Aphorism Foundation
Aphorism Foundation is a private foundation based in San Francisco, California. In 2024, it reported 27 grants totaling $43,449,493, with all listed grant purposes designated as general support.
Aphorism Foundation at a glance
In short: Aphorism Foundation gave $43.4M across 27 grants in 2024 (avg $1.6M), top state California. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $43,449,493
- -21.2% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 27
- -18.2% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $1,609,240
- -3.7% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $1,000,000
- Total assets
- $1,057,987,675
- +0.6% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- California (40% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Aphorism Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 220 Jackson Street Floor 2, San Francisco, CA 94111
Phone: (415) 362-5990
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Aphorism Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Earth Species Project ($10.0M). Together the top 10 received $35.2M.
Grant Size Distribution
91 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $1–5M range: 42 grants of 91 (46%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, grant dollars went primarily to recipients in California (40%) and Massachusetts (35%), followed by New York (10%), Washington, DC (7%), and North Carolina (3%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 27 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Aphorism Foundation gives
- 52% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 869% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 84% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $4.5M (2021) to $55.1M (2023). In 2024 it made 27 grants totaling $43.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Earth Species Project West Hollywood, CA | General Support | $10,005,300 |
| Probabilistic Computing Foundation Inc Cambridge, MA | General Support | $10,000,000 |
| Science for America Inc Cambridge, MA | General Support | $3,000,000 |
| New America Foundation Washington, DC | General Support | $2,200,000 |
| CZ Biohub Network San Francisco, CA | General Support | $2,000,000 |
| Second Harvest Food Bank San Jose, CA | General Support | $2,000,000 |
| Connected Learning Alliance Dana Point, CA | General Support | $1,865,000 |
| Mathesar Foundation Inc Commack, NY | General Support | $1,498,500 |
| Association of Marshall Scholars Inc Brooklyn, NY | General Support | $1,461,858 |
| Leadership Network Carolina Beach, NC | General Support | $1,200,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,057,987,675 | $34,440,061 | $44,517,473 | $43,449,493 | 27 | $43,449,493 | $48,224,099 | $51,687,605 |
| 2023 | $1,051,825,346 | $59,254,514 | $61,346,228 | $55,144,755 | 33 | $55,144,755 | $59,142,303 | $51,632,904 |
| 2022 | $1,051,342,844 | $-152,180,449 | $13,583,296 | $12,846,893 | 18 | $12,846,893 | $44,525,670 | $54,321,768 |
| 2021 | $1,219,904,752 | $232,757,068 | $6,950,996 | $4,484,702 | 5 | $4,484,702 | $127,522,236 | $50,170,907 |
| 2020 | $992,428,208 | $192,620,495 | $12,337,830 | $9,594,894 | 8 | — | $3,394,421 | $43,274,670 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Aphorism Foundation reported a distributable amount of $51.7M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants included organizations working in science and technology, education, food access, data tools, civic life, and church growth. These are descriptions of individual grantees, not stated focus areas of the foundation. For example, Science for America describes itself as a “solutions incubator” developing plans for scientific and technological solutions; Second Harvest Food Bank says it works to provide access to nutritious food; and Connected Learning Alliance says it provides online learning experiences for children.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 27 grants totaling $43,449,493. Grants ranged from $50,000 to $10,005,300, with a median of $1,000,000. The largest reported awards included $10,005,300 to Earth Species Project and $10,000,000 to Probabilistic Computing Foundation Inc., both for general support. Other notable grants were $3,000,000 to Science for America Inc.; $2,200,000 to New America Foundation; $2,000,000 each to CZ Biohub Network and Second Harvest Food Bank; and $1,865,000 to Connected Learning Alliance. The foundation also awarded $1,498,500 to Mathesar Foundation Inc., $1,200,000 to Leadership Network, and $1,000,000 each to Columbia University and Cortico Corporation.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Reid Hoffman as president, treasurer, and director, and Frank F. Huang as secretary.
Aphorism Foundation's 2024 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Reid Hoffman
Ppres, Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Frank F. Huang
Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Aphorism Foundation
How much does Aphorism Foundation give each year?
Aphorism Foundation gave $43.4M across 27 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $55.1M across 33 grants.
What is Aphorism Foundation's typical grant size?
Aphorism Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $1,000,000, and its average grant was $1,609,240, across 27 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Aphorism Foundation give grants?
Aphorism Foundation's top state is California, with 40% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Massachusetts (35%) and New York (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Cambridge, MA (4 grants), Washington, DC (2 grants), San Francisco, CA (2 grants) and New York, NY (2 grants).
Does Aphorism Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Aphorism Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (27 of 27) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Aphorism Foundation's largest grantees?
Aphorism Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Earth Species Project ($10,005,300), Probabilistic Computing Foundation Inc ($10,000,000) and Science for America Inc ($3,000,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 53% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Aphorism Foundation?
Aphorism Foundation reported $1.1B in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $43.4M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $51.7M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Aphorism Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants included organizations working in science and technology, education, food access, data tools, civic life, and church growth. These are descriptions of individual grantees, not stated focus areas of the foundation. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Aphorism Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Aphorism Foundation's EIN?
Aphorism Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 46-4347021. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Aphorism Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Aphorism Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/aphorism-foundation-morg_ed2102dd14e2471ea9f82d620cde302f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_464347021_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Aphorism Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/aphorism-foundation-morg_ed2102dd14e2471ea9f82d620cde302f},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Aphorism Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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