21 Ways to Fund a Nonprofit
Information for Private and Family Foundations Accepting Contribution Requests
Top foundations giving $1 million or more annually
The below list of foundations have been known to accept unsolicited grant/donation requests as of January 1, 2019. Be sure to check each foundation's website for current request guidelines as this information is subject to change at anytime without notice.
Private foundations are 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public entities that use their own funds or funds from a small donor base to support charitable causes. There are many types of private foundations including corporate, independent, and grant-making foundations. This list is made up of a various foundation types which have been selected based on their annual contribution amount and their willingness to accept unsolicited grant requests.
| Foundation Name | City | State | 990-PF Year | Total Assets | Charitable Giving |
| Ford Foundation | New York | NY | 2017 | $13,709,189,477 | $556,032,905 |
| Lilly Endowment Inc. | Indianapolis | IN | 2017 | $15,079,716,377 | $451,527,026 |
| W.K. Kellogg Foundation | Battle Creek | MI | 2017 | $412,181,797 | $342,983,784 |
| Wells Fargo Foundation | San Francisco | CA | 2018 | $26,352,887 | $314,784,071 |
| Andrew W. Mellon Foundation | New York | NY | 2017 | $6,855,615,466 | $302,078,167 |
| Bank of America Charitable Foundation | Charlotte | NC | 2017 | $10,495,307 | $162,446,844 |
| Wal-Mart Foundation | Bentonville | AR | 2017 | $62,659,442 | $151,362,130 |
| Kresge Foundation | Troy | MI | 2017 | $3,951,731,079 | $147,796,065 |
| Duke Endowment | Charlotte | NC | 2017 | $2,682,038,711 | $132,411,105 |
| John Templeton Foundation | West Conshohocken | PA | 2017 | $3,440,948,540 | $128,709,712 |
| Coca-Cola Company Foundation | Atlanta | GA | 2017 | $396,418,049 | $98,392,981 |
| Charles Koch Foundation | Wichita | KS | 2017 | $685,006,688 | $88,776,579 |
| James Irvine Foundation | San Francisco | CA | 2017 | $2,371,094,583 | $87,377,604 |
| Doris Duke Charitable Foundation | New York | NY | 2017 | $1,874,496,418 | $84,437,306 |
| Colorado Health Foundation | Denver | CO | 2017 | $2,619,475,033 | $80,139,883 |
| Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation | Kansas City | MO | 2017 | $2,430,928,764 | $74,463,759 |
| Houston Endowment | Houston | TX | 2017 | $1,364,353,629 | $66,817,537 |
| Heinz Endowments | Pittsburgh | PA | 2017 | $1,183,360,970 | $57,153,700 |
| Windgate Charitable Foundation | Little Rock | AR | 2016 | $581,719,652 | $54,775,344 |
| PNC Foundation | Pittsburgh | PA | 2018 | $178,431,659 | $52,968,182 |
| Ahmanson Foundation | Beverly Hills | CA | 2016 | $1,207,638,028 | $52,899,938 |
| Anschutz Foundation | Denver | CO | 2016 | $1,234,717,156 | $51,854,012 |
| Koch Foundation, Inc. | Gainesville | FL | 2017 | $86,878,775 | $51,472,328 |
| M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust | Vancouver | WA | 2017 | $1,193,676,004 | $50,342,276 |
| Lumina Foundation for Education | Indianapolis | IN | 2017 | $1,270,789,945 | $46,040,104 |
| Albertsons Foundation | Boise | ID | 2017 | $33,988,661 | $44,429,202 |
| Marisla Foundation | Laguna Beach | CA | 2017 | $40,729,551 | $41,941,775 |
| Otto Bremer Trust | St.Paul | MN | 2018 | $1,187,411,494 | $41,795,040 |
| Publix Super Market Charities | Lakeland | FL | 2017 | $276,357,395 | $40,273,888 |
| Metlife Foundation | New York | NY | 2017 | $159,281,848 | $39,886,380 |
