About Giant Steps Foundation
The Giant Steps Foundation concentrates large, mission-driven gifts on a small set of organizations focused on food access (especially vegan/plant-based food rescue and distribution), animal welfare and wild horse/conservation work, and a philanthropic slice of health/medical scholarship support. Grants are sizable and targeted, often in repeated awards to the same organizations, with an emphasis on direct service delivery (food aid) and hands-on conservation interventions.
Focus Areas
Vegan/plant-based food rescue and distribution (including food aid for Native American communities)Vegan outreach and advocacy tied to direct food assistanceWild horse protection and on-the-ground conservation land purchases/managementMedical/compassionate scholarship funding at a major research hospital (Stanford Healthcare)
Who They Fund
Native American communities (Navajo, Cherokee)households affected by disasters (fire/earthquake/evacuees)refugees and orphanages (Ukrainian refugees, special needs orphanages)
About Giant Steps Foundation
The Giant Steps Foundation’s most distinctive recent gift is a $300,000 grant to The Farmlink Project for Navajo and Cherokee vegan food support. That award captures a pattern that runs through the foundation’s recent grantmaking: large, targeted support for food access work tied to vegan and plant-based distribution, plus a strong animal-welfare and conservation portfolio. The foundation also made a pair of $240,000 grants to Stanford Healthcare for the Compassionate Scholar Fund, showing that its giving includes a health-related scholarship stream alongside service and conservation work. Recent grants point to hands-on funding rather than broad, diffuse philanthropy. The foundation backs food rescue and direct aid, including rescued produce and vegan food for Native Americans, and it supports organizations working on wild horse protection, rescued animal care, wildfire response, and disaster aid. Its grantees include The Farmlink Project, Stanford Healthcare, American Wild Horse Campaign, Vegan Outreach, and Fleet of Angels. The mix suggests a foundation that favors mission-specific projects, repeated relationships, and practical interventions with a clear line to beneficiaries.
What Giant Steps Foundation Funds
Food access is a central thread. In 2023, The Giant Steps Foundation gave $201,357 to Vegan Outreach for vegan food aid, and it gave $181,000 to The Farmlink Project for rescued produce and vegan food for Native Americans. Another food-related grant went to Wildcare for vegan catering and general support. Animal welfare is another major area. The foundation awarded $117,410 to American Wild Horse Campaign for Virginia Range PZP darting and the purchase of Fish Springs conservation land, then followed with $72,000 for its humane fertility program. It also supported rescue-focused organizations such as Pawpads and Fixnation. Its disaster-response giving shows up in grants like $90,000 to Center for Animal Protection and Education for wildfire animal assistance and $60,000 to Fleet of Angels for Maui fire aid. The foundation also funded the Follow Your Dream Foundation’s documentary Pasang: In the Shadow of Everest.
How Giant Steps Foundation Gives
Typical grants cluster at $5,000 at the 25th percentile, $10,000 at the median, and $28,750 at the 75th percentile, but recent awards often run much higher when a project is central to the foundation’s priorities. The recent list also shows repeat support: Stanford Healthcare received grants in both 2023 and 2024, as did The Farmlink Project, American Wild Horse Campaign, Fleet of Angels, Pawpads, Fixnation, Kings Mountain Volunteer Fire Brigade, Marin Humane, Bhutan Foundation, and National Disaster Search Dog Foundation. The Giant Steps Foundation is a regular funder and also funds individuals. Its grantmaking includes project support, operating support, capital improvements, matching grants, and in-kind food support.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$1.5M
Total Assets
$13.3M
Total Revenue
$566K
Total Expenses
$1.9M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $5K and $29K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$29K
Geographic Reach
Regional23 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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