About Samueli Foundation
The Samueli Foundation makes a small number of very large, strategic gifts focused on institutional partners rather than many small grantees. Their recent funding centers on higher education (notably engineering at UC Irvine), large-scale social service initiatives to address homelessness and healing/trauma, and environmental policy and research. They favor established organizations and intermediaries that can run national or global programs.
Focus Areas
University engineering programs (UCI Samueli School of Engineering)Healing and trauma-recovery initiatives delivered through international intermediaries (Healing Works Foundation via Global Impact)Local homelessness prevention and coordinated United Way campaigns (Orange County United Way — End Homelessness Initiative)Environmental policy and research (World Resources Institute)Social innovation initiatives with scalable models (e.g., Exodus/Exodus Initiative via Dream Machine Innovation)
Who They Fund
Orange County residents (general, students, low-income households)
About Samueli Foundation
A $9.7 million grant to the University of California Irvine Foundation for the UCI Samueli School of Engineering captures the Samueli Foundation’s style: large, targeted gifts to institutional partners. The foundation’s recent grants show a preference for high-capacity organizations that can carry out specialized work at scale, from university engineering to healing and trauma recovery, homelessness response, environmental policy, and Jewish education. Several awards route through intermediaries or established affiliates, including Global Impact for Healing Works Foundation and New Venture Fund for social services. The pattern is not scattered across many small awards; it leans toward substantial commitments, often tied to a named initiative or a program with a defined operating purpose. Orange County appears frequently in the recent record, but the foundation also supports national organizations that deliver work beyond one locality. Its grantmaking includes both program support and general operating support, alongside project-specific gifts such as campus and museum-related funding. The result is a profile shaped by concentrated, strategic philanthropy rather than broad transactional grantmaking.
What Samueli Foundation Funds
Higher education is a visible thread in the Samueli Foundation’s recent giving. One major award went to the University of California Irvine Foundation for the UCI Samueli School of Engineering, and another supported general operations for the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute at the same university. Social services are another major lane: Orange County United Way received support for the United Ways United to End Homelessness Initiative, while Orangewood Foundation received funding for construction costs and supportive services tied to the Tampico Motel Project in Anaheim. The foundation also backs food-access work, including a grant to Abound Food Care for strengthening OCHA’s work on affordable food access for all. In the education and youth space, the foundation funded the Foundation for Jewish Camp for need-based scholarships for Jewish campers from Orange County, and the Orange County Superintendent of Schools for a math initiative across Orange County.
How Samueli Foundation Gives
Typical grant size is $5,000 at the 25th percentile, $25,000 at the median, and $110,500 at the 75th percentile, showing a wide spread even though recent giving includes several very large awards. The recent record also shows repeat support to some organizations across multiple years, including Global Impact, Abound Food Care, Friends of Ir David, and the University of California Irvine Foundation. That points to a mix of one-time project funding and renewed commitments. The foundation is a regular funder and operates active Orange County programs that accept unsolicited requests, including Build OC Fund, OC+ Fund, Leading for Impact, and Breakaway Fund. Its program design includes both unrestricted support and capacity-building support, with some offerings structured as scholarships that cover about 80% of program costs.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$80.6M
Total Assets
$62.2M
Total Revenue
$104.3M
Total Expenses
$89.2M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $5K and $111K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$111K
Geographic Reach
Regional26 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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