The Black Dog Private Foundation concentrates its giving on civic engagement and public-interest media, with significant support for voter registration/turnout organizations and independent journalism, alongside notable gifts to cultural institutions and humanitarian relief. Grants show a Bay Area tilt (SFMOMA, KQED, local youth/outdoor programs) while also funding international emergency relief and environmental causes. The foundation mixes large, targeted gifts for program initiatives with recurring support for a handful of preferred grantees.
A defining feature of The Black Dog Private Foundation Inc is its concentrated support for civic engagement and public-interest media, paired with sizable gifts to Bay Area cultural institutions. The largest recent grant in the record is $250,000 to Vote Org for its Mind The Gap program, and the foundation also made six-figure commitments to Voter Registration Project and American Independent Foundation in 2024. That same pattern shows up in journalism and media support: KQED and American Independent receive direct backing, while the foundation also funds organizations tied to voter registration and turnout. Its arts giving is similarly specific. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art appears multiple times with support for photography accessions, exhibition funds, and unrestricted giving, including a $112,500 grant tied to the Photography Accessions Committee and the Art of Today Annual Exhibition Fund. The foundation also backs emergency relief and environmental work, with grants to Mercy Corps, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Environmental Defense Fund. Across the record, it combines targeted program grants, unrestricted support, and event-based gifts.
Civic participation is the clearest throughline in the grant record. The foundation gave $250,000 to Vote Org for the Mind The Gap program, $200,000 to Voter Registration Project for the Everybody Votes Campaign, and another $100,000 to Voter Registration Project for general and unrestricted support. Public-interest media is another recurring area. It awarded $200,000 to American Independent Foundation for the American Independent Radio Program, along with grants to KQED for Campaign 21 and general and unrestricted support. Arts and collections support also appears in multiple forms. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art received funding for the Photography Accessions Committee, the Neal Benezra Exhibition Fund, and exhibition support for Kinship. The foundation also gave to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art for unrestricted support. Humanitarian relief and environmental work round out the mix, including grants to Mercy Corps for Ukraine relief and general support, the International Committee of the Red Cross for a Ukraine relief fund, and Environmental Defense Fund for general and unrestricted support.
$682K
$3.6M
$268K
$722K
Most grants fall between $3K and $15K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$3K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$15K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in CA.
Top 2 recipient countries by grant volume for Black Dog Private Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 98 | $2.4M | 99.0% |
| 2 | Switzerland |
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Concentrated giving with several large multi-thousand-dollar gifts that account for most dollars; repeated multi-year or multiple grants to select core grantees; mixture of program-restricted major gifts (exhibition funds, voter programs) and smaller unrestricted/general support to diverse nonprofits.
Notable grantees: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), Voter Registration Project, Vote.org, Mercy Corps, KQED
The typical grant size is $2,500 at the 25th percentile, $5,000 at the median, and $15,000 at the 75th percentile, while the recent record also includes several much larger program grants. The foundation operates as a regular funder rather than a donor-advised fund, and it can support individuals. Grantmaking appears to recur across years for a set of organizations: Mercy Corps, KQED, Outward Bound California, The Philanthropy Workshop, Environmental Defense Fund, and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art each appear more than once. The pattern mixes unrestricted support, campaign gifts, and event- or exhibition-linked awards.
Grant recipients are overwhelmingly in the United States, with 70 grants, or 98.6%, going to US-based organizations. California is the top state by grant count, and the list includes repeated gifts to San Francisco and Oakland recipients such as San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, KQED, Vote Org, Safe & Sound, and Learnup Centers. Outside the US, the only named foreign recipient country in the distribution is Switzerland, represented by one grant to Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross.
The grant record shows strong support for civic engagement and public-interest media, plus arts and museum work, humanitarian relief, environmental causes, and youth development. Named recipients include Vote Org, Voter Registration Project, American Independent Foundation, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Mercy Corps, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Environmental Defense Fund.
The reported distribution centers on smaller gifts: p25 is $2,500, the median is $5,000, and p75 is $15,000. At the same time, the recent list includes larger program grants such as $250,000 to Vote Org and $200,000 to both Voter Registration Project and American Independent Foundation.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Mercy Corps, KQED, Outward Bound California, The Philanthropy Workshop, Environmental Defense Fund, and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. That pattern suggests recurring relationships rather than one-time support only.
The top state by grant count is California, and the recipient list includes multiple organizations in San Francisco, Oakland, and Menlo Park. The distribution is national overall, with 70 grants to US recipients and one grant to a recipient in Geneva, Switzerland.
