Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation
Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation (DRK) is a global venture philanthropy firm headquartered in Menlo Park, California. Founded in 2002, the organization operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to finding, funding, and supporting early-stage, high-impact social enterprises addressing society's most complex challenges. The foundation employs 47 people and operates in six countries.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$40.5M
-7.4% YoY
Annual Giving
$3.5M
-2.7% YoY
Grant Count
45
+4.7% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$79K
-7.1% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
DRK's core mission centers on supporting transformational entrepreneurs and their organizations through a distinctive venture philanthropy model. The foundation identifies exceptional organizations and provides intensive support over a rigorous three-year period, enabling them to absorb catalytic and transformative capital for downstream growth.
The foundation's approach is rooted in venture capital methodology: finding, funding, and supporting exceptional entrepreneurs committed to making a difference in the lives of vulnerable populations. Primary funding areas include education, human services, and philanthropy/grantmaking initiatives.
Grantmaking
DRK employs a unique three-year unrestricted funding model. The foundation provides mission-driven organizations—both nonprofit and for-profit—with multi-year unrestricted capital, believing that unrestricted funding fuels essential capacity building and innovation in growing organizations.
How to Apply
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
DRK supports organizations across multiple U.S. states including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington. Internationally, the foundation operates in Kenya, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Ethiopia, and Botswana, with support extending to cities including Amsterdam, Johannesburg, and Mumbai.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets & Giving (2024):
- Total Assets: $40.5–$43.8 million
- Total Revenue: $12.4–$15.3 million
- Total Expenses: $17.9–$18.3 million
- Total Liabilities: $2.15 million
- Annual Revenue: $4.2 million
Grant Activity:
- Total Giving: $3.85 million
- Average Grant Size: $310 (based on high volume of grants)
The foundation reported providing first-class or charter travel to key employees or officers, as detailed in Schedule J of its tax filings.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $40,500,333 | $43,758,116 | $48,438,455 |
| Revenue | $15,262,610 | $12,362,974 | $11,080,088 |
| Expenses | $18,291,353 | $17,880,558 | $15,089,762 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | $13,974,287 |
| Net Investment Income | $1,837,441 | $-81,244 | $3,119,205 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
231 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Co-Chairs:
- William H. Draper III
- Robin Richards Donohoe
- Robert S. Kaplan
Executive Leadership:
- James M. Bildner, CEO
- Zeryn Sarpangal, CFO
- Nancy Huang, Chief of Staff
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| WILLIAM H DRAPER III | CO-CHAIR | 4 | — |
| ROBIN RICHARDS DONOHOE | CO-CHAIR | 4 | — |
| ROBERT S KAPLAN | CO-CHAIR | 4 | — |
| JAMES M BILDNER | CEO & BOARD MEMBER | 50 | $555,200 |
| RUTH J SIMMONS | BOARD MEMBER | 2 | — |
| SUE M GORDON | BOARD MEMBER | 2 | — |
| ZERYN SARPANGAL | CFO, CAO | 50 | $325,200 |
| NANCY HUANG | CHIEF OF STAFF, TREASURER | 50 | $316,200 |
| ANIKA WARREN | OPERATING PTR, CHIEF ORG EFF OFFICER | 50 | $326,200 |
| LARA METCALF | CHIEF PORTFOLIO OFFICER | 50 | $314,070 |
| RICHMOND KRISTIN G | MANAGING DIRECTOR | 50 | $281,200 |
| MARGO DRAKOS | MANAGING DIRECTOR | 50 | $253,700 |
| HOLLY KUZMICH | MANAGING DIRECTOR | 50 | $268,700 |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
Since its founding nearly 25 years ago, DRK has invested in more than 270 organizations that have collectively impacted over 610 million lives to date. The foundation maintains an active grantmaking program and is open to new applicants.
The foundation participates in collaborative funding initiatives, including membership in a coalition of like-minded funders focused on high-impact, scalable organizations tackling global poverty.
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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