| Fidelity Foundation | Salem | NH | 2017 | $980,830,060 | $39,404,139 |
| F.M. Kirby Foundation | Morrisown | NJ | 2017 | $378,424,352 | $39,250,500 |
| Longwood Foundation | Wilmington | DE | 2017 | $715,121,774 | $39,073,752 |
| Meyer Memorial Trust | Portland | OR | 2017 | $790,090,705 | $35,854,817 |
| California Wellness Foundation | Los Angeles | CA | 2017 | $1,006,120,644 | $34,615,572 |
| Pinkerton Foundation | New York | NY | 2017 | $689,134,144 | $33,971,577 |
| Duke Energy Foundation | Charlotte | NC | 2017 | $20,314,484 | $33,635,027 |
| Enterprise Holdings Foundation | St. Louis | MO | 2016 | $330,053,463 | $33,133,960 |
| Weingart Foundation | Los Angeles | CA | 2017 | $802,302,244 | $30,029,147 |
| Arcus Foundation | New York | NY | 2017 | $209,802,125 | $28,347,803 |
| Caterpillar Foundation | Peoria | IL | 2018 | $49,288,099 | $27,411,700 |
| James M Cox Foundation of GA Inc | Atlanta | GA | 2017 | $468,204,676 | $24,713,190 |
| Comcast NBCuniversal Foundation | Philadelphia | PA | 2017 | $8,535,060 | $21,664,195 |
| Dow Chemical Company Foundation | Midland | MI | 2017 | $40,722,775 | $21,568,863 |
| Inasmuch Foundation | Oklahoma City | OK | 2017 | $379,062,706 | $19,952,076 |
| Shell Oil Foundation | Houston | TX | 2017 | $18,582,808 | $18,468,106 |
| SunTrust Foundation | Atlanta | GA | 2017 | $285,525,048 | $16,955,136 |
| Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Foundation | Phoenix | AZ | 2017 | $2,893,374 | $16,272,303 |
| State Street Foundation | Boston | MA | 2016 | $8,600,245 | $15,772,517 |
| Northrop Grumman Foundation | Falls Church | VA | 2017 | $19,203,647 | $15,644,915 |
| DTE Energy Foundation | Detroit | MI | 2017 | $152,291,838 | $15,397,171 |
| Anthem Foundation | Indianapolis | IN | 2017 | $122,566,243 | $13,733,296 |
| American Electric Power Foundation | Columbus | OH | 2018 | $91,607,786 | $12,719,479 |
| Kroger Co Foundation | Cincinnati | OH | 2017 | $117,932,870 | $12,567,518 |
| Deloitte Foundation | New York | NY | 2017 | $26,069,627 | $12,420,137 |
| Cisco Systems Foundation | San Jose | CA | 2017 | $205,884,265 | $12,417,327 |
| State Farm Companies Foundation | Bloomington | IL | 2017 | $45,823,469 | $12,314,420 |
| Robert R. McCormick Tribune Foundation | Chicago | IL | 2017 | $1,391,901,639 | $12,221,288 |
| Humana Foundation | Louisville | KY | 2017 | $249,531,744 | $11,591,429 |
| Motorola Solutions Foundation | Chicago | IL | 2017 | $8,001,587 | $10,914,181 |
| Fifth Third Union Trust CO Foundation | Cincinnati | OH | 2017 | $26,691,267 | $9,629,525 |
| T. Rowe Price Foundation | Baltimore | MD | 2017 | $74,088,374 | $9,377,205 |
| Eaton Charitable Fund | Brooklyn | OH | 2017 | $1,471,083 | $9,361,229 |
| Georgia Power Foundation | Atlanta | GA | 2017 | $159,918,463 | $8,631,537 |
| Southern Company | Atlanta | GA | 2017 | $71,649,392 | $7,433,127 |
| Compass Bank Foundation | Houston | TX | 2017 | $2,318,342 | $7,045,971 |
| Aegon Transamerica Foundation | Cedar Rapids | IA | 2017 | $154,268,366 | $7,041,598 |
| Ecolab Foundation | St. Paul | MN | 2017 | $10,637,248 | $6,988,767 |
| Air Products Foundation | Allentown | PA | 2017 | $91,273,534 | $6,884,552 |
| CarMax Foundation | Richmond | VA | 2017 | $8,021,063 | $6,540,986 |
| Merancas Foundation | Charlotte | NC | 2018 | $33,578,280 | $6,104,000 |
| Oak Foundation USA | Portland | ME | 2017 | $60,658,161 | $6,078,670 |
| Clorox Company Foundation | Oakland | CA | 2017 | $1,144,740 | $5,824,192 |
| Halliburton Foundation | Houston | TX | 2017 | $11,248,138 | $5,818,446 |
| Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation | Boston | MA | 2017 | $104,098,864 | $5,668,135 |
| Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation | Lynn | MA | 2018 | $104,098,864 | $5,668,135 |
| Burton D Morgan Foundation Inc | Hudson | OH | 2017 | $116,284,739 | $5,156,819 |
| Voya Foundation | New York | NY | 2017 | $2,637,423 | $4,886,735 |
| Georgia-Pacific Foundation | Camas | WA | 2017 | $25,000 | $4,550,296 |
| Baxter Foundation | Deerfield | IL | 2017 | $78,160,856 | $4,149,552 |
| International Paper Foundation | Memphis | TN | 2017 | $66,809,179 | $4,144,302 |
| Mosaic Company Foundation | Plymouth | MN | 2017 | $2,343,145 | $2,890,064 |
| BrickStreet Foundation | Charleston | WV | 2017 | $43,317,288 | $2,880,917 |
| Tegna Foundation | Tysons | VA | 2017 | $3,896,079 | $2,780,154 |
| Kohler Foundation | Kohler | WI | 2017 | $55,595,427 | $2,779,029 |
| H&R Block Foundation | Kansas City | MO | 2017 | $63,648,132 | $2,703,918 |
| WestRock Foundation | Norcross | GA | 2018 | $12,397,810 | $2,469,318 |
| Sidney Stern Memorial Trust | Winston-Salem | NC | 2017 | $13,392,967 | $2,346,000 |
| Express Scripts Foundation | St. Louis | MO | 2017 | $19,763,407 | $2,297,955 |
| In-N-Out Burgers Foundation | Irvine | CA | 2017 | $32,540,212 | $2,284,500 |
| Eastman Foundation | Kingsport | TN | 2017 | $2,676,644 | $2,154,280 |
| PacifiCorp Foundation | Portland | OR | 2017 | $50,561,306 | $2,093,613 |
| Mustard Seed Foundation, Inc. | Falls Church | VA | 2018 | $441,105 | $1,943,634 |
| Majestic Realty Foundation | City of Industry | CA | 2017 | $558,278 | $1,642,403 |
| A.O. Smith Corporation | Milwaukee | WI | 2018 | $6,001,416 | $1,560,546 |
| AEC Trust | Willmington | DE | 2017 | $37,493,916 | $1,448,413 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim Cares Foundation | Ridgefield | CT | 2018 | $77,526,591 | $1,447,491 |
| Hallmark Cards Foundation | Kansas City | MO | 2017 | $262,392 | $1,405,381 |
| Kinder Morgan Foundation | Houston | TX | 2018 | $6,845,716 | $1,353,772 |
| American Honda Foundation | Torrance | CA | 2017 | $32,171,599 | $1,208,043 |
| First Nonprofit Foundation | Hummelstown | PA | 2017 | $4,187,036 | $1,200,042 |
| GSF Foundation | Irvine | CA | 2017 | $12,493,638 | $1,194,370 |
| AstraZeneca Healthcare Foundation | Wilmington | DE | 2018 | $6,127,547 | $1,176,759 |
| Avery Dennison Foundation | Glendale | CA | 2017 | $27,826,828 | $1,130,248 |
| American Water Charitable Foundation | Camden | NJ | 2017 | $23,867,154 | $1,023,699 |
The source for this information is www.irs.gov, guidestar.org, and each foundation's public website, respectively. This information was accessed between January 1, 2019 and August 30, 2019.
The term “Family” foundation is not a term recognized by the IRS and there is no IRS definition for it. The nonprofit sector uses the term “family” foundation in a descriptive way because two-thirds of private foundations are formed, controlled, and funded using private family assets. This list is made up of foundations that were formed as family foundations. Over time, a family foundation may transition into a private foundation governed by a diverse board. Some of the foundations on this list have made that transition; however, the majority of the foundations listed here are still considered "Family Foundations".
These foundations were selected based on their annual contribution amount and their willingness to accept unsolicited grant requests.
