About Barack Obama Foundation
To inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world — building an active democratic culture where people are equipped and motivated to make change in the communities where they live, work, and play.
Focus Areas
Leadership developmentCivic engagementEducationYouth developmentGirls' education and empowermentCommunity developmentArts & cultureEnvironmental sustainability
Who They Fund
girls / female youthyouth and job-seeking young adultsresidents of South Side Chicago / local neighborhoodslocal grassroots community organizations / MBK network organizations
About Barack Obama Foundation
The Barack Obama Foundation’s recent grantmaking is anchored by a repeated, large-scale commitment to empower girls through education: Gofundmeorg received $3,454,197 in 2025 and $2,376,045 in 2024 for that purpose. Beyond that flagship pattern, the foundation has backed a mix of community-facing and institution-building work, including $1,500,000 to the National Archives Trust Fund in 2025 for digitization of records and $1,000,000 to the Chicago Park District in 2024 for a new Midway playground. The portfolio also includes support for violence reduction, South Side economic development, youth employment, and MBK-connected initiatives. Grants in the recent list range from five figures to seven figures, with several awards recurring across multiple years. That mix suggests a funder using sizable, targeted grants to support specific programs, local networks, and public institutions rather than a broad open-call model. The foundation’s stated purpose is to inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world, and the grant record reflects that through education, civic participation, youth development, and community infrastructure.
What Barack Obama Foundation Funds
In girls’ education and empowerment, the foundation made its largest recent awards to Gofundmeorg, with $3,454,197 in 2025 and $2,376,045 in 2024, both described as support for grassroots leaders working to empower girls through education. In civic infrastructure and public memory, it gave $1,500,000 to the National Archives Trust Fund in 2025 for digitization of records. In youth development and workforce readiness, Urban Alliance Foundation Inc received $880,000 in 2023, $266,667 in 2024, and $86,667 in 2025 for youth professional training and employment opportunities. Community development appears in a $1,000,000 grant to Emerald South Economic Development Collaborative in 2023 for the economic development of the South Side of Chicago. The portfolio also includes a $100,000 grant to YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago in 2025 for a local lunchbox program.
How Barack Obama Foundation Gives
Typical awards are mid-to-large: the p25 is $41,331, the median is $750,000, and the p75 is $905,076. The recent record shows both repeat recipients and repeated purposes across years, especially for MBK-related work, youth training, and girls’ education. The foundation is classified as a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals. Program-related investments are not part of the profile. The grant history also shows multi-year support rather than isolated one-off awards, with several organizations appearing in more than one year.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$7.1M
Total Assets
$1.1B
Total Revenue
$209.8M
Total Expenses
$91.4M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $41K and $905K, with a median of $750K.
25th Percentile
$41K
Median
$750K
75th Percentile
$905K
Geographic Reach
National8 states funded
About 30% of grants go to recipients in CA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
VALERIE JARRETT
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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