The Robert and Coley Elder California Foundation makes a small number of very large, targeted gifts focused on local social needs and education in Northern California. Grants are concentrated among three recipients: a public university system campus, a local Catholic social services agency, and a regional food relief/meal program, indicating a mix of higher-education philanthropy and community safety-net support. The foundation appears to prioritize place-based investments that strengthen education access and basic needs in its home region.
A single $1,019,122 grant to University of California, Berkeley stands out in the Robert and Coley Elder California Foundation’s recent giving, and it helps define the foundation’s pattern: large, targeted gifts to institutions and service providers in Northern California. The foundation’s 2025 grants also included $509,173 to Catholic Charities of Santa Rosa and $503,013 to Food For Thought in Forestville, showing a mix of higher education, Catholic social services, and local food relief. Smaller but still purposeful gifts extend that same mix to community organizations, including Escuela Bilingue International in Oakland, The Trevor Project in West Hollywood, and UCSF Foundation in San Francisco. Across the recent grants list, the foundation’s support reaches education, basic needs, LGBTQ support services, and medical research, with several recipients appearing more than once over multiple years. That recurring pattern suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-time awards, especially with Sonoma County and Bay Area organizations. The result is a place-based grantmaking profile centered on local social needs, with a strong concentration in California and an emphasis on practical support for institutions serving vulnerable or low-income populations.
Education is one of the clearest themes in the foundation’s recent grants. It gave $1,019,122 to University of California, Berkeley for education, and also supported Escuela Bilingue Internacional in Oakland with $151,790 in 2025, plus additional gifts of $5,000 in 2023 and $4,000 in 2024. Basic-needs work is another recurring lane: Catholic Charities of Santa Rosa received $509,173 in 2025 and smaller follow-on grants of $17,977 in 2025, $10,000 in 2024, and $10,000 in 2023. Food security appears in several forms, including $503,013 to Food For Thought in Forestville and $10,000 to Redwood Empire Food Bank in both 2024 and 2025. The foundation also supported LGBTQ services with $50,000 to The Trevor Project in 2025 and $5,000 to LGBTQ Legal Advocates in 2023 and 2024.
Typical grant size sits at $5,000 at the 25th percentile, $10,000 at the median, and $21,488 at the 75th percentile, even though the foundation also makes much larger outlier grants. The recent record shows repeated support to the same organizations across multiple years, including Catholic Charities of Santa Rosa, Redwood Empire Food Bank, Food For Thought, Escola Bilingue International, 10000 Degrees, The Trevor Project, Berkeley Food and Housing Project, and LGBTQ Legal Advocates. That pattern points to recurring relationships rather than purely one-off gifts. The foundation is a private grantmaker and does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. No application process is indicated in the provided data.
$2.3M
$0
$5K
$2.3M
Most grants fall between $5K and $21K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$21K
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.
Highly concentrated giving: very few (three) large grants that account for total giving. No evidence of many small or distributed awards; funds are directed to a small set of local, mission-driven organizations rather than broad national giving.
Notable grantees: University of California, Catholic Charities of Santa Rosa, Food For Thought
Giving is overwhelmingly California-centered: 74% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state of California, and the top state by grant count is also California. Recent recipient cities include Berkeley, Santa Rosa, Forestville, Oakland, San Rafael, San Francisco, and West Hollywood. Outside California, grants reached Boone, Iowa; Washington, DC; New York, New York; and Boston, Massachusetts. The recipient-country distribution is entirely U.S.-based, with 35 grants in the United States.
Recent grants show support for education, Catholic social services, food relief, LGBTQ support services, and medical research. Examples include University of California, Berkeley for education, Catholic Charities of Santa Rosa for charity and community assistance, Food For Thought for food relief, The Trevor Project for LGBTQ support, and UCSF Foundation for medical research.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Catholic Charities of Santa Rosa, Redwood Empire Food Bank, Food For Thought, Escuela Bilingue Internacional, 10000 Degrees, The Trevor Project, Berkeley Food and Housing Project, and LGBTQ Legal Advocates. That suggests repeated relationships rather than isolated awards.
