The Hopper-Dean Foundation concentrates its giving on education and education-related capacity building, with multi-million dollar gifts to both K–12 STEM infrastructure and major research universities. Grants are large and targeted, plus a significant gift to an international grassroots development intermediary, indicating an interest in both domestic education systems and equitable global development. Overall the foundation appears to fund institutional partners and scalable programmatic efforts rather than many small local projects.
A $3.9 million gift to Stem Next Opportunity Fund stands out as the Hopper-dean Foundation C/o Catalyst Family Office LLC’s largest recent grant and a clear marker of its scale. The foundation’s recent giving is built around education, especially K–12 STEM systems and advocacy, alongside major support for research universities and education-related capacity building. That pattern shows up in repeated awards to Cornell University, including a $2.9 million grant in 2023 and another $1.18 million grant the same year, and in substantial support for The Pennsylvania State University. It also extends beyond higher education: the foundation made a $1.50 million grant to Thousandcurrents in 2024, pointing to interest in international grassroots development and solidarity funding. Across the recent grants list, the foundation favors institutional partners and scalable initiatives, with multi-year support appearing in several cases rather than one-off small awards. Its profile is shaped by large, targeted grants that align with systemic change in education and related fields.
In K–12 STEM education systems and advocacy, the foundation gave $3,912,188 to Stem Next Opportunity Fund in 2023. For higher education research and institutional support, it awarded $2,934,551 to Cornell University in 2023 and another $1,183,780 to Cornell University later that year. The foundation also backed Penn State at scale, including $1,374,774 to The Pennsylvania State University in 2023. Its international development interest appears in a $1,498,548 grant to Thousandcurrents in 2024. Smaller but still substantial awards to CodePath and Last Mile Education Fund show support for education-focused intermediaries and student-facing capacity building.
Typical grants are large: the p25 is $50,000, the median is $100,000, and the p75 is $377,268. The recent grants list shows repeated awards to the same organizations across years, including Cornell University, The Pennsylvania State University, One Earth Philanthropy, One Acre Fund, and Earthjustice, which points to ongoing relationships rather than isolated gifts. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. The pattern is toward targeted charitable grants, often at institutional scale.
$6.8M
$44.4M
$2.8M
$7.7M
Most grants fall between $50K and $377K, with a median of $100K.
25th Percentile
$50K
Median
$100K
75th Percentile
$377K
Top 2 recipient countries by grant volume for Hopper-Dean Foundation C/O Catalyst Family Office.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 228 | $57.3M | 99.1% |
| 2 |
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Very concentrated: only a few large grants (multi-million dollar) to institutional recipients. Preference for established national or university partners and strategic, one-off or large program/endowment-style gifts rather than many small or local awards.
Notable grantees: STEM Next Opportunity Fund, Cornell University, Thousand Currents, The Pennsylvania State University
Grantmaking is national, with 50% of grants going to recipients in California, the foundation’s top giving state. Recent California recipients include San Diego, San Francisco, Berkeley, Culver City, Oakland, and Menlo Park. Outside California, recipients include Ithaca and Staten Island in New York, State College and Bristol Place in Pennsylvania, Seattle in Washington, Boston in Massachusetts, and Atlanta in Georgia. The recipient country distribution is overwhelmingly U.S.-based, with 228 grants in the United States and 2 in the United Kingdom.
Its recent grants center on K–12 STEM education systems and advocacy, higher education research and institutional support, international grassroots development and solidarity funding, and capacity building for education-focused intermediaries. Named recipients include Stem Next Opportunity Fund, Cornell University, The Pennsylvania State University, and Thousandcurrents.
The foundation’s grant-size distribution is weighted toward large awards: p25 is $50,000, median is $100,000, and p75 is $377,268. Recent grants also include multimillion-dollar gifts, such as $3,912,188 to Stem Next Opportunity Fund and $2,934,551 to Cornell University.
Yes. The recent grants list shows repeated awards across years to Cornell University, The Pennsylvania State University, One Earth Philanthropy, One Acre Fund, and Earthjustice. That pattern suggests recurring relationships rather than only one-time grants.
The foundation gives nationally, but California is its top state by grant count, with 50% of grants going to recipients in the state. Recent California recipients include San Diego, San Francisco, Berkeley, Culver City, Oakland, and Menlo Park.