Yes. The recipient country distribution includes one grant outside the US, to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva for a Ukraine relief fund. Most other grants in the record go to US-based organizations.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
| 1 |
| $20K |
1.0% |
Recipient country reflects the grantee's headquarters per IRS 990-PF and Schedule F filings, not the program's implementation country.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OUTWARD BOUND CALIFORNIA | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $250,000 | 2026 | Joshua Tree base camp |
| SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $112,500 | 2026 | general operating fund, Photo accessions, and art of today exhibition fund |
| VOTER REGISTRATION PROJECT | WASHINGTON, DC | $100,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| TINWORKS ART | BOZEMAN, MT | $40,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| CITIZEN FILM INC | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $25,000 | 2026 | Chicago WP American Creed Project |
| SAN FRANCISCO FOOD BANK | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $20,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $20,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVANCY | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $12,500 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| THE PHILANTHROPY WORKSHOP INC | NEW YORK, NY | $12,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| BARTH SYNDROME FOUNDATION INC | BOSTON, MA | $10,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| AMERICAN CONSERVATORY THEATRE FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART | LANDOVER, MD | $10,000 | 2026 | Fund for Photography under direction of Senior Curator and Head of the Department of Photographs |
| TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY | PRINCETON, NJ | $10,000 | 2026 | "Photography as a Way of Life" Exhibition at Princeton Art Museum |
| LEARNUP CENTERS | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $7,500 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD SHASTA DIABLO INC | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $5,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| READING PARTNERS | OAKLAND, CA | $5,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF SAN FRANCISCO | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $5,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| CONSERVANCY GUARDIANS USA FUND INC | EAST POINT, GA | $5,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| CATCHLIGHT | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $5,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| SAN FRANCISCO SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELT | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $2,500 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| COMPASS FAMILY SERVICES | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $2,500 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INCORPORATED | WASHINGTON, DC | $2,500 | 2026 | Southern California Fire Relief |
| PASADENA HUMANE SOCIETY | PASADENA, CA | $2,500 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| MERCY FOR ANIMALS | LOS ANGELES, CA | $2,500 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| NORTHERN SONOMA COUNTY FIRE FOUNDATION | GEYSERVILLE, CA | $1,500 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| CATHOLIC CHARITIES CYO OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF SAN F | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $1,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INCORPORATED | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| DOWNTOWN DOG RESCUE | PASADENA, CA | $1,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| MERCY CORPS | BOONE, IA | $30,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| THE PHILANTHROPY WORKSHOP INC | NEW YORK, NY | $12,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| AMERICAN CONSERVATORY THEATRE FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIO | STANFORD, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | For support of the "Second Nature: Photography in the Age of Anthropocene" Exhibition |
| BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF SAN FRANCISCO | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| BLACK MOUNTAIN HOME FOR CHILDREN YOUTH & FAMILIES | BLACK MTN, NC | $2,500 | 2025 | Emergency housing and/or relief fund |
| SAVE THE BAY | OAKLAND, CA | $1,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| AMERICAN INDEPENDENT FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $200,000 | 2024 | American Independent Radio Program |
| VOTER REGISTRATION PROJECT | WASHINGTON, DC | $200,000 | 2024 | Everybody Votes Campaign |
| SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $112,500 | 2024 | for the Photography Accessions Committee, Unrestricted Giving, and the Art of Today Annual Exhibition Fund |
| OUTWARD BOUND CALIFORNIA | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $50,000 | 2024 | Annual Board Gift |
| KQED INC | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $25,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| MERCY CORPS | BOONE, IA | $15,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| THE PHILANTHROPY WORKSHOP INC | NEW YORK, NY | $12,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| BERRY CENTER INC | NEW CASTLE, KY | $10,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND INCORPORATED | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| LEARNUP CENTERS | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $7,500 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| KERN PROJECT | CORTE MADERA, CA | $6,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| NARAL PRO-CHOICE AMERICA FOUNDATION- REPRODUCTIVE | WASHINGTON, DC | $5,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| 10000 DEGREES | SAN RAFAEL, CA | $5,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| AMERICAN CONSERVATORY THEATRE FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $5,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| HAWAII COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | HONOLULU, HI | $5,000 | 2024 | Maui Strong Fund |
general operating fund, Photo accessions, and art of today exhibition fund
CITIZEN FILM INC
$25,000Chicago WP American Creed Project
General & Unrestricted
BARTH SYNDROME FOUNDATION INC
$10,000General & Unrestricted
Fund for Photography under direction of Senior Curator and Head of the Department of Photographs
TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
$10,000"Photography as a Way of Life" Exhibition at Princeton Art Museum
LEARNUP CENTERS
$7,500General & Unrestricted
PLANNED PARENTHOOD SHASTA DIABLO INC
$5,000General & Unrestricted
CONSERVANCY GUARDIANS USA FUND INC
$5,000General & Unrestricted
PASADENA HUMANE SOCIETY
$2,500General & Unrestricted
NORTHERN SONOMA COUNTY FIRE FOUNDATION
$1,500General & Unrestricted
For support of the "Second Nature: Photography in the Age of Anthropocene" Exhibition
Emergency housing and/or relief fund
for the Photography Accessions Committee, Unrestricted Giving, and the Art of Today Annual Exhibition Fund
LEARNUP CENTERS
$7,500General & Unrestricted
KERN PROJECT
$6,000General & Unrestricted