The Draper Foundation concentrates its funding into a small number of large grants that advance strategic philanthropy, public policy research, and local K–12 education in the San Francisco Bay Area. Its largest and repeated support flows to Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation—indicating a preference for venture/accelerator-style philanthropy—while material gifts to The Independent Institute and Ravenswood Education Foundation show interest in public policy research and direct education program support at the community level. The foundation’s portfolio is deliberately concentrated and impact-oriented rather than broadly distributed.
A three-year stream of $1,000,000 grants to Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation stands out in The Draper Foundation’s recent record and shows how central venture-style philanthropy is to its approach. The foundation pairs that large, repeated support with sizable gifts to education and public-policy groups, including $750,000 to The Independent Institute and $666,666 to Ravenswood Education Foundation. That mix points to a portfolio built around a few large awards rather than many small ones. The Draper Foundation gives across community outreach, education programs, environmental reform, and medical research support, but its recent grants lean heavily toward community outreach and education. Several awards support Bay Area and California organizations, while others go to universities and policy groups outside the state. The portfolio includes both nonprofit intermediaries and operating organizations, and its recent grant record shows the same grantee can receive support in multiple years. In practice, the foundation appears to fund a concentrated set of organizations working on social impact, public policy, and school-related programs.
In venture philanthropy, the foundation’s clearest signal is its repeated $1,000,000 support for Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, reinforcing a model that emphasizes early-stage social impact organizations and capacity building. For education, The Draper Foundation gave $500,000 to The University of Utah, $500,000 to the University of Texas Fdn Inc, and $500,000 to Bizworld Foundation, alongside $333,333 to Ravenswood Education Foundation for education program work in East Palo Alto. These grants show both higher education and K-12 support. Public-policy and civic work also appears in the portfolio. The foundation awarded $750,000 to The Independent Institute, $350,000 and $250,000 to Libertas Institute, and $200,000 to California Policy Center. Environmental reform appears as a smaller slice of the record, including $250,000 to Bayorg in San Francisco.
Typical grant sizes cluster in the middle of the market, with a p25 of $8,250, a median of $25,000, and a p75 of $80,000. Recent awards can be much larger, but the overall pattern is still concentrated: several grantees reappear across years, including Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, Bizworld Foundation, Ravenswood Education Foundation, California Policy Center, and Brink Technology Inc. The foundation is a regular funder rather than a donor-advised fund, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. The recent record also suggests some restricted-purpose and program-based support alongside broader operating-style philanthropy.
$7.4M
$188.3M
$51.4M
$7.8M
Most grants fall between $8K and $80K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$8K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$80K
Top 2 recipient countries by grant volume for Draper Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 258 | $17.7M | 99.2% |
| 2 | Chile | 2 |
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Highly concentrated: very few, large grants with repeat funding to a single intermediary (Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation), plus sizable one-off gifts to policy research and a local education nonprofit. Emphasis on high-impact, strategic partners rather than many small grants.
Notable grantees: Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, The Independent Institute, Ravenswood Education Foundation
Grantmaking is heavily California-centered: 60% of grants go to recipients in CA, and the state is also the top state by grant count. Recent California recipients include Menlo Park, Oakland, East Palo Alto, San Francisco, Tustin, Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, Stanford, and Chino Hills. Outside California, grants also reached Austin, Salt Lake City, Philadelphia, Northampton, Lehi, and New York. Internationally, the recipient distribution includes 1 grant in Côte d’Ivoire.
Its recent grants support community outreach, education programs, environmental reform, and medical research support. The most visible patterns in the data are venture philanthropy, public-policy research and advocacy, and local K-12 education in the San Francisco Bay Area.
It shows recurring support to several recipients. Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation received $1,000,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025, while Bizworld Foundation, Ravenswood Education Foundation, California Policy Center, and Brink Technology Inc also appear in multiple years.
The grant-size distribution is p25 $8,250, median $25,000, and p75 $80,000. Recent awards can be much larger than that middle range, including multiple $500,000 and $1,000,000 grants.
Its DRK Foundation Early-Stage Portfolio Funding and related portfolio application programs are listed as accepting unsolicited applications. Those programs provide year-round open applications for early-stage, post-pilot organizations and include up to $300,000 in unrestricted grant funding or investment capital.
