THE HEISING-SIMONS FOUNDATION

Supporting OrganizationIRS data 2022–2024

LOS ALTOS, CAEIN 260799587 Website

Annual Giving

$149.6M-2% YoY

Grants

671

Median Grant

$148K

Organizations Funded

522

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Foundation Overview

Mission

The Heising-Simons Foundation is a family foundation unlocking knowledge, opportunity, and possibilities. We advance sustainable solutions in climate and clean energy, enable groundbreaking research in science, enhance the education of our youngest learners, and support human rights for all people.

Focus Areas

climate and clean energy policyclean transportation and electric vehiclespower sector reform and wholesale market/transmission expansionclimate finance and decarbonizing shippingenvironmental advocacy and policy campaignsearly childhood education (p-3 and upk)early educator workforce development and teacher pipelinesfamily and community engagement in early grades

Grant Types

general operating supportcapacity building and organizational developmentresearch grantscapital and instrumentation fundingfellowshipscollaborative initiative / multi-stakeholder partnershipsprogram implementation grantspolicy advocacy/campaign funding

Funded Initiatives

$618M+ donated since 2007, $150M+ annual grantmaking, $200M+ AI safety collaboration (2023), Early Educator Investment Collaborative, Science fellowship programs, climate and clean energy policy analysis, early childhood dual language learners

How to Apply

Does not accept unsolicited proposals. Program staff source partnerships through internal research, field convenings, and relationships. Occasional open RFPs announced on blog and program webpages. Rolling review for invited proposals.

Does Not Fund

No unsolicited proposals accepted, uninvited email inquiries and requests discouraged, grantmaking mainly limited to US with occasional international grants, invitation-only approach requires alignment with strategic priorities

Based on publicly available information from the foundation's 990 filings and website.

Giving History

2024-2%

$149.6M

Grants

671

Median

$148K

States

2023+7%

$152.1M

Grants

712

Median

$150K

States

2022

$142.6M

Grants

670

Median

$130K

States

Grant Size Distribution

$148K

Typical Grant (Median)

$2K

Smallest

$100K

25th Pctile

$250K

75th Pctile

$3.6M

Largest

Excludes grants ≤ $5K. Half fall between $100K and $250K.

Largest Recent Grants

$3.6M

2024

ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND INC

CA · TO ADVANCE CLIMATE AND CLEAN ENERGY POLICIES

$3.3M

2024

NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL

CA · TO ADVANCE CLIMATE AND CLEAN ENERGY POLICIES

$2.1M

2024

AMALGAMATED CHARITABLE FOUNDATION

DC · FOR THE DEMOCRACY FRONTLINES FUND

$2.0M

2024

GLOBAL IMPACT

VA · FOR THE EMERGING BILINGUAL COLLABORATIVE

$1.9M

2024

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR FAMILY SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

VA · FOR THE CENTER FOR FAMILY MATH

Geographic Focus

$63.0M285 grants

$25.4M83 grants

$15.0M68 grants

$7.6M35 grants

$5.6M10 grants

Top states by total grant dollars. Based on IRS filing data.

Financial Overview

YearTotal AssetsGrants Paid

2024

$810.5M

$149.6M(18.5%)

2023

$872.1M

$152.1M(17.4%)

2022

$847.2M

$142.6M(16.8%)

Grants paid shown as percentage of total assets

Network Intelligence

Funding follows networks, not keywords

SciRise maps 4.8M+ grants across 16,000+ foundations to identify which ones are most likely to fund organizations like yours — based on who they already fund, not just what they say they fund.

Data sourced from IRS 990 and 990-PF filings and publicly available foundation websites. Grant data, financial figures, and organizational details reflect historical filings and may not represent current operations or funding priorities. Verify directly with the foundation before applying. See an issue? Let us know.