Gitlab Foundation
GitLab Foundation is an independent global private foundation associated with GitLab Inc., based in San Francisco, California. It supports work that helps people gain skills and access opportunities to increase their lifetime earnings.
Key facts about Gitlab Foundation
In short: Gitlab Foundation gave $19.4M across 90 grants in 2026 (avg $215K), top state California. 67% of 2026 grantees were new. Source: 2026 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 87-4241796
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2026
- Annual giving (2026)
- $19,390,453
- Grants made (2026)
- 90
- Average grant
- $215,449
- Median grant
- $250,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 67% first-time grantees (51 of 76, 2026)
- Total assets
- $21,305,397
- Primary geography
- California (18% of itemized 2026 grant dollars)
- 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. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2026; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2026 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$21.3M
-38.8% YoY
Annual Giving
$19.4M
+36.7% YoY
Grant Count
90
+47.5% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$215K
-7.4% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Gitlab Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.2M for 2026 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is Gitlab Foundation open to new grantees?
67%
first-time grantees, 2026
In 2026, 51 of 76 grantees (67%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $234K; repeat grants $298K. How we count
Medians: $250K first-time, $250K repeat.
- 29% of 2026 grantees were also funded in 2025. Method
- In 2026 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2024–2026). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s mission is to improve lifetime earnings through access to opportunities. Its strategy supports education, training, access to opportunities, and systems change. The foundation identifies three investment areas: creating opportunities for individuals through job training and placement; improving labor market efficiency through systems-level investments; and strengthening collective action among employers, decision-makers, and philanthropists.
The foundation’s listed grantees illustrate a range of related work. For example, Digital Green says it helps farmers use technology and data to build prosperous communities; One Acre Fund says it works with rural self-help groups to reach severely hunger-affected farm families; and The Industrial Commons says its mission is to rebuild a diverse working class based on locally rooted wealth. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own missions.
The foundation says it focuses on individuals or families earning below a living wage in their local context, with potential attention to groups disadvantaged by factors such as gender, disability, or social background.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2026, the foundation reported 90 grants totaling $19,390,453. Grants ranged from $25,000 to $500,000, with a median grant of $250,000.
Review Cycle
or application process is stated here.
How to Apply
is stated here.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Gitlab Foundation
Ready to take the next step with Gitlab Foundation?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation identifies Colombia, Kenya, and the United States as its operating geographies. Its 2026 grant filings also show grants to recipients across multiple U.S. states and internationally.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2026 grant dollars across all 90 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2024 to 2026, annual grant giving ranged from $8.9M (2024) to $19.4M (2026). In 2026 it made 90 grants totaling $19.4M.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2026
The largest 2026 recipient was Realize Impact ($1.1M across 4 grants). Together the top 10 received $5.7M.
Organizations only. It also paid 2 grants to individuals ($375,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
181 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $250–500K range: 97 grants of 181 (54%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Digital Green Foundation San Francisco, CA | Scaling farmer chat to improve self-efficacy and incomes of smallholder farmers in kenya | $500,000 |
| Mobile Pathways Berkeley, CA | To support increasing income for asylum seekers via accelerated authorizations | $500,000 |
| One Acre Fund Highland Park, IL | To support driving greater income growth: tech-enabled crop commercialization for kenyan smallholders | $500,000 |
| The Industrial Commons Morgantown, NC | Economic Opportunity for Textile Workers | $500,000 |
| Realize Impact Bainbridge Island, WA | National expansion project aimed to grow risekit's successful platform into two new markets | $475,000 |
| Fundacion Santo Domingo | Strengthen income generation capacities of migrant polulation, youth, and informal workers. | $460,000 |
| Cal Epic (Formerly California Mobility Center) Sacramento, CA | Cal Epic Ev Tech Training Program | $375,000 |
| Pursuit Long Island City, NY | To support scaling pre-job training: increasing roi via industry engagement & in-person programs. | $375,000 |
| Buildher | Renewal to Buildher Expansion: Scaling Proof to Impact | $350,000 |
| Burning Glass Institute Bala Cynwyd, PA | Integrating the credential value index into the indeed platform | $350,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $21,305,397 | $10,413,122 | $22,031,172 | $19,390,453 |
| 2025 | $34,825,251 | $29,725,275 | $23,923,966 | $14,186,987 |
| 2024 | $23,027,115 | $30,385,452 | $12,810,240 | $8,877,000 |
| Metric | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $21,305,397 | $34,825,251 | $23,027,115 |
| Revenue | $10,413,122 | $29,725,275 | $30,385,452 |
| Expenses | $22,031,172 | $23,923,966 | $12,810,240 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $23,900,634 | $17,230,232 | $10,918,560 |
| Net Investment Income | $8,269,589 | $29,422,890 | $22,702,525 |
| Distributable Amount | $1,202,653 | $812,825 | $140,590 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2026 (received by the IRS July 22, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2022–2025
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2026 filing lists Eleanor Bertani as President & CEO; Elicia Wilson as COO and Secretary; Benjamin Alex as Treasurer; and Caroline Whistler as Chair. It also lists Sytse Sijbrandij, Freddy Vaga, Rahim Fazal, Robin Schulman, and James Shen as board members.