California is the top state by grant count, and 60% of grants go to recipients in CA. Recent California grantees include organizations in Menlo Park, Oakland, East Palo Alto, San Francisco, Tustin, Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, Stanford, and Chino Hills.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
| $300K |
0.8% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DRAPER RICHARDS KAPLAN FOUNDATION | MENLO PARK, CA | $1,000,000 | 2025 | COMMUNITY OUTREACH |
| BIZWORLD FOUNDATION | OAKLAND, CA | $500,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $500,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS FDN INC | AUSTIN, TX | $500,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| RAVENSWOOD EDUCATION FOUNDATION | EAST PALO ALTO, CA | $333,333 | 2025 | EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| LIBERTAS INSTITUTE | LEHI, UT | $250,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| BAYORG | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $250,000 | 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL REFORM |
| BRINK TECHNOLOGY INC | AUSTIN, TX | $250,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| CALIFORNIA POLICY CENTER | TUSTIN, CA | $200,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| BRINK TECHNOLOGY INC | AUSTIN, TX | $200,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| VOTING BLOCK USA INC | SANTA CRUZ, CA | $175,000 | 2025 | COMMUNITY OUTREACH |
| UCLA | PASADENA, CA | $150,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| ART OF LIVING FOUNDATION | CHINO HILLS, CA | $150,000 | 2025 | COMMUNITY OUTREACH |
| CARLA AND DAVID CRANE FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| CSSSA FOUNDATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| POINT OWOOD FOUNDATION INC | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | COMMUNITY OUTREACH |
| BIZWORLD FOUNDATION | OAKLAND, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| POINT OWOOD FOUNDATION INC | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | COMMUNITY OUTREACH |
| CALIFORNIA POLICY CENTER | TUSTIN, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| BENIOFF CHILDRENS HOSPITALS | OAKLAND, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| CARLA AND DAVID CRANE FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| HUDSON INSTITUTE | WASHINGTON, DC | $100,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| PHILLIPS ANDOVER ACADEMY | ANDOVER, MA | $60,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| CANYON SCHOOL BOOSTER CLUB | LOS ANGELES, CA | $55,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| REFUGEE RELIEF INTERNATIONAL INC | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | COMMUNITY OUTREACH |
| ENDEAVOR GLOBAL INC | SAN DIEGO, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| BENIOFF CHILDRENS HOSPITALS | OAKLAND, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| SCHWAB FUND FOR CHARITABLE GIVING | ORLANDO, FL | $50,000 | 2025 | COMMUNITY OUTREACH |
| RYDER INSTITUTE | SAN MATEO, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | COMMUNITY OUTREACH |
| CORPORATION OF THE FINE ARTS MUSEUMS | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | COMMUNITY OUTREACH |
| SCHWAB FUND FOR CHARITABLE GIVING | ORLANDO, FL | $50,000 | 2025 | COMMUNITY OUTREACH |
| TEXAS PUBLIC POLICY FOUNDATION | AUSTIN, TX | $50,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| OUTWARD BOUND INTERNATIONAL | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| THE INDEPENDENT INSTITUTE | OAKLAND, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | COMMUNITY OUTREACH |
| SFMOMA | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | COMMUNITY OUTREACH |
| MUSEUM OF MODERN ART - NYC | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | COMMUNITY OUTREACH |
| LUCILE PACKARD FOUNDATION | PALO ALTO, CA | $35,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| PROJECT GLIMMER | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $35,000 | 2025 | COMMUNITY OUTREACH |
| UCLA | PASADENA, CA | $30,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| FOOD FOR THE POOR INC | COCONUT CREEK, FL | $25,000 | 2025 | COMMUNITY OUTREACH |
| UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA | LOS ANGELES, CA | $25,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| TIE FOUNDATION | SANTA CLARA, CA | $25,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| MULTIPLE MYELOMA RESEARCH FOUNDATION | NORWALK, CT | $25,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| AMERICAN TRANSPARENCY | HINSDALE, IL | $25,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| SMITH COLLEGE | NORTHAMPTON, MA | $25,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL | BOSTON, MA | $25,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| SACRED HEART SCHOOLS | ATHERTON, CA | $25,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| ANDERSON COLLECTION - STANFORD UNIV DEV | STANFORD, CA | $25,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| THE UC BERKELEY FOUNDATION | BERKELEY, CA | $20,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| STANFORD CAGE CLUB | STANFORD, CA | $20,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION PROGRAM |
THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
$500,000EDUCATION PROGRAM
EDUCATION PROGRAM
BAYORG
$250,000ENVIRONMENTAL REFORM
VOTING BLOCK USA INC
$175,000COMMUNITY OUTREACH
UCLA
$150,000EDUCATION PROGRAM
CARLA AND DAVID CRANE FOUNDATION
$100,000EDUCATION PROGRAM
CSSSA FOUNDATION
$100,000EDUCATION PROGRAM
POINT OWOOD FOUNDATION INC
$100,000COMMUNITY OUTREACH
BIZWORLD FOUNDATION
$100,000EDUCATION PROGRAM
POINT OWOOD FOUNDATION INC
$100,000COMMUNITY OUTREACH
BENIOFF CHILDRENS HOSPITALS
$100,000MEDICAL RESEARCH
CARLA AND DAVID CRANE FOUNDATION
$100,000EDUCATION PROGRAM
CANYON SCHOOL BOOSTER CLUB
$55,000EDUCATION PROGRAM
REFUGEE RELIEF INTERNATIONAL INC
$50,000COMMUNITY OUTREACH
ENDEAVOR GLOBAL INC
$50,000EDUCATION PROGRAM
BENIOFF CHILDRENS HOSPITALS
$50,000MEDICAL RESEARCH
RYDER INSTITUTE
$50,000COMMUNITY OUTREACH
OUTWARD BOUND INTERNATIONAL
$50,000EDUCATION PROGRAM
LUCILE PACKARD FOUNDATION
$35,000MEDICAL RESEARCH
UCLA
$30,000EDUCATION PROGRAM
TIE FOUNDATION
$25,000EDUCATION PROGRAM
AMERICAN TRANSPARENCY
$25,000EDUCATION PROGRAM
SMITH COLLEGE
$25,000EDUCATION PROGRAM
HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL
$25,000EDUCATION PROGRAM
SACRED HEART SCHOOLS
$25,000EDUCATION PROGRAM
ANDERSON COLLECTION - STANFORD UNIV DEV
$25,000EDUCATION PROGRAM
THE UC BERKELEY FOUNDATION
$20,000EDUCATION PROGRAM
STANFORD CAGE CLUB
$20,000EDUCATION PROGRAM