Arkay Foundation
The Arkay Foundation is a private foundation based in Berkeley, California. It supports organizations working to protect and promote participatory democracy in the United States, build progressive infrastructure, and enhance the democratic process.
Arkay Foundation at a glance
In short: Arkay Foundation gave $820K across 54 grants in 2024 (avg $15K), top state District of Columbia. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $820,000
- -10.5% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 54
- -20.6% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $15,185
- +12.7% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $17,128,302
- +4.8% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- District of Columbia (34% 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 Arkay Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds or proposals. Its website says grants are initiated through requests for proposals sent to selected organizations or recommendations from directors who actively seek out organizations and programs in the foundation’s focus area. The board identifies potential grantees through grantmaker networks, dialogue with experts, research, and board members’ experience and knowledge.
- Contact
Mailing address: 127 University Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94710
Phone: (510) 841-4025
Website: https://arkayfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Arkay Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Voter Participation Center ($93K across 3 grants). Together the top 10 received $613K.
Grant Size Distribution
184 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 145 grants of 184 (79%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s 2024 grant dollars went to recipients in several states and the District of Columbia. The reported shares were DC 34%, California 25%, Nevada 16%, Arizona 15%, and New York 5%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 54 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Arkay Foundation gives
- 48% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving fell 49% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 116% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $820K (2024) to $2.3M (2020). In 2024 it made 54 grants totaling $820K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Center for Empowerment Phoenix, AZ | General Operating Support | $62,500 |
| Tides Foundation Los Angeles, CA | Healthy Democracy Fund | $62,500 |
| American Independent Foundation Washington, DC | American Independent Radio | $62,500 |
| Asian Community Development Council Las Vegas, NV | General Operating Support | $62,500 |
| Hopewell Fund Washington, DC | Fairness Project Education Fund | $62,500 |
| Institute for a Progressive Nevada Henderson, NV | General Operating Support | $62,500 |
| Voter Participation Center Washington, DC | General Operating Support | $62,500 |
| Worker Power Institute Phoenix, AZ | General Operating Support | $62,500 |
| Earth Rights Institute Santa Monica, CA | Women's Financial Education Project | $30,000 |
| The Hometown Outreach Fund Inc Tivoli, NY | General Operating Support | $20,000 |
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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 | $17,128,302 | $951,628 | $1,092,497 | $820,000 | 54 | $933,328 | $827,128 | $807,706 |
| 2023 | $16,337,912 | $417,673 | $1,058,779 | $916,500 | 68 | $1,051,971 | $386,175 | $781,883 |
| 2022 | $15,349,071 | $300,406 | $2,183,203 | $1,718,000 | 60 | $1,894,186 | $324,930 | $829,892 |
| 2021 | $19,754,291 | $1,240,789 | $1,951,226 | $1,600,000 | 1 | $1,760,062 | $1,471,189 | $990,915 |
| 2020 | $19,294,645 | $526,151 | $2,614,468 | $2,280,000 | 1 | — | $397,375 | $952,367 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Arkay Foundation reported a distributable amount of $808K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated focus is enhancing the democratic process. Its website says it favors organizations that promote civic engagement and citizen activism, promote transparency, ensure accuracy in media, protect the right to vote, strengthen progressive infrastructure, and encourage campaign finance reform.
Its 2024 grantees included organizations with a range of missions. The Arizona Center for Empowerment describes its work as empowering low- to moderate-income families, especially Latino and immigrant communities, to address social and economic injustice. The Asian Community Development Council says it works to improve the well-being and education of Asian Pacific Islander and other ethnic communities in Nevada. The Institute for a Progressive Nevada says it educates, empowers, and engages Nevadans to build a state where everyone has a fair opportunity to succeed. Worker Power Institute describes its work as seeking economic, social, and immigrants’ justice in Arizona.
Other 2024 grantees included organizations whose stated missions involve independent journalism, voter engagement, and charitable grantmaking. The American Independent Foundation says it fosters independent journalism to increase public awareness of progressive issues; The Hometown Outreach Fund says it supports local voter engagement and education; and Hopewell Fund says it uses fiscal sponsorship and charitable grantmaking to support initiatives aimed at advancing the public good and equity.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the foundation reported 54 grants totaling $820,000. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $62,500, with a median of $5,000.
The largest reported grants were $62,500 each to Arizona Center for Empowerment for general operating support; Tides Foundation for the Healthy Democracy Fund; American Independent Foundation for American Independent Radio; Asian Community Development Council for general operating support; Hopewell Fund for the Fairness Project Education Fund; Institute for a Progressive Nevada for general operating support; Voter Participation Center for general operating support; and Worker Power Institute for general operating support. Other reported grants included $30,000 to Earth Rights Institute for the Women’s Financial Education Project and $20,000 to The Hometown Outreach Fund Inc for general operating support. The filing also lists two $15,000 grants to Protect Democracy Project for general operating support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists David Goldschmidt as president and director; Susan Reed Clark as treasurer and director; and Laura Flanagan as secretary and director. It also lists Karen M. Kahn, Marian Penn, William H. Soskin, Esq., and Michael Kieschnick as directors.
Arkay Foundation is led by David Goldschmidt, President & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 7 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
David Goldschmidt
President & Director
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Karen M Kahn
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Laura Flanagan
Sect'y & Director
Secretary & Director → Sect'y & Director, 2022
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Marian Penn
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michael Kieschnick
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Susan Reed Clark
Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
William H Soskin Esq.
Director
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Dion Griffin (2020–2022) — CFO
- Former: Elisabeth Wagstaffe (2020) — Assistant Secretary
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 Arkay Foundation
How much does Arkay Foundation give each year?
Arkay Foundation gave $820K across 54 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $917K across 68 grants.
What is Arkay Foundation's typical grant size?
Arkay Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $5,000, and its average grant was $15,185, across 54 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Arkay Foundation give grants?
Arkay Foundation's top state is District of Columbia, with 34% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were California (25%) and Nevada (16%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (14 grants), Los Angeles, CA (5 grants), Monterey, CA (5 grants) and New York, NY (4 grants).
Does Arkay Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 65% of Arkay Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (35 of 54) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Arkay Foundation's largest grantees?
Arkay Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Voter Participation Center ($92,500 across 3 grants), American Independent Foundation ($67,500 across 2 grants) and Arizona Center for Empowerment ($62,500), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 27% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Arkay Foundation?
Arkay Foundation reported $17.1M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $933K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $808K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Arkay Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated focus is enhancing the democratic process. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Arkay Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds or proposals. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Arkay Foundation's EIN?
Arkay Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 77-0404924. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Arkay 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 October 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). Arkay Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/arkay-foundation-morg_8180b94788d3414ab4e7b48ec05467e5
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_770404924_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Arkay Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/arkay-foundation-morg_8180b94788d3414ab4e7b48ec05467e5},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 Arkay 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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