Gitlab Foundation is led by Eleanor Bertani, President & CEO on every filing since 2023; 2 of 9 officers listed in 2026 are compensated.
Officers on the 2026 filing
Eleanor Bertani
President & CEO
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$160K (2023) → $359K (2026)
Caroline Whistler
Chair
Treasurer → Chair, 2026
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Elicia Wilson
COO & Secretary
Director, Ops & Secretary → COO & Secretary, 2026
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$56K (2023) → $223K (2026)
Robin Schulman
Board Member
Secretary → Board Member, 2023
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sytse Sijbrandij
Board Member
President → Chair, 2023
Chair → Board Member, 2026
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Freddy Vaga
Board Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rahim Fazal
Board Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Benjamin Alex
Treasurer
New on the 2026 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James Shen
Board Member
New on the 2026 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Brian Robins (2022–2025) — Board Member
- Former: Wendy Nice Barnes (2023) — Board Member
- Former: Eric Johnson (2022) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2022–2026. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2026 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2026 filing was $359K, to Eleanor Bertani (President & CEO). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Contact
Mailing address: 2261 Market Street 4927, San Francisco, CA 94114
Phone: (203) 910-6093
Website: https://gitlabfoundation.org
Frequently asked questions about Gitlab Foundation
How much does Gitlab Foundation give each year?
Gitlab Foundation gave $19.4M across 90 grants in 2026, according to its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2025 it gave $14.2M across 61 grants.
What is Gitlab Foundation's typical grant size?
Gitlab Foundation's median grant in 2026 was $250,000, and its average grant was $215,449, across 90 grants on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Gitlab Foundation that year got $234K on average.
Where does Gitlab Foundation give grants?
Gitlab Foundation's top state is California, with 18% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were District of Columbia (12%) and New York (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (7 grants), San Francisco, CA (5 grants), New York, NY (5 grants) and Boston, MA (5 grants).
Does Gitlab Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2026: none of the 90 grants with a stated purpose on Gitlab Foundation's 2026 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Gitlab Foundation's largest grantees?
Gitlab Foundation's largest 2026 grantees include Realize Impact ($1,125,000 across 4 grants), Social Finance Inc ($750,000 across 3 grants) and Burning Glass Institute ($600,000 across 2 grants), according to its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 2 grants to individuals ($375,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 13% of its itemized 2026 grant dollars.
How large is Gitlab Foundation?
Gitlab Foundation reported $21.3M in total assets on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $23.9M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.2M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Gitlab Foundation fund?
The foundation’s mission is to improve lifetime earnings through access to opportunities. Its strategy supports education, training, access to opportunities, and systems change. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Gitlab Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions 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 Gitlab Foundation's EIN?
Gitlab Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 87-4241796. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2022–2026.
Does Gitlab Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Here's the math on researching Gitlab Foundation by hand.
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