The Karakoram Family Foundation concentrates its giving on postsecondary education access and scholarship initiatives, with several large gifts to universities and college-access organizations, while also supporting child-focused humanitarian and biomedical research causes. Their grants include multi-year or repeat commitments to a small set of organizations and strategic use of fiscal sponsors to advance programmatic work. Overall, the foundation favors fewer, sizable awards that bolster college pathways for low-income students and select research or global child-welfare efforts.
Concentrated, relatively few but large grants with repeat funding to core grantees and use of fiscal sponsors; emphasis on multi-grant relationships rather than many small, one-off gifts.
Karakoram Family Foundation’s clearest pattern is a repeated commitment to postsecondary access, especially through large unrestricted awards to universities and college-access organizations. The foundation gave University of Pennsylvania $200,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025, showing a three-year sequence of support rather than a one-off grant. It also backed Thrive Scholars with $100,000 in 2024 and again in 2025, alongside other education-focused recipients such as Sponsors for Educational Opportunity and Manhattan Beach Education Foundation. Beyond education, the foundation has supported humanitarian and research work. Its recent grants include UNICEF USA, The Lundquist Institute, and Human Rights Watch, which points to a portfolio that reaches from student opportunity to child welfare, health research, and rights-based advocacy. The use of unrestricted grants across these awards suggests a preference for flexible support that lets recipients direct funds where they are most useful. Across the recent record, Karakoram Family Foundation gives to a relatively small set of organizations with several repeat recipients, indicating a relationship-driven approach to funding.
Education access is the foundation’s central theme. In 2024 and 2025, it gave Thrive Scholars $100,000 each year, and it also supported Sponsors for Educational Opportunity with $100,000 in 2024 after a $52,000 grant in 2023. Those awards align with scholarship and college-pathway work for students pursuing higher education. The foundation also funds university-based learning and research. University of Pennsylvania received $200,000 in each of 2023, 2024, and 2025, all unrestricted. Brown University also appeared twice, with $20,000 grants in 2023 and 2024. On the health side, The Lundquist Institute received $90,000 in 2024 and $10,000 in 2023, indicating support for biomedical or translational research. Outside education and research, the foundation has made grants to UNICEF USA and Human Rights Watch, reflecting interest in child welfare and rights-oriented work.
Typical grant size sits at $5,000 at the 25th percentile, $20,000 at the median, and $27,200 at the 75th percentile, while several awards are much larger. The pattern includes repeated support to the same recipients across multiple years, such as University of Pennsylvania, Thrive Scholars, and Hopewell Fund, rather than primarily single grants. Grant descriptions in the recent record are almost entirely unrestricted. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments.
$560K
$12.8M
$1.1M
$790K
Most grants fall between $5K and $27K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$27K
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Notable grantees: University of Pennsylvania, Hopewell Fund, Thrive Scholars, Sponsors for Educational Opportunity, UNICEF USA
Giving is concentrated in the United States, with all recent grants landing there. California is the top state by grant count and receives 44% of grants. Recent recipient cities include Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Torrance, Manhattan Beach, Big Sky, and Bozeman. The spread reaches beyond the foundation’s home city and includes both major coastal metros and smaller mountain-town recipients in Montana.
The recent record centers on postsecondary access and scholarship support, especially for low-income and first-generation students. It also includes university-based research, fiscal sponsorship through Hopewell Fund, and selected child welfare and humanitarian grants such as UNICEF USA.
Yes. University of Pennsylvania received $200,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Thrive Scholars received $100,000 in 2024 and again in 2025, and Hopewell Fund received $100,000 in 2023 and 2024, with a larger $175,000 grant in 2025.
The recent distribution centers around $20,000: the 25th percentile is $5,000, the median is $20,000, and the 75th percentile is $27,200. The foundation also makes larger awards, including multiple $100,000 and $200,000 grants.
