants fund animal welfare and international medical relief. The foundation’s portfolio mixes policy research and public-interest journalism with explicit partisan electoral spending to support Democratic candidates.
Panonica Foundation’s recent grantmaking is anchored by major political spending, including two $410,400 awards in 2025 to House Majority PAC and Senate Majority PAC to elect Democratic Representatives and Democratic Senators. That scale sits alongside a broader portfolio that pairs democracy work with journalism, civil-liberties litigation, consumer advocacy, and a smaller set of grants for animal welfare and music traditions. The foundation’s 2025 gifts also include $250,000 awards to Consumer Reports Inc, William J Brennan Jr Center for Justice, Foundation for National Progress Mother Jones Magazine, Pro Publica Inc, and Public Religion Research Institute Inc, showing a consistent emphasis on informing the public, supporting legal and policy research, and backing institutions that shape civic debate. Earlier grants reinforce that pattern, with support for ProPublica, the Center for Investigative Reporting, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the ACLU, and the Innocence Project. Across the portfolio, the foundation combines high-dollar national grants with recurring support for organizations working on press freedom, democratic accountability, and rights-based advocacy.
A core thread in Panonica Foundation’s giving is investigative journalism and press freedom. In 2025, it gave $250,000 to Pro Publica Inc, $250,000 to Foundation for National Progress Mother Jones Magazine, and $200,000 to Committee to Protect Journalists, each tied to informed citizenry or responsible journalism. Civil liberties and justice reform are another major area: the foundation awarded $250,000 to William J Brennan Jr Center for Justice in 2025 and $125,000 to Center for Constitutional Rights for civil rights and liberties and social and economic justice. Consumer-focused work also appears repeatedly, with $250,000 to Consumer Reports Inc and $120,000 to National Consumer Law Center in 2025. The portfolio includes smaller cultural and social grants as well, such as $50,000 to Music Makers Relief Foundation for American musicians and musical traditions.
Panonica Foundation’s typical grant size is $12,000 at the 25th percentile, $20,000 at the median, and $103,000 at the 75th percentile, showing a mix of smaller awards and larger institutional grants. The recent record includes repeat support across years for several recipients, including Public Religion Research Institute Inc, Texas Civil Rights Project, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, ProPublica, and the Innocence Project. The foundation is a non-individual grantmaker and does not make program-related investments. The portfolio also includes explicit electoral grants, indicating a structure that supports both issue advocacy and political spending rather than a single grantmaking model.
$4M
$4M
$5.5M
$4M
Most grants fall between $12K and $103K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$12K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$103K
About 20% of grants go to recipients in DC.
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeFree Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeSign up free to see how well your nonprofit fits this funder, get an AI-generated pitch, and unlock similar foundations.
Concentrated, high-dollar giving to a core set of national organizations with multiple repeat grants; a mix of multi-hundred-thousand-dollar gifts to established institutions and smaller, targeted grants. Funding emphasizes national impact—media, legal advocacy, and voter-facing political spending—rather than broad small grants or geographically diffuse charitable giving.
Notable grantees: ProPublica, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), William J. Brennan Jr. Center for Justice, Public Religion Research Institute, House Majority PAC
Panonica Foundation gives nationally, and every recent grant recipient listed is in the United States. California receives the most grants by count, with recipients in San Francisco, Emeryville, and other California locations appearing in the record. New York is another frequent destination, including Yonkers, New York City, and other New York recipients. Washington, DC also appears often, alongside Texas, Massachusetts, Nevada, and North Carolina. Although the foundation is headquartered in New York, only 20% of grants go to recipients in New York state.
The foundation’s recent grants center on investigative journalism, press freedom, civil liberties, consumer protection, and democracy-related advocacy. It also makes explicit political grants to House Majority PAC and Senate Majority PAC, and smaller awards to animal welfare and music-related organizations appear in the record.
Its typical grant size is $12,000 at the 25th percentile, $20,000 at the median, and $103,000 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards range from $50,000 to $410,400 among the grants listed.
Yes. The record shows repeat support for Public Religion Research Institute Inc, Texas Civil Rights Project, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, ProPublica, and the Innocence Project across different years, which suggests ongoing relationships with some recipients.
By grant count, California is the top state, with recipients in places such as San Francisco and Emeryville. New York and Washington, DC also appear frequently among recent recipients, and every listed recipient is in the United States.
