Carina Initiatives Inc
Carina Initiatives Inc is a private foundation based in Torrance, California. It supports efforts to build a connected math talent system by investing in organizations that inspire and identify young math talent and provide math acceleration and enrichment.
Carina Initiatives Inc at a glance
- Primary geography
- California (36% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
updated October 2026.
How to apply to Carina Initiatives Inc
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
For general foundation contributions, Carina says it makes grants only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Its website says it primarily finds potential partners through networking and referrals, and that cold outreach typically will not receive a response. A separate Social Thinky Games opportunity accepts submissions on a rolling basis for pre-production projects. It offers up to **$250,000** and considers experienced leaders developing web-accessible, E-rated games, with a primary focus on children ages 8–13. The website says some content must be freely accessible to low-income children and educators; support may be structured as revenue share, equity, or, in rare cases, grants.
- Deadline
- Rolling
- Contact
Mailing address: 990 W 190Th Street 530, Torrance, CA 90502
Phone: (202) 604-1056
Website: https://carina.fund
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Carina Initiatives Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was The Art of Problem Solving Initiative Inc ($1.3M). Together the top 10 received $6.4M.
Organizations only. It also paid 9 grants to individuals ($202,500), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
57 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 26 grants of 57 (46%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Carina says it supports select international efforts to build math talent systems. Its 2024 grant dollars went to recipients in multiple states and Washington, DC: California received 36%, Maryland 17%, New York 17%, Illinois 12%, and DC 8%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 27 itemized grants.
Cities
How Carina Initiatives Inc gives
- 56% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 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
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Art of Problem Solving Initiative Inc New York, NY | Entity Support | $1,250,000 |
| The University of Chicago Chicago, IL | University Research | $930,000 |
| 9 Dots Community Learning Center Torrance, CA | Entity Support | $850,000 |
| Global Talent Network Foundation Baltimore, MD | Entity Support | $750,000 |
| The Global Development Incubator Inc Washington, DC | Fiscal Sponsorship | $580,000 |
| The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University Stanford, CA | University Program | $530,280 |
| Digital Harbor Foundation Baltimore, MD | Fiscal Sponsorship | $500,000 |
| Aops Incorporated San Diego, CA | Entity Support | $441,019 |
| Regents of the University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN | University Research | $308,463 |
| The Partnership for Los Angeles Schools Los Angeles, CA | Entity Support | $282,800 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
Carina’s stated mission is to send more kids from more communities to the frontiers of science and technology. Its four core program areas are inspire, identify, accelerate, and enrich. The foundation describes these as work to spark interest in mathematical thinking, identify mathematical talent, expand access to accelerated math programs, and provide enrichment for high-ability students.
Its 2024 grants include support for organizations with varied education-related missions. For example, 9 Dots Community Learning Center describes its work as providing computer science education and K–6 pathways in Title I elementary schools. MATHCOUNTS Foundation says it provides math programs for U.S. middle school students of all ability levels. Addiscoder Inc describes its work as providing computer science programming to high school students in Ethiopia and Jamaica. Carina also lists university research, university programs, entity support, and fiscal sponsorship among the purposes of its largest 2024 grants.
Grantmaking
In 2024, Carina made 27 grants totaling $7,561,145. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $1,250,000, with a median of $110,000.
Among the largest 2024 grants were $1,250,000 to The Art of Problem Solving Initiative Inc.; $930,000 to the University of Chicago; $850,000 to 9 Dots Community Learning Center; $750,000 to Global Talent Network Foundation; and $580,000 to The Global Development Incubator Inc. Other notable awards included $530,280 to Stanford University, $500,000 to Digital Harbor Foundation, and $308,463 to the University of Minnesota.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Josh Taylor as president; Jennifer Reynoso as secretary; Melissa Vitek as treasurer; and Fred Taylor and John Taylor as directors. It also lists Jacob Taylor as a director through December 12, 2022. On its website, Carina identifies Jean Chin as lead for Enrich, Melissa Vitek as COO, and Tife Oye as lead for Inspire and Identify.
Carina Initiatives Inc is led by Josh Taylor, President on every filing since 2023; 1 of 6 officers listed in 2024 is compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Josh Taylor
President
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Fred Taylor
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jacob Taylor
Director to Dec
Director → Director to Dec, 2024
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Taylor
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Melissa Vitek
Treasurer
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$288K (2023) → $221K (2024)
Jennifer Reynoso
Secretary
On filings since 2023
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2023–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $221K, to Melissa Vitek (Treasurer).
Frequently asked questions about Carina Initiatives Inc
Where does Carina Initiatives Inc give grants?
Carina Initiatives Inc's top state is California, with 36% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990 filing. The next largest states were Maryland (17%) and New York (17%). The most frequent recipient cities were Cambridge, MA (3 grants) and Baltimore, MD (2 grants).
Does Carina Initiatives Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 27 grants with a stated purpose on Carina Initiatives Inc's 2024 IRS Form 990 filing were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Entity Support" (11 grants), "Fellowship" (9 grants) and "University Program" (3 grants).
Who are Carina Initiatives Inc's largest grantees?
Carina Initiatives Inc's largest 2024 grantees include The Art of Problem Solving Initiative Inc ($1,250,000), The University of Chicago ($930,000) and 9 Dots Community Learning Center ($850,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990 filing. It also paid 9 grants to individuals ($202,500), which are not listed by name. Together they received 40% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
What does Carina Initiatives Inc fund?
Carina’s stated mission is to send more kids from more communities to the frontiers of science and technology. Its four core program areas are inspire, identify, accelerate, and enrich. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Carina Initiatives Inc?
For general foundation contributions, Carina says it makes grants only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Carina Initiatives Inc's EIN?
Carina Initiatives Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 85-0909048. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for propublica_summary.
Does Carina Initiatives Inc 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 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
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