California is the top state by grant count, with 44% of grants going to recipients in the state. Recent California recipients include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Torrance, and Manhattan Beach organizations.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $200,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| HOPEWELL FUND | WASHINGTDON, DC | $175,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THRIVE SCHOLARS | LOS ANGELES, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SPANISH PEAKS COMMUNITY FND | BIG SKY, MT | $30,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| UGF INSTITUTE INC | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $10,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ISSUE ONE | WASHINGTDON, DC | $10,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| EDUCATION PLUS NGN | WASHINGTDON, DC | $10,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | LOS ANGELES, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SIXDEGREESORG | FAIRFAX, VA | $7,500 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| KCRW | SANTA MONICA, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ORANGEWOOD FOUNDATION | SANTA ANA, CA | $2,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $200,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| HOPEWELL FUND | WASHINGTDON, DC | $100,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THRIVE SCHOLARS | LOS ANGELES, CA | $100,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SPONSORS FOR EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $100,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THE LUNDQUIST INSTITUTE | TORRANCE, CA | $90,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| YELLOWSTONE CLUB COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | BOZEMAN, MT | $27,200 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| LAWYERS FOR GOOD GOVERNMENT INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $25,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THE GIVING SPIRIT FUND | LOS ANGELES, CA | $25,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| MANHATTAN BEACH EDUCATION FOUNDATION | MANHATTAN BEACH, CA | $20,005 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SPANISH PEAKS COMMUNITY FND | BIG SKY, MT | $20,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| BROWN UNIVERSITY | PROVIDENCE, RI | $20,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD | LOS ANGELES, CA | $15,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | LOS ANGELES, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| RYAN NECE FOUNDATION INC | TAMPA, FL | $10,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ALS ASSOCIATION | WESTBOROUGH, MA | $10,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $5,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THE DAMON R-WALTER WINCHELL FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| BIG SKY COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION | BIG SKY, MT | $5,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| COLLEGE TRACK | OAKLAND, CA | $5,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| GO2 FOR LUNG CANCER | BOSTON, MA | $1,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THE CHILDREN'S BUREAU OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA | LOS ANGELES, CA | $1,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $200,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| HOPEWELL FUND | WASHINGTDON, DC | $100,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| UNICEF USA | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SPONSORS FOR EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY | NEW YORK, NY | $52,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | LOS ANGELES, CA | $50,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| BIG SKY COMMUNITY FOOD BANK | BIG SKY, MT | $25,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THE GIVING SPIRIT FUND | LOS ANGELES, CA | $25,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SPANISH PEAKS COMMUNITY FND | BIG SKY, MT | $20,750 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| YELLOWSTONE CLUB COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | BOZEMAN, MT | $20,600 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| BROWN UNIVERSITY | PROVIDENCE, RI | $20,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| MANHATTAN BEACH EDUCATION FOUNDATION | MANHATTAN BEACH, CA | $20,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD | LOS ANGELES, CA | $15,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THE LUNDQUIST INSTITUTE | TORRANCE, CA | $10,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| LOVE HOPE STRENGTH | AUSTIN, TX | $6,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION INC | DALLAS, TX | $5,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| BABY 2 BABY | LOS ANGELES, CA | $5,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| BIG SKY COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION | BIG SKY, MT | $3,500 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| PUTTIN' ON PRODUCTIONS | MANHATTAN BEACH, CA | $2,500 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
UGF INSTITUTE INC
$10,000UNRESTRICTED
UNRESTRICTED
EDUCATION PLUS NGN
$10,000UNRESTRICTED
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
$10,000UNRESTRICTED
SIXDEGREESORG
$7,500UNRESTRICTED
THE GIVING SPIRIT FUND
$25,000UNRESTRICTED
BROWN UNIVERSITY
$20,000UNRESTRICTED
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
$10,000UNRESTRICTED
RYAN NECE FOUNDATION INC
$10,000UNRESTRICTED
ALS ASSOCIATION
$10,000UNRESTRICTED
GO2 FOR LUNG CANCER
$1,000UNRESTRICTED
THE CHILDREN'S BUREAU OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
$1,000UNRESTRICTED
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
$200,000UNRESTRICTED
UNICEF USA
$100,000UNRESTRICTED
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
$50,000UNRESTRICTED
THE GIVING SPIRIT FUND
$25,000UNRESTRICTED
BROWN UNIVERSITY
$20,000UNRESTRICTED
LOVE HOPE STRENGTH
$6,000UNRESTRICTED
PUTTIN' ON PRODUCTIONS
$2,500UNRESTRICTED