Yes. In 2025 it awarded $410,400 to House Majority PAC to elect Democratic Representatives and another $410,400 to Senate Majority PAC to elect Democratic Senators. The record also includes other Democratic electoral support in the foundation’s stated portfolio.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| House Majority PAC | Washington, DC | $410,400 | 2025 | to elect Democratic Representatives |
| Senate Majority PAC | Washington, DC | $410,400 | 2025 | to elect Democratic Senators |
| William J Brennan Jr Center for Justice | New York, NY | $250,000 | 2025 | to improve American democracy and justice |
| Pro Publica Inc | New York, NY | $250,000 | 2025 | promote informed citizenry and responsible journalism |
| Consumer Reports Inc | Yonkers, NY | $250,000 | 2025 | promote informed citizenry and responsible journalism |
| Public Religion Research Institute Inc | Washington, DC | $250,000 | 2025 | support research |
| Foundation for National Progress Mother Jones Magazine | San Francisco, CA | $250,000 | 2025 | promote informed citizenry and responsible journalism |
| American Civil Liberties Union | New York, NY | $225,000 | 2025 | support civil rights and liberties and social and economic justice |
| Committee to Protect Journalists | New York, NY | $200,000 | 2025 | promote informed citizenry and responsible journalism |
| Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press | Washington, DC | $130,000 | 2025 | promote informed citizenry and responsible journalism |
| Center for Constitutional Rights | New York, NY | $125,000 | 2025 | support civil rights and liberties and social and economic justice |
| National Public Radio Inc | Washington, DC | $125,000 | 2025 | promote informed citizenry and responsible journalism |
| Texas Civil Rights Project | Austin, TX | $125,000 | 2025 | support equality and social justice |
| The Innocence Project Inc | New York, NY | $125,000 | 2025 | support civil rights and liberties and social and economic justice |
| National Consumer Law Center | Boston, MA | $120,000 | 2025 | support civil rights and liberties and social and economic justice |
| Doctors Without Borders Medicines Sans Frontieres | Hagerstown, MD | $55,000 | 2025 | support equality and social justice |
| Ground Truth Project | Boston, MA | $55,000 | 2025 | to support freedom of the press |
| Nevada Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals | Las Vegas, NV | $50,000 | 2025 | support pet adoption |
| Music Makers Relief Foundation | Hillsborough, NC | $50,000 | 2025 | support American musicians and musical traditions |
| Campaign Legal Center Inc | Washington, DC | $32,000 | 2025 | promote active participation in our democratic process |
| NAACP Legal Defense Fund | New York, NY | $30,000 | 2025 | support advocacy for racial justice |
| UCLA Foundation | Los Angeles, CA | $30,000 | 2025 | education |
| Pen American Center Inc | New York, NY | $30,000 | 2025 | promote informed citizenry and responsible journalism |
| Electronic Privacy Information Center | Washington, DC | $25,300 | 2025 | INCREASE PUBLIC AWARENESS OF PRIVACY ISSUES |
| Innocence Project of Texas | Fort Worth, TX | $25,000 | 2025 | support for freeing wrongly convicted persons |
| Southern Nevada Public Television | Las Vegas, NV | $25,000 | 2025 | to promote an informed public |
| Media Matters for America | Washington, DC | $24,000 | 2025 | promote informed citizenry and responsible journalism |
| Americans United for the Separation of Church and State | Washington, DC | $20,000 | 2025 | promote religious liberty |
| Americans for Democratic Action Education Fund | Washington, DC | $20,000 | 2025 | to support democratic action |
| Texas Public Radio | San Antonio, TX | $20,000 | 2025 | to promote an informed public |
| Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation | Austin, TX | $20,000 | 2025 | support civil rights and liberties and social and economic justice |
| Southern Poverty Law Center | Montgomery, AL | $20,000 | 2025 | support equality and social justice |
| Texas Tribune | Austin, TX | $20,000 | 2025 | to promote an informed public |
| Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Los Angeles, CA | $20,000 | 2025 | promote civil rights for Asian Americans |
| Sentencing Project | Washington, DC | $15,000 | 2025 | support criminal justice reform |
| Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation | Washington, DC | $15,000 | 2025 | support American musicians and musical traditions |
| National Day Laborors Organizing Network | Pasadena, CA | $15,000 | 2025 | support equality and social justice |
| Japanese-American National Museum | Los Angeles, CA | $12,000 | 2025 | promote history culture and art of Japanese Americans |
| The Nevada Independent | Las Vegas, NV | $12,000 | 2025 | promote informed citizenry and responsible journalism |
| Charity Navigator | Harlan, IA | $12,000 | 2025 | promote informed citizenry |
| Free Speech for People | Austin, TX | $12,000 | 2025 | to promote a democratic society |
| WIkimedia Foundation Inc | Washington, DC | $11,000 | 2025 | to promote an informed public |
| National Partnership of New Americans | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 2025 | support integration and active citizenship |
| Voteorg | Oakland, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | support more robust voting turnouts |
| UC Davis Foundation | Davis, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | education |
| Press Forward | Egg Harbor Township, NJ | $10,000 | 2025 | promote informed citizenry and responsible journalism |
| KCRW Foundation | Santa Monica, CA | $7,000 | 2025 | promote informed citizenry and responsible journalism |
| Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund | Los Angeles, CA | $7,000 | 2025 | support equality and social justice |
| West Orange Scholarship Fund | West Orange, NJ | $17,000 | 2024 | provide college scholarships |
| The New Georgia Project | Atlanta, GA | $13,000 | 2024 | increase the civic participation of the New Georgia Majority-Black Latinx AAPI and young Georgians |
Senate Majority PAC
$410,400to elect Democratic Senators
to improve American democracy and justice
promote informed citizenry and responsible journalism
American Civil Liberties Union
$225,000support civil rights and liberties and social and economic justice
Committee to Protect Journalists
$200,000promote informed citizenry and responsible journalism
promote informed citizenry and responsible journalism
Center for Constitutional Rights
$125,000support civil rights and liberties and social and economic justice
promote informed citizenry and responsible journalism
support civil rights and liberties and social and economic justice
support civil rights and liberties and social and economic justice
support equality and social justice
support American musicians and musical traditions
promote active participation in our democratic process
INCREASE PUBLIC AWARENESS OF PRIVACY ISSUES
Southern Nevada Public Television
$25,000to promote an informed public
promote informed citizenry and responsible journalism
promote religious liberty
Americans for Democratic Action Education Fund
$20,000to support democratic action
support civil rights and liberties and social and economic justice
Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation
$15,000support American musicians and musical traditions
promote history culture and art of Japanese Americans
The Nevada Independent
$12,000promote informed citizenry and responsible journalism
support integration and active citizenship
Press Forward
$10,000promote informed citizenry and responsible journalism
support equality and social justice
West Orange Scholarship Fund
$17,000provide college scholarships
increase the civic participation of the New Georgia Majority-Black Latinx AAPI and young Georgians