Aphorism Foundation

SAN FRANCISCO, CA EIN: 46-4347021

2026-incentive-grant-recipients-302613294.html type: exa:news title: APhA Foundation announces 2025 - 2026 Incentive Grant recipients type: exa:news title: APhA Foundation Announces 2025 Incentive Grant Recipients type: exa:news title: 'The PLATO Philosophy Fund: A New Funding Initiative'

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$1.1B

+0.6% YoY

Annual Giving

$43.4M

-21.2% YoY

Grant Count

27

-18.2% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$1.6M

-3.7% YoY

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation broadly funds impact investing and venture philanthropy approaches across four primary areas:

  • Community Development — focusing on economic opportunity and community advancement
  • Democracy Initiatives — supporting democratic institutions and processes
  • Science Research — funding scientific advancement and research centers
  • Education — supporting educational innovation and institutions

The foundation prioritizes backing strong leaders and entrepreneurial approaches to social problems. It favors think tanks and research centers seeking innovative solutions over nonprofits providing direct services. The foundation supports "challenges" and calls for proposals as mechanisms for identifying grantees, and frequently partners with similar organizations pursuing impact-driven strategies.

Grantmaking

Notable 2023 grants include:

Grant Range

$100,000 - $14,500,000

Average Grant

approximately $1 million

How to Apply

**Recent Grant Activity:**

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation primarily funds organizations in:

  • California
  • Massachusetts
  • New York
  • United States (broadly)

Grant Distribution by State

14states
+6 more states

Cities

ArlingtonBethesdaBostonBrightonBrooklynCambridgeCamrbidgeCarolina BeachCommackDana PointDurhamFalmouthHanoverHartlandLiverpoolLos AltosMercer IslandMilwaukeeMontgomeryMountain View

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Assets & Giving (2024):

  • Total Assets: $1,057,987,675
  • Total Giving: $43,449,493
  • Total Revenue: $34.4 million
  • Total Expenses: $44.5 million

Assets & Giving (2023):

  • Total Assets: $1,051,825,346
  • Total Giving: $55,144,755
  • Total Revenue: $59,254,514
  • Total Expenses: $61,346,228

Assets & Giving (2019):

  • Total Assets: $811,070,012
  • Total Revenue: $24,436,703
  • Total Expenses: $20,522,212

The foundation's revenue includes investment income and dividends from its substantial asset base.

Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$64M$128M$192M$256M20202021202220232024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets$1,057,987,675$1,051,825,346$1,051,342,844
Revenue$34,440,061$59,254,514$-152,180,449
Expenses$44,517,473$61,346,228$13,583,296
Qualifying Distributions$43,449,493$55,144,755$12,846,893
Net Investment Income$48,224,099$59,142,303$44,525,670
Distributable Amount$51,687,605$51,632,904$54,321,768

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$14M$28M$41M$55M8 grants20205 grants202118 grants202233 grants202327 grants2024

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

EARTH SPECIES PROJECT$10.0MPROBABILISTIC COMPUTING …$10.0MSCIENCE FOR AMERICA INC$3.0MNEW AMERICA FOUNDATION$2.2MCZ BIOHUB NETWORK$2.0MSECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK$2.0MCONNECTED LEARNING ALLIA…$1.9MMATHESAR FOUNDATION INC$1.5MASSOCIATION OF MARSHALL …$1.5MLEADERSHIP NETWORK$1.2M

Grant Size Distribution

91 grants across all recorded years

3<$50K7$50–100K9$100–250K14$250–500K11$500K–1M42$1–5M5$5M+

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

No grants recorded for .

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

Founder: Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn co-founder

The foundation was established by Reid Hoffman and his wife Michelle Yee as their primary charitable giving vehicle. Hoffman maintains direct involvement in all funding decisions and operates the foundation without dedicated grantmaking staff. Both Hoffman and Yee are signatories of the Giving Pledge.

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

NameTitleHoursCompensation
REID HOFFMANPPRES/TREAS/DIR1
FRANK F HUANGSECRETARY1

Contact Information

Address: 220 Jackson Street, Floor 2, San Francisco, CA 94111-1831

Phone: 415-362-5990

Website: None (the foundation does not maintain a public website)

Subject Areas

Focus areas based on grantmaking activity

Related Funders

Similar funders by location and focus area

Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.

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