No. It is classified as a regular funder, funds individuals is marked false, and makes program-related investments is marked false.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
| 2 |
| $60K |
0.9% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CENTER FOR POPULAR DEMOCRACY | BROOKLYN, NY | $501,600 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| GEORGIA TECH FOUNDATION INC | ATLANTA, GA | $495,980 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| LAST MILE EDUCATION FUND | LAFAYETTE, CO | $495,980 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| CLIMATE FINANCE TRACKER (ONE EARTH PHILANTHROPY) | CULVER CITY, CA | $495,980 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON | SEATTLE, WA | $495,980 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| REWRITING THE CODE INC | DURHAM, NC | $413,405 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| CENTER FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS | NEW YORK, NY | $250,800 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| RESIST INC | BOSTON, MA | $250,800 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| CLIMATE CABINET EDUCATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $250,800 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| CENTER FOR WORKING FAMILIES FUND (TIDES FOUNDATION) | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $250,800 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| CAMBODIAN CHILDREN'S FUND | SANTA MONICA, CA | $250,800 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| ALLIANCE FOR YOUTH ORGANIZING | WASHINGTON, DC | $250,800 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| TEAM4TECH FOUNDATION | MENLO PARK, CA | $250,408 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| THE KNOWLEDGE HOUSE | BRONX, NY | $247,548 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| STATION 1 LABORATORY INC | LAWRENCE, MA | $246,750 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY | BOSTON, MA | $246,750 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| BLACK VOTERS MATTER CAPACITY BUILDING INSTITUTE | ATLANTA, GA | $246,518 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| STREETCODE ACADEMY | EAST PALO ALTO, CA | $198,038 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| A2SV FOUNDATION | PALO ALTO, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| EMPOWR | ATLANTA, GA | $99,019 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| ADDISCODER INC | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $99,019 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| BLACK IN ROBOTICS (STOCK DONATOR INC) | PALO ALTO, CA | $99,019 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| DEEP LEARNING INDABA LIMITED | LO | $50,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| OUT IN TECH | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| SIBLINGS KEEPER | JENKINTOWN, PA | $50,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| CENTER FOR COMMUNITY ACTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE | JURUPA VALLEY, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| RESOURCE GENERATION | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| NATIVES IN TECH | TULSA, OK | $50,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| INTECH | CHARLOTTE, NC | $49,333 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| ONE EARTH PHILANTHROPY (AKA DAUGHERS FOR EARTH) | CULVER CITY, CA | $41,326 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| WEST HARLEM ENIRONMENTAL ACTION INC | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| CENTER FOR POPULAR DEMOCRACY | BROOKLYN, NY | $17,488 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| THOUSANDCURRENTS | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $17,234 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| QT LIBRARY INC | SOMERVILLE, MA | $15,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| GRASSROOTS INTERNATIONAL | JAMAICA PLAIN, MA | $14,390 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| DEEP LEARNING INDABA LIMITED | LO | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| LAST MILE EDUCATION FUND | LAFAYETTE, CO | $8,957 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| CENTER FOR POPULAR DEMOCRACY | BROOKLYN, NY | $8,771 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| CLIMATE JUSTICE ALLIANCE | BERKELEY, CA | $7,992 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| THE EARTH HACKS FOUNDATION | HARLAN, IA | $7,700 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| RAINFOREST ACTION NETWORK | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $7,540 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| THE PENINSULA COLLEGE FUND | MILPITAS, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| REWRITING THE CODE INC | DURHAM, NC | $4,127 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| THE KNOWLEDGE HOUSE | BRONX, NY | $3,853 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| CLIMATE CABINET EDUCATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $3,775 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| THE KNOWLEDGE HOUSE | BRONX, NY | $3,138 | 2025 | CH |
| GEORGIA TECH FOUNDATION INC | ATLANTA, GA | $2,884 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON | SEATTLE, WA | $2,884 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| ONE EARTH PHILANTHROPY (AKA DAUGHERS FOR EARTH) | CULVER CITY, CA | $2,363 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| RESIST INC | BOSTON, MA | $2,335 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
CENTER FOR POPULAR DEMOCRACY
$501,600CHARITABLE
CLIMATE FINANCE TRACKER (ONE EARTH PHILANTHROPY)
$495,980CHARITABLE
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
$495,980CHARITABLE
CHARITABLE
CENTER FOR WORKING FAMILIES FUND (TIDES FOUNDATION)
$250,800CHARITABLE
STATION 1 LABORATORY INC
$246,750CHARITABLE
A2SV FOUNDATION
$100,000CHARITABLE
EMPOWR
$99,019CHARITABLE
ADDISCODER INC
$99,019CHARITABLE
BLACK IN ROBOTICS (STOCK DONATOR INC)
$99,019CHARITABLE
DEEP LEARNING INDABA LIMITED
$50,000CHARITABLE
SIBLINGS KEEPER
$50,000CHARITABLE
NATIVES IN TECH
$50,000CHARITABLE
INTECH
$49,333CHARITABLE
WEST HARLEM ENIRONMENTAL ACTION INC
$25,000CHARITABLE
CENTER FOR POPULAR DEMOCRACY
$17,488CHARITABLE
QT LIBRARY INC
$15,000CHARITABLE
DEEP LEARNING INDABA LIMITED
$10,000CHARITABLE
CENTER FOR POPULAR DEMOCRACY
$8,771CHARITABLE
THE EARTH HACKS FOUNDATION
$7,700CHARITABLE
THE KNOWLEDGE HOUSE
$3,138CH
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
$2,884CHARITABLE