Sakana Foundation appears to be a highly arts-and-culture-oriented funder, with especially strong support for museums, contemporary art institutions, orchestras, and performing arts groups in San Francisco and beyond. It also backs a smaller set of civic and social-impact organizations such as Futures Without Violence and major national cultural institutions like the Library of Congress and Smithsonian. The foundation tends to favor general operating support and gives repeatedly to the same organizations, suggesting long-term relationship-based funding rather than broad, one-off grants.
Concentrated, relationship-driven grantmaking with repeated support to a relatively small set of grantees; most awards are flexible general operating grants, often renewed across multiple years, with occasional larger campaign or project gifts.
Notable grantees: Exploratorium, San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Library of Congress, Futures Without Violence
$14.3M
$135.8M
$8.8M
$15.2M
Most grants fall between $10K and $75K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$75K
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2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Library of Congress | Washington, DC | $2,500,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| Futures Without Violence | San Francisco, CA | $1,000,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| DAFgiving360 | San Francisco, CA | $1,000,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| Smithsonian Institution Hirshhorn Gifts | Washington, DC | $500,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| League of American Orchestras | New York, NY | $337,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| San Francisco Museum of Modern Art | San Francisco, CA | $180,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| DAFgiving360 | San Francisco, CA | $166,667 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| American Friends of the Art Fund | New York, NY | $132,238 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| Friends of the Musee des Arts decoratifs | New York, NY | $113,500 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| Tinworks Art | Bozeman, MT | $100,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| Exploratorium | San Francisco, CA | $100,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| Corporation of the Fine Arts Museums | San Francisco, CA | $100,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| ODC | San Francisco, CA | $100,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA | New York, NY | $100,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| Asian Art Museum Foundation of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA | $100,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| Willa Productions | New York, NY | $100,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts | Beverly Hills, CA | $100,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| San Francisco Symphony | San Francisco, CA | $100,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| Smithsonian Institution, Office of Advancement | Washington, DC | $50,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| FOR-SITE Foundation | San Francisco, CA | $50,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| The John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | Washington, DC | $50,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| DAFgiving360 | San Francisco, CA | $50,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| Urban Peace Movement | Oakland, CA | $50,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| San Francisco Pretrial Diversion Project | San Francisco, CA | $50,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| Unleashed Productions, Inc. | Park City, UT | $50,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| Corporation of the Fine Arts Museums | San Francisco, CA | $50,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| Las Trampas School, Inc. | Lafayette, CA | $50,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| American Friends of the Centre Pompidou | New York, NY | $37,500 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| Library of Congress | Washington, DC | $25,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| Smithsonian Institution Hirshhorn Gifts | Washington, DC | $25,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| Gabhorn Institute | San Francisco, CA | $25,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| UC Berkeley Foundation | Berkeley, CA | $25,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| Princeton University | Philadelphia, PA | $25,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| Princeton University | Philadelphia, PA | $25,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| Madison Square Park Conservancy | New York, NY | $25,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| National Theatre in America, Inc | New York, NY | $25,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| Asian Art Museum Foundation of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA | $25,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| San Francisco Symphony | San Francisco, CA | $25,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| New Century Chamber Orchestra | San Francisco, CA | $25,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| Tate Americas Foundation | New York, NY | $25,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| Friends of the Musee des Arts decoratifs | New York, NY | $25,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| Headlands Center for the Arts | Sausalito, CA | $20,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| Nevada Museum of Art | Reno, NV | $15,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| Stern Grove Festival Association | San Francisco, CA | $15,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| California Academy of Sciences | San Francisco, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| San Francisco Ballet Association | San Francisco, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| Friends of Fondation de France, Inc. | New York, NY | $10,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| San Francisco Film Society | San Francisco, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| San Francisco Ballet Association | San Francisco, CA | $5,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
| The Louisville Orchestra Inc | Louisville, KY | $5,000 | 2026 | For general operating support. |
Library of Congress
$2,500,000For general operating support.
DAFgiving360
$1,000,000For general operating support.
Smithsonian Institution Hirshhorn Gifts
$500,000For general operating support.
For general operating support.
DAFgiving360
$166,667For general operating support.
American Friends of the Art Fund
$132,238For general operating support.
Exploratorium
$100,000For general operating support.
ODC
$100,000For general operating support.
Asian Art Museum Foundation of San Francisco
$100,000For general operating support.
Willa Productions
$100,000For general operating support.
For general operating support.
Smithsonian Institution, Office of Advancement
$50,000For general operating support.
FOR-SITE Foundation
$50,000For general operating support.
For general operating support.
DAFgiving360
$50,000For general operating support.
Urban Peace Movement
$50,000For general operating support.
Unleashed Productions, Inc.
$50,000For general operating support.
Las Trampas School, Inc.
$50,000For general operating support.
American Friends of the Centre Pompidou
$37,500For general operating support.
Library of Congress
$25,000For general operating support.
Smithsonian Institution Hirshhorn Gifts
$25,000For general operating support.
Gabhorn Institute
$25,000For general operating support.
UC Berkeley Foundation
$25,000For general operating support.
Princeton University
$25,000For general operating support.
Princeton University
$25,000For general operating support.
National Theatre in America, Inc
$25,000For general operating support.
Asian Art Museum Foundation of San Francisco
$25,000For general operating support.
California Academy of Sciences
$10,000For general operating support.
San Francisco Ballet Association
$10,000For general operating support.
San Francisco Ballet Association
$5,000For general operating support.