The distribution centers on modest grants: p25 is $5,000, median grant size is $10,000, and p75 is $21,488. The recent list also includes much larger gifts, which pull the average above those middle values.
California receives the largest share of grants, with 74% going to recipients in the HQ state. Named California recipients include Berkeley, Santa Rosa, Forestville, Oakland, San Rafael, San Francisco, and West Hollywood.
Yes. Recent grants also went to recipients in Boone, Iowa; Washington, DC; New York, New York; and Boston, Massachusetts, though California remains the clear center of the grantmaking pattern.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of California | Berkeley, CA | $1,019,122 | 2025 | Education |
| Catholic Charities of Santa Rosa | Santa Rosa, CA | $509,173 | 2025 | Charity |
| Food For Thought | Forestville, CA | $503,013 | 2025 | Food relief |
| Escuela Bilingue International | Oakland, CA | $151,790 | 2025 | Education |
| The Trevor Project | Hollywood, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | LGBTQ Support |
| UCSF Foundation | San Franciso, CA | $25,000 | 2025 | Medical research |
| Catholic Charities of Santa Rosa | Santa Rosa, CA | $17,977 | 2025 | Charity |
| Redwood Empire Food Bank | Santa Rosa, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | Food assistance |
| American Red Cross | Boone, IA | $76,027 | 2024 | charity |
| Catholic Charities of Santa Rosa | Santa Rosa, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | charity |
| Redwood Empire Food Bank | Santa Rosa, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | charity |
| Doctors Without Borders | New York, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | Charity |
| The Trevor Project | West Hollywood, CA | $5,000 | 2024 | charitable contribution |
| Food for Thought | Forestville, CA | $5,000 | 2024 | charity |
| 10000 Degrees | San Rafael, CA | $5,000 | 2024 | charity |
| LGBTQ Legal Advocates | Boston, MA | $5,000 | 2024 | charity |
| Berkeley Food and Housing Project | Berkeley, CA | $5,000 | 2024 | charity |
| World Central Kitchen | Washington, DC | $5,000 | 2024 | Charity |
| Escuela Bilingue Internacional | Oakland, CA | $4,000 | 2024 | charity |
| Pageturner | Oakland, CA | $3,000 | 2024 | charity |
| Help a Mother Out | Oakland, CA | $3,000 | 2024 | charity |
| World Central Kitchen | Washington, DC | $25,000 | 2023 | Charity |
| American Red Cross | Boone, IA | $25,000 | 2023 | charity |
| Catholic Charities of Santa Rosa | Santa Rosa, CA | $10,000 | 2023 | charity |
| 10000 Degrees | San Rafael, CA | $10,000 | 2023 | charity |
| Redwood Empire Food Bank | Santa Rosa, CA | $10,000 | 2023 | charity |
| Doctors Without Borders | New York, NY | $10,000 | 2023 | Charity |
| Food for Thought | Forestville, CA | $5,000 | 2023 | charity |
| Escuela Bilingue Internacional | Oakland, CA | $5,000 | 2023 | charity |
| Berkeley Food and Housing Project | Berkeley, CA | $5,000 | 2023 | charity |
| LGBTQ Legal Advocates | Boston, MA | $5,000 | 2023 | charity |
| Help a Mother Out | Oakland, CA | $2,500 | 2023 | charity |
| Pageturner | Oakland, CA | $2,500 | 2023 | charity |
| Rainbow Railroad | New York, NY | $2,500 | 2023 | charity |
| Transgender Law Center | Los Angeles, CA | $2,500 | 2023 | charity |
University of California
$1,019,122Education
UCSF Foundation
Medical research
Catholic Charities of Santa Rosa
$17,977Charity
Doctors Without Borders
$10,000Charity
LGBTQ Legal Advocates
$5,000charity
World Central Kitchen
$5,000Charity
Pageturner
$3,000charity
World Central Kitchen
$25,000Charity
Doctors Without Borders
$10,000Charity
LGBTQ Legal Advocates
$5,000charity
Pageturner
$2,500charity