Zendesk Charitable Foundation
ActiveHuman ServicesFunds Individuals
About Zendesk Charitable Foundation
The Zendesk Charitable Foundation concentrates its giving on strengthening philanthropic infrastructure and rapid-response international relief, often routing funds through online-giving intermediaries and strategic operational grants. It makes a small number of relatively large grants (including repeat awards) to platforms that facilitate donations as well as to frontline humanitarian organizations and tech-for-good partners.
Focus Areas
Online giving platforms and payroll/employee-giving intermediaries (American Online Giving Foundation, UK Online Giving Foundation)Emergency humanitarian response and disaster relief (International Rescue Committee, World Central Kitchen)Technology-for-good / education & capacity-building partnerships (Team4Tech Foundation)Operational and strategic support grants to nonprofit partners (general operating and strategic funding)
Who They Fund
nonprofit organizations (US and international)refugees and displaced populationspeople experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity
About Zendesk Charitable Foundation
Zendesk Charitable Foundation stands out for routing large sums through giving intermediaries that facilitate donations, especially American Online Giving Foundation and The UK Online Giving Foundation. Those entities received the biggest recent awards, including $1,496,000 to the American Online Giving Foundation and $659,001 to the UK Online Giving Foundation for donation facilitation. That pattern sits alongside operational and strategic support for humanitarian and capacity-building nonprofits, showing a mix of infrastructure funding and direct program grants. The foundation’s recent awards also point to a clear preference for organizations that can move resources quickly or extend service reach through systems and partnerships. World Central Kitchen and the International Rescue Committee each received $300,000 operational grants in 2023, while Team4Tech Foundation received a $200,000 strategic grant tied to a Social Impact program. Smaller grants in the same set went to organizations working on tech-enabled nonprofit support, career pathways, community connection, and crisis response. The grant list includes repeat awards to some recipients across years, suggesting an ongoing relationship model rather than isolated one-off support. With national reach and a strong concentration of awards in California, the foundation’s giving combines intermediary infrastructure, emergency response, and practical support for nonprofit operations.
What Zendesk Charitable Foundation Funds
A core theme is donation infrastructure. Zendesk Charitable Foundation awarded $1,496,000 to American Online Giving Foundation for facilitating donations to US charities, and $659,001 to The UK Online Giving Foundation for facilitating donations to registered charities. Those grants show how much of its capital moves through platforms that handle philanthropic flow. It also funds emergency relief and humanitarian response. World Central Kitchen received a $300,000 operational grant, and International Rescue Committee received both a $300,000 operational grant and a $200,000 strategic grant tied to a Social Impact program. The same relief orientation appears in grants to organizations focused on crisis response and food access. A third thread is technology-enabled capacity building. Team4Tech Foundation received a $200,000 strategic grant, while TechSoup Global received $50,000 through a Social Impact Q2 program. The recent grants also include support for workforce pathways, such as Kindwork Inc and NPower Inc, indicating interest in skills, placement, and nonprofit effectiveness.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$2.2M
Total Assets
$5.8M
Total Revenue
$3.7M
Total Expenses
$2.4M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $50K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$50K
Geographic Reach
National12 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Where Zendesk Charitable Foundation Funds
Top 10 recipient countries by grant volume for Zendesk Charitable Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 69 | $6.4M | 41.1% |
| 2 | United Kingdom |
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