| Foundation Name | City | State | 990-PF Filing Year | Total Assets | Charitable Contributions |
| Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation | Seattle | WA | 2017 | $51,830,224,097 | $4,415,204,265 |
| Walton Family Foundation | Bentonville | AR | 2017 | $3,651,954,185 | $490,674,838 |
| William and Flora Hewlett Foundation | Menlo Park | CA | 2017 | $9,888,877,234 | $431,219,377 |
| Robert Wood Johnson Foundation | Princeton | NJ | 2017 | $11,399,649,815 | $418,469,294 |
| David and Lucile Packard Foundation | Los Altos | CA | 2017 | $7,850,230,455 | $335,249,144 |
| John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation | Chicago | IL | 2017 | $6,999,766,070 | $255,597,682 |
| Carnegie Corporation of New York | New York | NY | 2017 | $3,581,604,875 | $159,033,581 |
| Robert W. Woodruff Foundation | Atlanta | GA | 2017 | $653,534,918 | $149,765,015 |
| Charles Stewart Mott Foundation | Flint | MI | 2017 | $3,098,258,647 | $123,519,474 |
| William Penn Foundation | Philadelphia | PA | 2017 | $2,589,456,614 | $112,911,385 |
| Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation | Tulsa | OK | 2017 | $2,113,431,833 | $106,065,282 |
| John S. and James L. Knight Foundation | Miami | FL | 2017 | $2,325,815,386 | $104,030,191 |
| Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation | Owens Mills | MD | 2016 | $1,908,695,656 | $94,527,288 |
| Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation | Atlanta | GA | 2018 | $1,530,189,362 | $91,778,344 |
| Michael and Susan Dell Foundation | Austin | TX | 2017 | $1,831,518,540 | $89,650,845 |
| Annenberg Foundation | Conshohocken | PA | 2017 | $1,609,958,544 | $85,610,590 |
| Moody Foundation | Galveston | TX | 2017 | $855,208,148 | $76,658,511 |
| Houston Endowment | Houston | TX | 2017 | $1,364,353,629 | $66,817,537 |
| Jack, Joseph, & Morton Mandel Foundation | Cleveland | OH | 2017 | $1,628,473,410 | $52,538,154 |
| Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation | Milwaukee | WI | 2017 | $913,084,548 | $48,190,369 |
| Henry Luce Foundation | New York | NY | 2017 | $889,025,360 | $39,552,527 |
| Joyce Foundation | Chicago | IL | 2017 | $1,062,106,276 | $36,440,380 |
| Goizueta Foundation | Atlanta | GA | 2107 | $469,208,375 | $32,382,603 |
| Skoll Foundation | Palo Alto | CA | 2017 | $618,798,067 | $31,155,850 |
| Rockefeller Brothers Fund | New York | NY | 2017 | $1,213,633,061 | $30,706,826 |
| Ford Family Foundation | Roseburg | OR | 2017 | $935,604,462 | $29,725,631 |
| Sobrato Family Foundation | Mountainview | CA | 2017 | $288,142,117 | $29,153,336 |
| Amon G. Carter Foundation | Fort Worth | TX | 2017 | $404,097,783 | $27,700,536 |
| Rasmuson Foundation | Anchorage | AK | 2017 | $711,676,707 | $26,495,042 |
| Gates Family Foundation | Denver | CO | 2018 | $459,776,527 | $20,628,758 |
| Mathile Family Foundation | Dayton | OH | 2016 | $240,484,050 | $20,600,332 |
| Timken Foundation of Canton | Canton | OH | 2017 | $65,687,958 | $13,483,594 |
| Hearst Foundation | New York | NY | 2017 | $357,347,333 | $12,370,000 |
| Segal Family Foundation | Warren | NJ | 2017 | $124,944,785 | $12,052,860 |
| Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation | Royal Oak | MI | 2017 | $299,168,241 | $11,922,567 |
| Sara Giles More Foundation | Atlanta | GA | 2017 | $40,359,330 | $11,657,700 |
| Abraham J. and Phyllis Katz Foundation | Atlanta | GA | 2017 | $57,269,870 | $7,869,385 |
| Adolf Coors Foundation | Denver | Co | 2017 | $194,216,804 | $7,476,583 |
| Semnani Family Foundation | Salt Lake City | UT | 2017 | $85,966,347 | $4,381,338 |
| Russell Sage Foundation | New York | NY | 2017 | $347,230,046 | $4,054,244 |
| Winthrop Rockerfeller Foundation | Little Rock | AR | 2017 | $141,195,708 | $3,956,791 |
| Lamar Bruni Vergara Trust | Laredo | TX | 2017 | $66,557,056 | $3,709,000 |
| Henry T. Nicholas III Foundation | Aliso Viejo | CA | 2017 | $33,039,267 | $3,273,199 |
| John and Polly Sparks Foundation | Pennington | NJ | 2017 | $62,824,206 | $3,228,050 |
| Scaife Family Foundation | Pittsburgh | PA | 2017 | $72,571,452 | $2,904,000 |
| Anschutz Family Foundation | Denver | CO | 2017 | $33,009,511 | $2,466,500 |
| Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation | Washington | DC | 2017 | $60,526,018 | $1,918,730 |
| McLaughlin Family Foundation | Oklahoma City | OK | 2018 | $32,904,949 | $1,545,570 |
| Chatlos Foundation | New York | NY | 2018 | $54,055,096 | $1,521,600 |
| Jesse Parker Williams Foundation | Atlanta | GA | 2017 | $31,682,252 | $1,201,500 |
The source for this information is www.irs.gov, guidestar.org, and each foundation's public website, respectively. This information was accessed between January 1, 2019 and August 30, 2019.